Hello everyone!

You can access our most recent group call HERE

✉️ “Make It Human: Outreach, Boundaries & Building Real Connections”

Here’s what we covered in this week’s mentoring session — from outreach mindset shifts and managing unresponsive clients to old-school networking, newsletters, and staying top of mind.

[00:00] Email design & accessibility
Casual start discussing the realities of email marketing design.

• Why image-heavy newsletters hurt accessibility and deliverability.

• Text-based, “plain” designs often outperform overly branded templates.

• Example: big creators’ emails are often simple text — because readability and human tone drive connection.

[05:00] Intros + community overview
Quick welcome and overview of the Creatives Help Desk — a space for honest conversation, shared challenges, and creative support without the performative pressure of “10k months” culture.

[10:00] The 100 Connections Challenge
Introduction to the Social Currency challenge by Phoebe Dodds — focused on expanding your network with genuine, meaningful outreach.

• Mapping your network and identifying potential collaborators or clients.

• Reframing outreach as connection-building, not cold selling.

• Encouragement to reach 100 new connections by the end of the year.

[20:00] Overcoming outreach awkwardness
Discussion around the discomfort of reconnecting with past contacts.

• How to shift from “asking for work” to “offering value.”

• Reframing outreach as sharing opportunities, not begging for them.

• Using empathy and curiosity — “What are they working on?” rather than “Can you hire me?”

• Approaching it like bumping into someone you know — casual, genuine, and human.

[35:00] How to handle unresponsive clients
Exploration of strategies for when clients disappear mid-project.

• The power of follow-up with clarity and professionalism.

• Setting clear feedback timelines in contracts from the start.

• Using new subject lines (“Have you seen my last email?”) to cut through inbox noise.

• Framing follow-ups around the success of the project — not frustration.

• Introducing or reinforcing boundaries mid-project if needed.

[50:00] Setting boundaries + verbal contracts
Conversation on defining expectations early.

• The “verbal contract” technique: reading key collaboration terms aloud in kickoff calls.

• Building trust and mutual accountability from the beginning.

• The difference between healthy flexibility and losing boundaries.

• Examples of restart fees, response timelines, and communication clauses.

[01:00:00] Working with multiple stakeholders
Insights on managing feedback when working with larger teams.

• Establishing weekly feedback cycles and fixed meeting days.

• Having all stakeholders sign off on the same timeline for smoother collaboration.

[01:10:00] Reaching out to local businesses
How to approach smaller, local clients with warmth and creativity.

• The value of showing up in person and building community.

• Print vs digital marketing — what still works and what doesn’t.

• Examples of creative offline marketing (handwritten cards, flyers, business cards).

• The takeaway: being memorable matters more than being perfect.

[01:25:00] Blending online + offline visibility
Reflections on combining social media with in-person networking.

• Local reputation and word-of-mouth still matter — people trust familiar faces.

• Use local outreach as relationship-building, not a sales tactic.

• The power of being “the creative person in your community.”

[01:40:00] Overwhelm, planning & creative rhythm
How to stay consistent without burning out.

• Using a “goal roadmap” to prioritize tasks by impact and timing.

• Focusing on what enables the next task instead of doing everything at once.

• Planning content around themes, energy, and what feels exciting — not just obligation.

[01:50:00] Newsletters & creative consistency
Practical discussion about starting and sustaining a newsletter.

• Simplicity wins: short, conversational, and high-value.

• Use 2–3 content themes that feel natural to you.

• Consistency matters more than perfection — even one short note a week keeps you top of mind.

• Repurpose content from socials, or share reflections that feel personal and real.

[02:05:00] Visibility & long-game thinking
Closing reflections on how opportunities build over time.

• Connections made today can lead to projects years later.

• Think in terms of clients, fans, peers, and competitors — all contribute to visibility and opportunity.

• Success often comes from being consistently visible, genuine, and helpful over the long term.

[02:15:00] Wrap-up + community reminder
Encouragement to keep connecting, collaborating, and supporting each other beyond the calls. Everyone was reminded to follow up with each other after the session — because real growth happens through relationships.

WATCH THE REPLAY

Here is the link to the recap of our group mentoring call!

Below is what we covered with time stamps

🎙 Group Mentoring Call Recap

Here’s what we covered in this week’s Creatives Help Desk group mentoring session — from finding your niche and refining your portfolio to setting client boundaries and pitching with confidence.

[00:00] Introductions + community overview
Kickoff and welcome to new members. Shared the purpose of the Creatives Help Desk — a space for connection, peer learning, and support for designers navigating business growth, creative challenges, and client relationships.

[05:00] Choosing your niche
Discussion around how to define or refine your niche:

• Exploring interests, authority, and connections as starting points.

• Niching by industry, audience mindset, or problem solved — not just demographics.

• Recognizing that your niche often evolves naturally through your work.

• Emphasis on clarity and consistency over forcing a narrow niche too early.

[15:00] Real-world niching insights
Conversation expanded into lived examples of niching:

• The pros and cons of committing to one industry vs keeping variety.

• Using past projects to identify patterns in the type of clients or industries that bring the most enjoyment and profitability.

• How showing specific types of work attracts more of the same.

• Balancing creative freedom with commercial focus.

[25:00] Identifying traits of your ideal clients
Exploration of how to niche by shared values, vision, or mindset rather than labels.

• Targeting clients who are ambitious, visionary, and know where they’re headed.

• Writing messaging that speaks directly to that mindset.

• Examples of defining niches through purpose and attitude (e.g. “future-focused founders”).

[35:00] Platforms, services, and positioning
Conversation on whether to niche by design/development platforms.

• Pros and cons of presenting as a multi-platform expert vs a specialist.

• Finding the balance between flexibility and clarity.

• Positioning yourself as the go-to problem solver, not just a technician.

[45:00] Portfolio strategy + passion projects
How to create a strong portfolio that attracts ideal clients:

• Focus on depth, not volume — better to have six polished projects than fifteen random ones.

• Combine real client work with passion projects to showcase your desired direction.

• Case studies should tell the story of process, results, and transformation.

• Using mini decks or tailored PDFs for direct outreach.

• Passion projects and reduced-rate work can strategically open doors when chosen intentionally.

[01:00:00] Client boundaries + nonpayment scenarios
Open discussion on managing difficult clients and enforcing boundaries:

• When to walk away from projects that drain energy or disrespect your process.

• Importance of clear contracts, communication windows, and restart fees.

• Not handing over work until the final payment clears.

• Learning from “bad” projects — they often shape your best systems and policies.

[01:15:00] Pitching and outreach
Final topic focused on pitching and re-engaging potential clients:

• Reframing outreach as offering a solution, not begging for work.

• Making contact personal and intentional — highlight connection points or shared interests.

• Using resources like Joana Galvão or Fck Being Humble* for pitching templates.

• Differentiating between pitching to warm vs cold leads.

• Testing and refining outreach emails to see what resonates.

[01:30:00] Closing reflections
Wrapped up with encouragement to experiment — test niches, refine offers, and lead with clarity and confidence. The key takeaway: your niche, your portfolio, and your process will evolve as you do. What matters most is building a business aligned with your values, your strengths, and the kind of clients you truly want to attract.

Q1. I wanted to chat about finding the balance between connecting with our audiences and selling to them at the same time…like the mix of posts on our Insta page being of ourselves, posting our work, selling our services etc. and still keeping all of that semi-branded with our personal brands all at the same time

Q2. Everybody want fast and perfect work result so I usually charge by project basis but how do you keep clear boundaries when they want to charge you hourly. “Do things take that long?” “How much time do you need to design this…”

Q4. I’m writing an ‘enquires’ page that has my contacts but also a section called “Ways to Work With Me”. I want to keep the focus on the day rate rather than services and packages. Do you girls have insights for the booking options? I.e.: 

1. Day rate – a sentence about daily or weekly bookings

2. Monthly partnership – a sentence about monthly bookings with a 10% discount

3. Retainer – how would it work? A few weekly hours? A few days a month?

Any other option or change on the above

Q5. Do people hire someone for LinkedIn posts? Copywriter? Social media content? Strategist?

Q6. I feel like i just make "art" rather than solve problems, so i find it hard to figure out what to offer, especially as i work with different mediums, how can i make this clearer for my audiences and help people understand what I can offer?

So off the back of the call I wanted to list my go to people for social media marketing across platforms - ill be letting you know in the community when this gets updated.

INSTAGRAM

Xanthe Appleyard

https://www.instagram.com/xanthe.appleyard/

I have done lots of Xanthes courses as well as her group programme. She has amazing content on everything from owning your point of view, creating video content and so much more. I would binge her whole bodega for insights into how to get your instagram popping

https://ohsierra.ca/bodega

You can find her short courses here.

Start here =

https://ohsierra.ca/content-cocktail - Super affordable and entry level into accessing your POV and pillars

https://ohsierra.thrivecart.com/the-hook-up/ - This is basically a reels course as well as hooks and it is amazing

I recommend this one to start with and if you vibe with her investing in the selling with stories and the pop the campaign.

LINKED IN

01 - NICOLE GRAY

https://www.instagram.com/nicolemargueritegray/

Nicole has been on my radar and recommended by loads of clients and friends. Her value that she gives on socials is amazing and has lots of ways that you can work with her

Start here =

https://fivetoninecreative.com/linkedin-sales-page-workshop

To get you going and then if you want to go all in on linked in you can work with her in her programme or 232.

02 - COURTNEY JOHNSON

https://www.instagram.com/courtlynnjohnson/

Courtney is an all round powerhouse and I am obsessed with her vibe. I did her level up on linked in course which was amazing but is now I think only live only. It may come back to self study in the future

Start here =

https://courtneyjohnson.gumroad.com/l/linkedin-training?utm_campaign=linkinbio&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio

And then check out her other courses

I thought I would share this free resource with you that I have been using myself.

I call it the opportunity bank and you can access the notion file below

https://www.notion.so/YOUR-OPPORTUNITY-BANK-10c71013249f803a9389c8f9da4a0366

Once of the number one things that people ask me is - how to get new clients.

Clients are not going to come to you just by sitting behind your desk and posting on instagram a few times a week.

To get what we want - we need to go after what we want.

We need to get out there in the big wide world, using our voice and ability to connect with others to create opportunity for yourself.

As soon as we take our future into our own hands and stop waiting for things to fall into our laps - the more control we have over the trajectory of our business and goals.

The mindset shift that I want you to make when it comes to getting clients is…

Getting clients does not happen over night.

Sometimes it can, but think of building your client and collaborator pipeline as a LONG TERM GAME.

1. You can make a connection now that could convert 2 years later

2. The conversation that you had with another provider could mean that they refer you to a client at any point where they remember you

3. Build genuine relationships over time and nurture them even if they don’t convert straight away. Not just to keep them on board but because you made a connection and felt good

4. Dont be afraid to pitch yourself to everyone and anyone. They will not be offended, it won’t seem desperate and you are not annoying!

Here are some opportunity methods you can try today and start to make your list in your bank:

Friends, friends of friends, family, your uncles dogs cousins mother etc etc:

Think about annyyoonnneee that you know, who knows someone, who may know someone that can help you.

A - Have their own business

B - Have people in their network with their own business

C - Work for somewhere that you could offer your services to

They say that its easier to turn a client into a friend than turn a friend into a client but leaning on those closest to you who may be able to get you an easy in - is worth it

Past work lives:

I recently connected with the old Head Of Pr at my last full time role 7 years ago. I had followed her on linked in but then it popped up that she had started her own business.

I arranged to catch up with her and we realised that our audiences could cross over and could refer each other.

This is just one example, but try to utilise anyone in your current/past professional network. Find them on linked in, connect, engage and if you think that there is a cross over open up a call to catch up and see what happens from there!

Other service providers that serve the same audience as you:

The online worlds we all run in tend to be very small.

One of the best things that I have done is make great connections with other service providers who are serving the same audience as me. Not only does this make me feel like I’m not alone but also that I am part of a larger network all supporting each other.

This could be copywriters, marketeers, social media agencies, other design agencies. This list goes on!!

Get in touch with people who you really think you could vibe with, share the same values and client base and start to engage with them in a genuine way.

Follow them, chat to them in the DMS, see if there is actually a good fit, say you love their work and mean it, be interested in their content. THEN you can reach out and see if a collaboration could work.

Cross collaborating on email lists, instagram lives, events etc is a great way to leverage other audiences (this goes for some of the categories below)

Business coaches that you could bring value to collaborating with:

What other service providers outside of the creative industry could you connect with?

Coaches, mentors, community leaders - All these people have large networks that could benefit from your insight and expertise and maybe even convert to a sale.

Apply to guest in their programmes, do a workshop for their members etc to get more eyes on your business

Past clients connections on instagram:

Follow all your past clients and see who is in their community. If there is someone that takes your fancy simply ask for an intro!!

If you did a good job for them they will be more than happy to introduce you!

Dream clients:

If you have dream clients that you want to work with turn on their notifications on insta and engage with them!

1. Get involved in their conversations

2. Share their work

3. Reply to their stories

4. Buy their shit!

Create a connection with them that is genuine and THEN go in for the sale IF it feels like they are in need of what you are offering

I only approach people who I can see either don’t have branding or a website or look like their current one is clearly in need of some work.

Summits, events where your ideal client is hanging out:

Search the internet and find out where your clients are hanging out. This can be online or off line.

If you are a local based business then get into local physical spaces and collaborate with local businesses where your audience may be hanging out.

Make a list of memberships, events, summits, networking groups etc that you can join and then get in and amongst where your clients are hanging out.

I could list more but here are enough to get you started!!

I hope that this was so helpful and please leave a comment below if it resonated or if you tried any of these methods and it worked!!

So I had shared this with the group previously but I wanted to share again in here!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V1klhf54WoiQbGI04fi57GiaCoZAhrbhASREN0WnQ4k/edit?usp=sharing

Here is a link to the exact financial planning template that I use in my own business.

I have found it super helpful to track my stacked income, make some predictions for the year ahead, track my overheads and also personal spending.

Feel free to make a copy and use it for your own business!

NOTE: I am not a financial advisor nor do I have any qualifications to give financial advice so I am not liable for the use of this template in your own business.

I have been trying to outsource for the last 2 years and I have got it wrong many many times….

✅ Pre paying a website developer who then delivered a piece of shit and kept my money

✅ Paying freelance designers who I was not sure about a day rate upfront and them delivering terrible work 

✅ Dropping £3k on OBMs whose packages didn't work and was essentially a TOTAL waste of money.

This WILL happen to you. At the beginning of your outsourcing process you will probably loose money. And why?

✅ Cause finding good people is hard 

✅ You wont know exactly what you need until you try it out 

✅ Good people come and then they go

This is the same for any business. Where you are solo or a CEO of one of the the largest companies in the world. Hiring is hard - whoever you are. 

BUT do not fear - with some pre planning, patience and smart tactics (some of which I have learn't myself) outsourcing can be the biggest game changer in your business. Like it has been for me. 

I now have 1 full time employee and two website developers that I work with on rotation. My process of working with them is polished (most of the time!) and its giving me more time, space, freedom AND money. 

The number one thing that you want to focus on with out sourcing is where is YOUR time best placed - both for your day to day peace, business growth and filling the holes where your skill set falls short. 

✅ STEP 1 - Plan what you need to outsource 

01 - Start by writing down every task that you do in your biz - Split it into the below:

• General day to day admin

• Marketing

• Finance

• Client management (on and off boarding)

• Client work

02 - Then mark which of these things HAVE to be done by you. A non negotiable has to come from the founder.

03 - Then from the list that is left that could be done by someone else mark A - The tasks you hate to do and B - The tasks that you find hard/are not in your skill set. 

Equally look at the tasks that you dont mind to do that could be done by someone else but you could keep in house. 

04 - Then free journal on the reasons why you need this…

What are the practical reasons, what would it help you focus more time on doing? How would it benefit your business? Then focus on how it would make you feel, where could you be more creative? What freedom would it give you? 

05 - Then write down your top 3 business goals for the next year. 

Look at your business goals, the reason you want to outsource and then within which columns of your tasks there are the most amount that you either dont want to do OR dont have the skill set. 

Where now makes most sense to place your budget based on what you want to achieve and where the holes are?

This SHOULD give you a bit more of a clear view of which direction to go in and what skill set you need. 

Whether its a VA, marketeer, social media manger or an assistant to help you with the more admin tasks of client work that you can teach and then step away from.

✅ STEP 2 - Where to look for talent and things to consider

01 - DO NOT just book someone based off their instagram. Instagram and good marketing/design can mask someone who is actually just not good at their job. 

02 - Ask around. Referral is always the best route. If its working for someone else then it could work for you.

03 - Put the job on linked in. Generally the level of talent on linked in I would say are more professional freelancers who are not interested in building their own small business but are just looking for work. 

04 - Do not go for the cheapest options. Also dont go for something that is way out of your budget 

05 - ALWAYS trial. Before booking anyone have a set of tasks that are examples of what you would outsource. Offer them a half day rate to complete the tasks to test their work 

06 - Interview multiple people and set the same tasks. This way you can directly compare the results and choose the right person

07 - ALWAYS put a contract in place. No matter if its one day or one year. Protect yourself 

08 - Do not ever pay 100% up front. This will only bite you in the arse. 

There is SO SO much I could say about this topic but i'm going to leave it here…

I hope that this can help you to figure out what may be beneficial and avoid getting stung like I have in the past 

Led by me, Hannah May - Founder of Maybe Design Studio but made possible by a wonderful community of creatives all looking for connection, support, advice and mentoring.

This membership is held on instagram and Substack.

Instagram is for our community and close friends - You will be added to both of these within 24 hours of sign up

Substack is for all things content - Subscribe to receive emails, acces the mentoring sessions and resources.

Whats included in your free membership:

01 - Instagram community chat - You will be added to this when you sign up! This is where we chat day to day. You can ask me questions, ask feedback from the community and connect with others.

02 - Close friends stories access - For insights into how im running my biz. Processes, mentoring and your questions answered!

03 - Weekly wins and mid week reflections - We will celebrate your wins each week! As well as getting mid week refection questions and tasks to keep you grounded and focussed in your business

04 - Weekly emails + access to all Substack articles from Hannah - Education, resources, support and insight from me on what it takes to build a sustainable and JOYFUL design business. These will come from the need of the group - Things we have previously discussed will be turned into articles that you can drop in and out of and are stored for ever in the substack page

05 - Monthly mentoring sessions! - You can sign up to the sessions by following THIS calendar here where you can add them to your own. Here we will be theming the weeks and asking specific questions for mentoring and open discussion. You can ask me anything and I will hot seat mentor you.

06 - Bi weekly branding or website reviews - Every other week I will open up the space for 5 people to share their work or website (personal or client based) to give feedback to implement. This will be shared by loom video/

07 - Access to resources and courses - As the space grows I will be adding both free and paid resources to our community. These will be super accessible, low cost and high value.

08 - IRL meet ups! - In lisbon and London :) Deets of these are coming soon.