This week we’re back with the gang and digging into some listener questions. It’s been quite a while since we’ve done this, but we have some fantastic questions lined up. So without further ado, let’s get into it!

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Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] Tom welcomes the team back to the show and into the new year.
[2:20] Lucy Giller asks: “What are the biggest business changes made by the hosts in 2018?
[3:30] Tom shares where he has narrowed his focus on his own business.
[4:00] He is enjoying more networking and less being in a bubble.
[5:00] Getting to know people better builds your networks.
[7:00] You need people to scale your business.
[8:00] Enriching your personal life.
[9:00] Knowing you have help is a relief.
[10:20] Dustin explains implementing high value – low value tasks within Retro Supply Co.
[11:20] Dustin shares a powerful quote from John Maxwell.
[13:15] Ian shares that his 2018 was less than impressive.
[14:00] Dealing with frustration, shifting focus and building new skills.
[15:00] Never underestimate the power of a foundation year.
[16:00] Ian shares how and why 2018 left him feeling frustrated.
[17:00] The trap of comparing past success with new work or products.
[18:00] No ones going to hit it out of the park every time.
[19:00] Even the greats have lows and highs.
[20:00] Tom offers to assist Ian with scaling and marketing.
[21:00] Ian expresses how important and overlooked marketing is in school.
[22:30] Word-of-mouth is great but you need to diversify your marketing.
[23:00] Marketing vs. trigonometry
[24:20] Pushing your brand when you have no marketing background.
[25:30] Lisa took courses to strengthen her marketing skill set.
[26:30] Dustin shares his marketing/coffee analogy.
[27:10] Tom refers to Dustin’s recent appearance on The Futur.
[28:30] Find the piece you like about marketing and focus on it.
[29:00] Practice make better.
[31:00] Kaley Reed asks: “how do you know you’re in your niche?”
[32:00] Lisa talks about discovering your niche.
[33:35] Commercial value + passion = your niche
[34:25] Don’t worry about pivoting.
[35:00] When picking a niche consider industry saturation.
[36:30] Finding a pocket within a niche where you fit.
[37:10] Do what you love. Not what you think others will love.
[38:00] Dustin shares a story from The Alchemist.
[39:00] Tom shares a secret to discovering your niche.
[40:00] Don’t put yourself in a box.
[41:30] Raven Renee & Laura Hines ask: “Where to find inspiration?”
[43:00] Lisa and Tom share where and how they find inspiration.
[45:30] Dustin’s early experiences with designing products for sale.
[46:00] Stop emphasizing and just make the idea.
[47:00] Crash the over thinking machine.
[48:00] The inspiration brick wall.
[49:00] Ian talks about breaking from the norm to kill creative block.
[50:00] It’s hard to not focus on the hearts, thumbs ups and subscribers.
[51:00] The validation hamster wheel.
[52:30] Brilliant work that garners very little attention.
[53:00] Focusing on the things you can control.
[54:00] Favorite creativity books.
[55:30] Tom asks the crew if any encountered creative block as a child.
[56:00] Making for the fun of it.
[57:00] Noticing the difference between fatigue and creative block.
[58:30] Creative refresh starts with seeing the creativity around you.
[59:00] The book – “Draw Paint Print like the Great Artists”
[1:00:00] The Honest Designers Book Club
[1:01:00] And that’s a wrap!

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“A must for every creative freelancer (or those aspiring to freelance). Thank you for being so… honest! Such a wealth of information from people I admire who have ‘been there and done that’. Listening to the podcast every week feels like I’m among friends. Can’t wait for more episodes!”AG_GD