is design an expense outside of your business goals?
You would be surprised how common it is for solopreneurs, startups, and nonprofits like yourself to overlook how your clients interact with your products or services. It’s natural to put all of your focus on developing services that provide value.
Anything outside of that main focus, such as design and technology, are often completely removed from a typical business model. Because of this, your reputation with your audience becomes something of an afterthought. And anything design related becomes nothing more than an expense.
it’s a lot to take on
By keeping these branches separate, you’re forced to take on burdens that may be outside your wheelhouse. You have to figure out what to do with this amazing product or service you’ve developed.
You need to make creative decisions, determine what kinds of marketing materials you need, and figure out how to implement all of this. This burden is massively overwhelming, especially if you’re a one person team.
Strategic design is a solution
Design as an afterthought is an expense
Does design really matter?
And what happens when things get overwhelming? They get pushed aside because they’re scary and seemingly insurmountable.
So… if design and technology are separate from your business model, what’s the big deal with just not dealing with them? Are there any real consequences? The short answer is, most always, yes. There are consequences.
User experience is a valuable asset
If design and technology aren’t a factor in your business development, you’re not considering how your ideal client is interacting with your product or service, and with your company as a whole. You’ve most likely not created any kind of brand identity or strategy, meaning there won’t be a cohesive representation of your business.
The result of this is that you have a hard time communicating with your audience about your business and your services with confidence and clarity. And when that happens, you reputation suffers, you lose the trust of your ideal clients, and your business becomes unsustainable.
penny rich, pound poor
Cost cutting can become prohibitively expensive in the long run
design is a business solution
Not an optional expense
I understand the fears you face because I’ve been there and I’ve worked with clients who have been there. It’s heartbreaking to pour yourself into products and services that create value for your clients and have it seemingly not working out.
If you’ve been in business for a while and things aren’t going the way you want them to, it’s time to approach it from a different angle. Let’s take a step back and look at all facets of your business and figure out how design and technology fits into what you do, and make a strategy that moves you toward your ultimate goals.
