Earlier this year we asked you to share your difficult client stories and today those stories—as well as our own—are live! Although they are SUPER entertaining, we make sure to also share how the designer could have avoided the problem in the first place so we can all learn together.

Giselle opens the episode by telling the story about her $400 website project and Jen shares what she learned from a difficult contractor relationship from the beginning of her business.

We talk all about making sure our values align with our work and finish up the episode answering the question: “What is your philosophy as a designer?”

Giselle and Jen believe that there is so much to be learned from difficult client experiences. While going through them can be hard, reflecting and sharing them with a supportive community can make us all better designers (see what we did there?)

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designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

Today Jen chats with Olivia Austin from Current Design Studio all about hiring - when to think about it, how to know you’re ready, and how to navigate the hiring and interview process. We approach the hiring conversation from the perspective of knowing your studio values and adding team members who share those values.

Guest Information:
Guest Name: Olivia Austin
Guest Business Name: Current Design Studio
Guest Website: https://currentdesignstudio.com/, https://byoliviaaustin.com/
Guest Instagram: https://instagram.com/current.designstudio

Links Mentioned:
Gusto
ClickUp
Notion
Motive Affirmation Deck

Inbox Question:
“Should I list multiple package/price options on the proposal? My gut is telling me not to, because they will go with the lower price package even though they really need more.” — Chelsea Levinson

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designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

Do you ever feel like you can’t take a TRUE vacation? Maybe your fears are that your clients will be mad, you don’t have enough funds to pay for the time away, or you feel like you have TOO much to do that taking time away doesn’t make sense. We’ve been there. In this episode we talk about:

• The things we do to prepare for vacation
• Battling mindset when taking time away
• How we plan for vacation ahead of time
• How time-off impacts our business and our own mental health?
• How to build rest into our schedules more regularly
• And much more!

Inbox Question:
“How do you make the most use of a junior designer/intern?” — Indy Griffiths

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designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

Final episode of the season is here already! Today we answer all of your inbox questions!

Links Mentioned:

S8E15: How to Craft a Luxury Offer Suite that Sells with Katelyn Alyssa from Studio Kaly

S7E10: Font Design, Digital Products, Burnout, and Industry Culture with Jen Wagner

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designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

Today I go over some small changes I made early on in my business that made a big impact on my revenue. This is how I hit my first 100k year.

Links Mentioned:

Don’t Make these Brand Messaging & Positioning Mistakes!

How to Sell Out Your Design Services with Expert Positioning

Spooooky Client Stories (Round 2)

Inbox Question:

"[Question here?]” - [Name Here]

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designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

In this episode I had the pleasure of peppering Rita Julian (a bookkeeper for brand & web designers!) with questions about keeping your business finances nice and tidy (and saving money on taxes!)

Get 20% off Cash + Creatives (DIY bookkeeping course) with the code PODCAST20!

Guest Information:

Guest Name: Rita Julian

Guest Business Name: Julian Bookkeeping

Guest Website: www.julianbookkeeping.com

Guest Instagram: @julianbookkeepingllc

Links Mentioned:

Cash & Creatives (DIY bookkeeping course) - get 20% off with code PODCAST20

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designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

In this episode, I chat with N. Chloé Nwangwu from the consulting agency NobiWorks all about how the traditional ICA (ideal client avatar) model of brand strategy is outdated—and what to do instead!

Guest Information:

Guest Name: N. Chloé Nwangwu

Guest Business Name: NobiWorks

Guest Website: https://www.nobiworks.com/

Guest Instagram: @NobiWorks

Links Mentioned:

NobiWorks Resources mentioned

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designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

This week Lauren (Jen’s previous designer) is back to share about her decision to leave the boutique studio space in favor of the agency world! She talks about her job search, interview process, and differences between boutique and agency she’s been surprised by.

Guest Information:

Guest Name: Lauren Braier

Guest Business Name: Elby Creative

Guest Website: www.elbycreative.com

Guest Instagram: @elbycreative

Links Mentioned:

[Insert Links Here]

Inbox Question:

"[Question here?]” - [Name Here]

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designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design