"Do you know how hard I work to make money?" That's the refrane. And it's bullshit. Groaning and lamenting about how hard they work to earn their small stack of loot. "Today, it's really tough to bring home the bacon." _ _ _ What's your reply to that? Well, MONEY isn't hard to make... in fact, it's quite easy! You've been doing it for a very long time... it's just that... You're terrible at creating real value for people. _ _ _ Money wasn't always on paper... in fact, today, it's basically 1's and 0's. Way back when, It used to be sea shells, and rocks, and shiny pebbles, and eventually they started trading goats, and sheep, and even lads and ladies, to get whatever they wanted to buy in a hurry. But the commonality? "Money was designed to be.... an exchange of value!" That's it. Genius, really. _ _ _ Meaning? Making money is easy... if you know how to create value. If it's hard for you, that just means you're not adept at creating value for others. Don't get down. This is habit (and a mindset) that you can break. We're all indoctrinated by the traditional education system to believe the myth that the only way to create value for society is to work hard for your boss, first to work, last to leave, and accept your 2-week vacation (or for you freelancers) your weekend as your life.a THE SHIFT... comes when you figure out HOW to create loads of value for lots of people, preferably people who create lots of value too so they have lots of cash to spend with you... THEN ... it really doesn't matter whether you do it onsite or from home... ... online or offline... ... or how much or how little time or effort it takes you... ... you can simply 'print your own money' on demand! The faster and easier you can deliver VALUE, the more green pieces of paper you get to print. _ _ _ SO ASK YOURSELF? What do I pay for? What do others want? How can I put myself in between them and what they want? Can it be done faster? More easily? With better results? TRY THIS:

Whether you're a freelancer or an agency, if you need cash now, the fastest way to make that happen is to send a note (or better yet), make a call to an existing or past client. They know you best and often have a project or two that could easily go your way. You just might not be as top of mind as you once were. Also, frustratingly so, many clients ONLY know you as the one to handle ONE type of marketing or design problem.... you're the "catalog guy", the technical writer, the "web guy", social gal, always-makes-me-laugh comic. They don't (or didn't care to know) that your capabilities are far greater than what you've shown. So contact them. Not out of desperation (even if you are 😳), simply to reconnect. They already trust you — you don't need to re-earn that — here are a couple of conversation starters: ""Hey, it's been a while since our last project, and I wanted to see how things have been going. I was thinking about you this morning (true) and wondered what you've been working on." or "I realized it's been far too long since we last talked. I wanted to check in, see how business is going, and let you know I'm still here if you need another set of eyes on a project." or "We've worked together on catalogs (or websites, packaging, social, etc.) over the years, but I also wanted to mention that I've expanded what I'm helping clients with. If there's ever a branding challenge, a marketing problem, or a project that's sitting on the back burner, I'd love to help." or "Is there anything on your marketing wish list that keeps getting pushed to 'next quarter'? Sometimes those are the projects I can help get across the finish line." _ _ _ _ The point isn't to ask for work. It's to restart the conversation. Once you're back in their orbit, opportunities have a funny way of appearing... and paying. 💰💰💰

I'm a Brand Consultant.... just a fancy way of saying that I'm a brand designer (plus a little bit more). If you're a young designer (or even a seasoned one), getting selected to create the brand logo is just the tip of the spear when it comes to getting paid. Every designer sweats "how much should I charge?" STOP IT.... and do your homework. Understand this... if you can be the one to create "the logo", you ARE the obvious answer to create just about everything else that's needed. Your price just went up by 5X. DON'T JUST DESIGN A LOGO. Create a Brandbook — and give them the vision of HOW to craft all of the other things they will need — letterhead, signage, sales lit, a website, social media... the list goes on and on. If you change the brand mark, you effect EVERYTHING! Do not take this job lightly. Don't let them take it lightly, either. That means you can get paid for the logo AND all of the rest of it, if you have the skills to coordinate and control these other elements. Don't have those skills yet? While you're working on that, connect yourself with a display company, a printer or an agency to help you stay connected to all of the work. The more you can do, the more you'll get to do and the hard part is over. You're the one who figured out how to push your design across all of these other elements. You're exactly the person to see that it turns out properly. SO HOW MUCH? Do not sheepishly ask, "How about $200?"* Try to read the room.... Ask for what you think it's actually worth. KNOW WHAT? Whatever you say, THAT IS WHAT IT'S NOW WORTH. Don't want to play your hand first, then do this (I do)... "You asked me 'how much' and I have to tell you, 'it depends on how involved I become... for some, as little as ($X) and others, around ($10X). Did you have a budget in mind?" (fill in your own blank with what you're comfortable saying — I already gave you mine ABOVE). Here's a re-framing thought to help you out: most businesses rent their property or store, right? How big is their space (and times it by a dollar). A simple storefront might be 2,500 sq. feet. They're paying AT LEAST $2,500/mo. A manufacturer with 50,000 sq.feet — about $50K/mo. Starting to see what they can afford?

I've made more pitches than I can count. I have learned to enjoy these, not dread them. How? By doing the work. Studying the client. Writing the brief. Revising the brief. Putting on a new hat. Attacking the problem from all sides. By the time we're ready to pitch an idea (or a batch of them), I know that I'm on a good path — just maybe not the best path. And that's OK. The client needs to see that your thinking is sound. You could sell it... and execution-ally still flub things. Stop worrying about what you can't control. Trust your process (or make a better process) so that you have confidence going in... the kind that says, "I can't wait for you to hear what I have to say."

Stop whining that you don't have anything good to show in your portfolio. If you don't like what you have because the clients or counterparts that you've worked with have: • no budget • no sense of humor • no vision Then create your own, for literally anyone. (See the cluster of ads below - all spec - why should I care?) As a CD, it's nice to know that you've done outstanding work, for real clients with real budgets on the line.... but if you had 5 really good spec ads that shows me: • how you think • how creative your are • how quick a reaction you can cause Then most likely, you'll get the promotion, the job, the gig... or at the very least, my attention. I've been known to pass on a talent, only to refer that person to someone I know.