You need to invest in yourself as a creative entrepreneur. BUT— it’s a pet peeve of mine when I sales tactics that use the old adage of “if you don’t invest in yourself why should someone invest in your services!”. This is an icky sales strategy as a last-ditch effort to try and get you to go buy their thing. I can’t stand it.
The same strategies that got you to where you are now won’t get you to where you want to go in the future. You need to invest in things that will help you get to that next step. The resources that helped you start your business are going to be different that the resources that are going to help you get to 6-figures.
AND contrary to what some people like to say when they’re trying to sell their expensive 1:1 coaching or group mastermind—you DON’T “have to” invest in paid resources. Can they help you and are they worth it in some cases? Yes absolutely! But you don’t have to.
That’s why in this blog, I’m going to be sharing paid and free ways you can grow your business to as a creative entrepreneur.
Things You Should & Shouldn’t Buy as a Creative Entrepreneur
Things You Should Buy
Website Design
Your website is one of your most important business assets and not one that you want to miss out on. You NEED to have a website for your business. BUT how you create your website or what platform you use is a different question. I do highly encourage you to not start from a blank slate and consider using Showit. But how you go about building a website is up to you. You can technically DIY your website from scratch and save money. Or you can use a website template for a lower-cost investment. And of course, you can hire a web designer.
Stock Imagery/Brand Photoshoot
Don’t underestimate how much can be communicated about your business thru imagery. While you may not be able to afford a brand photoshoot you should at least consider getting a nice headshot taken of yourself. For any images that you don’t have taken, you can substitute with stock imagery from places like Social Squares. And I’d defiantly stay away from free stock photo sites.
Social Media Scheduler
I wish I’d invested in a social media scheduler for my business sooner. Being able to pre-bulk schedule a whole month’s worth of posts at a time is a game changer. I use Tailwind for scheduling Pinterest and Instagram posts—but there are free options available.
Email Marketing System
Again I wish I’d upgraded to the paid version sooner on this one because it’s so worth it. Just like your website your email list is one of your most important assets. This is one of the few marketing tools that you own and don’t have to rely on an algorithm for. I have the ConvertKit Creator plan for my email marketing but there is a free plan too.
Which Email Marketing System is Best for Creatives?
Calendar/To-Do List/Planner
Whether this is a digital tool like Asana or Notion, a physical planner or a bunch of post notes on your desk—I don’t care. But come up with some way to keep track of your tasks.
Copywriting Templates
I plan on doing a full review of Copywriting for Creatives soon—but here’s the TL;DR—you need to join CFC. Not only will you learn how to write ALL of your website copy—which is very important to the success of your website. But you also learn how to define your ideal client and how to talk to them so that you can be the best salesperson for your business.
Should Not Buy (or at Least Not in Year 1-2 of Your Business)
Okay…so now that I’ve gone over what you should invest in—what about things you SHOULDN’T buy? Cause let me tell you that there are a few of these that will surprise you.
A Social Media Manager
Yes. I said what I said. I’m not trying to discount the work of social media managers because they CAN be a great help with your marketing. BUT that doesn’t mean that you need to hire one when you first start your business. There are some things that you’ve got to learn on your own in the beginning and figuring them out for a while will help you hire the RIGHT social media manager.
Paid Ads
Honestly, this is just gonna be a waste of your time and money if you’ve got no idea what you’re doing. Trust me I know from experience. Focusing on building your business and creating content is a much better use of your resources. And when the time is right you can work with an ad agency.
A Logo
Okay, before all of the brand designers come after me—let me say that you do need branding for your business. BUT that doesn’t mean that you have to have a one-off logo from Etsy the second that you start your business. In fact, this is almost guaranteed to be a waste of your money. Eventually, you do need to work with a brand strategist. But if you can’t when you’re first starting out it would be much better to choose a nice color palette for your business and anywhere that you “need” to have a logo—simply write out your business name.
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