NON-PAYING CLIENTS AND ADVERTISEMENT

It's been a tough couple of weeks with a few ups and downs.

On the up side, I've started advertisement testing on SoMe, so I'm looking foreward to seeing how that pans out.

On the down side, clients aren't paying their invoices in time. I really, really want to establish strong and healthy relationships with my clients, but them not paying their bills and making excuses and me sending new invoices with reminder fees, is not a great way to communicate and it is not the way to build strong longlasting relationships.

Some days I feel very optimistic. Other (thankfully much fewer) days it seems much harder to drive JesperDahlCreative foreward, but of course, I know that's pretty normal when starting a business.

To end this post on a positive note:

I have this underlying feeling, that in some ways JesperDahlCreative is an unstoppable train heading for even better times.

1. I feel that my network is growing (most of the time in a productive direction).

2. Every day I learn of many companies that, in my opinion, are simply not doing enough to promote their products, services and/or concepts. So, a larger-than-anticipated part of my workday, is spent talking to these companies about their needs.

I recently came across the Larger Market Pyramid. It suggests that in any market:

3% of businesses are in the "buying now" stage. So, they acknowledge that they do have a need and are ready to make investments to fulfil them NOW.

17% is in the "information gathering" stage. They too acknowledge their needs, but are still figuring out if and how to manage them.

20% are "problem aware". They also know their needs, but are currently not taking any measures to fulfil them.

60% are "not problem aware". They DO HAVE needs, but don't acknowledge them... yet.

If this is right, 97% of businesses have needs that are not being met, and 80% are not even looking to fulfil them. The 37% that are aware of their needs should be my first priority. However, when I talk to businesses, two factors almost always come more into play than anything else: ECONOMY and TIMING.

"We've been thinking about using animation for a while now, but currently we don't have the budget for it."

"We're planning on releasing our new website next spring... next year at the latest. When that happens, we will most likely be needing an explainer animation."

The challenge is to convince these companies, that they can't afford to not meet their needs, and that the timing is always right to grow your business.

3. I am always learning, and since I am a better animator than I am a business man, that's good.

4. My skillset is also improving, and I am no doubt a better animator than I was one year ago.

A few years from now, I way look back on this post and not make too much sense of it, but like I wrote in my first post, I consider this blog part of my proces, so when YOU read this, please forgive me, or simply disregard everything you've read.