Business Tools I use Every Week for my graphic design business
If you’re considering starting your own business or transitioning to full-time freelance, the initial setup of your website, invoicing, bookkeeping, project management and client communication can be very daunting. Here are the tools I use that I find the most time-saving and cost-effective for my freelance graphic design business.
1. WAVE
I use Wave to prepare and send invoices to clients for design projects. It’s user-friendly and easy to set up with your bank account. Wave allows you to set due dates and opt-in to automatically remind clients of overdue invoices at intervals you specify. It also allows you to customize the design and layout of your invoices. I’ve never had an invoice go unpaid, so The Honest Pixel + Wave must be doing something right!
I’ve never had an invoice go unpaid, so The Honest Pixel + Wave must be doing something right!
2. TRELLO
I can’t sing the praises of Trello enough! As a freelance graphic designer who operates more like a small business than a side-hustle, I always have a lot of plates spinning. Trello is a project management site/app that allows you to create cards with check-lists, due-dates, assigned people, and priority labels. We used this tool in my last job to communicate as a creative team, and now, I use it as a freelancer. In both scenarios I don’t know what I would do without it! I use it to manage active project timelines, project inquiries to follow up on, social media posting schedules, things I’m learning from books/podcasts, business ideas, reminders about upcoming conferences or competitions, and more. If trello disappeared tomorrow, it would be a huge blow to my business. The biggest benefit I experience from using it is the peace of mind of allowing tasks and ideas to collect in one organized place, rather than in my brain. That way next time I have a lull in client work, I can tackle some of those business tasks in a strategic way.
If trello disappeared tomorrow, it would be a huge blow to my business.
3. ZOOM
Anyone have a love-hate relationship with video meetings? What about horror stories of something embarrassing coming from your co-worker’s camera? Or worse, from yours! Platforms like Zoom have afforded the modern work-force with incredible opportunities as well as significant headaches, but I for one can’t live without it. As a freelance graphic designer, I’ve been able to contract for agencies on the West Coast, be hired by clients out of state, participate in virtual workshops with my graphic design heroes, and be a guest on a podcast because of the massive advancements in video conferencing technology. The flexibility that working remotely can offer freelancers is incredible.
4. WEEBLY & GODADDY
If you’re the type of freelance graphic designer I am, you’ve done a little bit of web design, but not enough to be able to write your own code and build your website from scratch. You’re looking for a user-friendly yet highly customizable and beautiful template for your freelance website. In my opinion Weebly far surpasses Wordpress and Squarespace on user-friendliness and customizability. I also use GoDaddy for my domain name and web hosting.
Pro Tip: When it comes to naming your business, do that in conjunction with checking on domain name availability! Years down the road, you’ll thank yourself for not having to add extra words to your url, or use a .net or .biz at the end.
Pro Tip: When it comes to naming your business, do that in conjunction with checking on domain name availability! Years down the road, you’ll thank yourself for not having to add extra words to your url, or use a .net or .biz at the end.
5. SLACK
I use Slack for team communication when contracting for agencies. When working remotely with an already established team, it can be a good way to get the lay of the land. It’s also helpful to have the whole team in one “room” if you need to ask a quick question but don’t know who to ask. Slack has a variety of membership levels, including a 90-day free trial. As a general rule of thumb, I don’t allow a client to require me to purchase any kind of pricey subscriptions to work with them, unless they are a retainer client, or have consistently given me projects that are moderately priced. If a small agency needs you to spend $100/m on the 5 platforms they can’t operate without, that’s a red flag in my experience.
Pro Tip: Some of my clients use Asana, which has benefits as well. They utilize it as kind of a combination of Slack and Trello, to manage tasks and communicate with their team.
Pro Tip: Some of my clients use Asana, which has benefits as well. They utilize it as kind of a combination of Slack and Trello, to manage tasks and communicate with their team.
6. DRIVE
Google Drive helps me quickly and easily backup files, share large folders with clients, and manage documents. There are plenty of other great file storage platforms like Box, Drop Box, and Evernote, but I choose Drive for its integration with gmail and its ease of use.
As a freelancer, it’s great to have the ability to be lean and mean when it comes to paying for and managing business tools. But you’re probably also wearing a lot of hats within your business. You might wonder if it’s worth the hassle of investing the time (or money) into setting up these business tools, especially in the very beginning. But kicking things off in a strategic way can set your business up for long-term success. These business tools have allowed me to stay organized, responsive, efficient and professional since day one in my freelance graphic design business. Hope they can do the same for you.
As a freelancer, it’s great to have the ability to be lean and mean when it comes to paying for and managing business tools. But you’re probably also wearing a lot of hats within your business. You might wonder if it’s worth the hassle of investing the time (or money) into setting up these business tools, especially in the very beginning. But kicking things off in a strategic way can set your business up for long-term success. These business tools have allowed me to stay organized, responsive, efficient and professional since day one in my freelance graphic design business. Hope they can do the same for you.
These business tools have allowed me to stay organized, responsive, efficient and professional since day one in my freelance graphic design business.
AUTHOR
Hi! I'm Tiffany Kelly, owner of The Honest Pixel, an independent graphic design studio in Winter Garden, FL. I've been a creative professional all my adult life. I have a Master's Degree in architecture from RISD and over a decade of experience in graphic design. I've learned so much about design, freelance, and owning a business since starting The Honest Pixel in 2022.
I aim to be a trusted and authentic coach for other graphic designers, freelancers, or owners of small studios. I share honest tips and wisdom about things I'm putting into practice within my own business. My goal is to encourage and build up other creatives in a real way that broadens your community and impacts your success.
I aim to be a trusted and authentic coach for other graphic designers, freelancers, or owners of small studios. I share honest tips and wisdom about things I'm putting into practice within my own business. My goal is to encourage and build up other creatives in a real way that broadens your community and impacts your success.
|
|