Hey creators, Michael here! I’m so excited to answer the questions you’ve posted to the thread. This Q&A is the first of four designed to give you clarity and confidence as you pursue the personal freedom to work and live on your own terms in 2020 and beyond.
If you’re unfamiliar with my work, allow me to introduce myself: I’m a New York City-based digital journalist who covers creativity’s relationship with business, technology and pop culture. I’m especially fascinated by how the internet, identity and intuition shapes the human experience.
Before launching This Should Help, I was a fashion editor, style columnist, e-commerce writer and corporate trainer for two major magazine publishers and two major financial institutions. Back in the day, I used to publish a cool fashion blog too.
I’ve also developed — to varying degrees of success — a handful of digital products that have given me unique insight into what works and what doesn’t when it comes to making, branding, marketing and selling your creative work. I share everything I know in my newsletter and hope to in this thread!
I think coaches are incredible resources for creators who value accountability and thrive better when they're accountable to other people than the work they're creating.
I also think coaches are great if you're looking to dramatically transform your business — attract a new audience, develop a product in a new category, secure new funding, etc. — and the coach has expertise in that area.
Look for coaches with experience facilitating the results you're looking to create in your business.
Do their clients look, think or live like you or serve the customers that you do?
Do they have a system that's flexible enough to be personalized but structured enough to show me how you're going to get from Point A to B?
Do they provide value outside of the actual sessions to supplement their coaching (i.e. email support, downloadable resources, etc.)?
It's also helpful to know their motivations for coaching and the values they believe in. You're going to be in relationship with this person, sharing aspects of your work and life that matter to you. Make sure this is someone you'll be proud to pay to spend time with.
Coaching can be a steep investment so I'd also recommend exploring low to no cost alternatives like books, podcasts, articles, online trainings if you're looking to learn more about business or your industry or a particular creator.
Hey Daton — I'm sure you're not the only creator with this question, so thanks for asking!
A guiding question to ask: What will you do with the time you get back from having a team? If you'll be able to at least 10x your performance and do more of what you actually love, then it's worth thinking about. But if you'll be in more meetings, on more calls, or putting out more fires, then it's not worth the hassle.
Before building or expanding your team, I'd also consider auditing your current creative practice. Is the function you're potentially hiring for mission-critical to your business or customer's success or is it a nice-to-have that will only deliver incremental progress, if any at all. Could technology perform this function better or quicker than a human?
I recommend creators perform as many of the functions in their creative business for as long as possible so they have a clear, intimate idea of their customer/client, their values, their voice, their competitive landscape, etc. Few things are more disempowering than being unable to communicate your vision and expectations to an employee or freelancer because you've not given it enough thought or lack the experience to anticipate opportunities and challenges before they happen.
Creative "ruts" are a part of making creative work, AB. So account for them when you schedule your deadlines.
If you know it takes three days to do Project X, then plan for five days. If you can't get more time, then scale back the deliverable by 10 or 20 percent. For most professional creators, their 80 percent is better than an amateur's 100.
Also, document when these dips in creativity occur so you can identify their root causes in your Notes app or a notebook. Are you hungry, tired, stressed, distracted? This awareness can help you maximize your time and focus in the long term.
Christine! I'm on a one-man mission to dismantle the myth of the starving artist. Creative work has value and I'm grateful you're thinking about how to get paid for the brilliance you bring to the world.
First, I'd start by thinking about how much money you want to make from your creativity. If you want to create full-time, I'd at least look to replace your current salary and benefits. Then itemize all the expenses for creating your work — the tools, transportation, training/education, any services you may need to outsource, etc. and add it to your salary. Then add 20 percent to guarantee a profit from day one. That's the value of your work.
How you generate this revenue depends on the business model for your creative work. Email me at michael@bymichaeljones.com and we can workshop different paths to monetization. I damn-near tried 'em all before settling into the subscription model for my newsletter.
One more thing: In three weeks, I'll be hosting another Q&A specifically on how to get people to pay for your creative work. I hope to see you in that thread too!
As I mentioned in my intro, I worked as a corporate trainer before moving to New York to work in magazines and start my business. Although the job had creative elements, the industry (finance!) was the opposite of creative. Looking back, my fashion blog was my saving grace to keep me from feeling stuck and losing my ambition
A few things I learned from the experience:
Find gratitude in the non-creative work. Because even if it's not offering you a space to express your creativity, it's offering value — whether it's salary, benefits, access to continuing education, etc. — that can support your creative aspirations. There's no wasted experience unless you waste the experience.
It helps to share your creativity with people. All my coworkers and my boss knew I had a fashion blog and that I ultimately wanted to work in magazines one day. I'm proud of my creativity and sharing it with people who weren't in that world gave me practice for talking about it to people who were in it. I never worried about if people would think I wasn't focused because I always made it a priority to overdeliver on my performance even if I wasn't necessarily passionate about the work. I then leveraged that high performance to negotiate for when I needed to work early, leave late or reschedule a deadline to attend an event or handle a project for my blog.
Lastly, practice your creativity. Even its just for five minutes a day, do something that expresses your knowledge, craft, imagination and heart. However much time you allocate, make it non-negotiable. Treat it like something you wouldn't miss. Inevitably, you'll enjoy the feeling of creating something that makes your heart come alive which will hopefully inspire you to cut any fat in your schedule or in your daily habits that steal moments for creativity.
Would you recommend entrepreneurs to get a business coach? And if so, What are some of the qualities or practices you would recommend to look out for?
I think coaches are incredible resources for creators who value accountability and thrive better when they're accountable to other people than the work they're creating.
I also think coaches are great if you're looking to dramatically transform your business — attract a new audience, develop a product in a new category, secure new funding, etc. — and the coach has expertise in that area.
Look for coaches with experience facilitating the results you're looking to create in your business.
Do their clients look, think or live like you or serve the customers that you do?
Do they have a system that's flexible enough to be personalized but structured enough to show me how you're going to get from Point A to B?
Do they provide value outside of the actual sessions to supplement their coaching (i.e. email support, downloadable resources, etc.)?
It's also helpful to know their motivations for coaching and the values they believe in. You're going to be in relationship with this person, sharing aspects of your work and life that matter to you. Make sure this is someone you'll be proud to pay to spend time with.
Coaching can be a steep investment so I'd also recommend exploring low to no cost alternatives like books, podcasts, articles, online trainings if you're looking to learn more about business or your industry or a particular creator.
Hope this helps!
How do you know that it’s time to have a team?
Hey Daton — I'm sure you're not the only creator with this question, so thanks for asking!
A guiding question to ask: What will you do with the time you get back from having a team? If you'll be able to at least 10x your performance and do more of what you actually love, then it's worth thinking about. But if you'll be in more meetings, on more calls, or putting out more fires, then it's not worth the hassle.
Before building or expanding your team, I'd also consider auditing your current creative practice. Is the function you're potentially hiring for mission-critical to your business or customer's success or is it a nice-to-have that will only deliver incremental progress, if any at all. Could technology perform this function better or quicker than a human?
I recommend creators perform as many of the functions in their creative business for as long as possible so they have a clear, intimate idea of their customer/client, their values, their voice, their competitive landscape, etc. Few things are more disempowering than being unable to communicate your vision and expectations to an employee or freelancer because you've not given it enough thought or lack the experience to anticipate opportunities and challenges before they happen.
How do you navigate creative ruts within tight deadlines?
Creative "ruts" are a part of making creative work, AB. So account for them when you schedule your deadlines.
If you know it takes three days to do Project X, then plan for five days. If you can't get more time, then scale back the deliverable by 10 or 20 percent. For most professional creators, their 80 percent is better than an amateur's 100.
Also, document when these dips in creativity occur so you can identify their root causes in your Notes app or a notebook. Are you hungry, tired, stressed, distracted? This awareness can help you maximize your time and focus in the long term.
How do I determine and advocate for the monetary value of my creative work?
Christine! I'm on a one-man mission to dismantle the myth of the starving artist. Creative work has value and I'm grateful you're thinking about how to get paid for the brilliance you bring to the world.
First, I'd start by thinking about how much money you want to make from your creativity. If you want to create full-time, I'd at least look to replace your current salary and benefits. Then itemize all the expenses for creating your work — the tools, transportation, training/education, any services you may need to outsource, etc. and add it to your salary. Then add 20 percent to guarantee a profit from day one. That's the value of your work.
How you generate this revenue depends on the business model for your creative work. Email me at michael@bymichaeljones.com and we can workshop different paths to monetization. I damn-near tried 'em all before settling into the subscription model for my newsletter.
One more thing: In three weeks, I'll be hosting another Q&A specifically on how to get people to pay for your creative work. I hope to see you in that thread too!
How do I maintain creativity while working a non-creative day job?
Hi TJ, thanks for posting the first question!
As I mentioned in my intro, I worked as a corporate trainer before moving to New York to work in magazines and start my business. Although the job had creative elements, the industry (finance!) was the opposite of creative. Looking back, my fashion blog was my saving grace to keep me from feeling stuck and losing my ambition
A few things I learned from the experience:
Find gratitude in the non-creative work. Because even if it's not offering you a space to express your creativity, it's offering value — whether it's salary, benefits, access to continuing education, etc. — that can support your creative aspirations. There's no wasted experience unless you waste the experience.
It helps to share your creativity with people. All my coworkers and my boss knew I had a fashion blog and that I ultimately wanted to work in magazines one day. I'm proud of my creativity and sharing it with people who weren't in that world gave me practice for talking about it to people who were in it. I never worried about if people would think I wasn't focused because I always made it a priority to overdeliver on my performance even if I wasn't necessarily passionate about the work. I then leveraged that high performance to negotiate for when I needed to work early, leave late or reschedule a deadline to attend an event or handle a project for my blog.
Lastly, practice your creativity. Even its just for five minutes a day, do something that expresses your knowledge, craft, imagination and heart. However much time you allocate, make it non-negotiable. Treat it like something you wouldn't miss. Inevitably, you'll enjoy the feeling of creating something that makes your heart come alive which will hopefully inspire you to cut any fat in your schedule or in your daily habits that steal moments for creativity.
Hope this helps!