You hear me talk a lot about syndication, scale-ready algorithms, and how to dominate your industry. But building a huge business might not be everyone's dream come true.
For example, many designers don't want to build a big agency or pitch projects to Coca-Cola or Virgin. They want to live in a beautiful place, do stimulating and enjoyable work, and feel like they're contributing.
Because sometimes, people want to excel at what they're doing and stay small.
They're happy working in their During Unit; they're happy being at the top of their game. And if they just didn't have to worry about where the next customer is coming from, that'd be a dream come true.
And if that's your case, if your dream comes true, just having the work come to you, without you having to go out and sell and convince people, Then, the one thing you MUST do is to build awareness. Look, even if you don't want to scale. Even if you're going to stay small, do good work, know all your clients by name, and have personal relationships with them.
You want to attract the clients that resonate with you.
But there's only one way to do that: with awareness. You must be helpful and build awareness about your work through postcards, newsletters, and podcasts. Or another kind of flagship communication—anything that lets you document and show your philosophy to an audience. And if you're worried about giving away too much for free? Don't be. Because here's the thing: You can show everything, explain everything, tell people exactly what you're doing and why you're doing it, and educate them about your whole process…
And they will still need you to help them.
Honestly, there's no fear of giving away too much. It's the opposite. People will seek out if you openly document everything you do and give freely. It's a fact. What's more, when you do this regularly and for a long enough time, You won't have to sell anymore for the rest of your business life ;)