There are multiple benefits to being a creative professional, especially in an area like marketing. Curiosity, passion, and a natural way with words are certainly all at the helm of creating quality content.
Unfortunately, some elements of the creative personality aren’t quite so well suited to the business world. In this article, we’re going to consider three things that creative entrepreneurs overlook too often, alongside tips to help you finally get on top of these priorities.
# 1 – Financial Failings
We creatives aren’t naturally adept at putting a value on our own work. In fact, it’s possible that you take commissions based on what a client is willing to pay, rather than on what that work is actually worth. You may also take on incredibly complex content briefs without feeling like you can ask for more money despite the additional work involved.
All of this can lead to long hours with low financial rewards, and it’s something you can overcome by simply setting clear prices and sticking to them. Research what other writers are charging and develop a similar pricing plan, complete with ‘plus level’ pricing for projects that require heavier research. Because if you’re putting the work in, you definitely deserve to be paid!
# 2 – Let’s get Legal
As a content writer, you may spend a lot of time writing about business legalities, but these are often something that we overlook in our personal operations. Yet, whether you’re working alone in a home office or building a content enterprise in a business space, legalities come into play. For instance, you’ll need to register your business in the right way, perfect client contracts, and generally understand topics like due diligence and, importantly, the need not to make insane claims in your content!
Legalities become even more complex in a larger creative enterprise, where, as well as all of the above, you’ll need to think about employment law. Larger businesses are also legally required to undergo certain inspections, such as health and safety audits, or even a TM44 inspection depending on the size of air conditioning units. It may all sound stressful, but trust us that life will be more stressful when you overlook this stuff. So, do some research (which you’re already good at!), or bring on board professionals who can help you look after the legal side of things.
# 3 – Tackling Time Management
This last point is less high-stakes than the others, but it’s still well worth improving upon. After all, many creatives are guilty of getting lost in a project and losing track of time. This is one of the best things about the job, but, considering that it means losing money and an all-important work-life balance, it’s also something you’ll need to address.
The best ways to do that include making clear content timing plans that you stick to. It’s also vital that, much as you love your creative career, you still set aside plenty of personal time. That way, you’ll be in much better standing to tackle each content project without dreaded creative burnout!
