As business owners we are often faced with a lot of daily obstacles. From something as small as organizing our messy desk, to major issues like budgets, staff and the all-important search for new and better paying clients. We grow in short and often violent spurts and before we know it, our once small operation is now a multi-personnel jigsaw puzzle of challenges. Somewhere along the way, many business owners become overwhelmed in parts of their business and let certain areas fall behind. Oddly enough, they are often the most important areas. No, we’re not talking about remembering to buy coffee filters. We’re talking about a business’ mandate. Their message…their original reason for being and more importantly, how the rest of the world knows it and understands it.

Somewhere along the way many small businesses will become to busy to continue to invest the same attention to their company’s identity as they once did. This is to be expected. After all, for your business to last long it needs this success and you the owner need to control all aspects of that growth and success in an intricate juggling magic trick. It is common with in these times of growth, that you will take a minute out of your day and look over your company with pride and then you will notice it…through all the growth, you have lost your visual edge. The look of your company has become dated or inconsistent or worse…maybe it was never really united to begin with. Many owners start their business the same way.

I need to look good, so I need a logo.
I guess I need to get some business cards…maybe a few letterheads…
I need an ad or two, but I’m sure the newspaper can make that for me…
Time to work.

The problem becomes time. Time and busy months will often stop development of your company’s identity after that initial push to get clients. The reason is a simple one. As we grow, much of our growth is return business and word of mouth. We no longer see the value that initial push of visuals did for us and we simply get too busy with our established clients and their referrals, to look at ourselves and see if we still stack up to the quality services we provide.

Have you ever noticed that old movie you loved so much as a kid looks dull and cheap when you watch it again on a lazy Sunday afternoon? The scary reality is everything ages. Including your brand. From small businesses to corporate masses like UPS, your brand will age. And if you are not willing to keep up with the times, so will your company’s voice. After all, our identity is our message. How we say what we say is as equally important as what we do for our clients and customers. Now Monday has come around again and you’re sitting in your office staring at your business card with a strong cup of coffee in hand. How did it come to this? You ask yourself. What was a nice identity a decade ago when you started is now looking dated and like that old movie…the newer companies, your competition, are looking better.

After the initial panic what comes next? The search for visual people begins. The others. There has been a line drawn in the sand box for as far back as business has been functioning in the world, between business people and creative people. It is mainly a difference in dialogue that separates these two individuals. That old mentality pops up again. For the business owner its: “They don’t understand what I do, how business works…they’re just creative and worse…I don’t understand ANYTHING they say to me.” For the creative its: “They’re just a suit. It’s all business and numbers to them. They just don’t understand why that color is better…why their ad doesn’t need all that text.”

The line has been drawn. But it isn’t necessarily in waterproof paint now is it? So how do we get past that line? How do we talk to each other? The answer is simple and scary and requires BOTH parties to do something they hate doing. Evolve. There is a growing trend in the creative world called fear. This fear has been growing ever since computers became affordable and everyone with a paint program decided they didn’t need to deal with these confusing artistically minded creative people…they can just do it themselves. But as we all know and have to admit as business people, they are better at it then us. Just like in life, having the hammer doesn’t make you a good carpenter. But instead of communicating a business owners needs versus a creative persons understanding of how your audience reads you…we draw that line. We build a wall of fear around us because we don’t want to evolve and learn. It is here that the communication breaks down. My advice, relax. Both of you. Too many business-creative relationships explode from bad communication and worse: an inability to listen to each other equally. Think of it this way; for all you creative people out there, that business owner is just as creative, just not in the same way as you. They built a company and made it a success or they are just starting to build one and know how to find things like start up capital, investors and clients. That takes talent. That takes creative problem solving. What they need from you is some one to partner with. Some one to guide them down that bumpy road and make sure their voice is visually as strong as their services without dumbing down their abilities. For the business owner: this creative person didn’t just roll out of their bed at noon after a night of parties and sugar. If you found a trained professional, they are just as skilled as you, only their mind works a little differently. Where you seen a solution to a problem, they will often see another problem in how things look and read. They are not new to business, they simply think outside the box. Embrace this outward thinking and trust them as they will need to trust you.

First, sit down and have regular talks. Not just about how much you hate your ad or how much this business owner doesn’t understand your design. Talk about other things. Things you have in common, world events. Make each other a friend and a colleague. You’ll be in this together a long time hopefully, and you need to trust each other’s judgment. Often million dollar clients will leave a design firm or advertising firm after years of service, simply because the art director or creative person they’ve dealt with has left. That is a major decision, based on trust from hundreds of hours of communication. One the most important things that will break down a business/creative relationship are cost. Everything is always too expensive or doesn’t pay enough. I’ll be the unfortunate bearer of bad news business owners creative services are expensive. However like a car, you get what you pay for. Most creative people are smart enough to see that a life long client is more voluble then a quick buck. They will work with you, but only if you work with them. It is give and take, like any relationship. Creatives need to be able to explain themselves, learn to break down the cost in your quotes and don’t be afraid to justify yourself with your experience. A lawyer with 20 years of experience is more expensive then one fresh out of school. Most importantly, work with budgets of your clients. You should never be afraid to ask for more if you think its justified and if you know your client can afford it, but you need keep an open mind. Many businesses are open to offering you barter ship in exchange for discounted rates. This is a good way to get things and services you may need, and lower your taxable income. For the Business owner, we know money is tight, but learn to work with your creative service provider. Give them your reasons. A real reason, not money is tight (and I don’t want to pay that much) and listens to their reasons for the cost. Finally, don’t be afraid to negotiate. If you get a quote and it’s way to high, our initial gut reaction is to think they are ripping us off and walk away. Instead, try sitting down with them in a non pressured environment and discussing reasons of why its too high, what you can afford and what you can offer in exchange for them working for less. I often have meetings in coffee houses, over breakfast or dinner, I’ve even had them at a picnic bench at a park near a lake on a nice summer day. The fact is if you have your high stress initial meeting on common ground, you both are more likely to relax and get more out of it, including the all important trust. Through dialogue everyone should be treated as an equal. We all provide services, we are all business people and creative people and we all need each other to prosper.

About the Author:
Todd Lawson is an internationally award winning commercial artist, designer, art director and college instructor. He continues to focus on multiple creative solutions to business problems with a special interest in how business people can work with creative service providers on a common ground.
www.toddlawson.com
Copyright (c) 2006 Todd Lawson

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 15th, 2006 at 7:55 pm and is filed under In-depth, Business, Branding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.