How to start your own business, grow your client base, and promote yourself without selling out or starving.
This no faff, no fluff guide is peppered with applicable advice (things we learned from starting our own business), unasked-for humor, and worksheets (homework, gasp!) to help you just get started already. Because raw talent and good ideas aren’t enough. And because you can do this. Really. By Amy Hood and Jen Hood, co-founders of Hoodzpah, Odds & Sods (a goods line), and Connecting Things (a creative meetup).This freelance business book includes:
- Worksheets to help you work out your hourly and flat rate pricing, budget, and more.
- Checklists of key to-do items for new business owners
- Guides to creating a business plan, setting up a project workflow from contract to completion, and determining the health of your company.
- Unasked-for, unnecessary humor from yours truly
- Tons of personal tips on how we do business at Hoodzpah
- Suggestions on how to win more pitches, present proofs, and get approvals
- Thoughts on promoting yourself without making yourself and others cringe
- Recommended resources for insurance, accounting, bookkeeping, contracts, and more
- 13 chapter opener posters that you can easily razor out and hang on your wall.
- The occasional typo or rambling sentence that makes this book edition rare and unique in 20 years!
Please note that this is an eBook PDF version only.
Software: PDF Viewer
Hardware: 2.4ghz processor or higher
Memory: 16gb RAM or higher
Storage: 26.4 MB
Fom Amy & Jen:
We never thought of ourselves as writers. But we kept getting the same questions about how we started our business. After thinking about our mistakes, wins and lessons learned, we wrote it all down into a freelance business book. Freelance, and Business, and Stuff is for anyone looking for more control in their creative career. Freelance can truly enrich your life. And you don’t have to be full-time freelance to enjoy the perks. It can be a way to make side cash to supplement your income; to test a new profession or skill without ditching your steady day job; and to work on projects that fulfill you (if you’re feeling stifled or stagnant at your day job). When you run your own freelance or creative business, it gives you more power to choose how you work (when and where), what you work on, who you work with, and how much you make. The gain is more flexibility and control. The tradeoff is more responsibility.
You truly don’t have to be a genius to start your own business, and you don’t need thousands of dollars. Heck, you don’t even need a college degree. Best of all, you definitely don’t need permission. But you do need patience and diligence in spades. Add common sense for making clear decisions, enough skill to do good work, a healthy hunger for knowledge, and a shake of pliability (adapting is key) and you’re good to go.
What readers are saying
“Halfway through and it’s something I wish I had 5 years ago…pure gold.” – Scotty Russell, Perspective Collective
“One thing I love about the #FABAS Book is the vocabulary. @hoodzpahdesign did a great job using words that colorfully illustrate what it is you need to do. It’s a testament to communication as a skill that 2 of the best designers wrote a book that communicates ideas so well.” – Karl Oscar Webber
“Some good required reading right here y’all > FREELANCE, and BUSINESS and STUFF, by the incredibly talented @hoodzpahdesign @amyhoodlum @InTheGoodHood < Nice work, super helpful!” – Nick, To the Moon Studio
“My buds at @hoodzpahdesign are some of the best creative minds I know. They’ve literally grown their business from the garage to one of the best design studios in the country. And now they’re putting all their secrets in a book. If you’re a creative professional, you need this.” – Ryan Hollingsworth
“Thanks, Jen & Amy for putting your learnings and experience into this beautifully designed guide.” – Dan Brindley
“I can’t even explain how much more organized I feel right now. I’m going to make hella templates after I’m done with these worksheets in the book haha.” – Sanchez Design
“If you’re into freelance and business and stuff you need to get this book. @amyhoodlum and @thegoodhood put all their experience and teachings into this little guy.” – Bianca Creates
“@thegoodhood & @amyhoodlum dropping knowledge bombs and helpin’ a sister out.” – Debbie Trout
“Listen. the #fabas book… Has a fantastic Chapter 4: Pricing and Pitching. So much great stuff in here that I never even thought of that is just… Fantastic.” – Karl Oscar Webber
“This book is literally the best thing I’ve bought this year I can’t recommend enough!!” – Sarah Jamieson
“I’ve already read most of the digital copy of this book and it’s FILLED with so much important information that’s easy to overlook when you’re starting your business. I’ve taken a slight break from taking design clients (but still creating work and developing my portfolio), that’s mostly because I’ve been dedicating most of my time to reading and learning as much as I possibly can about the boring (but very necessary) side of owning a business, haha. This book makes it a lot less boring! Super recommend!” – Samantha Perry
“Hi you two! I just wanted to say that I randomly stumbled on your book when I really needed it the most. I’m about halfway through it but wow! It’s great. So helpful, well written, and more than I got out of school. So a huge thank you to you both!” – Anna McNaught Photography
“I’m going to be honest. I don’t read books…except for #FABAS you NEED to read this if you are freelancer in any sense of the word. This book is the mentor I’ve always needed but haven’t found.” – Pari Studio