Grow Your Business- Have Clear Goals Ep. 5

[@testacc006]

I don't usually comment on KZbin videos, but we have to give props here to Melinda - It takes serious courage to be so candid about your business and the numbers and put yourself in such a vulnerable position. This series is amazing for students and already established freelancers alike. A big thanks to everyone involved! V

[@thefutur]

testacc006 yes it does. Glad you recognize that.

[@mariapezzanoartist]

I was thinking the same thing, Melinda thank you it's hard to ask those questions, and thanks Chris for giving genuinely sincere responses. You can tell you really want to help.

[@vicgraphicdesign]

Wow, I was thinking exactly the same testacc006

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate it. I've come to see that being open and vulnerable like this has benefited not only me, but others.

[@MaciejSarna]

Brave girl! So helpful!

[@e_8074]

Melinda, thank you for feeling vulnerable for all of us. Chris, thank you for seeing through our vulnerability to get at our potential.

[@thefutur]

Evan Crockett that's what this is all about.

[@melindalivsey1]

You are welcome, Evan. I'm thankful for the opportunity.

[@honeyfish541]

Melinda is a real deal. She is not vulnerable like in the talk. Its all for the purpose of the video to teach people. Its scripted in a sense. It is a marketing design. Chis and Melinda.. tell me that I'm wrong please :) 😃

[@thefutur]

she is vulnerable. this isn't an act. it's not scripted or planned. but she's grown a lot since this video aired.

[@mrkmaker]

Melinda asks all the questions I ask myself when I watch your videos. This is extremely helpful!

[@thefutur]

Monique Rebecca that's why she is perfect.

[@melindalivsey1]

So happy it's helpful for you too!

[@JacobPatrick1]

The prioritization portion of this video was a great example of how beneficial your lessons are.

[@thefutur]

Thank you. Investigate design sprints.

[@aaronramsden1657]

I love how courageous Melinda is here, the way she talks reminds me of myself.

[@mitchstark3288]

Chris, this entire series with Melinda is incredibly helpful. Where she's at in her journey growing as a designer and business person is super relatable and you coaching her through this piece by piece makes way for some great tactical advice. Melinda, thanks for your honesty at different points to say, "I don't know how rate them" or things like this. It helps to make sure important things don't get breezed over. Anyways, appreciate the channel and this series especially has been a big help to me!

[@thefutur]

Mitch Stark ty Mitch.

[@melindalivsey1]

I'm glad you found it helpful! I'm happy to ask what some may think are silly questions.

[@JeanWandimi]

Amazing. I love that Melinda is very transparent & honest. Not everyone can be willing to do that. I am sure she reflects what other people are going through. I can't wait to see her progress. Amazing!

[@thefutur]

Jean Wandimi watch her grow week to week.

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks, Jean!

[@bennethjohn6068]

Can't wait for Melinda's progress! I can imagine her being more successful in the next few months.

[@thefutur]

Benneth John keep watching. She's making progress.

[@bennethjohn6068]

Will definitely do!

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks Benneth! Things are already changing for me. I'm excited for when we do a follow up episode.

[@DemiRonin]

Applaud your patience and nurturing spirit in this session Chris.

[@khandramayorga4870]

Go Melinda! You can do it . You are with the right person at the right time ! 👏👏

[@melindalivsey1]

Thank you Khandra!

[@MelissaClaasen]

I adore Melinda. She's so brave to put herself out there in this way. I see so much of myself in her and it makes this whole solopreneur journey a lot less "solo".

[@thefutur]

Melissa Claasen glad to hear.

[@thefutur]

#rolemodels

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks Melissa! That means a lot. I'm so happy to be on this journey with you.

[@gillianconnole6956]

Super useful and thanks to Melinda for putting herself out there. Shes asking everthying im thinking for myself so thank you!

[@melindalivsey1]

You're quite welcome :)

[@philipkelly9521]

Fair play to Melinda's honestly, and giving out her information. Makes it very real and honest.

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks Philip.

[@colombiecup]

Thank you to both Chris and Melinda, this is eye opening and helps many of us to value our own work and effort, which is always over looked. Appreciate your share to the community, Chris!

[@shalmatharu]

This is the single most helpful video I have seen (probably ever) on growing a design business. Thanks to Chris for the advice and especially Melinda for sitting in for all of us who have the same questions/problems/concerns/goals.

[@thefutur]

wow!!! thanks.

[@nayaclark2342]

I'm a writer, who designs in my spare time, and I find this information useful across freelancing mediums. Thanks!

[@thefutur]

Naya Clark we agree.

[@melindalivsey1]

That's great!

[@carlosdrave]

Personally, I see people in creative industries really struggling with growing their businesses everywhere. I guess one of the main hurdles is seeing the numbers in it. Numbers will tell you so much! Chris is a breath of fresh air because he is relentless.

[@thefutur]

Carlos Correia I'm the terminator. Can't stop. Won't stop

[@melindalivsey1]

I have to learn that numbers are my friends.

[@omni_1376]

I love the duo! So much knowledge in one channel.

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks, Turker!

[@sergiovalencia486]

Thanks to MELINDA and the FUTUR team , the interesting thing is how melinda is more confident each episode as she knows more about bussines and she start asking more focused questions , This shows progress on the road , knowledge + apply = confidence i suppose , but this cant happen without courage and will power

[@thefutur]

you can see it in each episode right?

[@roghibfakhri]

I love watching and learning from you guys, thanks Chris, Melinda and The Futur team. This series is absolutely amazing and really help me as a freelancers :)

[@matthewsmith1547]

It’s amazing to see someone I find inspirational and has it all together also has problems and they are basically the same as the ones we all must be having.

[@tfustudios]

Just discovering these, and I swear each video title is a question I regularly ask myself! Diving deep! Props to Melinda for examining this in front of an audience!

[@MattMermet]

So I watched all the videos of this series and I'm really thankful for helping us out. I needed this. You speak with such a clarity and confidence in this subject that it inspires. Keep it up! Greetings from Barcelona!!

[@thefutur]

thanks and hi Barcelona! we have another episode that will drop this week. look out for it.

[@MattMermet]

The Futur Thanks!! Can't wait! 😁

[@melindalivsey1]

I'm glad you're finding it as helpful as I am, Matt!

[@TheRae3331]

Always so pumped to watch the Melinda videos, they are super helpful to me

[@melindalivsey1]

:)

[@nang2000]

This is about the 15 video I have watched and it's built my confidence up so much more

[@thefutur]

super glad to hear.

[@avian6051]

Takeaways: 1:09 How do you figure out what is the next thing to do to grow your business? Have you mapped out your goals for the year? Have you watched the episode about scaffolding goals? Goal Setting and How To Achieve Your Goals (4 minutes) 2:30 Everything is realistic and attainable if you're willing to visualize it and then put in the work, make the sacrifices, and delay gratification. 3:34 You have all of your life to play, put in the work today so you can enjoy it while you're still young. 3:49 Goal Scaffolding process. Ultimate goal: How much money do you want to bring in? 100k Scaffold the tactics: How much is that per quarter? 25k How much is that per month? 8.5k What are you doing today? 5.3k What's the spread? 3.5k. Estimate higher so you don't fall short. Where will this 3.5k come from? One/two/three clients? One large client. Solution: Raise rates from 5k to 8k. What stops you from raising your rates? (Diagnose) No new clients. Goal: How do we get more clients? 13:21 Put spreads of work in social channels (Behance, Dribbble, etc). 16:19 Make yourself easier to find (SEO, cross promotion) 16:35 Overflow work for other companies. 17:39 Micro content: Write on medium, linkedin to demonstrate your process/thinking. 17:54 Expand your creative services. • Have a diagnostic process to evaluate your client by, so you can offer them services that they need. (Brand audit, social media scorecard, etc) Create a value ladder. • Outsource to a third party that provides a service of value to your client. Ex: SEO or animated videos. Call them and ask: ○ What they do ○ How they do it ○ Send a deck ○ Prices ○ What do I need to watch out for? ○ 3 most common questions. • Design Keynote decks • Catalogs, brochures • Headers, Avatars, social and email templates 18:49 If there's something that you're not an expert in, build synergetic relationships with people who are and work with them. 19:06 Every business needs a strong identity, social media marketing, and a website. 20:30 How to figure out what goal is the most important? • Create a 3 column grid ○ Activity (Posting work on Behance, SEO, etc) ○ Impact ○ Urgency • Rate each from a score of 1 (low) to 5 (high). • Circle top 3 scores. Focus on that. 25:18 Write your list as an action item. 27:40 Use matrices of criteria to make better decisions. This helps align with clients as well. 27:54 Matrix for decisions: Impact: How much of an impact will this make when measured against your goal? Urgency: Do we need to do this right now? Money: What kind of budget needs to be allotted to make this happen? 30:52 After you decide your 3 main goals, set up your daily routine around them to start chipping away at the goal. 32:47 What if you have goals with equal scores? • Reevaluate how you scored them. Rescore them granularly. • Or do both and make the sacrifices for it. 35:22 Schedule time every month to recalibrate your goals. Thank you Chris and Melinda.

[@thefutur]

thanks for the timestamp summaries

[@ericlewithonee]

Love this series! I'm years behind Melinda in experience but pretty much have the same goals so this is perfect. Thanks guys!

[@soundofko1814]

So much value in these videos, been a Chris fan for a while and now I'm a Melinda fan too

[@aphamfilms]

Love this series with Melinda! just joined the pro group today!

[@kathrnbelmont]

Hi Futur, I feel like the reason why Melinda doesn't get more business traffic is because the audience for this channel consist of creators and tinkerers already. We wouldn't book her for creation, because we can create ourselves. You need to place yourselves in front of people who cannot design and prototype. Cheers!

[@thefutur]

From Kat yes. But clients are calling us from watching the show.

[@melindalivsey1]

Hi there! My main goal by being on the show is to learn and to help out others who are in a similar position as me get our questions answered. My client inquiries are increasing mainly due to implementing Chris' advice. :)

[@mansi.rastogi]

I am learning so much with you guys Chris & Melinda. I feel and identify with Melinda's issues as a designer. Thank you Melinda for being so honest and open. I really do wish you hit your goal fast. @Chris, I have a small young team of designers, I would love it if you could do some episodes on hiring, managing and guiding your team to help them become independent thinkers and reach business goals.... PLLLLEEEAASEE with cherry on top.

[@thefutur]

mansi rastogi that's not an easy thing to solve. Let's see if others ask for this.

[@mansi.rastogi]

Thanks Chris. I really do appreciate you and the team. I understand it's not easy to manage a team but I am willing to do the work. Till others ask I'll continue to work on the rest of the lessons I take from you. Much thanks.

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks, Mansi! I appreciate the encouragement.

[@casperfigge]

lover your way off speaking of B to C and B to B .... and how to make these relationship better and stronger.. thx for it and stay Creative..

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks for watching, Casper!

[@carrie.kyarri]

OMG. He totally described what I did with her link. I never open the description; but I did because I'm a designer that wanted to look at her website. I opened it up in a new tab; but I'm at work, so I haven't looked at it much yet.... It's like he was watching me!

[@thefutur]

Carrie Evans who said I'm not watching you now?

[@melindalivsey1]

Haha

[@MultiCheese44]

Checked out her website and it's improved so much and it seems she got some big clients like Oakley! Go Melinda!

[@thefutur]

Oakley is an old client.

[@jamesvowell2329]

I cant get enough !!! love yall !!!

[@thefutur]

Thank you James.

[@lovesamuraisaturn]

Hey Chris and Melinda, thanks. I really needed to hear these honest hard facts, feel this frustration, and get a professional perspective put to light to push me beyond preconceived "limits". I had been working at a lower rate for survival, and out of fear of rejection. I really appreciate this video series because it really helped me bring that to light, face it head on, and do something about it. Sincerely, thank you.

[@thefutur]

You're very welcome

[@soniarodriguez7411]

Thanks Melinda. I hope you continue doing more videos.. Great!!

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks Sonia!

[@victoriaaamalia]

I said it before but I learned so much while watching this video and many others. Love what your doing.

[@thefutur]

Tori Vieira Thank you.

[@geedee001]

good thing you guys including something about web design in your episodes. Im a web designer and this helps me a lot.

[@christopherdhliwayo4341]

This channel has the greatest content

[@patrickryandesign8438]

1. I loved this episode as I struggle with prioritization and setting clear goals for the day, week, year, etc. 2. After the final credits rolled through I asked, "for real this time?" and sure it enough right after I said it, you answered me lol, which made my day 3. I loved the final animation of the futur logo, I'm not sure if it has been there for a while or what but I'm a fan!

[@melindalivsey1]

I'm still working on #1. But getting better!

[@thefutur]

TheGoodLogo yes. It's been there but you just noticed it more this time.

[@erikmejialegacy]

Those videos are incredible amazing! I got a few goals for the upcoming months with my own business, after applying some of your insights and recommendations I'll share with you guys the results at the end of this year. Just wait!

[@thefutur]

please tell us.

[@melindalivsey1]

Can't wait to hear your progress!

[@Mixnotes]

This was a big help for me. Much thanks!

[@melindalivsey1]

Glad to hear it!

[@TaylorKenny]

Loving these episodes. Tons of great info.

[@SimonDroog]

I also find these episodes very helpful and insightful. Great content. Thanks to Chris, Melinda and the rest of the crew!

[@ProdbyPackTV]

This is great! Rooting for u Melinda!

[@christianbarros1580]

Melinda is the perfect student.

[@melindalivsey1]

Just trying to learn!

[@thefutur]

Christian Barros agreed.

[@christianbarros1580]

A+

[@christianbarros1580]

Chris, that was an excellent call

[@tin-sewdavid633]

Great quality video, Melinda's looking great!

[@zn376]

You guys are being extremely helpful in developing a design business. Fantastic insights, you answer all my questions, before I can even formulate them! Hope you get more subscribers, more creatives should hear what you have to say :)

[@jonasarleth]

The after show was great!

[@melindalivsey1]

Agreed!

[@thefutur]

Jonas Arleth it's a reward for those who stay til the end.

[@jonasarleth]

@melinda Great to see you helping Chris interact with the community!

[@DDD0323]

"My work output is on par with my goals."

[@unquestionabletv]

Chris, you say, "welcome to The Process..." however neither the video title nor the description contains this. When I was asking about the playlist on the previous video this was also part of my confusion. You are involved in great creative work-I think a similar naming scheme(for lack of better phrasing right now) would be beneficial to those who are trying to find this content even if it's something short at the end like the "Deep Dive" or "The Process."

[@thefutur]

it was your original question. is there a playlist with Melinda in it? that was the answer you were looking for.

[@jeffmacpherson4283]

LOVE this series

[@niccohirajeta]

I'm loving these episodes! Keep them coming :D

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks, Nicolas!

[@crepanna]

Inspiring content per usual~ I'm looking forward to determining my goal for this year.

[@melindalivsey1]

That's great!

[@ragzm9794]

What a gold mine this episode is! It's interesting that this episode followed right after the AMA live the previous day of how to find a mentor? And here it's given in engaging and powerful to the extent you ask questions for the unspoken objections or questions one has within their mind. The kind of energy Chris Do resonates, all we have to do is be an empty cup to be filled everytime we sit for a session like these. Melinda - really envy you 😜. Having said that the questions you ask are very interesting and looks like you are asking on our behalf. Awesome. I just finished my matrix after seeing it and am on my way to kick the goals 😂.

[@thefutur]

raGz M awesome. Go be a winner.

[@melindalivsey1]

I love to hear this! Can't wait to see your progress.

[@MajomHus]

Watching your presentations for a week now and you helped me a lot with my confidence. Some days ago a new client asked me what I charge and I told them a number that is 5 times the number I usually charged and explained to them what they are getting for that price. They gladly accepted. Since then I made more money in 3 days than I did last month. ( I do 3d furniture modeling and design with interior renders) Thank you.

[@wiliamelomaloma5990]

really enjoyed this video i had the same questions and this show just answered all my questions thank you for all the hard work that your team's doing day in day out to educate us growing designers.

[@vicgraphicdesign]

I am running out to compliments, if I say it in Spanish does it counts as a new one? Excelente trabajo!!! Thank you for sharing this valuable content. I love the part after the fake ending :). I kept on wondering why there was so much time left and the credits were already running. Great ending "The show is over, For real this time".

[@melindalivsey1]

Hey Victor!!! I'm so happy you found it helpful. And yes, it totally counts in Spanish. :)

[@liveformusic8]

So much value. Thanks.

[@cheryldowse6055]

That was so helpful, thank you Chris and Melinda! Melinda you are a brave superstar!

[@senbrown6447]

Just when you thought it was over.... great video!

[@thefutur]

Sen Brown ya never know.

[@melindalivsey1]

Glad he remembered about it!

[@Spiritofabrand]

Added to favorites. Thank you for this crazy good content.

[@melindalivsey1]

:D

[@penguinentrepreneurstreate673]

Excellent, I love the charisma of the Brother and the desire to learn from the sister, Excellent insights, my personal advice to sister Melinda would be to create a new industry. That's a deeper goal that requires a very profound transformation. Consciousness for the long term. I loved to watch and gladly subscribed. May you have life, prosperity & Health. In Maat= In peace

[@thefutur]

The Penguin Entrepreneur peace be with you. Thank you.

[@jecamartinez]

Love this! It's like Melinda representing all of us at the early stages of our career/business. BTW Chris, I understand how to come up with ideas for additional services for Logo and Branding because I feel like those areas are specific enough to branch out from. But what about in my case with 2d animation and illustration? Do I just list out how potential clients can use my work? (say: animation for social media, explainer videos, animation for game apps, children's book illustrations, etc) though those don't sound like additional services, but are more of examples of what can be done with my services...hope that question was clear :)

[@melindalivsey1]

Good question!

[@jecamartinez]

Thank you! I hope Chris sees this and can answer :D

[@chancenorris8854]

Liked the bonus content!

[@melindalivsey1]

Same here!

[@ManylenB]

Thank you so much for putting out such great content ^.^

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks for watching, Manylen!

[@aeliayousaf]

Great video as usual! I am in a similar business as you but am struggling in growing my business - I have tried almost everything, but the only thing left for me to try is actually finding a physical office space. I feel people (both clients and workers) will take my business more seriously if there is an actual office. Even when i hire sales people; if they have an office to go to then they will make the effort to sell. correct me if i'm wrong, but i think it is very important to have an office.

[@blackroomat663a7]

These are all great tips, I wish I have seen these earlier, I have been just starting my own company after a few years of working in marketing and advertising. And I have been struggling how to handle a company by myself

[@thefutur]

better late than never right? here we are.

[@darksentences9420]

Making the time and committing to my objectives…Having the time to make this happen is worrying. I will do this. I have to do this. Thank you.

[@melindalivsey1]

You can do it!

[@ChrisEllinas]

I loved the after credits :)

[@kevinbishop_]

I was looking forward to this more than the return of Game of Thrones. The Futur is coming!

[@thefutur]

Kevin Bishop the Chris Do always remembers.

[@kevinbishop_]

The Futur Chris Do/John Snow - king of the north. I smell a parody 😄

[@melindalivsey1]

=)

[@latinillusion00]

Did the episode on SEO eventually get made? Chris: 16:38

[@thefutur]

Yes. But it might only be available for Pro Members.

[@ManavMadaan]

Amazing, Lots of takeaways!

[@thefutur]

Manav Madaan glad to hear

[@melindalivsey1]

I agree!

[@edmundsgn111]

Hey Melinda, your work is really good! Ive just seen the "Mobile Ciro Care" project on your Behance page and it looks professional and clean, nice work, especially the photography :) Btw, Chris is right about Behance.. This platform is IMO "the" best graphic design community out there.. business actually visit this platform all the time, so you'll have a high chance of being discovered. I'm using it for years and I gotten a lot out of it.. at least more then anywhere else online lol they have a large variety of jobs in there too. I'd also say that its extremely effective to collaborate on Behance. its a true game-breaker if its done right :)

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks for the tip! And the compliments. :)

[@artdesktopedutainment7864]

Great content Cris, keep it up!

[@thefutur]

ARTdeskTOP edutainment thanks.

[@artdesktopedutainment7864]

Do you have an episodes about creating a business proposal?

[@thefutur]

ARTdeskTOP edutainment I think we do but it's 3 years old.

[@abhilashmohanty]

What should be the very first case studies of a start up design agency ?

[@thefutur]

Abhilash Mohanty Whatever you think you do best.

[@aerozg]

I have already watched this twice. You guys just rock. I am already doing some of this stuff, but man have i got work to do! My only trouble is, living in Eastern Europe, where there is no work, and all my clients being in the U.S. I thought i could maybe change my name to an american version, and brand myself basically as a designer from the U.S. since all my business is there. Any tips for that? Great great show, as usual. We need to earn this.

[@melindalivsey1]

Glad you got a lot out of it. I'm interested in what Chris would advise in your situation. I figure, if most of your business is in the US, it would benefit you to fit in as best you can with the target you're aiming at.

[@thefutur]

aerozg be a global business/brand no matter where you are from. Act, talk and speak like a global brand.

[@aerozg]

Thank you Chris. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for everything you do. You are giving all this know-how for free, not expecting anything in return. You're basically a Deity now. A Saint at least. Patron of the struggling creatives :) It's like that saying: "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.". This is what you do. There is no money that can buy that. We are infinitely thankful for having you. 10% coming your way as soon as i catch a big one!

[@aerozg]

Dear Melinda, thank you for your response. Thank you for doing these videos, you look great on camera! You're so natural! How do you do it? Yes i do get a lot out of these. I can't even begin to describe it. I have basically decided to forget everything i thought i knew about this business and created a blank canvas in my mind. Starting up from scratch. I decided to trust and use these videos as a basis for transforming my freelance practice and supplementing with many additional materials like books, tutorials, podcasts, videos and such. The Futur framework has no match, anywhere. There are a few others that try to do the same, but Chris is at least 10 orders of magnitude beyond them. I now think of him as Elon Musk of 'business of design' education :) By the time everyone else starts catching up on this, he will already have achieved world domination. And i he will, i know it. So far it has been a blast. So my dream ultimately is to move to California, where all the buzz is. Where all the best creative people are. The world capital state of creative business. That's why i was thinking about maybe changing my name to an american version, like a pseudonym or something and market and brand myself as such. But then i fear that some clients might accuse me of fraudulent misrepresentation. They think i am a native american, only to find out that i am just a guy, sitting behind a computer somewhere in Eastern Europe. What do you think about that?

[@azizas9366]

great Video. Thank you

[@PhillipClayton]

Reality TV has nothing on you guys lol. Admirable bravery on Melinda's part and Chris is the perfect guide, great series. I like that sacrifice was mentioned, a lot of people want all the good stuff but wont give anything up, this goes across the board. My parents also instilled the discipline in me as child to get my work done first then play later and I don't plan on changing that approach either. I also grew up with this, which I think many did but it's probably very common place these days - " The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Get Melinda a Futur money clip to put all that new income coming her way! Hell, put it up on the store as promo merch lol. Good stuff guys, cheers!

[@thefutur]

Phillip J. Clayton right? She's going to need to open a second bank account. From time to time we will do a status update.

[@PhillipClayton]

I believe she will need a second account lol. Looking forward to the updates, it's a good process to watch, the world is watching this progress.

[@melindalivsey1]

I love reading these comments. Ya know, the more I say certain dollar amounts out loud, the less awkward I feel when saying them to clients. The mere act of talking about it with Chris helps me to feel more comfortable. So, yes, the second bank account will be needed!

[@PhillipClayton]

Melinda Livsey that's great, you're becoming more interactive and open to the process, I see it in each episode. It's also good that you are getting comfortable speaking about money, the more comfortable we are the more confident we become. That comfort and confidence comes from having the information, so I guess you can insert 'knowledge is power' or something of the sort here. Point being, only an informed person can speak confidently about something. It's not about the market, or the currency we work in, we are all in different locations around the globe, we simply need to understand "the business of design". That's my understanding anyway, looking forward to the next one. Cheers 🍻👍

[@souadghaffari3904]

Thank you for all the help! I wonder what is SEO? Already searched it and didn't get it!

[@thefutur]

search engine optimization. haha.

[@fayyazb]

Very good episode this one!

[@r.designs]

Am I the only one nerding out over his Daiso Brush pen lol

[@thefutur]

Hehe

[@nicholasinclan6844]

chris and team, thanks! super duper valuable! I am in a similar position as Melinda, i'll def be watching this ep. a lot. Question: have any tips on approaching a potential collaborator? i.e. Melinda does logo's, person x does websites.. Melinda wants to reach out to person x to establish a collaborative partnership on a potential client that needs logo + website.

[@thefutur]

Nicholas Inclan just reach out. Strike up a conversation. Tell them you admire their work and want to explore ways of possibly working together.

[@melindalivsey1]

I agree with Chris. Since this episode has dropped, I've gotten a lot of inquiries to collaborate. Too many to keep up with even! The ones that stick out to me are mostly those who's names I recognize from FB, KZbin comments, groups etc. The ones who randomly reach out who I have never seen around get less priority. I love seeing messages and think "Oh I know them!" cause I've seen them around. The familiarity breeds trust.

[@butchbalsomo]

Coolest bumper!

[@thefutur]

Butch Balsomo we like it too!

[@TopixGD]

Do you guys offer any videos on SEO? If so mind linking me them or sending me off in the right direction? Thanks for the great videos Futur!

[@thefutur]

Topix yes. We have one with Tina and Will

[@mariapezzanoartist]

where do you get the focus sheet?

[@thefutur]

Maria Pezzano it's just a term. Go back to episode 1 in this series.

[@mariapezzanoartist]

The Futur thank you will do

[@pixelpearlproduction538]

Chris I always hear u talk about case studies... what is this ? Or can u refer me to a video that explains what a case study is ?

[@thefutur]

Just search case studies. Ben made a video.

[@hiawathaw]

He drops jewels consistently!

[@quersiafilhos8439]

thank you for sharing

[@jbchotai1]

Hey chris.. Hi after long time.. Hey melinda thank you for being there and being a motivation for fellow designers like me.. I saw your website and i liked ur design style. :) Chris i have a question.. I am updating my design charges and all going good but as am charging big amount client will require invoce.. But because am a freelancer and i am not registered so can not provide tax invoice.. what i should do any alternative proffesional way? Thanks in advance

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks, Jigar!

[@kjemradio]

Hi Chris. One thing that has always been a trouble spot for me is how to bring in people (both business side, and talent side) at the ground level when you don't have the money to pay them right away? Very few ever work pro bono, and convincing people I'd like to bring into my design firm to wait even for a short time is virtually impossible in today's world.

[@melindalivsey1]

Can you form relationships now with others and then pull them in as freelancer as needed?

[@pradeepbalaji2664]

Hello, new fan here! Everything here is really useful but, I understand things has to be broken down to smaller chunks, problem is what should I do if one chunk fails? How do I prevent it from causing other chunks to fail ?

[@Jelvin]

Notif squad 😎

[@pixeledgedesigns9116]

Hehehe

[@melindalivsey1]

Haha

[@kristopherleithwood]

I would put one of my goals as, get my business to the point where I get interviewed on the futur.

[@thefutur]

Tartan Ninja that’s a good goal. :)

[@RealmsOfThePossible]

I'd love to see a video on the wisdom of your father and what he taught you.

[@thefutur]

Good idea.

[@melindalivsey1]

I like that idea

[@Guardvic]

what do you guy refer when say case of study?

[@thefutur]

case study. look it up.

[@MsSquarebanana]

So.. I've been hearing all of this advice about finding your niche and only doing that. In this, it seems that you are suggesting that we take on different kinds of work and offer different services. What is better to do?

[@thefutur]

ProlificBanana sorry if I wasn't clear. She can offer up additional services to increase her billing to new prospects.

[@aclora]

Chris, Why behance over dribbble?

[@thefutur]

Alberto Lora cause I don't use dribble. Also cause adobe bought Behance and made it better.

[@aoxenuk]

I love seeing you two ♥

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks Anton. That's kind of you!

[@neuemage]

Send Melinda some work guys! you all got overflow and you know it ;) hardest thing for an agency is creating their own brand, so why not outsource it?

[@melindalivsey1]

Thanks for looking out!