The best thing I've done for myself is to go back and rewatch some of this content. I was going through a slump and depression was setting in and I remembered days when I was grinding and building and absorbing all this knowledge. Thanks to you and the team for steadily putting out such inspiring and educational content.
Hi Sir, can I ask? Can a freelance graphic designer that completed only a (national certificate III) run a business design online? Where should I start? Please can you guide me? Thank you and God vless always ❤️
I know this video is almost 3 years old, but as an 18 year old looking to pursue a degree in Visual Communications/Graphic Design, the more videos of yours' that I watch, the more I think I should minor in a business degree.
Thanks everyone for commenting. I will do an episode on bidding. What industries do you work in? What are the sizes of projects your bidding on? What specific challenges are you having? Post questions you want answers to and I'll answer all of them on video.
I work in video production and would love to see more episodes on bidding jobs. Thank you for all of the incredible information. This channel is a goldmine.
Hey Chris, Its been some months that I started my own creative agency.. We work on the fluid model and don't have enough cash flow to rent a place right away. I was wondering how can we take the agency to the next level. Well, this is absolutely what I needed to see today. Not only did I learn selling confidence and assurance to prospective clients but to also bid the projects correctly. I love how you say that talent needs to be nurtured and work culture plays an important role in that. I am not letting go of this video for a long long time. I wish you could come out with more such insightful videos on your channel. Wish you luck..
This is one of my favorite episodes ever. The questions were what I would want to ask (business mistakes and pricing). The answers were very helpful. Chris Do is a great speaker. I loved the real examples, especially the pricing/bid example. Great set, topics, answers, camera ops, editing, etc.... This channel is always giving excellent, high quality content. Thank you!!!!!!
Cheers for the Video! Forgive me for butting in, I would appreciate your thoughts. Have you considered - Fiymaria Graphic Gainer (google it)? It is a good one of a kind guide for getting the best graphic design for your project minus the normal expense. Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my cooworker after many years got great results with it.
Cheers for the Video clip! Apologies for chiming in, I would love your thoughts. Have you heard the talk about - Fiymaria Graphic Gainer (should be on google have a look)? It is a great exclusive guide for getting the best graphic design for your project minus the headache. Ive heard some interesting things about it and my m8 finally got excellent results with it.
Totally hooked on these videos, I've had them running all morning! They answer all the questions that are almost impossible to find definitive answers for, especially tough if you're freelance and work alone. I think this has changed how I'll deal with clients forever, thank you!
This has helped me a ton, I work in software and I usually underbid on projects, where I end by giving myself a small salary just to keep things running. Now I understand why many of the online calculator nearly take 50% over what I do.
I am running an animation studio in the 15th year now and this is a great and very useful talk here. This should be a core part of all type of creative studies to stop all mistakes artists and creatives do when they slowly and painfully transform from a passionated hobbyist to a professional and realize that creativity, skills and talent is a serious business. It's all about money. And money gives you (creative) freedom to run a successful business and healthy life.
yes it does. You'll love the new podcast i'm working on where I interview Blair Enns. He goes into the "peculiarities of creative people" and their aversion to money, and specialization.
For me as an introvert and freelancer, you are god send. Thank u for being a model not by talks, but through action and results from your life. Deep gratitude sir.
I never get sick of that intro for some reason (which isn't normal..). I feel like it encompasses your friendship, business relationship, and personalities all in one short clip.. Anyway! finally getting around to watching this. Really enjoyed this. Definitely one of my favorites. As for the bidding question, would definitely like a video more about the bidding process. I have spoken to a few local web design companies and they are similar in that they don't even mark up for copy work that they hire out. Copy usually holds up a site launch or project and can be such a headache, so they will actually just connect the copywriter with the client (talking smaller company having to hire freelancer copywriter). They only charge a markup if they are actually managing the copywriter (as in project management) and they will roll that into the price of the contract. Would love to hear some feedback on something like that, as copy is very often times a pain-point for a project especially when clients "claim" will supply copy, yeah, we all know that never happens. Great questions and answers. Really looking forward to more videos like this and love that you and Jose are so active in the comment section. You guys are definitely building an online community.
That would be killer! Have been estimating, dealing with RFPs, and sending out proposals quite a biy lately so that would be greatly helpful. Keep up the awesome work and thank you!
I used to find online design entrepreneurial style youtube videos somewhat horrible. But listening to your videos while working has been a guilty pleasure of mine for the past year
I switched directions in my career at the late age of 51 and graduated with my BFA in Graphic and Web design. These episodes are invaluable to me as a newbie and n the industry and have helped me understand so many concepts and business development standards that I would never acquire on my own with little experience in the field. Chris....you are a Monster speaker! Bringing me all of the pertinent information I need in an innovative and cutting edge format. You are the Man!
Hey Cheri. I'm 46 and I started copywriting and funnels a year ago, turning down more money in an industry i dont like, teaching! Now i'm studying GD and Chris is indeed brilliant. How is your career going? Happy to find your comment because as a 46 year old i feel a bit silly retraining with the youngsters!
Chris Do just dropped some serious knowledge. Thank you so damn much for this episode!!! I've been stressed to the gills, working the past two months into freelance, and have been freaking the hell out about managing clients/scoring contracts and had no clue how to bid appropriately. This episode just lit up my foggy path. I need to watch this a few more times. I hope you doing a Deep Dive on Bidding /Part 2.
+Steven Mercado I will Steven. Based on the response below, I kind of have to now. Good luck getting out of the fog. Hopefully our channel is a beacon for you.
Thanks Chris! I love this channel. Skool is definitely my light house. You guys always have something innovative to give and provide clarity. Much appreciated.
Chris you really are a pillar of inspiration and motivation to me (clearly you are to thousands of designers & others) but I make sure to watch your videos EVERY SINGLE DAY! Even when im working I have something playing of T.F in the background. I believe even if I am totally focused & in the zone creating something, the words you speak are planting positive creative seeds subconsciously in my mind. I am 70% self taught in design, which includes you & your teams videos..The schooling I did in field of design was many years ago, but I dont believe that matters, if you got it you got it. Creativity comes naturally to me, and ive now been running my own small GD biz for about 2 years! I have a solid base of clients, over half of them are return clients, & then the rest word of mouth, this is my full time gig & I dont pay for any advertising whatsoever. All my reach is organic, & I network with other small biz peeps, it just seems to happen. Always looking for ways to expand & improve my business & services, im obsessed with ideas & implementing them. I am so grateful & blessed to be doing what I LOVE, love doesn't even describe how I feel, im super PASSIONATE & when im having a moment, I look for your videos that pick me up & get me back into the GRIND! Always works! Right now, im under charging for what I offer, my value - so im stepping up my game. Anyway, I know this is an old video back from 2015 but ive watched it twice now & you are just super helpful, knowledgable & smart , dont mean to blow smoke up your arse but just saying it how it is lol :) - ill leave you with a saying of mine, theres prob similar out there but I live by this "Theres no 9 to 5 , late nights & early rise, we grind to thrive " - Loz @ LOZ CHAI DESIGN xx (Australia)
Oh really yes this is fantastic news! id love more information on where you are speaking , ticket costs etc ! :) if you could email me the info , or guide me to where I can find out more that would be rad! my email is admin@lozchaidesign.com ! :) thank you! how exciting! Really, if it wasn't for your videos, knowledge, tips and advice you pass on I am not sure how my outlook would have been today, because many of the things I do and implement come back to what you have taught me. :) I still have a long way to go, but I love the process and its all about the process - be real , be raw and be rad - Loz
Recently I've decided to move on from my well-paying current job and reboot my father's old design firm. One of the major factors for being confident on taking this risk is knowing I have access to quality knowledge on this channel. Thanks, guys!
14:00 A smaller 3d/vfx studio is what you need with an expandable network of artists working remotely, it's the future of vfx and 3d - that's how we roll here and it works very well . You only pay for the artists on board (which could be one guy plus a project manager or 10 guys) and not the MASSIVE building they are all working from. If you need a great 3d and vfx company search for companies that have been in business for over 5 years and are still churning out big brand videos.
I ve been in the design/advertising business for a long time, about 15 years, but have somehow missed this series entirely. It's really well put together & has some great advice for younger people starting out, something not often found in UA-cam vids. Seems like most vids are just about ego & Net fame. Anyway, great job by your whole team. I'm stoked to keep watching them today while I'm supposed to be working. - 1 topic suggestion which may already be done...The thing I get asked all the time by new designers is how do I find all my work. Where are all these jobs coming from? I get a lot of referrals but new designers or agencies obviously don't have that luxury.
I'm going to start a business with one of the most ambitious person I know. And your videos are really helping us to get started and inspires us to dream big and work hard.
This is 8 years ago but its gold in some junks thousand contents which only look for views, This is literally pure gold who teach us the true design business !! Thank you so much!!
Wow! Took a lot from this episode. Advice is still gold! Thank you Chris Do. Loved the straightforward interview. Wish to have that kind of communication strategy too!
IDK what's cooler...all this information about starting & running a design business OR the fact that you have a Danny Way Alien Workshop board!! The KA board by Evan Hecox is just an added bonus!
i loved this episode so much. So much of those questions that i have been longing for an answer has been clearly given here. Thank you so much for this. Means a lot
I love how much you trained urself up and how passionate you are. you should definitely gimme a slice of that^^. I liked the "How To Price Design Services & Make More Money"-Episode the most, cause you constantly emphasized the value to the client and how that should affect your offer, rather than throwing out a hourly rate in combination with a rough time assessment. Actually I just give some feedback now, cause this episode covers a little bit of bidding, which is calculated by the hourly rate * days = subtotal. One of the enlightening moments from the "How To Price.."-Episode was the fact that this model is kinda unfitting for that sort of work. I feel now like if it is sorta inconsistent. I hope you could light me up a little bit. Greetz comes Berlin
I just graduated from Industrial Design, and im starting up my design business firm. You sir, are my sensei! Thank you so much for your tips and knowledge, it's helping me quite a lot.
I am 25 years old industrial designer working on advertising company in Turkey. I want to found my company as always but i thought i should learn the bussiness first i am trying to teach myself everything about bussiness, then i discovered you and addicted your videos its really helpfull makes me focused.
This episode is the best! Right now I am really in a lost space here in the Creative Industry in Indonesia. Maybe it's because I'm just a fresh graduate, but I just don't like to keep working for a company or someone. I wanted to start my own business and be something more higher than just sitting in front of a PC or a workstation and just "click, click, click" (no offense to other designers). Thank you for the great content!
Hey, What's up! 2:34AM your videos are keeping me up way past my bedtime, BUT I can't really stop watching - Firstly I'm absolutely in love with the pricing structure of this episode. I've honestly never seen anything like it and I think that there are a number of people out there who have been using this Blueprint to cost their "Build You're Social Media Business" Tutorials which the charge hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for people to enrol in. 5k to 20k Dollars, let's talk about that. Living in South Africa, I think that the only people who have the capacity to charge those amounts are agencies because of the South African, 3rd world mindset (not for long, these are totally going to be my agencies going rates). You see I KNOW that in the South African industry, almost everyone I know has adopted the mindset of feeling bad about charging people a fair amount of money because they feel as though the client will not be able to find value in their work. The Truth you're bringing to the table is that YES " by saying NO, you're making room for bigger clients". The BIG difference for myself as a creative is without a doubt experience with work which is why I'll be taking the time to go through as much of your content as possible, and creating my own success blueprint which will function within a South African context. It's not that I can't go and start meeting with clients immediately, it's more along the lines of what I've seen so far on Futur. I feel as though I would only be lying to myself if I were to perform strategy for a client BUT I was not up to scratch with my own company strategy. I don't want to become a brand who doesn't practise what they preach and I want my clients to see that I am able to perform the services I will be offering them, for myself. This will include a Mission Statement (I think that was the first few minutes of the video @ ). I completely agree on how difficult that is, however, I like the value profile model - WHO, WHAT, HOW TO SOLVE. Just to clarify on the middle segment - Accounting for error - (@ ) - I have charged somebody (MORE LIKE THEY SIMPLY PAID ME) - R2500 OR about $200 to film for 3 days and perform an edit which took me about 3 months to complete. I have also worked on projects until completion for free with NO way to redeem my earnings from the client. What I've learned, are the different ways it hurts. You see, because I was working at the time I didn't realise just how bad it was, however, I now think more critically about the Freelancer who is sitting at home and will accept minimum pay to perform extraordinary amounts of work because they are desperate for the business. I can confidently say that after being a part of the process for a good few videos now (50+), I will NOT be held responsible for the degradation of creatives by reducing my rates & I will inform other creatives of their disservice to the community by undercharging and undervaluing other creatives work during the bidding process, which even I have been guilty of in the past. Little did I know just how shallow minded I was being. However, I am older and wiser now. 3:02AM I have work in the morning - thank you all for always bringing the STEAK, I will probably be writing one of these long ass comments in one of your videos which I will watch tomorrow. Cheers.
Same boat here. Spent the last week doing some long overdue folio website updates and now binging on Futur vids to get into that "make yo own money" mindset
I recently jumped into the freelance world. It can be tough at times. This channel has provided so much valuable insight and knowledge to me. Huge fan. Thanks!
Mr. Do, your philosophy in the business of design, inspired us to incorporate. And it works!!! we felt more confident than ever! and can mark up (reasonably) with our clients :) so a massive grateful thank you!
God this is gold. Seriously Chris your changing my life man, I'll own a successful shop and large part will be thanks to you thanks man. I'll send that 10% lol
Thank you Chris for taking the time and sharing your knowledge to those in the world who need advice, like me , in the process of starting my own design studio!
I agree with those who say this interview is a great help and concisely delivered. I'm a UK based designer who is looking at starting up a product development practice and this puts allot more reassurance in my little steps.
26:00 in the bid segment, would you suggest showing line by line the general categories of costs and fees like you did, or would you do a more broad "Website design" and just bring in the artist fee and producer etc into one item? Read proposals shouldn't be so technical, but I'd love your opinion.
there are a number of approaches, but i favor the lump sum bid broken into deliverables or phases. i want to describe very clearly what the client will get vs. what i put in. the two aren't always a direct correlation. someone slow can take a really long time and have a poorer result. hope that helps.
i loved this episode so much. So much of those questions that i have been longing for an answer has been clearly given here. Thank you so much for this.
Over the past couple of days I've watched a lot of your videos - and I'm really impressed with all of them, especially this one. I've been looking for a lot of answers and I may have found them. Thank you ever so much.
+The Skool Network In a nutshell: how to be professional, how to get paid and how much to ask for (among many other things)... Your videos are invaluable at this time. Once I have viewed all of them I'll know more of what specifically i need to ask, and in how much detail.
Thank you so much Chris, I loved the bidding table and combining all the costs that I don't usually think of. The idea of what would it cost for someone else to do the work is brilliant - definitely takes me out of the 'do it all myself' model. I loved all these questions and really enjoy the way you succinctly answer them. Thanks heaps!
+Anmar Al Gaboury Happy to do this. Deeper dive on bidding. Do you ever sign up for the webinars that we run? I field questions like this and answer you directly.
Chris you guys are on a big time roll. Awesome episode, I plan to watch it twice but while I watched the first time a question popped up for me. You stated that really, you could sell your company and really based on your skills and confidence continue to make a living. The question I have for you is if you were starting again with 20/20 being your asset, how would you build your business today ? Would you build a team and focus on sales ? Or would you keep it small and mobile using only what you needed to get the jobs done ? Or would you take on most of the work yourself ?
Chris Do great response..! I thought you might answer that way...so by your answer I'm guessing you would be more of a project manager vs a straight designer. I'm guessing you would also be the sales closer too. I thank you and the always entertaining ***** for this valuable.....Scratch that Extremely valuable episode...I may watch it a third time...lol you guys are on a roll..! I think you've found your sweet spot...thank you
Great question ...I won't go way back but for me the last few months have been awesome. Everything from the rebranding of the show to the subject matter to the guest has been value packed. I think you guys honing in on what we the viewers wanted has helped to take you guys deeper and us (the viewers) deeper than the surface stuff. You both have given us a bigger slice of what makes you both tick. For you Chris exposing us to your business coach was wonderfully deep. For Jose, he's shared some deep feelings and has shown his more serious side which allowed me to understand his passion even more. The studio audience addition on some of the episodes makes the show more cohesive. The Unfiltered segments with Mr. Pao are brilliant to me. It was another voice other than you and Jose proving your message to us. Jose's interview with Mr. Chong was awesome. All of these things bring so much value. I don't think there is another person or team doing it like you two. There are people who speak about the "Freelance" world. Others who preach, "sell value not commodity" but they are not as thorough as you two. I think you guys are delivering a great product. Everything from my viewpoint seems to be working together really well.
Thank you so much Chris for taking the time to teach us about the Business of Design...your lessons are very helpful in my career! I appreciate it very much. Cheers!
What are some examples of design positions? I'm currently working in manufacturing engineering but have always had a strong passion for visual design. Working in engineering has given me a highly logical, business minded, problem solving mentality and I want to be able to utilize that in my designs. I've been looking into UX design, but I believe there may be other options out there to fit my skill set. Any suggestions? So much value in this content, futur. Love the videos
If you come from engineering, try industrial design, it's badically product design but you can have a lot more technical background behind it than just drawing the product.
I just subscribed to your channel and I'm Loving it. The videos I've seen so far, cover a lot of "dark areas" in running your business in graphic design; information not found anywhere else in a way as good as you present it. Thanks
+Chris Do I do UI design for a living in China, and our team is facing a lot of problems that mentioned in this vid, such as team management and sell the fantasy to clients.
I wouldn't say "never" but I learned how to get comfortable talking about money. this was not easy for me to do when I was younger. Money had such negative associations attached to it, until i realized it didn't need to be.
Congrats on this episode guys. Always a fantastic job but this one in particular was amazing. Finally someone who is not afraid of talking numbers. And as always, production value is topline.
Keep doing what you're doing man you're helping myself and a lot of others navigate their lives in this confusing ass world of start-up and business. Please keep it up and dont start giving us inspirational BS like many others end up resorting to, not that thats bad on its own but Real useful knowledge is still always the most important, so thanks for doing what you're doing =)
i've been binge watching your channel, and damn this channel is one of the most under-viewed channels i've come across, Its so high quality its unbelievable that this isn't getting more views. Plus you don't plug your own website content for purchase, that is so respectable man. and quite frankly you dont need to, the content that you have on this channel is obviously very insightful and legitimate, It eliminates doubt about the purchasable content on its own, one qustion tho, given that this channel appears to mainly revolve around design, as someone who knows nothing about design and is mainly interested in learing business oriented things, is there any of that purchasable content good for me? or do i have to be in the design field for it to be relevant for me?
That's so cool at the end. I so agree that your life is your work and you should find something that completes you. Same way, building up my company now, I'm trying to build a group of best friends with amazing skills that live an amazingly fulfilling life. I'm sooo gonna buy that book! Thanks again Futur people! Looking forward to join the community very soon and buy a bunch of your products. I'm already working on redesign of my process with things i learned for your process.. Can't wait to dive deeper!
Waiting for the day when there will be someone like Chris, but teaching for Industrial Designers. Still, this has been extremely useful, since graphic design is my side hustle.
Great episode! This is what I needed to hear and learn when I first started my design business (thou I lost at least 5-figures due to non paying clients) wished that the business of design was taught in school. Even now that I am an educator myself, I still got so much to learn and pass onto my students. Thanks you so much @TheSkoolNetwork for your videos and words of wisdom :)
It takes knowledge and experience to feel more confidence in what you do in that career to explain yourself well and to get your messages across to sell yourself, as you know.
For that bid chart at 25:00, what about if you run a solo design business? Do you just compute for the Artist (aka yourself) plus a producer (also yourself), then add the 10-30% markup for overhead (equipment, taxes, etc)? Hope you answer, and thanks!
i would use fair market value for a base. what would it cost you to hire someone else to do the work. the fact that you do it yourself shouldn't be factored in. you might be slower/faster than the average.
The best thing I've done for myself is to go back and rewatch some of this content. I was going through a slump and depression was setting in and I remembered days when I was grinding and building and absorbing all this knowledge. Thanks to you and the team for steadily putting out such inspiring and educational content.
Love this interview. No beating around the bush and real legit answers.
You know my style. All steak little sizzle.
You get, straight to the point.
Make sure to subscribe to our channel to be notified of new episodes. Chris is working on the bidding episode as so many of you have requested.
Has anyone ever sent you 10%?
someone just asked me for our address. I assume the "check's in the mail". But still waiting.
Yes. Jacob Campbell was the first.
Hi Sir, can I ask? Can a freelance graphic designer that completed only a (national certificate III) run a business design online? Where should I start? Please can you guide me? Thank you and God vless always ❤️
I know this video is almost 3 years old, but as an 18 year old looking to pursue a degree in Visual Communications/Graphic Design, the more videos of yours' that I watch, the more I think I should minor in a business degree.
That’s a good idea.
well?
Thanks everyone for commenting. I will do an episode on bidding. What industries do you work in?
What are the sizes of projects your bidding on?
What specific challenges are you having? Post questions you want answers to and I'll answer all of them on video.
I honestly don't think I've ever bid on a job. My challenge is believing in myself and prioritizing what I need to focus on.
Jeffrey Youngblood you work your way up. Keep watching and apply what you learn. Small steps at first.
I work in video production and would love to see more episodes on bidding jobs. Thank you for all of the incredible information. This channel is a goldmine.
Chris Do I found my dude. Thx Chris you're amazing bro.
Hey Chris, Its been some months that I started my own creative agency.. We work on the fluid model and don't have enough cash flow to rent a place right away. I was wondering how can we take the agency to the next level. Well, this is absolutely what I needed to see today. Not only did I learn selling confidence and assurance to prospective clients but to also bid the projects correctly. I love how you say that talent needs to be nurtured and work culture plays an important role in that. I am not letting go of this video for a long long time. I wish you could come out with more such insightful videos on your channel. Wish you luck..
This is one of my favorite episodes ever. The questions were what I would want to ask (business mistakes and pricing). The answers were very helpful. Chris Do is a great speaker. I loved the real examples, especially the pricing/bid example. Great set, topics, answers, camera ops, editing, etc.... This channel is always giving excellent, high quality content. Thank you!!!!!!
Thanks @michelle.
+Michelle G Thank you and that means a lot considering how many episodes we've taped.
Cheers for the Video! Forgive me for butting in, I would appreciate your thoughts. Have you considered - Fiymaria Graphic Gainer (google it)? It is a good one of a kind guide for getting the best graphic design for your project minus the normal expense. Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my cooworker after many years got great results with it.
Cheers for the Video clip! Apologies for chiming in, I would love your thoughts. Have you heard the talk about - Fiymaria Graphic Gainer (should be on google have a look)? It is a great exclusive guide for getting the best graphic design for your project minus the headache. Ive heard some interesting things about it and my m8 finally got excellent results with it.
Totally hooked on these videos, I've had them running all morning! They answer all the questions that are almost impossible to find definitive answers for, especially tough if you're freelance and work alone. I think this has changed how I'll deal with clients forever, thank you!
man I love how chill you are in this video!
Thanks
This has helped me a ton, I work in software and I usually underbid on projects, where I end by giving myself a small salary just to keep things running. Now I understand why many of the online calculator nearly take 50% over what I do.
I am running an animation studio in the 15th year now and this is a great and very useful talk here. This should be a core part of all type of creative studies to stop all mistakes artists and creatives do when they slowly and painfully transform from a passionated hobbyist to a professional and realize that creativity, skills and talent is a serious business. It's all about money. And money gives you (creative) freedom to run a successful business and healthy life.
yes it does. You'll love the new podcast i'm working on where I interview Blair Enns. He goes into the "peculiarities of creative people" and their aversion to money, and specialization.
For me as an introvert and freelancer, you are god send. Thank u for being a model not by talks, but through action and results from your life. Deep gratitude sir.
I never get sick of that intro for some reason (which isn't normal..). I feel like it encompasses your friendship, business relationship, and personalities all in one short clip.. Anyway! finally getting around to watching this.
Really enjoyed this. Definitely one of my favorites. As for the bidding question, would definitely like a video more about the bidding process. I have spoken to a few local web design companies and they are similar in that they don't even mark up for copy work that they hire out. Copy usually holds up a site launch or project and can be such a headache, so they will actually just connect the copywriter with the client (talking smaller company having to hire freelancer copywriter). They only charge a markup if they are actually managing the copywriter (as in project management) and they will roll that into the price of the contract. Would love to hear some feedback on something like that, as copy is very often times a pain-point for a project especially when clients "claim" will supply copy, yeah, we all know that never happens.
Great questions and answers. Really looking forward to more videos like this and love that you and Jose are so active in the comment section. You guys are definitely building an online community.
If ***** doesn't beat me too it first, I will do a web bidding episode.
That would be killer! Have been estimating, dealing with RFPs, and sending out proposals quite a biy lately so that would be greatly helpful. Keep up the awesome work and thank you!
I used to find online design entrepreneurial style youtube videos somewhat horrible. But listening to your videos while working has been a guilty pleasure of mine for the past year
Thank you 🙏
I switched directions in my career at the late age of 51 and graduated with my BFA in Graphic and Web design. These episodes are invaluable to me as a newbie and n the industry and have helped me understand so many concepts and business development standards that I would never acquire on my own with little experience in the field. Chris....you are a Monster speaker! Bringing me all of the pertinent information I need in an innovative and cutting edge format. You are the Man!
never too late to start Cheri.
Hey Cheri. I'm 46 and I started copywriting and funnels a year ago, turning down more money in an industry i dont like, teaching! Now i'm studying GD and Chris is indeed brilliant. How is your career going? Happy to find your comment because as a 46 year old i feel a bit silly retraining with the youngsters!
Chris Do just dropped some serious knowledge. Thank you so damn much for this episode!!! I've been stressed to the gills, working the past two months into freelance, and have been freaking the hell out about managing clients/scoring contracts and had no clue how to bid appropriately. This episode just lit up my foggy path. I need to watch this a few more times. I hope you doing a Deep Dive on Bidding /Part 2.
+Steven Mercado I will Steven. Based on the response below, I kind of have to now. Good luck getting out of the fog. Hopefully our channel is a beacon for you.
Thanks Chris! I love this channel. Skool is definitely my light house. You guys always have something innovative to give and provide clarity. Much appreciated.
+Steven Mercado You got it. we can change our logo to a light house. : )
Chris you really are a pillar of inspiration and motivation to me (clearly you are to thousands of designers & others) but I make sure to watch your videos EVERY SINGLE DAY! Even when im working I have something playing of T.F in the background. I believe even if I am totally focused & in the zone creating something, the words you speak are planting positive creative seeds subconsciously in my mind. I am 70% self taught in design, which includes you & your teams videos..The schooling I did in field of design was many years ago, but I dont believe that matters, if you got it you got it. Creativity comes naturally to me, and ive now been running my own small GD biz for about 2 years! I have a solid base of clients, over half of them are return clients, & then the rest word of mouth, this is my full time gig & I dont pay for any advertising whatsoever. All my reach is organic, & I network with other small biz peeps, it just seems to happen. Always looking for ways to expand & improve my business & services, im obsessed with ideas & implementing them. I am so grateful & blessed to be doing what I LOVE, love doesn't even describe how I feel, im super PASSIONATE & when im having a moment, I look for your videos that pick me up & get me back into the GRIND! Always works! Right now, im under charging for what I offer, my value - so im stepping up my game. Anyway, I know this is an old video back from 2015 but ive watched it twice now & you are just super helpful, knowledgable & smart , dont mean to blow smoke up your arse but just saying it how it is lol :) - ill leave you with a saying of mine, theres prob similar out there but I live by this "Theres no 9 to 5 , late nights & early rise, we grind to thrive " - Loz @ LOZ CHAI DESIGN xx (Australia)
thanks Loz. I'm going to be in Brisbane next year at a design conference. maybe you can make it?
Oh really yes this is fantastic news! id love more information on where you are speaking , ticket costs etc ! :) if you could email me the info , or guide me to where I can find out more that would be rad! my email is admin@lozchaidesign.com ! :) thank you! how exciting! Really, if it wasn't for your videos, knowledge, tips and advice you pass on I am not sure how my outlook would have been today, because many of the things I do and implement come back to what you have taught me. :) I still have a long way to go, but I love the process and its all about the process - be real , be raw and be rad - Loz
I'm part of a new design company and I am so glad I found this video. I can't thank Chris Do enough for the amazing insights!
Hi. Welcome.
Recently I've decided to move on from my well-paying current job and reboot my father's old design firm. One of the major factors for being confident on taking this risk is knowing I have access to quality knowledge on this channel. Thanks, guys!
You're very welcome.
14:00 A smaller 3d/vfx studio is what you need with an expandable network of artists working remotely, it's the future of vfx and 3d - that's how we roll here and it works very well . You only pay for the artists on board (which could be one guy plus a project manager or 10 guys) and not the MASSIVE building they are all working from. If you need a great 3d and vfx company search for companies that have been in business for over 5 years and are still churning out big brand videos.
These questions are well-thought out ! The answers were spot on and truthful. No BS. Just useful information. Thanks for sharing!
I think the process has the best intro yet
I ve been in the design/advertising business for a long time, about 15 years, but have somehow missed this series entirely. It's really well put together & has some great advice for younger people starting out, something not often found in UA-cam vids. Seems like most vids are just about ego & Net fame. Anyway, great job by your whole team. I'm stoked to keep watching them today while I'm supposed to be working. - 1 topic suggestion which may already be done...The thing I get asked all the time by new designers is how do I find all my work. Where are all these jobs coming from? I get a lot of referrals but new designers or agencies obviously don't have that luxury.
Desk1 One thank you for acknowledging that. Appreciate it.
I'm going to start a business with one of the most ambitious person I know. And your videos are really helping us to get started and inspires us to dream big and work hard.
awesome! good luck.
This is 8 years ago but its gold in some junks thousand contents which only look for views, This is literally pure gold who teach us the true design business !!
Thank you so much!!
You’re very welcome
Thank you. I'm starting to freelance as a graphic designer and this helps a lot.
This is one of my favourite channels. This man is a visionary. I love this.
thank you. we'll keep working til we earn your #1 spot.
4 years later, and I am from another country (argentina). And this video is useful as hell. Lots of great information really down to earth. Thank you
Wow! Took a lot from this episode. Advice is still gold! Thank you Chris Do. Loved the straightforward interview. Wish to have that kind of communication strategy too!
no other videos like this online. epically useful, you have demystified so much of the process
Glad to hear. Thank you.
IDK what's cooler...all this information about starting & running a design business OR the fact that you have a Danny Way Alien Workshop board!! The KA board by Evan Hecox is just an added bonus!
i loved this episode so much. So much of those questions that i have been longing for an answer has been clearly given here. Thank you so much for this. Means a lot
LOVE THIS!
I'm a Brand Consulting and this video is exactly what I was needing.
Thank you!
I was a creative hippy now I feel more like a business man. Thank you!
that's awesome!
I can't stop looking at the Evan Hecox skateboard and the art piece. The Danny Way AWS board is also great :D love the information thank you
thanks. we got some really cool decks now.
Chris, you blew my mind by teaching how to bid. From $5k to $20.5K
That was awesome
Glad to help.
I love how much you trained urself up and how passionate you are. you should definitely gimme a slice of that^^. I liked the "How To Price Design Services & Make More Money"-Episode the most, cause you constantly emphasized the value to the client and how that should affect your offer, rather than throwing out a hourly rate in combination with a rough time assessment. Actually I just give some feedback now, cause this episode covers a little bit of bidding, which is calculated by the hourly rate * days = subtotal. One of the enlightening moments from the "How To Price.."-Episode was the fact that this model is kinda unfitting for that sort of work. I feel now like if it is sorta inconsistent. I hope you could light me up a little bit.
Greetz comes Berlin
I just graduated from Industrial Design, and im starting up my design business firm. You sir, are my sensei! Thank you so much for your tips and knowledge, it's helping me quite a lot.
Sensei bows to student.
I am 25 years old industrial designer working on advertising company in Turkey. I want to found my company as always but i thought i should learn the bussiness first i am trying to teach myself everything about bussiness, then i discovered you and addicted your videos its really helpfull makes me focused.
Welcome Omer. Learning is a good addiction.
This episode is the best!
Right now I am really in a lost space here in the Creative Industry in Indonesia.
Maybe it's because I'm just a fresh graduate, but I just don't like to keep working for a company or someone. I wanted to start my own business and be something more higher than just sitting in front of a PC or a workstation and just "click, click, click" (no offense to other designers).
Thank you for the great content!
Just want to thank you and send some good energy your way, I truly appreciate your insights on the design industry!
Hey, What's up! 2:34AM your videos are keeping me up way past my bedtime, BUT I can't really stop watching - Firstly I'm absolutely in love with the pricing structure of this episode. I've honestly never seen anything like it and I think that there are a number of people out there who have been using this Blueprint to cost their "Build You're Social Media Business" Tutorials which the charge hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for people to enrol in.
5k to 20k Dollars, let's talk about that.
Living in South Africa, I think that the only people who have the capacity to charge those amounts are agencies because of the South African, 3rd world mindset (not for long, these are totally going to be my agencies going rates).
You see I KNOW that in the South African industry, almost everyone I know has adopted the mindset of feeling bad about charging people a fair amount of money because they feel as though the client will not be able to find value in their work. The Truth you're bringing to the table is that YES " by saying NO, you're making room for bigger clients".
The BIG difference for myself as a creative is without a doubt experience with work which is why I'll be taking the time to go through as much of your content as possible, and creating my own success blueprint which will function within a South African context. It's not that I can't go and start meeting with clients immediately, it's more along the lines of what I've seen so far on Futur. I feel as though I would only be lying to myself if I were to perform strategy for a client BUT I was not up to scratch with my own company strategy.
I don't want to become a brand who doesn't practise what they preach and I want my clients to see that I am able to perform the services I will be offering them, for myself.
This will include a Mission Statement (I think that was the first few minutes of the video @ ). I completely agree on how difficult that is, however, I like the value profile model - WHO, WHAT, HOW TO SOLVE.
Just to clarify on the middle segment - Accounting for error - (@ ) - I have charged somebody (MORE LIKE THEY SIMPLY PAID ME) - R2500 OR about $200 to film for 3 days and perform an edit which took me about 3 months to complete. I have also worked on projects until completion for free with NO way to redeem my earnings from the client. What I've learned, are the different ways it hurts. You see, because I was working at the time I didn't realise just how bad it was, however, I now think more critically about the Freelancer who is sitting at home and will accept minimum pay to perform extraordinary amounts of work because they are desperate for the business.
I can confidently say that after being a part of the process for a good few videos now (50+), I will NOT be held responsible for the degradation of creatives by reducing my rates & I will inform other creatives of their disservice to the community by undercharging and undervaluing other creatives work during the bidding process, which even I have been guilty of in the past. Little did I know just how shallow minded I was being.
However, I am older and wiser now. 3:02AM
I have work in the morning - thank you all for always bringing the STEAK, I will probably be writing one of these long ass comments in one of your videos which I will watch tomorrow.
Cheers.
good for you Sahil! now, get some sleep and let those ideas cook.
one of the best education channel in youtube and in the internet
Thanks
Watching this after covid-19 layoff.
Same boat here. Spent the last week doing some long overdue folio website updates and now binging on Futur vids to get into that "make yo own money" mindset
I recently jumped into the freelance world. It can be tough at times. This channel has provided so much valuable insight and knowledge to me. Huge fan. Thanks!
thanks alex. it can be brutal out there in the streets of real life. keep your head high.
Mr. Do, your philosophy in the business of design, inspired us to incorporate. And it works!!! we felt more confident than ever! and can mark up (reasonably) with our clients :) so a massive grateful thank you!
nice. Thank you.
God this is gold. Seriously Chris your changing my life man, I'll own a successful shop and large part will be thanks to you thanks man. I'll send that 10% lol
looking forward to that #tenPercent Rene.
This was great, man. Appreciating The Futur content very much and finding it motivational. Great job guys
that moment when you realize you just came across a gem. Bro this is amazing series of informative videos.
+chillhomie7 Thanks and dig in. We have a lot more content coming your way.
Watching to Chris Do under that light is instant peace
Thank you Chris for taking the time and sharing your knowledge to those in the world who need advice, like me , in the process of starting my own design studio!
Ariana Fridman you are very welcome!
I totally loOoOove the opener Lol! 🔥🔥🔥
I agree with those who say this interview is a great help and concisely delivered.
I'm a UK based designer who is looking at starting up a product development practice and this puts allot more reassurance in my little steps.
I'm learning SOOOOO MUCH from this channel!! So glad I subscribed!!! Thank you guys!!!
Thank you
Chris!!! This is so so soooo helpful!! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUUUUUCh!!!!!!!!
You’re very welcome
Thanks God I found this channel. There is so much helpful stuff !
26:00 in the bid segment, would you suggest showing line by line the general categories of costs and fees like you did, or would you do a more broad "Website design" and just bring in the artist fee and producer etc into one item?
Read proposals shouldn't be so technical, but I'd love your opinion.
there are a number of approaches, but i favor the lump sum bid broken into deliverables or phases. i want to describe very clearly what the client will get vs. what i put in. the two aren't always a direct correlation. someone slow can take a really long time and have a poorer result. hope that helps.
i loved this episode so much. So much of those questions that i have been longing for an answer has been clearly given here. Thank you so much for this.
Wow, this is an incredible episode. I love it. I thank you for the information, and the insightful, it has helped me a lot. Thank you very much.
Definitely one of the best videos. Straight to it! Keep it up guys!
Over the past couple of days I've watched a lot of your videos - and I'm really impressed with all of them, especially this one. I've been looking for a lot of answers and I may have found them. Thank you ever so much.
You are certainly welcome. What question were you looking to have answered?
+The Skool Network In a nutshell: how to be professional, how to get paid and how much to ask for (among many other things)... Your videos are invaluable at this time. Once I have viewed all of them I'll know more of what specifically i need to ask, and in how much detail.
+stu k keep digging. You are at the beginning of your journey. We will be here to help.
+The Skool Network Will do. Thanks for the encouragement.
Thank you so much Chris, I loved the bidding table and combining all the costs that I don't usually think of. The idea of what would it cost for someone else to do the work is brilliant - definitely takes me out of the 'do it all myself' model. I loved all these questions and really enjoy the way you succinctly answer them. Thanks heaps!
thanks Rebecca.
That breakdown on the whiteboard was #GOLD.among other great insights. Thank you so much!
You are brutally straightforward, but to me you make scenes. I can understand you, Best mentor one can wish. Thank you.
This episode feels like it was directed straight at me. Great one. Thanks, Chris and team
everything about this conversation was perfect. thank you 🙏🏾 ❤
Thank you
Very informative. I appreciate you sharing the process.
Helpful, informative, easy to follow. Thanks a ton Chris!
sweet. thanks.
2021 and this content is still useful. The Futur, you are doing well.
This was seriously amazing +Chris Do. Really to the point. We would love to hear more details about bidding and how to justify your bid to the client.
+Anmar Al Gaboury Happy to do this. Deeper dive on bidding. Do you ever sign up for the webinars that we run? I field questions like this and answer you directly.
I am writing a bid right now based on this formula. Great content.
Chris you guys are on a big time roll. Awesome episode, I plan to watch it twice but while I watched the first time a question popped up for me. You stated that really, you could sell your company and really based on your skills and confidence continue to make a living. The question I have for you is if you were starting again with 20/20 being your asset, how would you build your business today ? Would you build a team and focus on sales ? Or would you keep it small and mobile using only what you needed to get the jobs done ? Or would you take on most of the work yourself ?
Great question. I need to think about it.
***** well said brother..! What things would you change or approach differently given your experience if you had to start over tomorrow.
Chris Do great response..! I thought you might answer that way...so by your answer I'm guessing you would be more of a project manager vs a straight designer. I'm guessing you would also be the sales closer too. I thank you and the always entertaining ***** for this valuable.....Scratch that Extremely valuable episode...I may watch it a third time...lol you guys are on a roll..! I think you've found your sweet spot...thank you
Just curious how you'd describe our sweet spot. What do you get out of watching us?
Great question ...I won't go way back but for me the last few months have been awesome. Everything from the rebranding of the show to the subject matter to the guest has been value packed. I think you guys honing in on what we the viewers wanted has helped to take you guys deeper and us (the viewers) deeper than the surface stuff. You both have given us a bigger slice of what makes you both tick. For you Chris exposing us to your business coach was wonderfully deep. For Jose, he's shared some deep feelings and has shown his more serious side which allowed me to understand his passion even more. The studio audience addition on some of the episodes makes the show more cohesive. The Unfiltered segments with Mr. Pao are brilliant to me. It was another voice other than you and Jose proving your message to us. Jose's interview with Mr. Chong was awesome. All of these things bring so much value. I don't think there is another person or team doing it like you two. There are people who speak about the "Freelance" world. Others who preach, "sell value not commodity" but they are not as thorough as you two. I think you guys are delivering a great product. Everything from my viewpoint seems to be working together really well.
I am just starting to adore you guys...i would like to see more of your videos for sure :)
+Bhupesh Jawade why just stop at adoring? Go for full on Bromance.
You guys are blowing my mind. Thanks for awesome advice. Go Chris!
Jen carlson hi Jen. Come to our workshops sometime.
Thank you so much Chris for taking the time to teach us about the Business of Design...your lessons are very helpful in my career! I appreciate it very much. Cheers!
You’re very welcome.
great video, and still relevant. Fantastic questions Frank Shi. I do wonder what his up to now, as the video is getting older 🤔
6 yr old video, still amazing relevant in 2022(always in the futur) 😉!
What are some examples of design positions? I'm currently working in manufacturing engineering but have always had a strong passion for visual design. Working in engineering has given me a highly logical, business minded, problem solving mentality and I want to be able to utilize that in my designs. I've been looking into UX design, but I believe there may be other options out there to fit my skill set. Any suggestions?
So much value in this content, futur. Love the videos
Design positions: Creative director, art director, graphic designer, interface designer, layout artist, print production designer, industrial designer, concept designer (characters, spaceships, worlds), transportation designer, UX, exhibit designer, way finding designer, business designer (my favorite).
If you come from engineering, try industrial design, it's badically product design but you can have a lot more technical background behind it than just drawing the product.
I just subscribed to your channel and I'm Loving it. The videos I've seen so far, cover a lot of "dark areas" in running your business in graphic design; information not found anywhere else in a way as good as you present it. Thanks
Orlando Ontiveros welcome Orlando. We are shining a light into the darkness.
Love this episode, hearing your views has suddenly enlightened me. Thanks.
+Grace Zeng Glad to shed a little light on your world. What do you do?
+Chris Do I do UI design for a living in China, and our team is facing a lot of problems that mentioned in this vid, such as team management and sell the fantasy to clients.
+Grace Zeng wow. how did you find us? youtube is banned in china.
Chris Do Well, curiosity could fly us everywhere. haha...
So informative, So inspirational... Best design channel on youtube
we agree : )
Man this is such a useful talk here. Thank you so much Chris Do and team at the Futur. You guys are amazing.
David Saucedo thanks buddy.
This is awesome! So much knowledge!
+Zak Ross Glad you got value out of this Zak.
Awesome episode!
Best part: I'll show "the viewers" how to bid. :)
its so difficult to find such intensely informative and fully concrete knowledge. awesome stuff
Nicolas Ramirez thanks!!
Such a powerful episode.
Great content! I'm a huge fan of the win without pitching manifesto. Also really glad you never shied away from money talks :)
I wouldn't say "never" but I learned how to get comfortable talking about money. this was not easy for me to do when I was younger. Money had such negative associations attached to it, until i realized it didn't need to be.
Congrats on this episode guys. Always a fantastic job but this one in particular was amazing. Finally someone who is not afraid of talking numbers. And as always, production value is topline.
+F Javier Escorihuela exactly! I've been waiting for this video for a long time!
+dev ochre Glad we finally put it out there.
Love these videos man! Please keep them up!
our channel is full of videos like this.
The Futur I would love to stop by the studio
Dude the bid example is about to change my life!!! Thank you!!!!
like a boss!
This is amazing asking all the right questions and giving the right answers very impressive
Thank you.
Keep doing what you're doing man you're helping myself and a lot of others navigate their lives in this confusing ass world of start-up and business. Please keep it up and dont start giving us inspirational BS like many others end up resorting to, not that thats bad on its own but Real useful knowledge is still always the most important, so thanks for doing what you're doing =)
I can only be me. People will have to like it or leave it. Straight, practical information is what I strive to deliver.
i've been binge watching your channel, and damn this channel is one of the most under-viewed channels i've come across, Its so high quality its unbelievable that this isn't getting more views. Plus you don't plug your own website content for purchase, that is so respectable man. and quite frankly you dont need to, the content that you have on this channel is obviously very insightful and legitimate, It eliminates doubt about the purchasable content on its own, one qustion tho,
given that this channel appears to mainly revolve around design, as someone who knows nothing about design and is mainly interested in learing business oriented things, is there any of that purchasable content good for me? or do i have to be in the design field for it to be relevant for me?
+Polarwhisper6 hmmm. Tell me more about your needs/challenges. You might consider our subscription plan to join our mentoring group.
Also DM me on FB.
That's so cool at the end. I so agree that your life is your work and you should find something that completes you. Same way, building up my company now, I'm trying to build a group of best friends with amazing skills that live an amazingly fulfilling life.
I'm sooo gonna buy that book! Thanks again Futur people! Looking forward to join the community very soon and buy a bunch of your products. I'm already working on redesign of my process with things i learned for your process.. Can't wait to dive deeper!
Waiting for the day when there will be someone like Chris, but teaching for Industrial Designers. Still, this has been extremely useful, since graphic design is my side hustle.
how are the concepts different? can't they be applied across verticals?
Great episode! This is what I needed to hear and learn when I first started my design business (thou I lost at least 5-figures due to non paying clients) wished that the business of design was taught in school. Even now that I am an educator myself, I still got so much to learn and pass onto my students. Thanks you so much @TheSkoolNetwork for your videos and words of wisdom :)
We couldn't agree with you more. All designers need to learn some key business principles if they want to be taken seriously in the real world.
GOLD 💎
It takes knowledge and experience to feel more confidence in what you do in that career to explain yourself well and to get your messages across to sell yourself, as you know.
For that bid chart at 25:00, what about if you run a solo design business? Do you just compute for the Artist (aka yourself) plus a producer (also yourself), then add the 10-30% markup for overhead (equipment, taxes, etc)? Hope you answer, and thanks!
i would use fair market value for a base. what would it cost you to hire someone else to do the work. the fact that you do it yourself shouldn't be factored in. you might be slower/faster than the average.
Great Video! Thanks for sharing Chris! Your wisdom is valuable.
+Gabriel Smetzer Thank you Gabriel.
This has been so helpful. Thank you ❤️
Man youre great, thank you for these videos, so much knowledge, awesome
Macrive Mazzola you're welcome. Please share with your friends.