When you’re working through the stages of visually branding your business and thinking about logo and website design (whether you are building from scratch or doing a total redesign) the #1 question to ask yourself is, “can I handle this myself or should I hire a pro?”
While I am all for DIY-ing (to an extent) especially when your business is your baby — and we all know that funding can be limited to a small budget when it comes to first starting out — I’m also a big believer in hiring the RIGHT team members to help you grow your biz early on. The reason for this? You will make back the money that you spend (plus more) when you’re smart, strategic and make solid investments in professionals upfront. Not only will they help position you to look professional (which will attract more customers and sales to you) but they will also save you a lot of time, money lost and stress down the road.
Steve Jobs once said: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
How true is that?! Leave professional work TO the professional. Below are 3 big reasons why as a “non-designer” business owner, you should hire a designer. And, if in opposite fashion, if you are a designer and need to remember why people should hire YOU, these are for you, too...
You wouldn’t have an accountant do plumbing work for you.
Let a professional do their job! Think about it. They have the proper training, education, general knowledge, skill sets, tools and software that you simply don’t (or don’t know how to use.) If you’re not a mechanic, you probably won’t know how to fix the engine in your car. If you’re not a surgeon, you wouldn’t know the first thing about how to operate on a human! If you’re not a teacher, you don’t have the proper certifications and licensing to stand in front of a classroom of students and teach. The thought behind this is really that simple. A skilled professional will also have the ability to work quickly, meet deadlines and exceed expectations. You’re going to end up sitting there, quite frankly, wanting to slam your head against the desk after hours upon hours, because you don’t know where to even start with what you need or how to design it, what applications or programs to use, how to properly troubleshoot a simple issue, what formats to save a file in, how to prepare files for digital export or printing, how to setup the domain and hosting for a website and the list goes on and on (and on…)
You should spend your time focusing on what you’re good at and enjoy.
You only have so many hours in the day. If you’re a service provider, you’re literally exchanging hours for dollars. If you’re building products and creating courses, you’re pouring an unlimited amount of time into developing those materials. Therefore, time is money! There are a million important things that you, as a business owner, should be spending time on, from the actual management and operational side of things. You will need to have good client-getting practices in place and always find strategies that will grow your business each month, quarter and year. So, again, leave skill set-specific work to the professionals! Hire people who are good at what they do — and let them shine! Be mindful of how YOU best spend YOUR time… doing the “boss tasks” that really require your attention and expertise… and outsource the rest! You can literally get back the hours that you spend trying to do design or copywriting or bookkeeping or social media — and put that time to better use! All while knowing that those other areas of your business are in good (and better) hands! Remember, the CEO of Starbucks doesn’t work the drive-thru line!
A good investment will result in a good relationship.
Working with the right designer and forming a solid partnership with them is one of the smartest moves that you can make in your business, long-term. A designer is a crucial member of your team. If they work remotely, they will basically become a virtual “go-to” contractor for you, who can and will handle all creative aspects of your brand. When you have someone like this at your fingertips, you can rest easy knowing that the design and branding aspects of your business will be able to flourish and evolve overtime — and grow with your business. Your designer will care and understand the brand inside and out — and therefore, bring out the best in it and make smart decisions around it. Like with any good team member, you will be able to have trust and transparency with them — and know that your design efforts are professional and polished. They will only make you look better!
