Stay productive with these 5 habits

Magnet Me via Unspalsh

Let’s not pretend that we’re productive 100% of the time. We all know we have the same amount of time in a day as Beyonce, but let’s face it - sometimes we just can’t even.

“I’m not a morning person” does this sound familiar to you? (that’s me, btw) Chances are you’ve said it before. You’ve seen multiple articles telling you, “This CEO gets up every day at 5 am,” and you think; maybe you would be a mogul by now if you were an early bird. But don’t start rewinding your alarm just yet. The fact is we have multiple unproductive slumps because, well, we’re human. Social media hasn’t helped one bit with procrastination at our fingertips, but being in a creative field can also make this extra difficult. We can’t just turn that creative tap on and off between 9 and 5 and expect to produce the most revolutionary outcomes regularly. So how do we stop those pre-coffee blank stares or the mindless scrolling through our social media feeds? Here are a few handy tips that might get you back on track.

1. Stop working

Crazy, but hear me out. The reason your mind is wandering is that you’re in a creative rut. Or you might just be bored with whatever you’re working on (which is totally fine, by the way). So don’t force it; step back, take your eyes away for 5 minutes and just stop thinking about it. It’s like turning yourself OFF and ON again, restart that system and let the creative juices flow.

2. Get Moving

Ok, step one isn’t working for you. You got back into that rut. You need to get off your butt and move those legs! Our best ideas always come to us when our body is in movement. This isn’t just an excuse to wander around your workspace; this is science, (think IDEO problem solving). Rather than sitting with our bodies in passive mode, sending the shut-down signal to our brains, there is a direct correlation between creativity and productivity when we get upright. So one way to break out of ‘too-tired-to-do’ routine is to think on our feet for a bit.

Georgia De Lotz via Unsplash

3. Stop distractions

Don’t allow distractions during work - that includes being the distractor yourself. To start, try putting your phone slightly out of reach or turning off Slack notifications. At the same time, you work so you don’t get sidetracked by every witty GIF popping up. Finally, close all the tabs, browsers, and applications you don’t need - you can’t work with a messy desk, so how can you work with a cluttered desktop. So, organise your workspace so there’s less clutter - let “tidy desktop, tidy mind” be your new mantra.

4. Think big

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Sometimes attention to detail is your enemy! Sure, it’s great to say you have it in a job interview, and it’s helpful in a plethora of circumstances. Still, when you’ve been staring at the same project on your screen for ten minutes, thinking, “how can I possibly? There’s just too much,” that’s when you need to step back from the micro and look at the macro. Think about the big picture and ask yourself:

• What is it that I am trying to achieve?

• Do I have a list of priorities I need to set?

• Divide tasks based on importance, not just urgency.

• Are there any pain points or blockers that I can reach out to others for some guidance?

5. Know your workflow

You’re a morning person and want to message me at 6 am - no worries, but don’t expect a reply. Knowing when your productivity is likely at its peak helps others understand your flow. Know when you need in-the-zone time or when you’re ready to collaborate and problem-solve to achieve your best work, utilising your peak productivity times. There is no right or wrong formula for the average person; you’re the only one that can figure it out. Be protective of your workflow; if you know your best time for being creative is in the middle of the day, clear your calendar - don’t schedule any meetings for that time. That’s your focus time. Let that energy carry you throughout the day.

Brooke Cagle via Unsplash

Productivity is about how much you can create and deliver.

These are only five simple ways that you can keep your mind on track. Still, there are so many more out there. Talk to your circle about managing their productivity - sharing is the best way to get personalised suggestions. Don’t be that person that forces themselves up at 5 am only to crash at 9. Gone are the days of bragging about a 12hr day because being ‘busy’ doesn’t mean you’re productive.

Many creatives haven’t necessarily been trained formally in business. What are some common mistakes people make with managing their money?

5 min read

One mistake that is commonly made is not seeking financial help or advice from a professional. We recommend that businesses either work with an external accountant monthly or hire a CFO or Head of Finance internally.

The language of business is accounting and unless you are well versed in it—you are dabbling! Some owners will have copious numbers of reports and yet they have no idea how to read, interpret, or understand them.

Leaders generally have enough to do between generating new work, designing, and ensuring your existing projects are on track—the business needs to put an expert in charge of this area. By outsourcing the accounting function to a specialist service partner, the business can focus its attention on other key areas that directly impact its profitability. This will free up the directors to lead with confidence in a competitive market, with the knowledge that the finances are in safe hands.

Another mistake that businesses often make is not implementing a cash forecasting system. Cash can be your single most important asset - it’s the lifeblood of your business. You need a cash system that allows you to forecast, as accurately as possible, your cash in and cash out. This may start as a monthly forecast, but depending on your needs, it could turn into a weekly or even daily system.

Starting with historical numbers, you can build out your first cash forecast using either a cash management system or simply MS Excel. The first time you create your forecast, everything is based on historical numbers and future assumptions. Each month that passes is going to tell you something about the accuracy of those assumptions and give you the opportunity to assess and revise.

Ask yourself the following:

• What was inaccurate about your assumptions?

• Was this a “one-time thing”?

• How can you refine your forecast based on the actuals that just happened?

A cash flow forecast, coupled with your P&L, gives you an accurate picture of the financial position of your business and where it is heading. Most importantly, it gives you the knowledge to make more informed strategic decisions. If you don’t have the capability or capacity to create cash flow forecasts, work with an experienced accountant to create them for you.

What is the difference between cash flow and profit, and why should it matter?

Firstly, profit and cash are different. Profit is the business’s earnings (revenue) minus the expenses (which are the costs that the business incurs to generate the revenue). Profit is simply put ‘a theory’ – because you can’t spend it.

Each business transaction will affect the profit and cash in different ways – and at different times. For example, paying salaries and wages, paying tax, purchasing computers and equipment, waiting on debtors to make a payment, or the creditors that have not been paid yet – all of these situations affect the profit and cash position differently.

Most of the time, the effect on the cash position can be delayed and occur after the change in your profit position. For example, say your fees for June were $500K – in by mid-July you are unlikely to have received any of the $500K that’s reported in your profit and loss statement. On the flip side – those salaries and wages incurred to produce the $500K worth of fees – say that equates to $250K incl on-costs – would have already been paid by now – and have reduced your bank account accordingly.

So, which one is more important? Profit or cash? The answer is more complicated—and the two are interrelated. As your business develops, the more you will probably need to invest in systems, equipment, additional people, and premises—all of which require cash. In most cases, you are investing this cash before you earn any additional profit, so to make more profit or grow your business, you will require more cash. Of course, you can also borrow it or receive it from shareholders or investors, but the point is, to understand how cash and profit impact each other.

In saying this, the age-old saying “cash is king” usually prevails. There have been plenty of profitable businesses that were forced to close because they ran out of cash. Having a loss on your Profit & Loss statement (P&L) does not mean you’ll go out of business, running out of cash is much harder to recover from.

Looking at just one of these metrics (profit and cash) doesn’t tell you the whole story. Just because you had a profitable month doesn’t mean you had a positive cash flow month. Similarly, just because you have cash in the bank doesn’t mean your business is performing well. That’s why cash flow and a P&L must be looked at together.

As a small business, sometimes it's hard to know when to enlist professional help and when to save money and do it yourself. At what point do you think it’s important to seek professional advice?

Most creative professionals start with a passion for design and execution. Their education and experience have prepared them for this, and it is what they excel at. However, creative people often do not have the education and experience to understand financial information and how it affects their business. Simply reporting finances is not enough, how can you use this information to make you more impactful and effective.

It’s important to what know your strengths are and which areas you can receive assistance from other experts, i.e. people who can not only prepare your numbers and reporting but interpret the financials for you and help you to make impactful decisions for your business.

Given this, seeking advice is necessary and important for your business from the beginning of your business. If you are a director or business leader, having a solid understanding of the current business finances and position will give you peace of mind, and the confidence to focus on the aspects of your work they are best at.

What are some steps you can take to manage your cashflow?

1. Hire an expert

By outsourcing the accounting function to a specialist service partner, the business can focus its attention on other key areas that directly impact its profitability. This will free up the directors to lead with confidence in a competitive market, with the knowledge that the finances are in safe hands.

2. Know your numbers

The language of business is accounting. How do you know where you need to go if you don’t know where you are?

3. Set your KPIs

Are you measuring your day-to-day activities? Have you set targets that align with your strategic plan? Analyse your data and select relevant metrics to help you define business success. For example, do you know your debtors days? This KPI has a direct impact on your cashflow and should be measured monthly. Do you know your % of technical salaries to fees? This is another valuable measure to use to keep your business in check.

4. Measure, measure, measure

Management guru Peter Drucker is often quoted as saying that “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.” What gets measured is what gets done. If you are not measuring it you are not managing your business effectively.

5. Compare/benchmark

You need to compare to how you are tracking year in year out as well as comparing your results with those of appropriate peers — that is, firms that are similar in size and business model to your own.

6. Take the right action — create change

Of course, knowledge without action won’t benefit your business. You’ve got to use the information you gather to make smart strategic moves that will enhance your success.

Do your tax: advice from creatives to set you on your way

Image: Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

The month of June means crips winter mornings and cold nights. The idea of bunkering down with a glass of wine or hot chocolate and doing something homely in my spare time is oh so enticing and alluring. However June also means…. tax time is looming.

If you’re anything like me, tax is something that is subject to extreme procrastination because it’s not particularly fun, and I admit numbers send my eyes into a glaze. However, as a creative with a small business and several side hustles on the go its imperative that it’s done right.

So, with June 30 looming, I’ve dived into the trusty CWC blog archives to help whip myself into gear and found some gems from over the years. Here are some useful blog posts which will hopefully set me on the right track, and help you out too.

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Tax Basics for small creative businesses

by Jes Egan.

Just want to be creative and not think about your tax? So do most of us, however there are many administrative tasks to running a small business and sometimes they can get in the way of being creative and doing what you love. Unfortunately, most of these tasks are important and avoiding them can land you in trouble. Here are some tips to help you prepare for your tax. Read more here.

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Organise me - it’s tax time

by Andrea McArthur

Tax time. Time to get serious. The count down to June 30 is on and we only have 5 days left. Now is definitely the time to start thing about your Tax. Below are some ideas to get you thinking about your Tax this year. Read more here.

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My Advice: Staying on top of admin

By Lizzie Stafford

We asked three organised business owners how they stay on top of the books without going insane. In the wise words of potter Ilona Topolcsanyi: “Admin is like a leg wax: if you move quickly, the pain is minimal and the results are pretty damn sexy.” Read more here.

5 blog posts to get you started in 2020

Photo by Evie S. on Unsplash

2 min read

Now that it’s January, many of us may be reflecting on the year that’s just gone, or looking towards new horizons. There are all sorts of things you might be thinking about in your creative practice. Do you take the leap and start a brand new endeavour? What can you improve with what you are doing now? And how do you start the year in the most organised efficient way?

So, this month we are revisiting the blog archives with some valuable tips, tricks, and reflections to help you along in the new year.

For getting yourself organised…

Andres McArthur

For getting started in January…

Lizzie Stafford

For changing careers this year…

Bec Mackey

For making things happen…

Dannielle Cresp

For understanding why desire and motivation pull us in different directions…

by Emily Willis

Business plans for creatives: what mistakes to avoid

To give you a push in the right direction we’ve put together a list of the most common mistakes startups make during the initial planning phase. Here are some things you should know:

Undervaluing the products you create

If you create something beautiful and then sell it to the lowest bidder then you’re doing yourself a disservice. Your work is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, so don’t make the mistake of selling for what you feel you should sell for. Test the market and see what people are willing to part with in exchange for your work.

Leaving the hard tasks until the last moment

One of the most common mistakes is putting off hard and uncomfortable tasks. If you want to turn your creative talents into a lucrative new business, you’re going to want to tackle them head-on and embrace the challenge.

Being ridiculously over-ambitious

If you want to keep your motivation up, you’re going to want to be able to achieve the targets you set for yourself. No matter how successful you are, if your targets still seem miles out of reach you’re going to feel like you’re a failure. The best approach is to have a variety of tasks and deliverables that gradually increase in difficulty. It will allow you to build your confidence and take pride in what you’re building.

Not factoring in any possible delays

No list of common startup mistakes would be complete without some mention of being overly optimistic. Whether you are part of an online creative studio, or you’re importing new craft materials to use with your next big project, there will always be unforeseen delays. Even if you can’t identify what they are right now, you need to build some leeway into your business plan.

Ignoring the tools and services that are already out there

There are so many different tools and services out there you can utilize that we simply can’t fit them all into a simple 3-minute read. Here are a few you need to know about:

TrustMyPaper allows you to have a professional fine-tune your plan for flow and structure.

GrabMyEssay specializes in quick turnarounds when you want to make some last-minute alterations.  

Grammarly is ideal for using during the drafting process so you can create precise sentences that mean exactly what you intend.

Google Docs is a great collaborative tool if you’re partnering with a fellow creative to get your new joint venture off the ground.

Hemingway will prove useful if you want assistance with getting your plan concise and to the point.

Not quantifying any of your goals

It’s not enough to say you want to be the leader in your industry. Set yourself a quantifiable goal that you can actually measure your progress against if you want to give your business clear direction from day one.

Lucy Canner, Content Specialist at Studicus writing service says:

“I’ve sat through far too many meetings with talented creatives who make this mistake. Their work is inspirational, but they don’t seem to know the first thing about how to direct their efforts in a way that will make them money. My answer is always the same: be quantitative”  

Trying to offer far too many services

Last but not least, you simply must avoid having too much in your plan. If you want to offer half a dozen services from day one, you’re going to get burned out. And if you’re not exhausted from all the extra work, you’ll certainly be priced out of the market by specialists who focus on one or two key niches.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this article has given you plenty of direction and motivation to really push things forward. Don’t worry, you’re still going to get plenty of time to be creative every single day, it’s just that you need that additional structure and direction that running a business demands. Take your time to familiarize yourself with the mistakes above, and you’ll be able to ensure you learn from them without having to make them yourself.

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About the Author

Angela Baker is a self-driven specialist who is currently working as a freelance writer at BestEssay writing services. She is always seeking to discover new ways for personal and professional growth and is convinced that it’s always important to broaden her horizons. That's why Angela develops and improves her skills throughout the writing process to help inspire people.

Working with a Business Mentor

Ever wondered what it’s like to work with a business mentor? We ask Jane Vandemeer, CWC treasurer and board member for her advice.

Jane Vandermeer is a creative & entrepreneurial thinker who doesn’t thrive under red tape or lots of rules. Having worked within the Fashion industry for 30 years, you can definitely say that fashion and small business is in her blood! Her strengths are to problem solve, particularly with a small budget, and to look into a small business to see what areas need help and guidance. Read Jane’s advice on working with a business mentor, and what you can get out of it.  

Part of my story

Not sure about you but I often found it challenging to cost up my garments. There was also the difficult task of promoting myself. Whether I was producing a range, making one-off pieces or providing a service (they were harder actually!), there was always the conundrum:

How do you price something when you are not sure how long it might take?

Perspective customers need a price or price range. So many times, I wanted the sale so I guessed the price, hoping that I was close to right. But it can be hard to remain competitive, cover your time, costs & make a profit!

Having a professional mentor can help

A professional mentor will look at your business from a different perspective. It is so hard to do that yourself when you are in the thick of small business.

Life gets in the way. It can be hard to keep yourself accountable. It is easy to push things to ‘next week’, particularly the things you don’t love doing.

One of the benefits is that having regular meetings with a mentor creates accountability and deadlines. It is one big way that can help propel your business forward, and significantly quicker.

Who is mentoring suited to?

• You are at the start up stage and not sure where to start. This includes important things like where to focus or spend money first.

• You have been in business for a while, feeling like you are working around the clock but can’t seem to get ahead and not sure why.

• You are looking at an exit plan but not sure how to do that

• You are passionate about so many things

• Those who are willing to take advise & learn

• Those who are brave to grow

• Many creatives’ are multi-dimensional but this can be overwhelming. Then comes paralysis…so you do nothing! A mentor can keep you going.

Tips when selecting your mentor

I often describe selecting a mentor as like selecting a councillor. Working one-on-one with a mentor is such a personal experience. If you are going to invest in a mentor, you need to connect and align with the right person.

A good place to start is to spend time at an initial meeting to ‘get a feel’ about a perspective mentor before diving in. If after the first meeting you don’t think you’re the right fit, that’s totally ok. Be upfront - they might also be able to recommend someone who is. 

Do you want your perspective mentor to be someone you admire?

Are they someone who has achieved or brings experience within the areas you need help & support?

Considerations for offerings/packages

In the initial meeting together, whether that is online, on the phone or in person, ask lots of questions. Make sure you are both clear on things like fees and what the mentoring service involves. 

Mentors might have different fee structures depending on the type of service you require. Here are some examples:

• An hourly rate. This is good for casual mentoring where something is project/problem based. 

• A program with a set number of modules. This type of structure gives perspective clients an idea of prices up front, so there are no surprises.

Some areas to consider:

• Appointment/meeting duration

• Frequency of meetings

• Does it include support such as emails, resources, phone calls outside of meetings?

• Are there certain days you can communicate?

• How is the payment system structured?

• Many do offer payment plans. This is often great for cash flow for small businesses.

Don’t be afraid to ask for clarity if you are not sure and get everything in writing. 

Expectations

It is good to set some expectations between yourself and your mentor too. Do you want someone to ‘teach you’ how to do various tasks/aspects of your business? Or do you want someone to ‘do it for you’?

Different mentors will have different approaches. For me, I have always come from the space of teaching & sharing knowledge, so that you are empowered to know, understand & grow. Everyone works in their particular way and there will be a mentor which will suit your style. 

Here is an example of what a mentor does…. 

A beautiful client of mine had been in business for over 5 years (so not a start up). She was working very hard yet not making enough at the end of each month.

After spending the time to understand her costs and sales. I discovered that she was only making 2% profit margin on many of her services!

We worked on a solution which gave her four options/strategies to increase profit within those existing services. The important thing was that they were all practical & easy to implement.

Her services were back up to 75-90% profit margin and best of all, it didn’t require that business owner to work any harder. 

A final note…

Different ideas can provide a different perspective to a business. Professional assistance can help set up ways to attract prospective clients who happily and joyfully pay for your beautiful and considered work!

Jane is the owner of Finesse Business and Style which provides services in business mentoring and styling. She is also the founder of Intuitive Whispers which provides intuitive products for the heart and soul.

How to plan a photoshoot

As a small ( or not so small ) business owner / creative there will perhaps come a time to consider hiring a professional photographer for a photoshoot. Whether it’s for a headshot / portrait, product photography for your website or social media, a market stall application, event photography, pitch to a magazine… but where do you begin?

There are many things to consider - including choosing the actual photographer, but first up is usually the budget - what can you afford? Perhaps you have the $’s to fly to the Maldives with a team of stylists, models and make-up artists - but realistically, most of us don’t!

Costs

After you’ve established your rough budget, most photographers will work in hourly or half day / full day rates. Their rates are usually dependant on their skill and experience, plus post production and editing time on your chosen images.

Communication with your chosen photographer is key - from the outset, know what you want and whether it is achievable in the time frame that meets your budget. Shooting 50 products in 2 locations in 1 hour is unlikely!

Licensing of images

There are usually licensing or usage costs per image - this will vary from photographer to photographer and the client. For example, the terms of usage for a big brand’s large scale advertising campaign would generally cost more than a small business product shoot. There may be usage limitations on the images, and a smaller usage will often equate to a smaller fee. Some examples of usage are:

• Usage for social media content only.

• Photography for use in a packaging / element of a new product or that will be a product for resale.

• Photography of your business / product for your website and branding.

Some photographers may also set a time frame limitations in licensing. One example is that you might have usage of those images for 12 months, then they will be available for you to re-license for an additional time and fee. Or they will give you total rights to those images for 6-12 months and then after that the photographer may license the images to another company or magazine.

How to find a photographer

Unless you have a good friend or a family member that is a professional photographer, it can be difficult to know where to start. Word of mouth is usually the easiest way - ask around your network. There are also many creative networking groups online where you can post a job and then go through the photographers profile/ website. Another good way is to look on social media at other brands/ imagery that you like and see who they have used. Many will include a photographer’s credit on a shoot. 

Questions to ask/ things to think about prior to booking a shoot

Location: Where will the photo shoot take place? Is it in your own home/ office/ studio? Does the photographer work from their own studio? Will your shoot be on location, in a public space?

Some locations require permits for a photo shoot, with approval and payment prior to the shoot taking place. As an example, see Heide Museum which has requirements for using their site. With this in mind, is the location/ studio hire an additional cost to add into your budget ? Is the location out of town, and will it incur an additional photographer’s travel fee?

Props: Will you be sourcing the props / backdrops yourself or will you be employing a stylist ? A photographer will often have an existing supply of props or backdrops, however there may be a need for prop hire for flowers, food, additional products, plinths etc. Who will supply what ? Can you borrow items from friends ? Many retail shops will also hire furniture and props for a fee.

Create a brief: What exactly are you after ? Try to include any image examples/ sketches /mood board /colour /vibe etc. Pinterest is a great tool for this. Here’s an example of a food mood board I created recently.

Set a time frame: Do you require the images under a tight deadline? Most photographers will have a 1-2 week turnaround on post production of images, if not longer. If you need images ASAP, there may be an additional fee.

Know what you want, so that you can communicate your needs to your photographer, then they can provide a quote.

Here’s an example…

I was approached via email to shoot a product range of 5 new artwork prints, with the possibility of photographing the existing range if time permitted. I met in person with the business owner of Gussy - Simone (who agreed to me including this shoot here) to discuss further and to provide a quote. 

Considerations were her budget, the time required for the shoot - we agreed upon a half day / 4 hour shoot. The chosen location was her home interior, utilising 6 different rooms. Each artwork required individual styling, using props from her home, my collection or borrowed from friends. So additional costs were minimal. We set ourselves the target of photographing her entire range of 18 prints in 4 hours, prioritising the new edition prints. We discussed that the images were for her website and social media/ promotion.

We created a Pinterest board and Simone organised a shot list, including which artworks would hang where within her home and with what props to suit each artwork, so time was not wasted on the day. 

Here are some of the images from the shoot:

One thing to also consider with image usage is that we shoot in either and landscape or portrait mode, however posting to Instagram or your website design may be square - so images will need to be cropped. Remember to discuss this as an option in your usage/ editing or composition at the shoot. Also websites such as Shopify have their own file specifications / colour management. 

Find a Photographer you can work and communicate with, ask questions - it may seem daunting, but most of us are nice!!!

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Based in Melbourne, Australia, Natalie Jeffcott is a professional freelance photographer - specialising in editorial, interiors, small business lifestyle and product photography.

All images by Natalie Jeffcott.

http://www.nataliejeffcott.com/