Becoming More Profitable: A Freelance Graphic Designer’s Transformatio
Executive Summary
After 4 months of revamping his operational workflows and client communication, Hendry, an independent graphic designer, achieved the following results:
THE VISION
His goal was to create a structure that allowed for better project management and client communication.
Hendry, a talented independent freelance graphic designer wanted to improve his profitability while maintaining the high standards of his work. His goal was to create a structure that allowed for better project management and client communication without over-servicing or compromising quality.
The Challenge:
Scope creep due to a lack of structured project management system, leading to uncompensated additional work.
Inconsistent client communication, resulting in mismatched expectations and unnecessary revisions.
Reduced profit margins as projects frequently ran over time and budget.
The Strategy:
To address these challenges, we developed a comprehensive plan to streamline project management and improve client communication, ensuring sustainable growth and profitability.
The Approach
Introducing a Structured Project Management Framework:
Implemented a project management tool with clear workflows to manage timelines, deliverables, and responsibilities.The tool was also optimized for better process tracking to help with identifying delays in real time.
Created a formal process for managing scope changes, including a system to capture and approve changes before work continued.
Enhancing Client Communication:
Developed a consistent communication plan with regular milestone updates to keep clients informed and engaged.
Automated notifications for progress updates and scope change requests to minimize manual effort and improve transparency.
Providing Training and Support:
Delivered one-on-one training sessions to help Hendry confidently adopt the new tools and processes.
Monitored progress during the initial implementation phase and provided real-time feedback to address any challenges.
Results
The Results
Metric
Before
After (6 months)
Projects completed on or under budget
65%
89%
Average project profit margin
22%
30%
Client retention rate
70%
83%
Monthly project capacity
6
8
Non-billable time
25%
15%
Client Feedback
The changes we made to my project management and client communication processes have given me great control back over my workload and improved my relationships with my clients. I feel more professional, and my clients trust me more because they are well-informed throughout the design process.
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