INTRODUCTION

Hello, and welcome to the e-book: “Arch Viz Artist. Let’s talk business”!

Presumably, you are a 3d artist, architect, or designer who works full-time, is a freelancer, or
has a small business. However, something is not right, you have troubles with finding new
clients, they don’t want to pay you as you want, even though you work hard and do your
best. Perhaps, you are tired of all of this, you want to know what you are doing wrong, how
to change to get the effects you wish for... or as an employee you want to know how to
prepare yourself to avoid all the common mistakes…

Well, we believe this e-book will be a great starting point for you.

Even if you are in the business for a while, and you think you know everything, you can still
find something new here, take advantage of this knowledge and implement it.

The thing is that in creative fields there is not much talk about the business side of the
industry. We discuss a lot: how to create beautiful works, how to present our work, etc. but
as artists, most of us don't have any knowledge about how to run a business. We feel that
business topics are not taken seriously by too many artists. They think that they do what
they love, they follow their passion and just because of that everything else will follow it…
...and in some ways it is true, but you need to help your happiness a bit ;)

We believe that not developing any business skills and not gaining business knowledge is
a big mistake if you want to work on your own, and this is why we decided to change it...

We want to help you, give you some tips, show you that business is a real thing, and
encourage you to explore this topic more...

In this e-book, we will look at why it is worth it to have your own business, what keeps you
away from owning successful business and what to do to make it work for you.

Hopefully, it will give you some useful insights into having a business in the creative field!

AGA & ADAM

 AB OUT AUT HORS

AGNIESZKA & ADAM KLICH

Black Balance Studio

NUMEROUS JOURNEYS AND EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE GAINED IN AUSTRALIA, THE UNITED

STATES AND EUROPE HAVE SHAPED OUR VIEW OF THE WORLD, GAVE A HUGE DOSE OF
INSPIRATION AND DRIVEN US TO ACTION. WE FOUNDED BLACK BALANCE STUDIO WITH
PASSION FOR CREATING, EVOKING EMOTIONS AND CREATING VALUE. THE PERSONALITIES,
THAT COMPLEMENTED EACH OTHER, FORM OUR TEAM IN ORDER TO MEET YOUR
EXPECTATIONS IN THE BEST WAY.

DURING OUR PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY, WE WORKED FULL-TIME, WE WERE FREELANCERS

AND WE HAVE HAD OUR OWN BUSINESS. WE KNOW THE ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF EACH OF THEM AS WE HAVE BEEN THERE. NO MATTER AT WHAT
POINT YOU ARE NOW, WE KNOW YOUR DILEMMAS AND POTENTIAL STRUGGLES, WE
UNDERSTAND WHAT FEELING IT IS TO BE AT THESE POINTS. BUT ALSO, WE HAVE
SOLUTIONS FOR THE PROBLEMS YOU MAY BE FACING RIGHT NOW.
 WHY SHOULD YOU
CONSIDER HAVING
A BUSINESS?

WHY IS IT WORTH IT?

THE REASONS WHY TO START

Now, in the introduction, we’ve mentioned that
we believe that business is a real thing and it is
supposed to be taken seriously… however it’s not.
Why should artists consider having a business?
Simply speaking, it gives you limitless, never-
-ending possibilities. However, we want
emphasize here that it doesn’t mean
everyone needs to have their own business. The
thing is that it’s not for everybody, some people
will be happier in full-time positions, and that’s
totally fine.
As at the end of the day, it is all about your joy
and happiness, isn’t it? ...And we should spend
our lives on things that give us fulfilment.
However, if you feel that having a business is for
you, you want to take a challenge or you have
already taken it, let’s discuss this topic more. As
mentioned, your own business can give you
endless possibilities and starting it may be the
best adventure you will take part in.
Let’s discuss together the main advantages of
having your own business...
First of all, it gives you freedom. And for all people
who believe that freedom is a key in life, having
a business can be a blessing. As it means that you
are your own boss, you decide when you work
to and how you work, you determine what you work
that on, you choose projects… You can control your
lifestyle and your schedule. You can follow your
passion and do exactly what you want in life.
Caution!!!
If you run your business without any strategy and
knowledge, it is most likely that you will be tied
to your business instead of being free. It happens
a lot that people are not really business owners
but their business is what owns them.
Example: If you cannot leave on holidays without
stress and constant feeling about your coming
back to the office, this is a bad sign. You are
probably owned by your business and this is not
freedom!
Another great thing about owning a business is
that it gives you meaning and purpose in life.
You are the person who controls your destiny.
You, as a business owner, have control over your
success or failure. There is nobody else who can
stop you from achieving your goals. It’s all about
having a clear goal and trying to achieve each
small part of it step-by-step.
Moreover, owning a business gives you numerous
opportunities to gain new skills and knowledge
by being involved in different aspects of it.
Sometimes it can be challenging but when you
overcome the issues, you will gain personal
satisfaction by watching how your business
succeeds.
Caution!!!
If you don’t feel any satisfaction, you can't see
your business growing, you work from month to
month without any plans, and you live by hope
to get clients but it doesn’t happen - it means
that something is not right. You've made some
big mistakes and as a result you may lose your
hope and give up.
Lastly, by having a business you can achieve
financial independence. The true beauty of
having a business is that it can generate income
without any limits and it gives you a potential for
better money than if you work full-time. With
determination and hard work, there is no cap on
how much money your business can earn. If you
aspire to build wealth, there is no reason why you
cannot achieve this goal. By running your own
business, you benefit from your hard work and
commitment
Caution!!!
There is no success without commitment and
hard work. The reason why businesses fail is often
that their owners didn’t have enough power to
keep going when it was a key. If you don’t have
self-discipline, deep willingness to overcome
challenges, and true purpose, and at the same
time, you want to have your own business - you
are in trouble.
Business has lots of attractive aspects, however
on the other hand it comes with some challenges
and it requires commitment....
 WHAT KEEPS YOU
AWAY FROM
GROWING YOUR
BUSINESS?

THE BIGGEST CHALLANGE

WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK?

Starting a business sounds like a big achievement, but maintaining it is a totally different thing. You
need to be aware that there will be challenges on the way, especially if you want to grow.

However, isn’t that how life in general works?

Indeed, if we want to succeed, we need to overcome obstacles. :)

So, let’s discuss the reasons that can keep you away from growing your own business.

An unspecified goal.
You should have a vision if you want to successfully run a business. According to that you can
create a step-by-step strategy that will help you to achieve your main vision.

Underestimating business knowledge.

Most artists don’t have any business knowledge, they are not taught it during studies, they are
not interested in the topic, or they think it’s not necessary. If you want to make money from your
passion, you need to understand that it is a business. Similarly, as you learned how to design or
create images and graphics, you need to gain adequate business knowledge and practise your
skills.

Lack of self-discipline and contribution.

Let’s say that you have a precise vision of your business. However, you couldn't stick to the plan
you had, you didn’t dedicate enough time to develop new ideas and you couldn't meet your
goals... If this is the case, that’s a big issue. You cannot become a successful entrepreneur if you
don’t contribute to your success.

Being not ready for sacrifices.

We cannot have everything at the same time. And running a business, like any other thing in the
world requires some sacrifices - sometimes it may be working long hours, another time working
really hard when others are on holidays, perhaps missing some events… Whatever it is, you need
to be aware that without sacrifice, you will not be able to successfully run your business.

There are many other things that may keep you away from your goals but it requires a deep
willingness to understand yourself. So, let us give you some tips that will help you grow your
business in the long run.
 12TH
TIPS TO HELP
YOU IN BUSINESS

HOW YOU CAN GROW YOUR

BUSINESS IN THE LONG RUN?
UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF YOUR MINDSET AND
LEARN HOW TO USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.
Tip #1

We are shaped by our thoughts, our decisions are based on our life approach and personal
attitude to specific things. You may think that business is a completely different aspect of
your life, but the truth is that we make all our decisions based on our personal beliefs.

For this reason, it is crucial to understand ourselves, understand our way of thinking and how
we make decisions. You may think that this is a waste of time however we guarantee you that
your mindset is a foundation to everything you do in your life.

People can spend hours on living somebody’s else's lives, f.ex. scrolling through social media,
exploring other people's images, reading about celebrities... but for some reason, they have
such troubles to spend their time on developing themselves.

Is it your case? Be honest with your answer, only you will know it.

If this is your case, we encourage you to spend time on working on yourself. Asking questions
that will help you understand who you are and what you truly think and want. Power of
mindset is a wide topic but when explored, it will change your life - both personal and
business life - drastically for better. You will find out that thanks to understanding yourself,
you will be able to succeed in any field you want.
HAVE A PLAN AND STRATEGY!
Tip #2

Every action requires some planning. In business, it is essential for many reasons. So as
mentioned before, you need to have a clear vision - a dream goal you want to achieve.
According to this, you need to create a strategy - a list of tasks to do to achieve this final
vision. Not only running a business become easier and more effective, but also decision-
making won't be an issue anymore.

Besides, it’s easier to track progress, understand challenges and learn from mistakes. As if you
don’t know where you are going, how can you check all of this? So create a strategy for
starting/growing your business, make sure you have a plan and you know what to do step-by
step.
ORGANIZE YOUR TIME.
Tip #3

The more effective your business is, the more money your company will generate. However, it
all starts from you as a business owner. To be able to organize time in your company, you first
need to know how to organize yours.

One of the most important rules to follow is to focus on one thing at the time! If you think
about many things or try to do a couple of things at the same time, you really don’t do any.
It's an ineffective and unproductive way of dealing with time.

Second rule is the skill of prioritizing. You need to have a capacity for selecting important and
unimportant tasks. If you are stuck on doing small unnecessary things, you will not have
enough time to focus on what really matters.
UNDERSTAND AND LEARN ABOUT YOUR CLIENT.
Tip #4

Building a true client avatar is a base of each business. As business can exist only if you have
clients. If you don’t understand who your customer really is, if you don’t analyze what he
thinks, how he makes decisions, where he is, etc., you cannot say that you know who your
client is. And this is such a big mistake!

This is one of the main reasons why artists struggle with finding clients - it’s because they
don’t understand who their client really is and how she/he thinks. What is even worse, most
artists assume that they understand the clients perfectly and don't take it into consideration
that they may be wrong…

Building your client avatar is a foundation to every business move - it defines how you will
market, what will be included in your offer, how you will express it, how you will
communicate with your client...
HAVE A PROFESSIONALLY-LOOKING WEBSITE
THAT DRAWS ATTENTION AND GIVES ALL NEEDED
INFORMATION.
Tip #5

In the digital world, your website is most likely to be one of the first contacts with your
potential client. But not only - your website may also influence the decision of the client you
are negotiating with. If your website doesn't look professional, they may doubt if your service
is professional. For this reason, you need to design your website with caution and make sure
that it includes all needed information.

Think about it this way. Your website can be the only chance you have to encourage your
potential client to contact you. If this is the case, it seems really wise to spend time on
building it. The sad truth is that most of the websites of businesses from artistic fields look
like a showcases of their works, and that’s it. Unfortunately, there is nothing there for the
potential clients, it’s more for the company - to show how proud the team is of their work.
RUN AND GROW YOUR BUSINESS SOCIAL MEDIA.
Tip #6

If you don’t run your business social media accounts, you will lose so many opportunities! First
of all, you can reach an enormous amount of people worldwide, you don’t have to limit
yourself to local clients. Secondly, you can build your brand awareness and gain a group of
loyal followers for free. You can, of course, use paid marketing (and you should) but you are
still able to grow your channels without any extra cost.

Additionally, by being visible online you build your credibility among potential customers and
you can establish connections with them. However, social media gives one more really
important possibility - you can learn more about your clients, not only by analyzing statistics
but by interacting with real individuals.
HAVE A MARKETING STRATEGY.
Tip #7

Marketing strategy is a long-term, forward-looking approach designed to promote and sell

a product or service. To create a marketing strategy, first of all, you need to understand your
client and in fact, everything should be subordinate to it. This is why we mentioned before
that understanding clients is one of the most common issues artists have. As this is
a foundation to all other business activities. If you fail on building your client avatar, you will
go wrong on everything else.

You should be able to distinguish what type of advertisement you should target to a specific
audience. The goal is to find the most efficient way to motivate your potential clients to take
a specific action (depending on the purpose). But also, you need to have a plan on how you
will measure all the data from marketing activities so you can learn from it so you can
understand if the particular strategy was effective or not.
DON’T LOWER A PRICE TO COMPETE, INSTEAD
MAKE A PREMIUM SERVICE.
Tip #8

This is probably the most common issue people struggle with in the business - earning good
money. Now, to earn more, they decide to lower the prices, so in fact they have more work
and they earn a bit more.

But… this is a trap!

When lots of people lower the prices, in the long run the whole industry is forced to lower the
prices to be able to compete. There are of course different factors that influence this but we
want to simplify it to show you the idea here.

Now...because others lowered the prices, you need to also lower them as well to compete
with bigger companies or maybe more experienced…
The thing is that if the market is looking for a cheap service, it’s really hard to raise prices…

Instead of lowering the prices, you should do everything to make your service be perceived as
premium and as a result of this, you will be able to reach clients with higher capital and
lowering prices won’t be your issue. And here come things that we’ve discussed previously:
having a precise vision, creating plan and strategy, having a website that gives an impression
of the premium service, understanding who your client is and where he can be, having a
marketing strategy… and much more. Here you can see clearly that without business
knowledge, everything falls down.
HAVE A PLAN OF COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR
CLIENT.
Tip #9

Here again, having strategy will be helpful - how your first contact with a client looks like,
how you approach client interview, how you will talk about budget, how your meeting will
look like, how will you prepare for them… And it’s not about tricking your client, it’s about how
you will be prepared for your task and who your client will perceive you based on this.

It is all about learning how to listen to your clients, how to learn about them by asking smart
questions, and what to do in particular scenarios. Of course, you cannot predict everything,
but you can predict much and feel confident when talking with clients.
LEARN THE SELLING PROCESS.
Tip #10

After you gain your client’s trust, it’s the time for selling. It’s important to understand the
concept of this. Selling is a final step, the one you want from the early beginning. This is your
final goal - to encourage your potential client to use your service.

However, before it comes, there is a whole process you need to come through:

presenting your service as the one that suits the best to your clients needs
→ Show them how you approach your service, how your service is unique among
competitors.

making your clients perceive your service as valuable for them

→ Explain to them the value of your service by highlighting opportunities and showing
them what they can gain thanks to this.

knowing how to overcome their objections

→ Have ready answers for most common objections your client may have.
presenting the prices in the way that they will think about it as a win situation for
themselves
→ presenting the prices as an investment, not an expense.
And finally, after all of these steps, you will be more likely to close the deal.
EFFECTIVELY MANAGE YOUR PROJECTS.
Tip #11

As we’ve already discussed, efficiency is a key in business. No matter if you are the one who
manages the projects or your employee will do it, you need to have a basic understanding of
how to manage projects to make them profitable.

Unless you charge hourly, you will get a specific reward that you both - you and your client -
agree on no matter how much time you will spend on the project. You are responsible for
predicting how much time you need and how to make the job the most effective.

Creating timelines, using managing tools, measuring and tracking your projects, creating
procedures, automations… - all of that will help you find the workflow that is the best to make
projects in the most efficient and smooth way.
BUILD AN ENTHUSIASTIC TEAM AND DELEGATE
YOUR WORK.
Tip #12

And finally, the business is a group of people who create it. Your goal as a business owner is
to build a team of enthusiastic, passionate people who will be a great ‘business card’ to your
company.

Here, it is important to highlight that everything that happens in your company is your
responsibility and you should approach it this way. If somebody fails the project, the main
fault is yours - as you hired the wrong person for the unsuitable task, or you did not clearly
define the tasks and responsibilities for a specific position, or you did not plan something
properly…

No matter what it is, you need to be prepared to take responsibility for the whole company
For these reasons, you should spend time on understanding who you need for what task,
considering what to delegate and for who and building your organization structure before
starting hiring.

Simply saying - you need to be a leader that people will want to follow.
SUMMARY

There are many advantages to having your own business, however the most important
question to ask are: Do you want to have your own business? Does it give you joy and
fulfillment? Is it something that you truly want?

No matter what you decide, at the end of the day - it is your life and you should be happy
with what you do. This is why, we said that true understanding yourself is a foundation, a key
to everything.

ARCH VIZ ARTIST BUSINESS

ONLINE TRAINING
If you want to go through the process of uncovering
your true wants and set up your life the way you
want it, we’d like to invite you to check out our
Arch Viz Artist Business Training where we teach
you the business side of creative fields.

Join the comprehensive online course specially

designed for arch-viz artists, architects, and all
creatives. Make your business work for you and
enjoy your life!

LEARN MORE

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