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26th out of 108 books
—
20 voters
Creative, Inc.: The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business
As the hipster classic Craft, Inc. did for crafters, this book will teach all types of creatives illustrators, photographers, graphic designers, animators, and more how to build a successful business doing what they love. Freelancing pros Meg Mateo Ilasco and Joy Deangdeelert Cho explain everything from creating a standout portfolio to navigating the legal issues of starti...more
Paperback, 184 pages
Published
July 28th 2010
by Chronicle Books
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Nov 18, 2010
Christine
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
freelancers, creative people interested in freelancing, start-up business owners
Shelves:
nonfiction,
how-to
When my sister and I run the world, all college students, no matter their chosen field, will take a basic business course as part of the mandatory freshman curriculum. Having zero business skills is a good way to invalidate any degree. In the freelance world, there’s much more to staying financially afloat than having all the necessary skills to pull off excellent work.
Creative, Inc. is a crash course in business for creative folk, and it’s refreshing to read authors who don’t pretend starting a...more
Creative, Inc. is a crash course in business for creative folk, and it’s refreshing to read authors who don’t pretend starting a...more
It was perhaps silly of me to read this book right after Craft, Inc. but I liked to see Meg Mateao Illasco's approach to building a craft business expanded to speak to creative freelance business in general. Similar to Craft, Inc. I liked the authors focus on mission statement and knowing when to stop. I also liked the author's thoughts about collaboration and how to balance your work and your life. I think they make the point very well that a creative person looking to make a go of it must defi...more
A brilliant book on freelancing – mainly in the graphic design business. It’s written by two freelancers with lots of experience, and ranges through from whether or not you should be a freelancer through to finding success and expanding your business.
The book looks lovely, it’s well laid out and type-set, and the front cover is gorgeous. The book is peppered of little line drawings and there is an ongoing orange and turquoise colour theme with text and supporting graphics, which makes this book...more
The book looks lovely, it’s well laid out and type-set, and the front cover is gorgeous. The book is peppered of little line drawings and there is an ongoing orange and turquoise colour theme with text and supporting graphics, which makes this book...more
A greatly informative book for everyone wanting to start freelancing but have absolutely no idea how (like me!). And unlike other books on a similar subject, it directly pertains to creative professionals. There are chapters on seemingly everything and pros and cons for the different topics, so it's quite unbiased.
My only criticism would be where the interviews were placed within each chapter. They are distracting being so randomly placed within the information and would be better at the end of...more
My only criticism would be where the interviews were placed within each chapter. They are distracting being so randomly placed within the information and would be better at the end of...more
This is a good little guide to help those who are in creative industries and working for themselves. It is aimed at photographers, artists, and graphic designers, so a lot of it wasn't applicable to me (I blog), but it did have some great info on trying to balance working at home with life and how to separate the two. One suggestion I think I really need to try: get out of your PJs in the morning and into some real clothes!
I am passing this book on to my mother who is an artist - check it out i...more
I am passing this book on to my mother who is an artist - check it out i...more
It's not a perfect guide, but it's a friendly motivator and even where their advice and rules don't sync perfectly (not that they ever could; we're all individuals doing different things), they at least cover all the areas you need to be thinking about and get you headed in the right direction. The interviews with successful freelancers are full of interesting and helpful tidbits. You might feel a little jealous, but hopefully more inspired :)
More specifically, the Making It Official section mad...more
More specifically, the Making It Official section mad...more
Essentially provides a checklist for starting your own freelance business (think graphic designers, photographers, animators, stylists, etc.) Covers everything from choosing a business name to weeding out bad clients to budgeting, pricing and bookkeeping.
My big complaint with this book is that the interviews with real-life freelancers highlight people who are earning $20,000 per job. Not too easy to relate to that sort of paycheck and definitely not typical of most freelancers!
My big complaint with this book is that the interviews with real-life freelancers highlight people who are earning $20,000 per job. Not too easy to relate to that sort of paycheck and definitely not typical of most freelancers!
For those who want to venture into the scary world of creative freelancing - this book is for you. Chock full of information - are you ready to freelance, picking a name for your company, insurance, how and where to publicize, should you use an agent, luring and keeping your clients - just tons of good advice. Plus, each chapter, profiles one or two successful freelancing companies. A great, little compact resource.
It's not just geared toward first-time freelancers, even though a lot of the information in the book is organized in a step-by-step way. It's encouraging and motivational enough for anyone who's been working for themselves for a while, too. Definitely a book I'll be keeping on my desk, as it was very pivotal in cementing my decision to quit my 9-5 and start up my own business.
I only got about halfway through this book, but not because it's bad - it's just not relevant to my life. I'm sure the freelancing advice is excellent, but most of the interviews are with photographers, graphic designers, and illustrators, fields I know (and care) next to nothing about. Don't get me wrong: the writing is friendly and the content is organized well. I just don't particularly enjoy reading books about business management, even those tailored to artsy people. Simply put, I am not a...more
I guess I've just read too many books on business, and attended a lot of small business seminars, but there really wasn't anything new for me in this book. It was decent, though, and I might recommend it if someone was really starting from the ground up as a creative freelancer.
Maybe because I've been freelancing for the past 8 years, I didn't really get much out of this book but maybe for someone starting out it provides good information. I did think their example on how to do an invoice is so completely wrong - one shouldn't provide an itemized list, broken down by time spent to the client. However, I did find the interviews with established freelancers inspiring and interesting.
Excellent companion to someone thinking about getting into freelance, especially someone many years out of school, totally self-taught (read: learning) in the design field and without cronies to question. This book is written on such a frank and comfortable level it's like getting pointers from a confident, seasoned friend.
Looking forward to Joy's companion book on blogging out in September.
Looking forward to Joy's companion book on blogging out in September.
A great and thoughtful introduction to the world of freelancing. Without sugar coating it, they give you the facts and make the whole thing seem possible.
This gives actually stories of artists' types who freelance their work and how they recommend starting your own freelance business out of your home at first. Good comments. Reading slowly. Motivated me to get a brand for my business, while I'm still consuming the contents. Put it down from time to time to read other books. Using it mainly as a resource to go back to for next steps as I am beginning this freelance process. Getting the brand, next is preparing the portfolio. This book does an exce...more
Probably good for freelance business owners, but I didn't find that the book really seemed to apply to my crafting business.
Nov 10, 2010
Kristine
added it
Much of this that was on my level of just starting out were actually topics just recently studied in my online classes. Perhaps in a few months or more, I'll try this again and more carefully review the advanced ideas.
A good book. Some of it's a bit redundant or obvious, but a lot of good advice written in a human style
good info... didn't go too in depth on most issues, but I just needed the basic knowledge for now, to be able to identify what I need to learn more about later.
Ik heb verbazend veel opgestoken uit dit boek. Nu de theorie omzetten in de praktijk.
view all 5 comments
Great feature bios in each chapter. A lot to think about...want to read again
I'm about 2/3 of the way through and so far this book is a slam dunk. It is helpful, well-organized and clear and has good interviews with creative professionals. I went to a freelancing workshop last week run by one of the authors. So encouraging for a creative who eventually would like to run a freelance business from home!
I skimmed through this one, since it dealt mostly with artists, but it had some good ideas for freelancers in general too.
Good, quick read. The tough parts about starting a business are glossed over (somewhat understandable when the legal and tax issues vary by state and can always change) but they do include references. Still provides a nice outline and food for thought though.
A Christmas gift, can't wait to dive in...
This book is exactly what I needed to read right now and so full of great ideas. I might even have to buy my own copy so I can reference it later!
This book definitely clarified a lot of the things I was wondering about freelancing! Such a great resource if you are relatively new to working for yourself, or just wanting a refresher on some important things to keep in mind.
Buenos tips
This book could very well be the best friend a freelancer could have. I love everything Meg Mateo Ilasco does, and this book is no exception -- it's a perfect starter guide for an artist on the verge of a career. But even though I've been a freelancer for 9 years now, this book comes in like well-needed shoulder massage. It's motivating and packed with so many great reminders & tips & interviews. Highly recommended!
Quite an inspiring and informative book, typically American with a strong feel good factor
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