Does My Business Really Need a Designer? To Hire or Not to Hire
As a small business owner, every penny counts. Or does it? When is the right time to hire a designer for your brand identity?
It depends on your goals.
Chances are, if you’ve set out to pursue your dream of owning a small business, you’ve found that it is a hundred times more consuming and resource-intensive than you could have imagined. You want to make a profit, but chances are that does not encompass of your entire motivation. You’re also looking to build relationships in the community, provide a product or service that helps others, and make an impact. However, you might have found that doing everything yourself is leaving you strained, with less time than ever performing meticulous tasks like checking emails or cleaning out your space.
While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to grow as a business financially, think of money not as a resource to be stockpiled but as a means to an end.
What are Your Business Goals?
Ask yourself:
What are your goals for the business?
How can money help me reach those goals?
The 3 Exchanges
On his YouTube channel, Ali Abdaal explains three exchanges in relation to money.
- Time for money – You trade your time to earn more money.
- Money for time – You exchange your money to save time by outsourcing a task to a person or app.
- Time for Assets – You invest your time to build skills that will help you make more money in the future.
This is a great way to think about outsourcing as a small business. You may have limited time to invest in creating a logo, in which case it may be worth it to exchange money for a professional to help. Find an option and designer that aligns with your goals and budget when you hire a designer for your brand identity.
If you are tight on finances, take an honest stock of your time and determine whether it’s worth it to put in the time to learn the skills needed to create a strong brand for your business. More often than not, you have limited time as a small business owner. Wondering what you should be budgeting for? Here are my prices. Many designers will be flexible with your budget.
But if you think learning the skill could come in handy in the future and the knowledge can help you grow the business, you may choose to invest time (and, likely, money) into learning the skill with the intent of making back your investment in the future.
Is This the Right Time to Hire?
Consider that this might not be the time for you to invest your resources in a brand identity. If you’ve looked over the three options and have determined that the goals of your business don’t align with these action steps, don’t feel pressured to make a decision. Instead, schedule a time in the future to reassess or set a milestone to reach before you consider brand identity.
I hope this post provided clarity as you are making your decision! If you’re in need of a designer, consider checking out my previous clients’ work and seeing if my goals align with yours.
