One of the things so many of us creatives struggle with is how to charge what we’re worth. Many of us are in the habit of thinking of ourselves as freelancers, but today’s guest talks us through changing our mindset to think of ourselves as independent business owners instead, and why we should be viewing our careers through that lens.

Chris Do owns the design studio Blind and the educational company The Futur, which helps designers and creatives with the business side of the industry. He talks to us about why he started hiring people and how to transition from independent freelancer to studio. We also get into different types of pricing models, a seriously awesome role-play of how to negotiate with new clients, and branding in the 21st century.

As mentioned above, Chris has a strong opinion about the word “freelance”. He gives a lot of advice and coaching through changing your perception of yourself and your business, and how that doesn’t have to change your personal relationship with your clients, as we often feel it will if we present ourselves as a company.

Do you struggle with pricing and negotiating with clients? Are you undervaluing yourself or holding your business back with your mindset? Leave us a comment below and let us know!

In this episode

• Pricing yourself and negotiating with clients in different revenue models
• Branding yourself as an individual who is a “maker AND ____”
• Countering objections from clients to you becoming a studio as opposed to a freelancer
• Chris’s biggest business regret
• What he would change about the industry if he could snap his fingers (it’s not what you think!)

Related links

• Blind
• The Futur

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Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

sonosantus.com

dankoch.net

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