Photo: plantoo47
Several years ago, while I was working in marketing for an online travel website, I decided that it would be the year that my business would take off and I would quit my day job. Little did I know that a few months later I would be let go… because it was assumed that I could not move to work in the home office of the company (I had been working at home for several years, but now there was an issue?) And they were right to assume that. But my point is that I was actually forced to make my business work.
At that point I had not build up enough clientele to design as a full time job, so to supplement my income I worked as a night club promoter as well. It was fast, easy money, and allowed me to network with other club promoters to gain a significant amount of business.
I was so busy trying to make ends meet, that I had no time or desire to design anything aside from club flyers, and to work in the club. This gig lasted for roughly two years, and then I got absolutely sick of night life – including flyer design… and I would go as far as saying including graphic design altogether.
A business will never work without a plan. Without proper promotion. Without applying the correct attention to the market you want to capture and grow in. So needless to say, my business was stagnant.
Fast forward to the last quarter of 2012
I gained my love for modern graphic design again. I reached deep down inside and found out what made me love this industry. Why it was my passion since I was a teenager. I also took the time to define exactly what I wanted to design, and where I wanted my business to go.
This time I can say that this is the year that I would like to take my business to the next level. I plan to make this website a great resource for those seeking graphic designers, as well as for graphic designers by sharing my years of graphic and design knowledge, along with new things I’m learning such as SEO.
Speaking of SEO. In my previous post I mentioned that I bought a niche site. The plan (at the time) was to add a bunch of useful content and get it ranked and cranking in money ASAP! But, upon sitting back and taking time to evaluate my business plan, I decided I needed to work on this site to get it to a certain place, and then focus on a new site. My modern graphic design portfolio already has lots of content, so I only need to work on making what I currently have better. And back links. I am currently using Pat Flynn’s The Backlinking Strategy That Works method. I can’t report on how it’s worked, as I only started using it for this website today.
If you are planning to go that route for your websites, I highly recommend using Free Article Spinner Online. It works just as well as the article spinning software that Pat promotes (which costs $77.)
Since my last update I updated the content on every page of my modern graphic design website. So please have a look around and let me know what you think.
Nice article. With the right passion and hustle, you will make every one of your goals happen. Have faith – “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson
Thanks! My goal is to do at least 1 productive task related to my site per day (ideally more) to get where I’d like to be. My domain is 7 years old. It’s about time I start driving traffic to it instead of just letting it randomly find me.