With many new startups appearing on the market every single day, there is no reason you shouldn’t go ahead and start a business of your own. Just imagine how great it would be to become your own boss and work whenever and wherever you like, right?
There are many things you can do for an online business: you can start making handmade accessories, start writing articles, consulting for SEO or Facebook marketing, and so much more. But there is a tendency that more and more people choose to learn graphic design – and no wonder why, because it brings in great money, you just need to figure out where to use your skills.
If you already have some great graphic design skills and you really enjoy creating new designs but lack ideas on how to find clients and earn money from your skills, we are going to share some great ideas for you. Try at least a couple of these tips, and you will become a successful graphic design freelancer in no time.
Create and Sell T-shirts Using a Print on Demand Platform
If you are on a low budget or simply want to earn some additional money when you are studying or working on an office job, then a print on demand platform like Printify would be perfect for you. Print on demand platforms like this has been used by startups for years now, and there is no wonder why – it is super simple to use and not costly at all.
One of the biggest benefits of using a print on demand platform for your business is that the only few things you need to worry about are picking a model of a t-shirt that you would like to sell, picking or creating a design for it, and handling the advertisement.
And for you, as a skilled graphic designer, creating a few original designs for the t-shirts shouldn’t be a problem. Yes, it is true that maybe a lot of people try out the print on demand services and do not succeed. However, keep it in mind that they usually use templated designs that cannot compete with the original designs you would create by yourself
Sell Prints of Your Work
You could come up with a few different designs that would look great as a detail of interior design and start selling them online. A poster like this will have high potential if your future customers will like the designs. Posters are a great way to change the interior of a home inexpensively.
More to it, you would be selling original posters that were made by an actual designer, which is way nicer than buying a modern poster from IKEA and then finding it in half of your friend’s homes. Another benefit is that you can sell one design over and over again – and it becomes an infinite product that only costs you to deliver. It will help a ton with the business finances.
To start selling your own prints, you will need to come up with a domain name and buy it. Then, you will need either a website that can be easily built by using a free template or a Facebook Shop. To print out your designs, you can use a local printing service or use a print on demand service to print it and deliver it for you.
Always Promote Yourself
No matter which path of graphic design business you will choose, you will still need to promote yourself and have some sort of a website – either it is an eCommerce shop for your prints or a portfolio.
Also, you will need to learn how to work with SEO; otherwise, how will people be able to find you on the internet? You can start by using Google Ads and then maybe consult a specialist that could help you get started with other aspects of SEO.
Try always to stay visible – have profiles and share your work on websites like Dribbble and Behance, do not skip on social media that is built on visual content like Instagram and make sure you have a proper Facebook business page to promote your work. Remember that no matter how good you are, people need to hear about you first.