Design Business Freedom

Latest Episodes:

042: 7 Signs You're Stuck in a Business Rut & 7 Ways to Get Out Of It Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

With such unprecedented demand for design since the pandemic, a lot of designers ended up putting themselves in overdrive. They got so busy producing and delivering the work that they lost sight of their actual goals and are now feeling depleted, wiped out, and that they've lost their passion for design. If that sounds familiar, I encourage you to really lean into this episode, as I've got some simple and small steps for solutions.

Sometimes we all find ourselves stuck in a creative rut, feeling frustrated and bored with our work. We can find ourselves in many types of ruts: you could be caught in a rut with your revenue, team, clientele, systems, environment, or even your brand. It's important to recognize the signs of being stuck and take the steps to get yourself off that hamster wheel and back into your best creative headspace.

On today's episode of The Affluent Creative, we're diving into how to break free from a creative rut and reignite our passion for achieving business success. I'll share my own experiences of navigating my way out of creative ruts as well as how to differentiate when you are experiencing depression versus creative stagnancy. Through my tips, you'll learn how to identify when you are feeling stuck and in what capacity, and most importantly, what to do about getting out. From rearranging your office to changing your business style, every move contributes significantly to reigniting the creative fire within you. Join me as we conquer this challenge together and reclaim your passion.

In this episode, you will hear:

How to recognize when you're in a business rut
How to differentiate a creative rut from depression
The importance of identifying and implementing personal "fuel" points to help refuel creativity and break the cycle
The power of testimonials in helping you to overcome your rut

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Supporting Resources:

7 Signs You're Stuck in a Business Rut: https://melissagalt.kartra.com/page/podcast-downloads-7-signs-stuck
Get Testimonials for Your Business: https://www.molloycom.com/testimonial-writing-service/
For more information about The Affluent Creative, check out my website www.melissagalt.com
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @MelissaGalt and TikTok @MelissaGaltBusinessCoach

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If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

041: What Are The Three G's for a Successful Business? Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

When aiming for success, sometimes the biggest obstacles are your own personal thoughts and beliefs. Whether you are limiting yourself, doubting yourself, or just not pushing yourself hard enough, all of these can hold you back from the greatness that you are so capable of! That's where the Three Gs of Success will help. I'm talking about Gratitude, Goals, and Grit, in that order. These three qualities are so important in pushing yourself to become the best creative that you can be. You need to show gratitude for the successes you've already had, set goals for the success you want to achieve, and have grit to face the challenges ahead.

In today's episode, I am diving into what the Three Gs of Success look like, why they are so important in helping you achieve success, and how to incorporate them into your daily life.

In this episode, you will hear:

How practicing gratitude in your daily life can shift your thinking toward success
Why it is so important to set specific and ambitious goals for yourself
How building grit can help you learn to tackle obstacles in the way of your success

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We'd love to welcome you to our creative community, if you haven't yet subscribed. We'd truly appreciate it if you drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and spreads the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Download the Secret Super App
- App Store Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-secret-super-app/id1486428772
- Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.secretsuper&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1
Try out the Five Minute Gratitude Journal: https://www.amazon.com/Gratitude-Journal-Affirmation-Productivity-Mindfulness/dp/B09NPVVKWR/ref=asc_df_B09NPVVKWR/
Get your own Gratitude Jar: https://www.1800flowers.com/the-gratitude-jar-156706
For more information about The Affluent Creative, check out my website www.melissagalt.com
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @MelissaGalt and TikTok @MelissaGaltBusinessCoach

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040: How to Work With Contractors Without Losing Your Mind Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

Unless you are a designer that works in furnishings only, you are going to have to work with a contractor at some point. I don't just mean general contractors either—plumbers, electricians, painters, drywallers, roofers, flooring specialists, wallpaper, hangers, appliance installers, cabinet makers and the list goes on.

Contractors are an integral part of design, remodeling, renovation, and new construction. Unfortunately, there are great and not-so-great contractors out there and you are going to have to work with both kinds. It's important that you know where to find quality contractors and that you know how to work with them effectively.

In today's episode, I'm diving in with my best advice for finding quality contractors you can trust, and the right way to vet them. I'll go over the five must-haves to validate quality contractors every time, and why you want to craft a contract or code of conduct so that you can accurately and precisely set expectations.

In this episode, you will hear:

How to avoid the frustrations that working with contractors can sometimes bring
The importance of using a thorough process when vetting potential contractors
How and why you should craft a code of conduct or contract
Strategies to help you work effectively and foster successful working relationships

Follow and Review:

Supporting Resources:

Free Resource - https://melissagalt.kartra.com/page/podcast-downloads-work-with-contractors
Check out the various associations for quality contractors NAHB, NARI, and NAPAC
For more information about The Affluent Creative, check out my website www.melissagalt.com
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @MelissaGalt and TikTok @MelissaGaltBusinessCoach

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039: 7.5 Weekly Questions To Grow You And Your Business Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

As a creative business owner, it's crucial to regularly check in with your practice to ensure you're on the right track toward success. One effective way to do this is by asking yourself a few questions every week which can help you identify areas for improvement, celebrate your achievements, and maintain a healthy balance between your personal and professional life. There are so many ways that you may not be allowing your business to flourish to its full potential if you aren't regularly reflecting on what is working for it and what is not.

Today, I'm sharing with you the 7.5 essential questions that you should be asking yourself weekly to supercharge your design practice and boost both productivity and profits as well as your own joy and creativity. These questions touch on the importance of delegation, assembling a stellar, cross-trained team, and concentrating on your zone of genius to avoid burnout and cultivate a thriving creative business. Taking the time to implement these good practices in a weekly reflection will help you to find your flow and allow it to carry you to new heights in your business where you are excited and connected in everything you do.

In this episode, you will hear:

The importance of checking in and reflecting on your business practices regularly
Why you should probably be delegating more
How embracing interruptions and disruptions can rekindle your creativity
The power of vision boards in helping you to stay goal-oriented and excited

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Supporting Resources:

Check out my downloadable resource to see these questions in action: https://melissagalt.kartra.com/page/podcast-downloads-weekly-questions-grow
For more information about The Affluent Creative, check out my website www.melissagalt.com
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @MelissaGalt and TikTok @MelissaGaltBusinessCoach

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038: Building Your Circle of Influence and Income Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

Welcome back to another episode of The Affluent Creative where today, we are uncovering the secrets to constructing a powerful circle of influence and income within your design business. Building a robust circle of influence is a foundational element of your creative design firm's success. Yet, very few designers actually know how to cultivate this circle or are neglecting the circle they already have.

That's why I wanted to dive in and share my strategies for maintaining effective marketing and client communication. From expanding your list of contacts to crafting compelling email subject lines, we're digging into techniques to elevate your business that you might not have thought of yet. We'll discuss the importance of building connections with a variety of profitable partners and leveraging special occasions to send out personalized messages to those potential future clients.

Additionally, we explore layering digital marketing with non-digital techniques, such as utilizing quarterly snail mail newsletters to boost brand awareness. I will share with you a simple plan for creating a successful newsletter that includes a personal touch without overcomplicating it. If you are a designer that hasn't put much thought into your potential client connections, you've got a wobbly inside your business! Following these tips will help you to expand your influence while leading your business to firmer ground.

In this episode, you will hear:

Connections that you should be adding to your list of contacts
Why you still need to utilize snail mail, even if your marketing is primarily digital
The importance of a captivating subject line for ensuring your email gets opened
My simple template for creating effective and engaging newsletters

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Supporting Resources:

For more information about The Affluent Creative, check out my website www.melissagalt.com
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @MelissaGalt and TikTok @MelissaGaltBusinessCoach

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037: When Bad Business Habits Happen to Good Designers Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

Are you tired of feeling held back by bad habits in your design business? Think of habits simply as patterns of behavior that have become routine. There are healthy habits and unhealthy habits, and we all have a bit of both. Unfortunately, some of these unhealthy habits can be costing you a lot more in your design practices than you might realize and they can be very easy to fall into but trickier to break.

In today's episode, I am going to walk you through a list of some of the bad habits that I encounter in many of the designers I work with. By pointing these habits out, I want to create awareness and shine a light on unhealthy business habits to give you a chance to take corrective action. Your awareness of these habits is key to helping yourself to reclaim time, money, energy, and productivity. Plus, there's a whole lot of extras that you're going to reap as a benefit of breaking these bad business habits.

In this episode, you will hear:

Bad habits in sourcing, billing, and client communication that might surprise you
Strategies that you can use to break free from unhealthy habits
The importance of setting boundaries and proactively establishing communication practices with clients early on
The power of asking for testimonials for boosting future design business

Follow and Review:

Supporting Resources:

Check out my downloadable resources for this episode here: https://melissagalt.kartra.com/page/podcast-downloads-bad-habits-happen
For more information about The Affluent Creative, check out my website www.melissagalt.com
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @MelissaGalt and TikTok @MelissaGaltBusinessCoach

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036: 15 Reasons You May Not Be Getting Hired May 29, 2023

Show notes

When you're working at the right end of the market, it's actually incredibly rare that a client won't move forward once they've been educated about the value of your design proposal, even if they give some initial pushback on pricing. So, if you find yourself struggling to seal that deal with your ideal client, you need to look at some of the other, surprising factors that may be making your ideal client hesitate to work with you. That's why today, I want to share with you 15 reasons that might be stopping you from getting hired, even when your price is right.

The absence of a thorough design process, a low Know-Like-Trust factor, and even a potential client's partner feeling insecure can drastically impact your success rate. In this episode, I will guide you through the process of focusing on your client's interests, making your relationship with potential clients an inviting and exciting courtship, and allowing your own personality to shine through your business to attract similarly-minded clients.

I also discuss ways to make your clients feel special throughout the design journey – from sending thoughtful check-ins and gifts to walking them through their agreements so they are familiar with your process every step of the way. Tune in today to learn how to provide that first-class client care your ideal client expects, increase proposal acceptance rates, and uncover the secrets of getting hired and creating lasting connections with your clients.

In this episode, you will hear:

Surprising factors that impact your success rate in getting hired
Why making the courtship with potential clients more inviting and exciting can help secure long-term client relationships.
How to provide first-class client care
The importance of walking clients through your agreements and leveraging digital tools to remove obstacles during the discovery process

Follow and Review:

Supporting Resources:

For more information about The Affluent Creative, check out my website www.melissagalt.com
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @MelissaGalt and TikTok @MelissaGaltBusinessCoach

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035: How to Get More Done in Less Time May 22, 2023

Show notes

Time is our greatest non-renewable resource. There never seems to be enough of it, but worrying about not having enough time only limits you further. When we worry about feeling overwhelmed or lacking the hours in a day to get everything accomplished, we give into the kind of time-shrinking thoughts that interfere with our productivity. Today, I want you to identify your limiting beliefs around time to take better control of your time once and for all.

In today's episode, I am diving into the best ways to increase your productivity and manage your behaviors around time. This does not mean making you busier! Instead, we'll look at the difference between being busy and being productive and how shifting our mindset from time-shrinking thoughts to time-enhancing thoughts will unlock a healthier approach to time management. I want to pull you out of the busy trap and shift your gears and get you into being more productive and more profitable.

I will also share my best strategies for identifying those revenue rabbit holes or areas where you are losing precious time that you may not even be aware of. We may not be able to manage time itself, but we can always manage our behaviors around time. Learning this distinction will put you on the first step to revolutionizing your scheduling and reclaiming your time.

In this episode, you will hear:

How to be productive beyond being busy
Ways to replace your time-shrinking thoughts with time-expanding ones
The benefits of time tracking and time blocking
Why honoring your boundaries is one of the most important components to healthy time management skills

Follow and Review:

Supporting Resources:

For more information about The Affluent Creative, check out my website www.melissagalt.com
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @MelissaGalt and TikTok @MelissaGaltBusinessCoach

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034: The 20 Keys to Effective Client Communication May 15, 2023

Show notes

Let's face it, as designers, we are in a business that is very complex, which can create a lot of frustration for our clients through everything from the long lead times to construction challenges. Your communication can not only land you the project, but it can also keep your client happy through that long dark tunnel of design.

As designers, we've got to remember that while we are used to the stress and frustration of the design process, our clients aren't. But, if you are following the most important keys to communication, you will keep things on track, moving forward, and alleviating your client's frustration just by paying attention to them.

Today we are diving into my 20 keys to effective client communication. And I want you to grab a pen and paper to jot these down! Applying these effective guidelines for communication will serve both you and your client in staying stress-free on all fronts.

In this episode, you will hear:

The importance of separating facts from feelings and fiction
Why avoiding defensiveness is crucial for successful communication
How to create win-win scenarios for yourself and your client
Real-life examples of how these principles have helped me and my clients achieve better outcomes in our projects

Follow and Review:

Supporting Resources:

For more information about The Affluent Creative, check out my website www.melissagalt.com
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @MelissaGalt and TikTok @MelissaGaltBusinessCoac

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033: How To Be Your Design Client's Superhero May 08, 2023

Show notes

As a creative, one of your biggest assets is your talent. You have the ability to envision, create, and orchestrate things in ways that others might deem impossible for themselves. This is your scope of genius and it is something you really need to lean into within your design practice.

When your clients see your expertise, they treat your services differently. You essentially become a superhero: someone who can anticipate and identify their problems and find creative solutions for them in ways they could never do on their own. This elevates your clients' experience of design and makes them willing to invest far more into the project because they truly understand and appreciate the impact your designs have on their daily lives.

In today's episode, I'm going to share with you how to become a superhero for your design clients. We are covering the ups and downs of positioning yourself as an expert in their home and just how powerfully you can leverage your expertise throughout the process.

In this episode, you will hear:

How to have conversations that deliver cash to you and comfort to your clients
The three universal problems you solve with every design and why they matter
How to turn any furniture piece into a life-changing piece that clients can't resist
The crazy simple communication skill that every client wishes you had

Follow and Review:

Supporting Resources:

For more information about The Affluent Creative, check out my website www.melissagalt.com
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @MelissaGalt and TikTok @MelissaGaltBusinessCoach

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