Business plans for creatives: what mistakes to avoid

To give you a push in the right direction we’ve put together a list of the most common mistakes startups make during the initial planning phase. Here are some things you should know:

Undervaluing the products you create

If you create something beautiful and then sell it to the lowest bidder then you’re doing yourself a disservice. Your work is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, so don’t make the mistake of selling for what you feel you should sell for. Test the market and see what people are willing to part with in exchange for your work.

Leaving the hard tasks until the last moment

One of the most common mistakes is putting off hard and uncomfortable tasks. If you want to turn your creative talents into a lucrative new business, you’re going to want to tackle them head-on and embrace the challenge.

Being ridiculously over-ambitious

If you want to keep your motivation up, you’re going to want to be able to achieve the targets you set for yourself. No matter how successful you are, if your targets still seem miles out of reach you’re going to feel like you’re a failure. The best approach is to have a variety of tasks and deliverables that gradually increase in difficulty. It will allow you to build your confidence and take pride in what you’re building.

Not factoring in any possible delays

No list of common startup mistakes would be complete without some mention of being overly optimistic. Whether you are part of an online creative studio, or you’re importing new craft materials to use with your next big project, there will always be unforeseen delays. Even if you can’t identify what they are right now, you need to build some leeway into your business plan.

Ignoring the tools and services that are already out there

There are so many different tools and services out there you can utilize that we simply can’t fit them all into a simple 3-minute read. Here are a few you need to know about:

TrustMyPaper allows you to have a professional fine-tune your plan for flow and structure.

GrabMyEssay specializes in quick turnarounds when you want to make some last-minute alterations.  

Grammarly is ideal for using during the drafting process so you can create precise sentences that mean exactly what you intend.

Google Docs is a great collaborative tool if you’re partnering with a fellow creative to get your new joint venture off the ground.

Hemingway will prove useful if you want assistance with getting your plan concise and to the point.

Not quantifying any of your goals

It’s not enough to say you want to be the leader in your industry. Set yourself a quantifiable goal that you can actually measure your progress against if you want to give your business clear direction from day one.

Lucy Canner, Content Specialist at Studicus writing service says:

“I’ve sat through far too many meetings with talented creatives who make this mistake. Their work is inspirational, but they don’t seem to know the first thing about how to direct their efforts in a way that will make them money. My answer is always the same: be quantitative”  

Trying to offer far too many services

Last but not least, you simply must avoid having too much in your plan. If you want to offer half a dozen services from day one, you’re going to get burned out. And if you’re not exhausted from all the extra work, you’ll certainly be priced out of the market by specialists who focus on one or two key niches.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this article has given you plenty of direction and motivation to really push things forward. Don’t worry, you’re still going to get plenty of time to be creative every single day, it’s just that you need that additional structure and direction that running a business demands. Take your time to familiarize yourself with the mistakes above, and you’ll be able to ensure you learn from them without having to make them yourself.

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About the Author

Angela Baker is a self-driven specialist who is currently working as a freelance writer at BestEssay writing services. She is always seeking to discover new ways for personal and professional growth and is convinced that it’s always important to broaden her horizons. That's why Angela develops and improves her skills throughout the writing process to help inspire people.

Meet Cat Rewha

Cat is a digital performance specialist working in the Australian live events industry. A music-head by night and data nerd by day, she is working toward building data frameworks that can predict sustainable economic trends in Australian arts & culture.

With a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.), Cat specialises in music as communication and is passionate about using the intersection of music, tech & culture as a tool to educate people about marginalised cultures.

Cat joins the CWC Board this year heading up Communications.

Tell us a bit about yourself. 

Studied - I dabbled a lot, but then focused in the end.
Philosophy, then communications, then marketing, then film, then back to communications to do an Honours in Ethnomusicology. It took 7 years to finally get a degree but I made it in the end.

Music - My Dad was a musician so my whole childhood centred around learning and listening to music. Nowadays I’m more of a listener but nothing truly excites me more than hearing a good transition in a DJ set.

Travel - I’m very interested in the different ways communities operate around the world so I like to get out of Australia every now and again to learn a thing or two about different ways of living. At the moment, I’m obsessed with the Nordics and have been lucky enough to take my travels there a few times.

What does a typical work day look like for you? 

The only thing typical about my day is I take lunch at the same time everyday otherwise I get hangry.

What is your current business/creative pursuit/job?

I’m the Head of Digital at a creative and marketing agency called Bolster. We specialise in music and entertainment and I’m lucky to have a very diverse role that allows me to work with lots of very talented people.

Outside of that, I try my hand at film photography, writing and playing piano.

What is the most important aspect of your job/ creative pursuit? 

Maintaining healthy relationships with the people around me so that we can all achieve the same goals in the smoothest way possible.

What do you do in your ‘down time’ (and do you have a guilty pleasure)?

I’m not sure if this is ‘down time’ but I exercise if I want to relax. Running, walking, F45. That’s my definition of relaxing. My guilty pleasure is Jersey Shore. 

What are some of the things which inspires you?

Our next generations. The worldliness and creativity coming out of Gen Z is inspirational and mind-blowing. 

Grassroots activism - It’s inspiring to know that there are always people in our communities working tirelessly to make this world a fairer and safer place to live in. Their stories and achievements drive me to find meaningful purpose in everything that I do.

Best creative memory?

I was in a band for awhile so some of my best memories were sitting around in rehearsal rooms coming up with songs, laughing about nothing and being able to sit around for half a day and just play music with my mates.

I also had a piece published a few years ago about idolising female musicians when I was growing up, one of which was Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth.  The article spread around a bit on Twitter and finally made it’s way to Kim Gordon who read it and inboxed me to thank me and wish me luck. That was pretty special.

What would you tell your younger self?

Good things take time.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to break into the industry you are in?

You don’t always have to have the answers and you don’t always need to get it right. You just need to have the willingness to learn and the resilience to pick yourself up again when something goes wrong.

Meet Mirte van der Lugt, Brand Director of Hey Tiger!

Hey Tiger's Brand Director Mirte, originally from The Netherlands, moved to Australia four years ago. With a background in both fashion and branding across Europe and Australia, she worked on campaigns for brands such as Nike, Landrover, Microsoft and a variety of young start ups. She brings a different approach to the Australian chocolate industry, looking at Hey Tiger as a lifestyle brand vs confectionary. For her, brands are all about inclusivity, making people feel accepted and part of something greater. Every like, follow, thumbs up and comment is a real human interaction and it’s important to never lose sight of that.

I grew up in…

the Netherlands. In a town 40 minutes outside of Amsterdam. My younger brother and I were (and are) incredibly lucky with our parents. My mum introduced me to art and encouraged my creative side. While my father brought in philosophy and a wide understanding of business and human behaviour. When I think of it that way, it was the perfect melting pot for a career in branding. 

Education

My early school life was off to a rocky start. With my Dyslexia and ADHD labels firmly clipped to my back, I was anything but the ideal student. Schools denied me, test results were covered up as to not effect the schools reputation and the teachers weren't all that excited to have this difficult kid in their class. If it wasn’t for my parents and one incredible teacher who believed I could do more, I truly don’t know where I would have ended up. It wasn’t until I made a big change in high school that everything turned around. I found my passion for art and film and the kid that was once called dumb by her teachers (no joke) was now thriving at school. It’s funny what happens when a kid realises they only have themselves to rely on when it comes to education. I was only going to get out what I was putting in. Now that I was doing it for myself and I no longer listened to the negative feedback from my teachers,  I started kicking ass.

After High school I travelled for 3 months through Thailand where I met my Aussie beau Damon. After meeting him, I decided to live in Australia for a year and then Damon and I moved back to Amsterdam. I began my bachelor degree at The Amsterdam Fashion Institute where I studied fashion and branding.

What did you do straight after your studies?

I moved to Australia to be with my now husband Damon. I first began working at an ad agency where I worked on brands such as Nike and Jeep. After that, I moved to a branding agency to work on brands such as Cadbury and Matilda Bay’s Fat Yak. But something was missing. I wanted to work for brands that my values aligned with and put my creativity into campaigns that truly do some form of good in the world. I then set out on my own, working with my own clients. A little while later,  holy smokes! How grateful was I to meet the glorious Cyan Ta’eed - but we can fan-girl about her later.

My business is located at

Our kitchen and office is in Cremorne, Melbourne but you can buy Hey Tiger online via our website. 

What does a typical work day look like for you?

My role is split into a bunch of different pieces. Let’s put it down to Manager, Producer, Planner and Do-er.

As a manager I need to manage and motivate my team. Make sure they know exactly what they're doing, where the priority lies and that they keep up-beat and feel heard. We’re a young, small company that is growing fast. This means we’re demanding a lot from everyone. So it’s important that they know we’re a team and how valuable and important their piece of the puzzle is.

As a producer I need to make sure departments work together to get our deadlines over the line. From external work with clients like Mecca to internal work like filming content for our socials, creating presentations for wholesale and getting new packaging to print. This would be impossible without our amazing new junior designer Erin Langford. Her incredible eye for detail and brilliant creative mind have become invaluable to our team.

As a planner I need to make sure our future campaigns are living up to our audiences expectations. For this I heavily lean on my right hand Breana Phillips (gulp! I just freaked out a little thinking of what Hey Tiger life would be like without her! I might need to take Beyonce’s advice and buy her that ring. Too much?). We work tirelessly and seamlessly to make sure all our marketing efforts are effective and on brand.

As a do’er, I also need to create and do The-Work. New campaigns, packaging designs, website collateral, ad’s, photoshoots, social content, styling… this is where Hey Tiger’s brand truly comes to life.
Oh and did I mention meetings and emails yet? Let’s just leave that for now shall we.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career?

I once was part of the growth of a small branding agency. I was in charge of building the agencies brand, new business and its culture. We started with 6 people and soon grew to about 15. Our energy and growth caught the attention of big clients and soon its father company saw an opportunity. They decided to merge the two in order to leverage the expertise of the father company and the youthfulness and growth of ours. I remember being worried this would negatively affect everything we had worked so hard on. Sadly my worries became reality. 

What followed was a year long struggle in knowing it was time for me to leave while wanting so much to stay and have it return to its old glory. I saw its culture diminish, I saw mistakes being made. I saw the company turn its back on its people and the fun and quirky brand we’d created - which had done so much for clients and culture. 

In hindsight, I stayed too long, but I learned so much from the experience. The importance of taking authentic risks with your brand and the importance of culture and team. 

What do you love best about your job?

Seeing people in our social community create artwork, photography, video’s with our products and on top of that, hearing how Hey Tiger makes them feel. This makes it incredibly rewarding. People truly feel part of our family and Hey Tiger genuinely gives them that unfiltered, simple joy.

Inclusiveness is one of my biggest personal values and Hey Tiger is no different. We put incredible effort into making everyone who contacts us feel heard and seen (even if we get negative comments - everyone gets treated the same). When someone posts about us, we make sure we thank them, TRULY, thank them. because what an honour that they graced us with that small square on their feed! I believe that it’s because of this that people feel so connected to Hey Tiger.

On top of that, it is our purpose. I'm incredibly grateful for Cyan Ta’eed (fannngirl time!) who founded Hey Tiger and brought this unique group of people together. She said “how can something (chocolate) that gives us so much joy do so much harm in the world?” and the action she took truly speaks to her character. She could have set up a for profit company but instead she turned the other way. Starting a value based brand that truly does good in the world. The fact that we’re not all bells and whistles but actually walk the talk with a stellar product, a learning attitude and an important purpose is a dream come true. I know that our hard work is not just lining the pockets of the big cheese but instead it is going to support our efforts to positively change an industry that is fundamentally broken.    

What do you get up to when not working?

I’m a bit of an extroverted introvert. While during the week I bounce around a million miles an hour, I like to take it easy on the weekend. My husband and I bought a block of land in Daylesford a few years ago and are now in the process of building our house so we can escape there on the weekends. The concrete has been poured and last weekend we saw the wooden frames that will make up our walls. Walking through this was an incredible experience and we can’t wait for it all to be done. This won’t only mean we will be able to escape to the incredible Australian nature on the weekend but also that specifically my parents can make the 24 hour flight down under and come stay here for several months. I truly want to make them feel at home and having them here would mean so much. Yes, your girl misses her Mum and Pops every day.

What’s on the horizon for the future? 

Hey Tiger, Hey Tiger, Hey Tiger. I believe this brand, its team, its product and its purpose is at the start of something big and I’m willing to work my butt off to get it there. Besides that, my husband and I always dream of creating our own furniture. He is a furniture maker and we’re always juggling ideas on how to make this a reality. The piles and piles of wood on our land in Daylesford is looking like a good opportunity to make this a reality BUT all in good time.

If you had any creative business advice what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to take risks and show your authenticity though your brand. We love leaning against the weird, having fun and joking around. We recently did a collaboration with instagram’s favourite dog Tofu. (@tofupupper). It took some convincing in the team, afterall, dogs don’t eat chocolate right? But it was one of our most successful campaigns to date. Decisions like this is what sets us apart from our competitors and makes us truly stand out - while having a whole lot of fun in the process. The genuine fun we have during our campaigns truly shines through our work and our audience feels that.

Screenshot of ‘Tofu’s Dream’ campaign video by Hey Tiger.

If you could be anyone else for a day, who would it be and why?

I’m really into philosophy, psychology and cultural behaviours. Because of that I would love to step into the mind of the people who write about or work in this space. I have a list of historical people but let’s keep it into 2019 shall we? Psychologist Esther Perel is one of them. To be in her mind and work with her patience would be incredible. For those interested, she recently started a podcast “Where should we begin” where she takes you into her counselling sessions with couples. It’s fascinating to listen to people's struggles and problems as it shows us how similar and human we really are but also how incredibly hard and beautiful it is for people to live and love together. It’s humbling. Other people would be the historian and philosopher Yuval Hoah Harari (Sapiens), the American Journalist Sebastian Junger (Tribe) and the author Robert Greene (The Laws of Human Nature). To step into their mind for a day and have the knowledge they possess. Pffeeewwweee transport me now... 

How to deal with the ups and downs of a creative career

Let’s be honest: carving out a career as a creative is not for the faint-hearted. Budgets are tight, clients are demanding and keeping a high standard of work is challenging when you don’t have an abundance of time. Add in strong competition and a career landscape that can be devoid of mentors, and you have the perfect recipe for burnout and emotional drain.

Creative careers are often lacking a foundation of support. There are rarely established HR departments or long term business strategies in place for employees or business owners to lean on when things get tough. This can cause creative people – especially women – to internalise and blame themselves if things aren’t going well.

So when you find yourself exhausted and emotionally drained, what to do? Ignoring the signs of burnout or anxiety triggered by a tough phase at work is a dangerous path when your career depends on putting yourself into your work (which so many creative careers do). Add to that the possible impact on your personal life and relationships, and it becomes clear that your mental health is vital to thriving through the ups and downs of a creative career.

You have probably heard of mindfulness, and all its potential benefits for stress. But when things are tough at work (and indeed, in life) and you feel unsupported, there is a deeper practice that might just help shift some of the difficult thoughts and emotions that arise and conspire to keep you stuck.

Mindful Self Compassion (MSC) is a practice developed by two American psychologists, Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer. It is made up of three components designed to break through self criticism and painful emotions; mindfulness, self-kindness and common humanity. For the purposes of simplicity, here we’ll use the terms ‘pay attention’, ‘be kind’ and ‘you’re not alone’.

1. Pay attention

This part involves paying attention to your own thoughts and emotions. Most of us avoid this because, well, it can be painful. But stopping and paying attention to how you’re feeling is actually the key to moving past it. Avoidance leads us in the opposite direction: to stuck-ness, anger, and frustration. Neff and Germer say “why is mindfulness an essential component to self compassion? Because we need to be able to turn toward and acknowledge when we’re suffering, to ‘be’ with our pain long enough to respond with care and kindness.”

But how do you actually pay attention to yourself in this way? It can help to write it down, or speak to someone who won’t judge or offer advice to start with. The key is to explain exactly what you’re thinking and feeling without editing yourself at all. It’s vital to remove judgement, explaining and solving from the equation to see the real truth of what is going on for you. After some practice, it should be something you can identify internally – all it really takes it to be able to say: “this is exactly how I feel”. Don’t judge yourself at any stage of the process, especially if its hard to do at first!

 2. Be kind

The key difference between mindful self compassion and a straightforward mindfulness practice is the self compassion component. Arguably, this is its most transformative element. Once you know exactly how you actually feel, then it’s time to respond.

We are all familiar with responding to our emotions and thoughts, but for most of us the response is predominately negative. Enter self-kindness. This part is simple but challenging. Your task is to respond to the emotions and thoughts that arose in step 1 with deep compassion. There are two options: imagine, in response to yourself, that you are either responding to a very small child, or your closest, most cherished friend. How would you respond? What would you say? The likely answer is that you would be kind, understanding, helpful, empathetic. As women we are well practised in putting ourselves in others’ shoes and showing (and genuinely feeling) compassion. Try writing your response down as if you’re speaking to the small child or good friend, and once you’ve done that, its time to direct this towards yourself.

Look back on what came up in step 1 and sit with yourself, no matter how uncomfortable it is, and offer the kindness that came up in this step. Do this when you’re alone if possible, as it’s important to allow yourself to feel without judgement.

3. You’re not alone

The final component is an important close to the practice. Common humanity is the reminder that you are not alone. Whatever you’re going through, someone has come before you, and someone will experience it after you do. Remembering that you’re not alone is difficult in our increasingly isolated communities, where we don’t necessarily hear and see (face to face) exactly what those around us are going through. But the truth is, all humans suffer. We all struggle, and no one is immune to challenge. Truly understanding this can alleviate a great deal of pain.

To be more specific, working in a creative field can be hard. It takes courage to persist and show up, no matter what your job, business or practice. Know that there are many others in the same position as you, often struggling alongside you, feeling all the ups and downs. Even if it feels lonely, you are not alone – just knowing this fact can help you feel more supported. Understand you are part of a bigger picture, and a community of creative people who, no matter how it seems, really do understand what you’re going through right now.

Bec Mackey is a freelance feature writer who has worked in the media industry for over fifteen years. She writes about wellbeing, work, personal development and travel, and when she can muster the energy and courage, she writes about Things That Matter. Connect with Bec via Instagram or at www.becmackey.com.

A chat with Jes Egan

Image: Bo Wong

Jes Egan is a go-getter who believes there is always a positive way to view a situation or a solution to a problem. For Jes, every bump in the road just opens up a new direction to follow - who knows what you may end up with if try a new path. She joins the CWC board this year to share her wealth of knowledge as Head of Strategy and Partnerships.

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I studied Bachelor of Design (Communication Design) + Diploma of Project Management (Swinburne). I worked in advertising / creative agencies for 15 years and have also lectured at Business by Design at Billie Blue, a design university, for 3.5 years

I love to experience new places and have worked overseas in the UK. I spent 2 years in London and London 4 in Manchester. Travelling is one of my favourite things, seeing how different cultures do different things. I like looking at how cultural differences impact the day to day and seeing how it can be applied to our daily life.

I also love the ocean, spend a lot of my time following ocean / water based photographers on instagram. 

What is your current business/creative pursuit/job?

Currently I am the Operations Director for Linktree and Bolster. It’s a great job, two days are never the same.  My creative outlet is paper cutting (free hand cutting with a scalpel to create images), I sold my paper cuts under Paper Chap for a few years and now save it as my creative outlet (when I get the time!).

What does a typical work day look like for you? 

I’m an early bird and function really well in the morning and not so well at in the evening! I’m often at my desk around 7am, its my planning and most productive time. I plan out my day and get most of my solid thinking time done first thing. I head out mid/late afternoon to pick up the kids and keep in touch with work until the end of their day. 

What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career? 

Having children! I was not prepared for the shift in your thinking that they bring. I would never change having them for the world, but I’d say I was not prepared for how that shifted my perspective on work, which was always so important to me. It still is important but I definitely have a much better balance with them in my life. 

What do you do in your ‘down time’ (and do you have a guilty pleasure)?

I hang out with my family as much as I can, any time we can make that near the beach even better. 

What are some of the things which inspires you?

I enjoying seeing people grow and progress, you learn a lot with experience and I enjoy mentoring / coaching people and giving them guidance or ideas to follow themselves. Seeing someone develop and give it all their best is so rewarding, we can all learn from each other, no matter what position, department or industry. 

Best creative memory?

I had a lot of fun at uni, I remember the late nights we’d pull come folio submission, meeting up at 7/11 at midnight for a slurpee to talk about the assignments or give each other tips on Mac short cuts (which I was always rubbish at, I’m much better now!).

A few years back I was at Supergraph, I did a few live paper cutting sessions that was great to show the process and make some mess.

What would you tell your younger self?

During my career there have been times when something happened at work and I really took it to heart, I’ve learnt to seperate work and personal a bit better now, I would’ve liked to have tried to think about it in that way when I was younger. Sometimes in business we need to learn to not take it personally. I think the adversity can be used to gain better insight, open up new paths, it’s not always fun at the time but can be seen as an opportunity. But I only now know that with in hindsight and with experience. 

To blog, or what to blog? 50 ideas for creative businesses

Over the past several years blogging has evolved from personal journal to marketing platform, given the rise of social media. While platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook may come and go in popularity, a blog is home to all your platforms. A directory for your portfolio, podcasts, products, services, and information while creating additional online visibility.

Given that blogging is slower and more expensive than social media, the key is quality over quantity. Below is a list of 50 blog topics to inspire you to create original, authentic content for your client base, while building community. Whatever your creative business or niche, you will find inspiration for your blogging content.

Ok, here we go!

Image: Christina Lowry

1. Restate your brand vision. Your why.

2. Q&A - They ask, you answer. Comb through your client emails for your most commonly asked questions, or use social media to put a call out for client questions, then answer them in this post. Invite readers to leave further questions in the comments.

3. Create a library of free training – a one stop post for any tutorials, how to’s, lists of tips etc

4. Include client testimonials and photos of clients using your products – the more creative the better

5. Share behind the scenes of look books or photoshoots – shout out to the team, the location, relay stories from the day

6. Create a mosaic of your nine favourite images from Instagram with a call to action to follow you on Instagram

7. Share your successes – awards, features, published work, do a recap on your/ your businesses achievements

8. Travel diary – going away for the weekend, heading overseas on a holiday or buying trip? Create a travel diary with tips from your experience

9. Summer reads – books that fit your niche that they may not have heard of and will thank you for

10. Curated gift ideas – Create a collection of products from your range that would be perfect for a special occasion, like Mother’s Day. Or, inspire with a selection of local makers products for a Christmas wish list

11. ‘Meet the Maker’ interviews – take five with a crafter you employ or represent, interview a staff member

12. Recipes – whether your brand is food related or not, recipes often add a sense of connection

13. Seasons – from seasonal products, to imagery of the seasons, nature is always a great starting point

14. Tips or advice – your favourite apps, the best way to do something, how to get a job in your industry, share your knowledge

15. Behind the scenes – everyone loves to take a peek behind the exterior and see the details of how things are made

16. Insider’s guide – share the secretes of your niche, your hometown, styling etc.

17. A studio/ workshop/ shop/ office tour – allow the audience to connect with and be inspired by your spaces and what they say about you or your brand

18. How To – use a product, make something, fix something. People love to learn.

19. The making of – a step by step visual of how something is made

20. Sneak peeks – create excitement about an upcoming collection

21. For the love of – share beautiful images relating to your audience. For the love of linen, gardens, lipstick, stationary

22. Highlights from the previous year, season or market – create a round up of images and info

23. Launch details – whether it is a book, product, event, share share share

24. Half yearly check-up – open up on how you working towards your goals, or encourage others to make plans for the next half of the year

25. Summer bucket list – things to do this Summer

26. Brand history – what has changed, what has stayed the same. When and where did you start out and where are you now?

27. Personal or funny stories – what you wanted to be when you grew up, how you thought Tasmania wasn’t a part of Australia, how you got a nick name

28. Create a regular feature – you can create a monthly challenge, feature a maker each week, a weekly editorial, a collection of inspiring images and quotes

29. Future plans – what are your big dreams? What direction do you see the business going in? If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do?

30. Write a list of your favourite accounts to follow on Instagram/ podcasts

31. Travel essentials – what do you pack when you go away overnight, overseas, with children?

32. A ‘day in the life' post – people are always fascinated by a day in the life of an entrepreneur or business owner.

33. Your routine – morning/night – do you wake at 5 am to do yoga and write your diary, or are you a night owl?

34. Share videos – video content is getting bigger and bigger. You can make a video out of most of the topics in this list.

35. Celebrate your businesses birthday – do a giveaway, celebrate your achievements, thank your customers

36. Your must-haves – what’s on your rider? Is it kombucha and lip balm? Coffee and a great bag? A certain pen, organiser or night cream?

37. Overcoming a creative funk – how do you find inspiration? What is your go to for self-care?

38. Explain one of your services – imagine a client came across your page for the first time and you were explaining what you do, or how a product works.

39. Your road to success – the path to overnight success is usually a long one.

40. Overcoming failure – think of a time when you used a failure to achieve a bigger goal, or to motivate you to do even better.

41. Things you won’t ever do – perhaps you won’t sell your originals, perhaps you will never buy caged eggs, we are as much what we do as what we don’t do.

42. Organisation hacks – do you batch production, are you a compulsive list keeper, are you terrible and being organised and have found ways to make it easier?

43. Create a roundup of your best content – save them from reading the whole blog and create a post that has the best of the best in one place.

44. Staying motivated – what keeps you motivated when business is slow, or you haven’t reached goal, or someone has copied you

45. Charity – do you support an organisation, do you fund raise, do you work with a company that pays living wages in third world countries?

46. How to style – a dress, a cushion, an office

47. Which _____ is the right one for you? This is great if you offer several similar products

48. Re-publish your email newsletter with a call to subscribe

49. Share something new – a product, team member, idea, business cards. People are attracted to new things.

50. Steps you have taking to have less environmental impact – recycled packaging, non-toxic dye, compostable mailers, timeless style.

Now, it’s time to get writing! Grab a cuppa and a notebook and brain storm some of the ideas on this list to create blog posts of value, with personality, that connect with your audience. Use you blog to inform, entertain and ultimately, give them the details that help them decide to work with you.

Say hello to new CWC president Amber Bonney

Amber Bonney wears many hats. As well as being the force behind her creative studio Edison Agency , she is a mother, wife, sister, strategic, designer, artist, writer, planner, mentor and mediator. Amber now adds the role of CWC President to that list. Prior to accepting the role , she was on the AGDA Victoria Council and spearheaded the development of their Professional Mentorship program. We chat with Amber on work, life, and the things in between.

Tell us about yourself

I was born and bred in Melbourne, a girl of the mid 70’s who is now resenting my slow metabolism and thickening waistline and enjoying my sparkling wine more than ever! I have 3 children aged 16, 14 and 4 and my husband and I have a blended ‘modern’ family so life’s pretty full-on… hence my love of sparkling wine! I come from a large family of 5 girls so life has always been big and hectic and I learnt early only how to hustle through life to get my needs met. As the middle child I have always been self-driven and independent and have developed strong mediation skills which have been useful as a business owner.

What do you do?

I am the founder of The Edison Agency, a strategic brand and design consultancy with offices in Melbourne and Sydney. We use strategy and design to help businesses make positive change. My role is Managing Director and Head of Strategy and I am responsible for the executive creative direction of all major brand projects. Over the past 22 years, I am proud to have been influential in helping iconic Australian and international brands maintain relevancy, define their purpose and vision, and connect with their audiences in a more meaningful way.

How did you get into this industry?

I’m a communication designer by trade, an Alumni of Swinburne University, and have been blessed with a single minded career focus all my life. My father introduced me to the industry through his career in the marketing and packaging industry. Since the time I was 14 and went to my first University Open day, I knew this was what I wanted to do.

When you get to know me, you will understand why people refer to me sometimes as “a bull at a gate”. My mind moves quickly (great for creative strategy and thinking on ones feet) but it can be mentally and physically exhausting so I do try to manage my overactive brain with regular mindfulness practices using my phone app (I appreciate the irony) and of course the odd vino! I’m naturally intuitive which helps me forge strong and lasting personal and business relationships, some of my current clients are people I’ve worked with for over 15 years. 

What does a typical work day look like for you?

I like to schedule my time and live and die by my diary! My day is spent straddling client meetings, internal planning of projects, financial planning, and working closely with both our Group Account Director, Design Director and CFO. We are a small team of 10, so about 10% of my time would also be dedicated to making decisions and planning around people and culture.

Typically when we have a large meaty project starting I am consumed by research and strategy phases – I tend to be more involved in the first half of a project to establish the vision and creative precedence and then required less as the project evolves. I have a highly skilled team of people propping me up!

What is the most important aspect of your job?

I am inspired by the potential design has to transform people, culture and business. Knowing that our work is helping make positive change for our clients is uber rewarding. Also, I am a sucker for complex design challenges. When I’m working on something difficult, I completely immerse myself in that business, brand, problem and deconstruct it until I can see and understand all the inputs and components. Only when I’ve done this can I put it back together and develop a strategic solution. I am obsessed with understanding “why” and go to enormous lengths as part of the research phase to really get under the skin of a brand or problem.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career?  

I’m a proud feminist and I’m intolerant of the chauvinism our industry (and culture in general) is still accepting but I do see change and have high hopes for the world my daughter will grow up in. I’m a firm believer that it takes women banding together in support and advocacy of one another to truly make change. We are powerful, clever and innately resilient and this is why I believe in organisations like Creative Women’s Circle to shape the way women interact with each other, and within their industries.

What do you do in your ‘down time’ (and do you have a guilty pleasure)?

I spend most of my down time with my children down in coastal Victoria where I live. I am re-energized by the beach and am looking forward to summer where I can swim, play lawn bowls and make pina-coladas at home (guilty pleasure). My husband and I are both passionate mid-century design enthusiasts and we spent allot of time reading books, magazine and watching architecture and design-based TV series.

Best creative memory?

Seeing the first ad I designed in the weekend newspaper – think it was back in 1998! I think I still have it somewhere.

What would you tell your younger self?

You teach people how to treat you. Don’t accept sub-standard behaviour as it creates a pattern that’s hard to break. This is an important message for young women especially in the face of male dominated environments and with the rise of domestic violence issues.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to break into the industry you are in?

Be brave. Take risks. Don’t be afraid to ask the “dumb” questions. Find a mentor. Research every potential employer, every client, every project – always be prepared and understand the “why” in every design challenge.