STAYING MOTIVATED: A Solo Business Owners Guide

One of the most frequent questions I get asked as a freelancer is “how do you stay motivated working for yourself?”

It might sound strange to some people but I actually have more motivation working for myself than I did working in a busy studio. Knowing that I am representing my brand and that the work I do reflects directly on that brand is incredibly motivating. There’s no room to slack off or do an okay job when your reputation is on the line!

However, there as been a few things I’ve learnt along the way that help keep me alert, organised and motivated as a solo worker.

1. Coffee, coffee and more coffee: I know, it sounds cliché. But good coffee is the signal to my brain that it’s time to get fired up and work. I recently invested in a fantastic coffee machine so I don’t get distracted from my work by running out to the local café!

2. Water! Something has to balance out all that coffee and in the humidity of Darwin and in air conditioning all day, it’s really easy to get dehydrated. Our brains need water to function. 

3. Eating a healthy balanced diet. I am always prepared with lunch and snacks to make sure I can keep my energy levels high. I find that if I don’t have heavy carbs before lunch I can avoid wanting to nap under my desk all afternoon.

4. Exercise! I have to go to the gym in the mornings before I can do any work. If I miss a session, it makes me more tired and less motivated to do anything! Plus, all that blood pumping around the body is great for the brain and helps counteract the negative effects of sitting all day. True story!

5. Focus on one thing at a time. Sometimes when that deadline is approaching and I am super focussed on the task ahead, I have to put my phone on silent, close my email program and just get to work. It’s too easy to get distracted and be completely unproductive with all those notifications!

6. Making time for self-care. Self-care isn’t just about expensive massages and pedicures, self-care can be as simple as stopping to get some fresh air or finishing work early one day to spend some time with a friend. It’s important to take those breaks and switch off. It’s also something to look forward to when I’m buried in my to-do list!

7. Practicing gratitude. It only takes a few seconds a day but every day I remind myself how grateful I am to be working for myself doing something I love and helping other businesses. Every deadline is someone asking for my help and I am grateful I get to do it!

5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD INVEST IN PRINT

Annual Report design and print
Foster and kinship carers

If you’ve paid any attention to the media over the last few years, you would be forgiven for thinking that print media is dead. With thousands of print publications going out of business – including huge brands like Cosmopolitan – and newspapers switching to online subscription packages, is there still a place for a humble brochure?

The simple answer is yes! 

While television, internet and social media has taken a huge share of the advertising market, it is not the be all and end all of getting your message across. Here’s 5 reasons why you should be investing in print.

1. Print appeals to more of our senses

Next time you’re scrolling through the internet and your social media feed, take notice of what each of your senses are doing. Your sight is definitely being used and maybe even your hearing, but that’s it!

With print material, you get the visual interest but you also get the physical touch, the sound of the paper between your fingers and even the smell of the ink. The more senses that are being used, the better we are at remembering!

2. Print stands out

We are so used to being bombarded with digital advertising and content that we barely take notice of anything on our screens anymore. If you had to remember the last 5 ads you saw on the internet, would you know what they were? Probably not.

With a printed document, you get more than just a quick scroll past. You have something in your potential customers hands, attracting and keeping their attention so they can learn more about you and what you offer.

3. Print is harder to abandon

How many times have you seen something you liked on the internet, taken a screenshot, and then completely forgotten about it? (Guilty!) For digital advertising to be effective, your customer needs to act when they see it or it’s likely they’ll forget.

With print, even if your customer throws your flyer in their handbag or their car, it is still with them, just waiting to be picked up again. Team that with great design and great content and you’re on a winner!

4. Print can appeal to more markets

Because of smartphones, our attention spans are so short that digital marketing needs to be highly targeted to grab our attention. Those markets are so refined that anyone outside of that market will barely give it a second thought.

With print, you have the chance to make your document appeal to lots more potential customers in one go. It’s a bit like a magazine cover: out of the 10 articles that are mentioned on the cover, you might only be interested in one but once you’ve finished that article, you might just keep reading.   

5. Print is memorable

Print technology is constantly evolving and there are hundreds of different types of print materials and techniques that can make a good document, great.

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Teaming innovative techniques that appeal to the senses with great design is unbeatable!
No matter what anyone tells you, there’s still a bright future for printed material.

Get in touch to discuss the promotional material options for your business!

The difference between a logo and a brand

A logo and a brand, would you believe it, are two completely different things. However, they do branch off each other and work cohesively. Here's a quick overview on the differences between them both:

A LOGO

A logo is a simplified graphical element that consists of a name, a symbol and specified colours or trademarks. It is a quick visual representation of a company's brand or message. A logo is a tool to help communicate a brand and represent a company. 

A BRAND

A brand is the interactive elements produced to the market which identifies and differentiates the business, product or service. A brand encompasses the messaging, the communications, the visual design and experiences any individual has with the company. Essentially, a brand is the experience people have when they come in contact with a business. 

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People often think that their logo needs to speak for the whole company.

"How will people know what we do with the simplicity of that logo"

The truth is, they won't. This is when your branding must come into play. Your brand must be  strong enough to create memorabilia for your logo for it to become instantly recognisable when standing alone. 

Take Nike for example. 

Everyone knows what this tick is, what it stands for and what it sells. That is because we see it every day; selling in stores, TV adverts, social media marketing campaigns etc. If you were to take away all the advertising, just looking at the tick, would you know what it sells?

Nike has created such a strong branding, therefore these days, the logo is instantly recognisable.

When combined, a well-planned logo and a brand strategy will help you effectively and efficiently reach your audience, communicate your message, your value, and benefits, and visually attract more attention.