Start Following Your Dreams, Stop Worrying About What You're 'Supposed to Do'.
"Once a young person has chased a dream, built a team, and changed his or
her small world, he or she has the power to express love and respect in
action..." Bill Drayton, CEO at Ashoka, explores what making mistakes can do to help your success. He begins talking about how much he hated math and Latin in school but new he loved to start things. So what did he do? He began a newspaper business after obtaining a small printing machine. He wasn't worried about whether the business would be successful or not, he just followed his dream.
Drayton says the same can be applied to the design world. You have to take risks and be willing to fail to succeed. "The only way they can do so is by practicing, failing, collaborating,
learning from mistakes, and taking responsibility for making a
difference." Empathy, teamwork, and leadership are the core values here. Offering the future leaders (US) the opportunity to invent and reinvent things is pertinent to success. He suggests, take risks, don't be afraid, and try something new. It is not all about the education you have, but what you are willing to do with it.
“If we want children to be inventors, we have to give them opportunities
to invent…If we want them to be problem solvers, we [must] give them
moments of independence to figure out things for themselves.”
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
How to find your freelance niche
How I found my freelance niche and how you can find yours
In this article April Greer explores the idea that finding your freelance niche can actually help you gain more clients and more income. Often times we hear the phrase, "If you try to be good at everything, you will be excellent at nothing." This phrase never has rung more true to me then now, when I am dealing with needy freelance clients. I have been seeking something that could help me separate the "good" and the "bad" clients. Greer suggests narrowing your focus to increase your clientele.
First, Greer suggests taking a look at one’s self and thinking about what projects make you giddy and excited. Finding the projects you are truly passionate about can help you find your niche. To do this you need to be able to understand your design strengths and weaknesses, find your passion, and understand your client relationships. One of the biggest aspects of these steps is to understand your business. To do this, you have to be able to take your hobby of design and transform it into a business. Start marketing yourself as designer and make yourself known as a professional. How to do this? Name your business, create an identity for the business, and characterize your audience.
Taking a look at this article, I can definitely make some exceptions when it comes to my freelance clients. I need to find the type of projects that really get me excited to do the work, rather than taking any project that comes my way. Defining what exactly I want to market myself as and what types of services I can provide will also help me. Take a look at the article, I’d love to hear what you think!
In this article April Greer explores the idea that finding your freelance niche can actually help you gain more clients and more income. Often times we hear the phrase, "If you try to be good at everything, you will be excellent at nothing." This phrase never has rung more true to me then now, when I am dealing with needy freelance clients. I have been seeking something that could help me separate the "good" and the "bad" clients. Greer suggests narrowing your focus to increase your clientele.
First, Greer suggests taking a look at one’s self and thinking about what projects make you giddy and excited. Finding the projects you are truly passionate about can help you find your niche. To do this you need to be able to understand your design strengths and weaknesses, find your passion, and understand your client relationships. One of the biggest aspects of these steps is to understand your business. To do this, you have to be able to take your hobby of design and transform it into a business. Start marketing yourself as designer and make yourself known as a professional. How to do this? Name your business, create an identity for the business, and characterize your audience.
Taking a look at this article, I can definitely make some exceptions when it comes to my freelance clients. I need to find the type of projects that really get me excited to do the work, rather than taking any project that comes my way. Defining what exactly I want to market myself as and what types of services I can provide will also help me. Take a look at the article, I’d love to hear what you think!
Monday, March 4, 2013
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