Top 5 tips when starting a B2B creative agency or freelance business

Top 5 tips when starting a small
B2B creative agency or
freelance business
© 2010 Matizmo Ltd.

Introduction
As a small business owner I
know how diﬃcult it can be to
successfully start-up and
build a B2B design business.

Introduction
I’ve learned a lot in the last ﬁve
years and I wanted to share some
of the more pertinent things with
people in a similar position.

Introduction
While not an exhaustive list, they are certainly start-up
tips that I would have been grateful for.
I’ve learned a lot in the last ﬁve
years and I wanted to share some
of the more pertinent things with
people in a similar position.

Honesty is at the root of every good business relationship.
Be Honest1.

Be Honest1.
In order to land, keep and develop
a design client into an ongoing
account you need to be honest
about quality, ability, pricing,
timescales and volume upfront.

Be Honest1.
Being honest with a client
allows you to manage their
expectations throughout
the delivery process.
In order to land, keep and develop
a design client into an ongoing
account you need to be honest
about quality, ability, pricing,
timescales and volume upfront.

It also means you may lose the occasional job if you are
brutally honest about your design ability and capacity but in the
long run by developing a reputation for honesty
clients are more likely to come back and ask you again,
knowing they will get a truthful quote and answer.
Be Honest1.

Respond Fast2.
We live in a 24/7 society.

Respond Fast2.
People are online and connected to email and social
networks by a mind boggling array of electronic devices.

Respond Fast2.
Old excuses like “I didn’t get the email” or “I was out of
the oﬃce” simply do not cut it.
People are online and connected to email and social
networks by a mind boggling array of electronic devices.

Respond Fast2.
You may not be working for
an employer any more but
essentially if someone
is paying you to do
something, they are your
boss – for the moment at least.

Respond Fast2.
You may not be working for
an employer any more but
essentially if someone
is paying you to do
something, they are your
boss – for the moment at least.
Therefore, if your boss/client
sends you an email or calls you,
you need to answer them
quickly, professionally and
eﬃciently.

There is an old, but still very relevant saying that
people buy from people.
People are your
biggest asset3.

People are your
biggest asset3.
As a freelancer you need to
develop a whole host of
relationships in order to keep
your B2B business functioning.

People are your
biggest asset3.
Be they with clients, with other
providers or with suppliers, the
relationships you develop will
reﬂect the quality of
your business.
As a freelancer you need to
develop a whole host of
relationships in order to keep
your B2B business functioning.

As a freelancer your biggest asset is
your reputation.
People are your
biggest asset3.

As a freelancer your biggest asset is
your reputation.
People are your
biggest asset3.
You get your reputation not only from physical design work
delivered but from how you interact with those you
come into contact with.

The way I look at it is if a pitch for
business comes down between you
and another provider, and there is
very little to choose between the two
of you, clients will go for the
provider they like.
People are your
biggest asset3.

The way I look at it is if a pitch for
business comes down between you
and another provider, and there is
very little to choose between the two
of you, clients will go for the
provider they like.
People are your
biggest asset3.
Give them another
reason to hire you by
being the one they
can see themselves
working with.

The ideal cash ﬂow model for any start-up business is to get the
money in as quickly as possible and hold on to it for as
long as you can.
Cash Flow4.

The ideal cash ﬂow model for any start-up business is to get the
money in as quickly as possible and hold on to it for as
long as you can.
Cash Flow4.
Where start-ups tend to fall down is trying to balance the need
for incoming funds with the demands – sometimes red bill
demands – of the outgoing.

Cash Flow4.
As you begin to build
your B2B design
business you will be
able to negotiate better
terms and conditions.

These may include
staggered payments for
delivered work rather
than waiting until
completion to invoice.
Cash Flow4.
As you begin to build
your B2B design
business you will be
able to negotiate better
terms and conditions.

Likewise with your own suppliers, as you build
a reputation as someone who pays their bill on
time, you may be able to negotiate
looser terms that allow you to hold onto
cash for longer.
Cash Flow4.

Cash ﬂow in a B2B start-up is not something that you
think about when you sit down with a sheet of
blank paper trying to plan what shape your business will take,
but with a family and mortgage the need to have a steady
income each month becomes fairly acute.
Cash Flow4.

Asking why you need an accountant to do your
accounts when it is so easy to do it yourself online,
is the same nonsense argument people
use when pondering the value of hiring a
B2B design agency versus using Microsoft
to design a logo.
Get a good
accountant5.

Bottom line – professionals know what they are doing.
Get a good
accountant5.
You get a service from a professional accountant –
and a professional B2B design agency for that matter
– that you cannot match just because you can use an Excel
spreadsheet or Microsoft Paint.

Get a good
accountant5.
You get a service from a professional accountant –
and a professional B2B design agency for that matter
– that you cannot match just because you can use an Excel
spreadsheet or Microsoft Paint.
Bottom line – professionals know what they are doing.

Death and Taxes might be inevitable but while
you wait for one, you need a good
accountant to help you through
the quagmire of the other.
Get a good
accountant5.

Get a good
accountant5.
As a start-up and as a B2B business that runs almost exclusively from
home (apart from a few well placed Starbucks research days) you
may be entitled to a tax break on your outgoings from some
of your earnings.

Accountants for small start-up businesses are fairly inexpensive
and as a contractor report to you on time, or Tax deadline.
Get a good
accountant5.
As a start-up and as a B2B business that runs almost exclusively from
home (apart from a few well placed Starbucks research days) you
may be entitled to a tax break on your outgoings from some
of your earnings.

Summary
Starting a small B2B design agency is not
an easy ride but it is rewarding.

Summary
By taking advice from people like me who have experienced the
bumps in the road already, you can at least begin to
smooth out the terrain ahead.
Starting a small B2B design agency is not
an easy ride but it is rewarding.

Matizmo Ltd
Call: +44 (0) 1285 643180
Visit: www.matizmo.co.uk
Email: info@matizmo.co.uk
6–8 Dyer Street
Cirencester
Gloucestershire
GL7 2PF

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