From Dream to Reality: The Designer’s Launch Checklist

Get in the Right Mindset

• Reframe your belief around the "starving artist" myth and embrace the fact that you can make the income you desire as a creative.
• Get clear about WHY you are creating your own business. How will your life be better on this track? Write this out and post it somewhere where you can see it daily to remind you of your WHY.
  
  

Find Creative Community

• Freelancers often work alone, but we must find a supportive creative community to help us evolve as designers and creatives.
• I suggest you find at least 1-2 other designers that you can share work with, bounce ideas off, and brainstorm challenges. This will not only help your work be the best it can, but will help you through the ups and downs of working for yourself.
• Join a graphic design group or two on social media, where you can get a regular influx of ideas, inspiration, and collaboration.
  
  

Gain the Creative Skills You Need

• Don't worry, gone are the days that you need to get a four year art degree to become a graphic designer! 
• Sign up Creative Cloud (Indesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop) and start leaning the programs.
• Watch tutorials or take a course to learn how to "brand" your clients with powerful logos, brand books, and design collateral. You want to choose high-end packages to provide for your clients, so you can charge accordingly.
  
  

In the High-End Graphic Design Blueprint, you will learn The Designer's Formula: The only process you need to learn for any project

• Differentiate yourself from the crowd of designers by creating 3 custom packages for your ideal clients and mastering a high-end graphic design aesthetic. 
• Avoid marketing yourself as a low-end designer on low-paid platforms. Work on building your personal brand as a designer instead. 
• Master presenting your work to clients through an easy-to-use project management system (I teach a seamless process in The High-End Graphic Design Blueprint that takes all of the guess work out of it for you!)

Set Up Your Personal Brand & Business Platform

• Clarify your niche and ideal target audience (this should be a narrow field, not everyone)
• Create 3 main offers for incoming clients, so you are not constantly creating custom quotes priced between $500 - $5,000
• Develop a personal brand with a title and tagline that speaks to your ideal audience and imagery to match (yes, you will need to post images of you to help attract to your audience)
• Get yourself visible online as quickly as possible with your 3 packages that you offer a niche market
• Avoid difficult, low paying clients (the higher paying clients will always work better with you)
• Set up the business basics so you can send quotes, contract, and get paid!

Market and Sell Your Services

• Set yourself up on one high-end freelancer platform to expedite monetizing as you work on your personal brand/website
  --> Be sure to display your clear niche so you stand out from the crowd
• Always get reviews from your clients to use as social proof and ask your favorite clients for referrals (word of mouth if your best friend when you are starting out).
• Network in your community and online environments. Let people know what you are doing! 
• Create an intake sales process that will impress your prospects and encourage them to sign with you.
• Utilize organic marketing through your social media streams to elevate your online presence and visibility.

Deliver and Gain Dedicated Fans

• Under promise and over deliver to be sure that your clients are always happy working with you and will want to refer you.
• Manage your work week to optimize your creativity and avoid burnout.
• Maintain premium pricing so you don't have to take on too many clients at once and can provide dedicated attention to your clients.
• Continue trying traction channels to further your outreach.

If you want to get complete guidance and feedback on this complete process, then I encourage you to apply for The High-End Graphic Design Blueprint, where I teach each step live and you have the support of a cohort of other creatives.

Hey there! My name is Adele Wiejaczka, and I'm here to guide you as you step into your creative brilliance and find the lifestyle freedom you desire!

I travel internationally while running my branding agency and leading my global team. I absolutely love the work I do, but I didn’t get here overnight. I've made all the mistakes one can in the past decade of building my business. I'm here to save you from the challenges I experienced, so you can achieve the life and work you desire with ease.

I now teach and mentor creatives to become high-end graphic designers from anywhere in the world. I invite you to join the ranks of my students that have followed in my footsteps to gain freedom in work and life.

Here's a quick peek at my experience...

• Master in Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Academy of Art University
• Graphic Design professor at accredited USA university, Academy of Art University
• Over 10 years of experience running an international, location-independent design agency
• Multi-year AIGA design award winner
• Work has been featured in NPR, Huffpost, and Expertise
• Branding expert and coach
• Recognized designer on top-tier freelance platforms
• Graduate from MVP business training and startup incubator, Startup Results
• Trained in magnetic marketing, social media marketing, and conversion copy writing