Is it Time to Stop DIY-ing and Hire a Brand and Website Designer?
We all start somewhere! In the build-out stages of a budding creative business, most of us will take the DIY route – and with good reason. The startup costs of a new biz are often hefty, what with all the creative tools, equipment, marketing efforts, training workshops, and obligatory early morning lattes involved. In the long run, it pays off to be savvy with your money and prioritize requisite expenses over extravagant ones while you’re still finding your footing in your industry.
Though a truly exciting part of building a creative business – developing a brand identity and building a website is no easy feat, especially when your roll out to-do list is already looking miles long. For this reason, some new business owners will choose to outsource this work and hire a trusted designer to tackle this part of the job. To our readers who are still unsure whether the cost of collaborating with a brand and/or website designer would offset the cost of your time and energy spent DIY-ing the thing, this post is for you – with a few pointers to note and lots of love!
When To DIY:
If you are brand new to business
While working to get our creative businesses off the ground, we couldn’t afford to get fancy with it – at least not right away. When faced with a potential buy, we had to get real with ourselves and decide what would constitute a worthwhile investment and what wouldn’t. Inevitably, miscalculations were made but we learned along the way. It didn’t take long to realize that the money we spent on bettering our craft was money returned in the form of increased brand awareness and new clients. We forfeited professional branding services in favor of master classes, training workshops, portfolio-building retreats, and pretty much any purchase that would help refine our skill and elevate the level of our work. If you are still learning your craft or honing in on your personal style, we highly recommend DIY-ing something like a website to allow for growth in your foundation as a creative business owner. Read about our favorite, easy-to-use website platform here!
If you’re still asking “why?”
During the first 1-2 years of business, you are probably still finding your “why.” The reasons fueling your passion for the work at hand might change as you become more familiar with your business objectives, desired outcomes, and dream clients. You might find that your ideal clientele has changed over time or that your initial artistic vision has transformed into something else. This is all great news! It means you are getting closer and closer to a fine-tuned understanding of what sets you apart. Now imagine having spent a significant sum of money on a brand concept and website design that no longer aligns with your current vision. To put it lightly: that would suck.
When to Hire a Professional:
If you can describe your dream client
If you find yourself dreaming of a certain someone (and their friends) sliding into your dm’s and inquiring about your services, you are probably pretty sure of the clients you are trying to attract. You have likely spent a good amount of time defining your unique value proposition as a business owner and are ready to tell the world why they should hire you instead of your competitors! This is a great time to take that next step and invest in elevating your brand the way you’ve always dreamed of. A professional brand and/or website designer can help steer your way forward.
If you should be paid more
Do you feel like your services and work have leveled up beyond what they are priced? If you’ve spent time mastering your craft and advancing your portfolio, you should certainly be paid as well! A rebrand and a fresh website present an excellent opportunity to introduce new prices in a seamless and compelling way.
If you are ready to scale
If you’ve been at it for a while, it might be time to scale! To you, this might mean booking a higher volume of work, booking less work for more money, adding to your team, renting a studio, adding to your services, – the list is endless. If any of these things are true, your first order of business should be reworking your brand to reflect these intentions, aka a gorgeous new look for your brand and website!
If you feel ready to revamp your brand identity or give your website a lil’ makeover, we’re your people!
