As a young designer, and now owner of Pulse Creative Partners, I am beginning to see all of the challenges that running your own business entitles you to. When you are working for someone else, you never (really) have to worry about what the next job will be or where the money is going to come from to pay the bills. You just expect that it will all come together and you’ll get to keep designing.

As a business owner, however, all of that changes. While owning a business is great, and can certainly have its perks, it can also leave you lying awake at night wondering who you are going to have to call on the next day for new work. It can also mean you become more of a sales person and less of a designer. I have been fortunate with this business because of the already loyal client base, but you can’t always rely on your existing clients to provide the next project. Planning ahead and approaching new businesses becomes a daily part of your routine, sometimes one you don’t always welcome. Lately, my time has been more focused on administration and new business, which is fun at times, but I am beginning to miss designing all day long like I once used to.

We’re starting to turn our marketing focus toward an industry that we seem to be doing a lot more work for and some pretty stunning work at that. The key word here for us is really focus. Until now, we never really had a niche or any one thing we were particularly known for. I am personally tired of trying to contact potential clients in multiple markets when my time can be so much better utilized focusing in on one market. And, to this point, focus has really paid off. Niche markets, however, are not always the solution to growing a business, but if you’re finding yourself doing a lot of work for one industry, go for it. Not only will you have a portfolio full of work that will resonate with prospective clients, you will also understand your client better and be able to do more focused work.

Until the next
Bean’s Biz,
Stefan Bean | President/Creative Director
Pulse Creative Partners, Inc. | BoDo Author | Bean’s Biz