29 mistakes designers make in their business (and how to fix them)
I have worked with hundreds of designers on their business and see the same mistakes being made over and over again.
In this post I share 29 of the top mistakes I see time and again (plus some ideas for how to fix or avoid these mistakes).
1: Not Defining a Niche: Trying to cater to everyone often means catering to no one.
Solution: Focus your services on a specific niche or target audience to build expertise and a loyal clientele. Once you are more established in the industry you can branch out to a wider client base (if you decide you want to).
2: Undervaluing Their Work: Most designers I meet don’t charge nearly enough for their work. As a result they find themselves always working, but never feeling like they are being fairly compensated for all that work.
Solution: Understand the market value of your services and price accordingly. Being cheaper won’t mean more clients, in fact most clients will be put off if you are the cheapest designer they find (as they will wonder what’s wrong with you). If you’re not confident charging property for your services then perhaps you’re not confident in your abilities/skills/offerings and this is what needs to be addressed?
3: Not Having a Contract: Absence of formal agreements can lead to misunderstandings and risk in your business.
Solution: Always use detailed contracts to define project scope, payment and other terms. Do not DIY your legal work. Put money aside at the start up phase of your business to get these created by a lawyer who specialises in the design industry and understand the type of work you do.
4: Neglecting Self-Promotion: Relying only on word of mouth will limit your growth.
Solution: Develop a marketing strategy that leverages both online and offline channels and make sure that lead generation forms part of your list of daily non-negotiables tasks (even when you are busy fulfilling client work). This is how you avoid the ‘feast or famine’ of client work.
5: Not Investing in Continuous Learning: Design trends, business strategy and marketing tools evolve.
Solution: Regularly update your skills and stay informed about industry changes. Start with the FREE page on my website and search by topics you need help with :)
6: Failing to Manage Finances: If you aren’t keeping track of expenses and don’t work to a budget then how do you know if you’re making any money in your business?
Solution: Set up an accounting system (e.g. MYOB or Xero) and hire a professional accountant to help you get your accounts and finances set up properly.
7: Overcommitting: Taking on too many projects at once is stressful and can decrease quality and lead to burnout.
Solution: Set up a current client and waitlist roster. Know how many projects you can manage at one time and don’t be afraid to say no when you know you won’t be able to fulfil work to your highest quality (or without burning yourself out). Another strategy when you get too busy is to double your fees and keep doubling them until clients stop saying yes. This will weed out low quality clients and help those that are wort working with rise to the surface. That way you can work on a more manageable list of clients but make more money.
8: Poor Communication Skills: Most designers don’t communicate nearly enough with their clients so they are left wondering what is happening with their project. Remember, you’ve done this lots of times before, they probably haven’t. You need to guide them through step by step.
Solution: Send out a Client Welcome Pack during the onboarding phase, set communication boundaries from the start and stay in regular contact with your clients (e.g. with a Friday update email).
9: Not Setting Clear Boundaries: Lacking boundaries is how you end up with Sunday afternoon text messages from the furniture store asking for advice, or 9pm phone calls with “design emergencies” about paint colours (that aren’t really emergencies!).
Solution: Use your Client Welcome Pack to define work hours, set limits on revisions and communicate the way you will work with your clients upfront. Also - never break your own rules (e.g. by texting back on a Sunday) or that will be the last time they respect your boundaries!
10: Relying Too Heavily on Client Work: Dependency on one source of income is risky for your business.
Solution: Diversify your revenue sources and make money in lots of different ways. Read this post for some ideas.
11: Not Planning for Slow Periods: Design work can be seasonal and unpredictable.
Solution: Save up at 3-6 months of business expenses in your business bank account for lean times. This will reduce your stress when you find yourself without enough client work to sustain your business. Then use your downtime to create additional revenue streams and diversified product/service offerings (see the blog post above for ideas).
12: Neglecting your Business: Being talented in design doesn't translate to business acumen.
Solution: Take business courses and commit to upskilling in your areas of weakness. Not sure your areas of weakness? Download this FREE RESOURCE as a starting point.
13: Not Adapting to Technology: Technology in design is always evolving. AI is also coming and will significantly change the way the design industry works.
Solution: Don’t put your head in the sand about technology and AI. Stay on top of the latest design tools and be open to learning more and integrating these technologies into your work. If you don’t, you will be left behind.
14: Not Asking for Referrals: If you don’t ask for referrals you are missing out on leveraging satisfied clients for new business.
Solution: Implement a referral program or simply ask satisfied clients to refer you. Sounds simple but so few designers do it!
15: Failing to Set Long Term Goals: If you don’t have a future roadmap you have no idea where you are headed.
Solution: Develop a 3-5 year plan and regularly review and adjust this as your business grows and changes.
16: Lack of a Brand Identity: Not having a clear personal or business brand will mean people don’t recognise you. You won’t stand out and will be easily forgotten.
Solution: Invest time in developing a strong brand identity and ensure consistent application across all client touch points.
17: Poor Time Management: Inefficient use of time can lead to missed deadlines, stress and a chaotic work environment.
Solution: Use time management tools and techniques to prioritise tasks. My Notion Bundle for designers will get you organised if you need a system. And look into the app Harvest for time tracking.
18: Lacking a Backup System: Loss of data can be catastrophic.
Solution: Implement regular backup routines and consider cloud based storage solutions. I use Dropbox for this.
19: Working with Friends or Family: Informal agreements with friends and family can lead to a terrible work situation for you.
Solution: I made the decision to never work with family or friends after it went wrong too many times. Friends and family turned out to be the worst clients of all! However, if you do choose to work with friends/family then make sure to formalise work terms, have a contract and set clear expectations/scope of work up front.
20: Failing to Follow Up: Completion doesn't mean the end of work.
Solution: Check in with your clients post project to gather feedback, seek referrals, ensure satisfaction, fix any issues and explore future opportunities.
21: Being Inconsistent in Work Presentation: Inconsistent presentation looks unprofessional and gives a poor impression
Solution: Develop standardised templates and formats for presenting work to clients. If you need help you may find my Canva Template Bundle for Designers helpful for this.
22: Not Using Social Media Effectively: If you haven’t spent time learning social media you are missing out on building a strong community (that will lead to more clients and more revenue).
Solution: Stop using social media as a place to share pretty pictures and starting using it as a strategic marketing machine. If you need help start with my Instagram Short Course.
23: Ignoring Administrative Tasks: Neglected administrative duties can disrupt business operations.
Solution: Set aside a dedicated time each week for administrative tasks or consider hiring support for administrative duties. Block a specific time in your calendar each week and make sure to use this specifically to catch up on admin work.
24: Not Documenting Processes: Inconsistency can lead to inefficiency. You will find yourself doing the same tasks over and over instead of setting up system that will save you (or your team) time.
Solution: Create a database of Standard Operating Procedures for common tasks to ensure consistent quality and time management. This will help you quickly and easily train new staff as well.
25: Being Overly Defensive: Over sensitivity to feedback can strain client relationships.
Solution: Approach feedback as an opportunity for growth and maintain open communication with clients.
26: Over promising and Under delivering: This can erode trust with clients and really annoy them - so always make sure to do the opposite - under promise and overdeliver
Solution: Set realistic expectations and ensure timely delivery on promises you have made. For example if you think a design concept will take you 2 weeks to prepare then tell the clients it will take 3 weeks and deliver it in 2 weeks. That way you give yourself extra time if you need it, but will always be delivering early (and thereby pleasantly surprising your clients).
27: Failing to Screen Clients: Accepting every client can lead to mismatched expectations and is a way to end up hating what you do.
Solution: Develop a client intake process to ensure alignment in goals and expectations. Think about who you have most enjoyed working with. What was it about that client? What characteristics did they have (e.g. they were decisive, had a healthy budget, were female and had a clear vision for what they wanted). Once you have worked out your ideal client screen all future clients according to those characteristics (and don’t take others who don’t match them!).
28: Not Building an Email List: If you only rely on Instagram or social media for communication with potential channels you are opening yourself up to signficiant risk (as you are building your business on someone else’s land).
Solution: Set up and email list and implement list building strategies to maintain engagement and offer value to subscribers (e.g. lead magnets, weekly valuable email, free workshops and other content of value).
29: Avoiding Outsourcing: Trying to do everything can be counterproductive.
Solution: Identify tasks outside your core competencies and consider outsourcing to free up time and ensure quality. For help in identifying these tasks download my FREE RESOURCE.
Thanks for reading and catch you in my next post :)
Clare x
Dr Clare Le Roy
Courses and Templates for Designers and Architects
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Then check out my business courses and templates for designers and architects.
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