The zero2illo 12 Week Challenge: Week #12

Well, here we are - the final week of the zero2illo 12 Week Challenge! (where have the last 12 weeks gone?)

I’ll be doing a round up post in the next couple of weeks (once I’ve had a little break and taken a short holiday with the family to Italy) summarising the challenge, what I’ve learned through creating it, working both on and in it and the future of the clubhouse.

I’ve enlisted Lea’s help for this final task as it’s an area that she excels in….Business Processes! It all sounds very business like and possibly boring to you as an illustrator, but keep reading as it could save you a lot of time and future headaches.

So, here we go…

This Week’s Task:

Create your business processes.

When you only have the odd illustration commission coming in here & there, it’s easy to neglect the business side of things. Imagine a time (if you can, it’s more likely to happen) when you’re so busy with commissions & illustration work that you don’t have time to labour over contracts, create pretty looking invoices for each new client and chase up late paying clients.

Right now, before things get overwhelmingly busy is the absolute best time to work on your business processes - if you wait until you need them, you probably won’t have the time to do them and you’ll end up cobbling together things that just about work but are less than ideal.

Key client processes you need to focus on include:

• Bringing on a new client
• Working with a client
• Closing a project down

Other business processes you might like to design include:

• Buying new business equipment
• Selecting, managing and paying suppliers
• Managing your finances

So how do you design & prepare your business processes?

1. You note down what should happen at each stage of a process, step-by-step.
2. Then you list out & create what resources & tools you need

For example, to look at each of the above processes in more detail, here are a few aspects to consider:

Bringing on a new client

• What contract do you use?
• How & when do you invoice?
• What information do you need from a client to get started?
• Do you provide a time line? Have you got a basic/standard time line that you can use & tweak for each client?

You can see from the above that it would be useful to have templates/standard copies of at least the following documents to use for each new client:

• Contract/terms & conditions
• Invoice
• Detailed brief form

Working with a client

• How do you elicit useful feedback from a client?
• What process do you use if there’s a problem?
• What means of communication do you use? Are there any more efficient tools you could use for working with clients, collaborating with Art Directors etc or getting feedback?

You can see from the above that it would be useful to have the following tools in place to use for each client project:

• Feedback form or an email template directing a client to provide specific/useful feedback
• A problem resolution process (e.g. rules for when you’re not going to make a deadline, stop a project etc.)
• An online collaboration tool

Closing a project down

• How do you get “official” sign off of a project?
• When do you invoice the client?
• Do you have payment terms to encourage quick payment/settlement?
• How do you elicit feedback from clients?
• How do you keep in touch with clients to let them know about any new stuff you’ve got going on and/or ensure they either come back to you or refer business to you?

You can see from the above that it would be useful to have the following tools in place to use for each client project:

• Sign off form/email template requesting sign off
• Final invoice template with your late payment terms
• Feedback form/process
• Mailing list for clients/referrals process

It’s a great idea to sketch out how you’d like your key business processes to work and then systematically start creating the tools, documents, templates & resources needed for each step.

Process-ising your business will, in the long term, enable you to focus on doing more of the bits you love (illustration) and less of the bits you don’t (running a business).

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That’s all folks

I’d like to thank you all once again for joining me on this first 12 Week Challenge (yes, there are further illustration challenges already in the works!!!) and for your support both privately and publicly, it really has meant a lot. It’s been great getting to know a lot of you in the clubhouse, I just wish I’d had more time to join in the discussions (I’ll be talking more about this in the summary post).

I’ve got a lot of exciting plans for zero2illo that I’ve been cooking up behind the scenes including a ’12 Week Challenge’ ebook, new features for the site and bringing on board some new guest writers.

Right, I’m off to go sleep for a week zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Related posts:

1. The zero2illo 12 Week Challenge: Week #6
2. The zero2illo 12 Week Challenge: Week #4
3. The zero2illo 12 Week Challenge: Week #8.5
4. 12 Week Challenge: Starting As We Mean To Go On
5. The zero2illo 12 Week Challenge: Week #10