10 Steps To Kick Off A Profitable Graphic Design Business

Establishing a profitable graphic design business is an exciting and creatively fulfilling way to earn quite a substantial amount of cash monthly or annually. However, learning how to start an independent graphic design business is pretty simple and requires a lot of research and understanding of your goal and the outcome you want to reach with the desired goal. 

This article teaches ten simple, straightforward steps to start a thriving graphic design business. You can use these ideas to establish a full-time business or a side business to earn extra profit while working on your other endeavors. So let’s get started! 

Identify Your First Graphic Design Clients

The core of starting any business is to find clients. Therefore, you must be aware of your target clients and whether they are in sync with your expertise in the graphic design world. Next, create an attractive design portfolio that informs and educates clients quickly on your business name, services, business license if required, and, most importantly, testimonials. People believe in proof more than mere words. If you are a beginner, your work will speak for yourself; if you are an experienced graphic designer, your testimonials will speak for your competence. Finding and closing the deal with your first client might take a little while, but once you crack it, the feeling is exhilarating. 

You might ask where I can get my first client the fastest way. Well, I have got you covered.

Where can you find graphic design clients?

Finding your first graphic design client is one of the easiest things to do on the internet. However, getting the right clients for yourself requires a little patience. For example, there is plenty of fish in the sea; what is your catch is the question. Several freelance job sites will help you find the right kind of clients. Upwork, 99designs, Fiver, Craigslist, etc., will help you locate your first few clients that will ornament your business profile or portfolio with testimonials. Initially, avoiding being picky and fussy about finding clients is essential. Implementing Epicor training can streamline operations and enhance profitability when starting a graphic design business.. You might lose your first few deals if you get over-demanding.

Mark Your Pricing Structure

After some experience in your graphic design business, consider your pricing structure before you move further into it. It would help if you charged hourly, by project, or by the value, you bring to the work. It is best to charge hourly at the early stage of your business. You can delve into other pricing models once your business establishes more. You should know what to charge your graphic design clients.

How much should you quote to your graphic design clients?

Choosing your value can be daunting when you are on the brink of your graphic design business. However, proper and ample research as per geographic location, time, and quantity and value of the content might ease your tension. Google will quickly guide you on how much other independent designers or businesses are charging, but if you are still unsure, go with your gut and quote an amount. The client will let you know his budget, and you can move up as much as possible. You can quote a bit higher and see the response. After a year, you can see your financial growth. By that time, you will gain experience as to how much clients of a specific geographical location can pay for a particular quantity and quality of work.

Naming Your Graphic Design Business

Now that you already have some experience in the graphic design field and have the confidence to go big, it is time to lay a structure for your business, and the first step is to give an attractive name to your business. Give your name or create a business name that suits your profile. Both are fine as long as it resonates with the clients. However, it is advisable to give substantial thought before keeping a name, as changing your business name might be challenging, keeping in mind the business aspect. Your graphic design business’s name may influence many aspects of your design business.

Things to consider while naming your independent graphic design business.

• Quotation for your graphic design work
• Brand identity or how clients easily remember your business
• The sort of design projects that you are or will work upon
• If your clients are recommending your work or company to others
• How unique your work is and how your forte stands out in the crowd.
• It should complement the vision of your brand
• Availability on the internet
• Simplicity is the key. So, the name should be simple, easy to memorize and spell
• The name should resonate with the clients and fulfill their objectives

Website Building

Once your business name is decided, you must build your website. The idea is to build a simple introductory website that clients feel is easy and handy to scroll through. It should also be highly informative. The clients must get all their queries answered by going through your website. He should feel satisfied and assured if he has any doubts or inhibitions. Many affordable website builders and graphic design services will give you ample choices for website layouts and designs that align with your brand image. WordPress and Wix are all easy website builders that will get your job done in no time and in the best possible way, especially with managed WordPress hosting. If you have designs ready in Figma and want to convert them to a WordPress site seamlessly, you can use this guide on how to convert Figma to WordPress for a smooth transition. For seeking advanced options, AI website builders are also available, harnessing artificial intelligence to streamline the design process and create personalized, professional websites.

Another thing to consider is to fill your website with a manageable amount of information. Give all the necessary information but keep out some details to retain your client’s curiosity to get to know your brand further. An attractive call to action (CTA) with the desired information will make your graphic design business popular. 

Cultivate A Simple Graphic Design Business Strategy

Once you have established your graphic design business name, got a few clients, and have an attractive website, you must think strategically to develop your business further and grow it in the graphic design industry. So, it is now when you construct a business plan. You may ask why a strategic plan is not the first on the list. To answer it, you can only cook a tasty meal if you have all the desired ingredients ready. So, if your primary structure is still not ready, no amount of planning will shine your business. So now that you have all the desired ingredients of a successful, independent graphic design business, let’s strategize it.

Points to note when creating a graphic design company

• The services that my graphic design business provides
• List of my ideal clients
• Pricing of my graphic design business for the quality of work produced
• Monthly revenue goals of my graphic design business
• Number of clients required to reach the desired revenue goal
• Where can I get new clients?
• How will I hold onto my current clients?

Once you have answers to these questions, your planning or strategy to develop your design business will be on track and growing. To ensure legal and financial protection for your graphic design business, establish an LLC (Limited Liability Company). This step shields your personal assets, offers tax benefits, and sets a solid foundation for long-term success. Additionally, opening a separate business bank account for the LLC streamlines financial management and enhances accountability. Incorporating financial management solutions can further optimize your business operations, ensuring efficient handling of finances and supporting your growth. With these steps in place, your design business is poised for growth and stability.

Market Your Graphic Design Business

Once you have just started your graphic design business, communication is the key to steady growth. You need to fill more roles at once. It would help if you were an account manager, bookkeeper, marketing manager, social media advertiser, and graphic designer. If you desire your business to thrive, you can only hire so many people once your revenues reach a point where you can easily hire people for these roles. However, it would help if you were still on top of them, ensuring everything is going as planned for a successful business venture.

Regular and effective communication is a must with all your clients. You must be constantly aware of their needs and if you are fulfilling their vision. The preferred mode of communication are emails, direct professional phone calls, social media, webinars, etc. In case you need to find a contact through a social media platform like LinkedIn, you can do so by using a LinkedIn email finder, which significantly simplifies the process. Additionally, offering a finders fee for clients who refer new business can incentivize them to actively participate in your network. You may also set up a toll-free number, and always remember to have a positive approach when dealing with clients. Apart from online webinars, you can also keep clients meeting and addressing them about your new services and recent developments in your business that will reap more excellent results. It would be great if you considered keeping it as an interaction and not a lecture format. It will help you be aware of your client’s needs and get ideas to resolve them. 

Blogging and vlogging are other ways to reach people globally and get them interested in your services. You can also present your clients with ideas to strengthen their marketing team. These are value-added services you can provide to maintain your niche in the graphic design industry. Also, keep yourself updated and develop your services regularly with time. 

Quality Beats Quantity In Graphic Design Business

Sometimes, once you achieve success, it gets busy, and you might overlook specific details. You need to be even keener in every aspect of your business and return to the values and services you began. Unprofessionalism is a strict no-no. It would be best if you delivered high-quality projects within the given timeline at all times. Handling multiple projects at a time can get tricky, and this is when you need to check your business plan and strategize it accordingly. It is crucial to note that in the business world, one unflattering word of mouth or a negative testimonial can affect your profits severely. 

Create A Professional Invoice

Once you have completed your project, you must send a professional invoice for payment. You may design your invoice in Google Docs, Word, InDesign, or Canva and send it via email. Make this invoice functional so that your clients can pay immediately through that invoice. If your clients miss payments, you can create a reminder template and similarly send them. Seasoned graphic design businesses usually ask for pre-payment. However, for a new graphic design company, it is advisable to finish your project and ask for payment. As your business grows with time, you will be able to build your brand’s name and trust. Then, you can ask for pre-payment for a project. You can go for a monthly, one-time, or quarterly payment.

Collect Payments Professionally From Your Clients

Remember the saying; if your business doesn’t get you money, it is just a hobby. On the other hand, your hard work and dedication deserve to be valued and paid. So do not shy away from asking for payments. However, it has to be done professionally and positively. Everything is just a business. Your client also needs to deliver their products to their customers. They also need to make and get payments for their services, just like you. Hence, one can make asking for payments more relaxed. If you keep a strict professional code of conduct, asking for payments will seem normal, and nobody will make it awkward for anyone. 

You can also make the process of payment easier for your clients. For example, you can divide the amount of money into segments and create invoices that automatically lead to payment. To create one, you may consider finding the best invoice app that fits your business needs.

Ask For Testimonials Or Referrals

Testimonials are crucial for any brand or business. You will also not take up a client’s project if they are infamous for creating issues during payment. So, as a paid service provider, you must gather as many referrals as possible. The most common method of getting business is positive word of mouth. You do not have to beg for referrals and make it awkward. You can create an easy template that makes giving referrals simple and fast and attach it to your invoice. It is the best way to get your brand awareness soaring. You can then use it to publicize your website and other social media platforms, including email marketing. 

You can leverage this message to promote your website and engage with your audience across various social media platforms, incorporating the use of Best email marketing software for an integrated and effective outreach strategy.

Conclusion

To further develop your graphic design business, you need to keep updating your invoices, communication strategy, pricing, work techniques, and much more. In addition, continuous brainstorming, adjusting, editing, and elevating your skills and technicalities will improve your work over time. Starting a graphic design business is easy, but maintaining it is only accessible if continuous planning, development, and strategizing exist. With the above brief and a lot of hard work, you will be able to reach your brand goal. Good Luck!