Start & Run a Creative Services Business. Susan Kirkland

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СКАЧАТЬ to self-promotion. My advice is to rein in your wildly creative side just a tad so you don’t frighten the average businessperson. If you scare them, or suggest you are completely uncontrollable, they won’t hire you.

      An important aspect frequently overlooked by the overzealous marketer is clarity: Can you read the phone number or do you need a magnifying glass and a translator to figure out what it says? Can you only read it because you know what it’s supposed to say? Your client won’t know what it says and won’t be able to reach you because of it.

      Remember the purpose of your business card. It was from the lowly calling card that the business card evolved; it gives the recipient an impression, one carefully controlled by design and stock selection. (Victorian society first had social cards featuring only a name, then calling cards, then the business card evolved.) Subtle details create the desired impression, so tread carefully.

      Steer clear of flashy thermography, which is a cheap substitute for engraving. Would you cover your Jaguar’s dash with pink shag carpeting? Wear climbing boots with a Yves St. Laurent strapless gown? Probably not. Thermography has the same effect for those who know the difference between true engraving and expanded plastic powder sprinkled on ink to raise the type.

      Lay a good foundation when you create your work space, and both your creativity and client list will grow.

      Another thing to avoid at all costs is handing out your business card for personal purposes; this will dilute its effect and render you quickly cardless. It’s bad form to hand out business cards in a bar; use your business card to get business, your personal card to get dates.

Keep in mind the code of card turning. The code was originally intended for social cards. As Judith Martin explains in Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior, such cards “are hardly used now that people imagine they have better things to do with their time than to ride about in their carriages all morning, paying calls on one another. So you may amaze and delight your business acquaintances, as well as mystify them, by turning cards on them.” She continues: “There are four statements you can make just by bending your business card’s corners. They are: visité (upper left), meaning you have appeared with the card in person; félicitation (upper right), meaning that you congratulate the recipient; congé (lower left), which announces that you are leaving town; and condolence (lower right), which is, of course, an expression of sympathy. If you promise to revive this custom, Miss Manners will permit you to get funny with it by, say, turning both bottom corners for ‘Too bad, I’m leaving you’ or both right corners for ‘Congratulations on your loss.’”^[1]

      Let’s dig up a truly overused cliché: You reap what you sow. Starting a business is like starting a garden. Setting up your work environment is like using a plow and fertilizer to condition the soil. Seed (cover the town with promotional material), feed (reconfirm and recontact until you become a familiar face), and weed it (head off the competition) until your garden is lush and reaps a bounty of rewards. Leave it untended, ignore your clients, and pretty soon some nasty weeds will take over. Lay a good foundation when you create your work space, and both your creativity and client list will grow.

      3. Supplying Your Own Employee Benefits

      Health Insurance for Freelancers

      My worst nightmare became reality when I hurt my back. I had been freelancing for about three years, but still hadn’t accumulated enough regular work to buy health insurance. Besides, I had jobs with design studios and small companies at various times during my career that didn’t provide employee benefits, so it wasn’t something I missed. It’s a common occurrence in the commercial art industry; margins are so tight, many employers simply cannot meet the rent, pay the salaries, and offer a competitive benefit package. Freelance teaches you a deep appreciation for employee benefits, but perhaps not enough to give up freedom (yes, put on your best Mel Gibson blue face, thank you).

      A client, who also happened to be a nurse, took pity on me; actually, I think she was more interested in getting her projects completed. She got me in to see a well known back doctor who examined my films. “Yes, I think I can help you ... in fact, I can relieve that pain in less than five minutes, but not today. You come and see me when you have health insurance.” He patted me on the back as he pushed me out of his office, bent over, limping, tears in my eyes from the pain shooting down my right leg to my toes.

      Eventually, I went to the public hospital and waited for more than 12 hours to see a doctor. During that time, an orderly demanded my gurney because he needed it for a more serious injury until I promised to lie on the floor if he took it.

      If you can spare yourself the economic inequities of not getting proper health care, here are some important tips about finding employee benefits for yourself. If worst comes to worst and you don’t have enough regular work to support a health plan, free clinics still exist. You can find a free clinic in your area here: http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov by typing in your address. In most cases, clinics are free or charge a small fee, sometimes on a sliding scale. You may not get the help you need, but chances are they will be able to refer you to someone who can help. Community-based organizations have vast connections in all areas of human need. Don’t be proud.

      First, decide what’s most important to you. If you want to keep costs low and are relatively young and healthy, choose coverage with a low monthly payment and a high deductible. Or just buy major medical; you’ll want just enough to cover you in case of emergencies. If you want a plan that reduces the cost of doctor’s visits, prescriptions, and has a low deductible, don’t be shocked at the cost. You will get more complete coverage with a stable company like Humana who also offer codicils (little amendments they attach to bigger things like vision and dental). That can be a handy thing if you have a sweet tooth like me.

      Here are a few places to start looking; take some time to sit down and appraise your needs, your family’s needs and existing conditions or potential hereditary diseases. Remember that prices are limited by legislation, so determining factors like deductibles and coverage limits will be key to finding a monthly payment you can live with. A good thing is that all health care costs are 100 percent deductible on your income taxes, so it’s not all bad. Verify this information here: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/article/0,,id=181005,00.HTML.

      You don’t have to make any more bad investments to have a decent tax write-off (you fat cat, you). Remember, if the monthly cost is too good to be true, you’ve either got a super high deductible or the coverage is extremely limited. Pay close attention to what’s covered and what’s not; especially pre-existing conditions or stuff hidden in your genes. You might not have it yet, but if Mom and Dad both had it, chances are good that it’s in your future, too.

      A few ways to keep costs down:

      • If you don’t go to the doctor more than once a year, consider carrying only major medical for emergencies.

      • Check with design trade and professional associations to see if they have a group plan. Even joining a group like the National Business Association of America will help provide group rates around $500 per month for a family of four with $10 co-pays. Rates will be lower and coverage will be guaranteed on pre-existing conditions if you are part of a group. Now here’s something an AIGA membership should offer our community, but doesn’t.

      • Shop online. Insurance companies pay fewer broker fees when you deal direct.

      • Find out if you’re eligible to use a medical savings account (MSA).

      The US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) makes certain allowances for the СКАЧАТЬ