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Small Business Tips for Creatives

Words Fiona Burrage

Fiona Burrage co-runs branding consultancy, The Click, Nor–Folk, the Water Cabin (a holiday let) Studio Inn (a creative co-working studio in the city) and has just created Sop ~ Scents of place. Sop is a vegan body care brand, launched in April during the height of lockdown. Having run a business since 2007, she offers advice to other small business owners based on her thoughts and questions put to her from her followers via Instagram. 

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Slow thinking

I think there is a common misconception the best ideas are when you make time to sit at a table with a pen/pencil and a pad. Supposedly inspiration should hit, but I find the opposite that causes me panic/pressure and creative block. Interestingly, studies show you are at your most creative and best at problem solving when you are in a relaxed state, known as the slow thinking stage. For me, I find acts like having a shower allows my thoughts to wander and ideas to flourish.

Stay motivated

There is a chart you may have seen that shows the stages of an entrepreneur, and it really is all peaks and troughs. Having a business you love, definitely minimises the lack of motivation though. But for days when I feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle, I turn to podcasts, a favourite of mine being Monocle (the Entrepreneurs) or I also jump into one of the ‘Do’ books. The purpose one is really motivating and you feel like you take on the world again.

Keeping creative

The top two are essential but also keeping curious, reading and watching things that widen your frame of reference. If you are a yoga teacher, don’t just look at other yoga instructors, look further afield and in complementary fields, you never know when an idea will spark.

Employing people

Employing people is a big step. I think knowing your numbers, and that you have the capacity to finance them is integral. Also, ask yourself is that first person going to be someone who you can directly bill (and pay for themselves) or is it someone who will absorb the jobs that are eating into your productivity, therefore making you more profitable. Knowing their purpose is really important. I highly recommend several interviews before any appointment and then a sound job description. I’m part of the Chamber of Commerce, and they can offer you HR advice which is important to understand.

Interesting content for social media

If the business comes from the right place then this will come, don’t put pressure on yourself. Ask yourself, are you your customer? If you’re not, speak to your customer to understand what their interests are and then speak to more and more. Once you’re in their mindset/headspace you can create a spider diagram of related content. Then it’s a case of deciding your visual and verbal tone of voice and developing that.

Strong brand

In a digital world, brand is everything. Agencies can be expensive, but in my opinion if you find the right one, they are worth every penny. And there is a huge sliding scale of creatives out there. If you’re starting up, then Instagram can be a good place to find a company. Applying your visual style across everything demonstrates your care and attention to your customer. Most people right now are being careful with their money (and rightly so) so if you are creating a brand that you want to enhance someone's life, then it really needs to do just that.

Making the leap

I’d never had a burning desire to be self-employed. I actually love being part of a team but I guess I’ve always been ‘entrepreneurial.’ I do hate that word! I co-ran The Click before launching Nor–Folk. And I should mention I hold a CIM professional diploma in marketing, ran a design consultancy and am a qualified PM. So all of this experience and learnings have helped put me in a position to hit the ground running with subsequent businesses. I always say get as much experience before you take the jump. It will always be a steep learning curve but the more well rounded your work picture is the better. The key is making sure you really believe in what you do and be prepared to work like a dog to get it started. If you’re prepared for that then you will be starting from the best possible place!

Raising awareness

Getting publicity and speaking to new audiences is really important with growing your business. I’d suggest you reflect on your customer, think about all of the places they get their information from, speak to those publications, both print and digital and be politely persistent. Expect to be ignored a lot! But if you have an interesting angle, trust me your new product/service isn’t of use to them! But if you can think of a way to subtly sell your company within a brand piece, you’re more likely to be featured. The more you do it, the more people will ask. Then your problem will be to decide which are of best use to you as your time is limited being someone who is having to be marketing, sales, HR, finance and everything in between.

Finding designers and manufacturers

I’ve worked with many, many printers, manufacturers and designers in business. In terms of sourcing someone, going by word of mouth is a good start. I would never suggest asking a competitor for their sources unless they willingly offer them to you. Instagram can also be a useful way to source people, that’s how I found my screen printers who I’ve worked with for 5 years now. Once you have a shortlist, arrange a call and have a list of questions, get quotes, ask for timescales. Be honest, if you’re new to this ask them for their support. Explain you are hoping to start a long-term relationship and describe your vision. If they support you, then you’ve found a match.

Being self-employed and running your own business can be incredibly rewarding and really exciting. You’ll never stop learning, so stay curious and humble and then you’re on the best possible path to success.