damselfly digital

"You don't create systems because you don't trust your clients. You create systems because you respect your time, your team, and the quality of the work you're delivering." Kady Sandel The biggest change I've made in my business over the last few years wasn't raising my prices. It was raising my standards, and putting solid systems and structures in place to reflect that. For independent consultants, freelancers, and creative service providers, a well-written service agreemen

“Do what you do best and outsource the rest.” Peter Drucker Many organizations treat marketing like an expense... A line item for a freelancer to hire. A department that makes things look good. A cost center that gets cut when budgets tighten. But when you step back and look at how businesses actually grow, the role of marketing is so much bigger. Marketing is one of the few functions in an organization responsible for creating demand. Think about it...While operations delive

There are few business acronyms capable of triggering simultaneous anxiety, exhaustion, and skepticism quite like three little letters: RFP. Short for 'Request for Proposal', an RFP is a formal document organizations use to solicit bids from vendors, consultants, agencies, contractors, or service providers for a specific project or initiative. In theory, RFPs exist to create fairness, transparency, and structure. In practice, they often become bloated procurement exercises th

Picture this: You're suddenly unemployed and there is a blank slate in front of you: a rare opportunity where you can write your OWN future for a change. Which path will you take? Going back to the familiar hell of the 9-5 life, or venturing into the terrifying unknowns of self-employment. For millions of creative professionals, going back to a job, or starting their own business is the Ultimate Career Dilemma. But not everyone is on the same playing field. For many, the ris

When life hands you lemons, go freelance. Like so many, I fell into freelancing accidentally and thus, quite reluctantly. I had actually had fantasized about the freedom and flexibility of being self-employed for years but fought that idea tooth and nail -- clinging to the familiarity and stability of traditional 9-5 employment. I believe everything in life happens in the right timing and in the right way, but more often than not it's going to be what you planned on. It's goi