7 Ways To Build an In-Demand Creative Services Business
(Without Losing Your Damn Mind)
Running a creative business is a little bit like trying to balance on a surfboard while juggling flaming torches. Some days it feels smooth and exciting, other days you’re just hoping not to burn your eyebrows off.
So the question is: how do you build a creative services business that people actually want to work with? One where clients keep coming back—not because you’re begging, but because they can’t imagine working with anyone else.
I was chatting with Creative Business School student, Tony Elmore, about this recently, and we ended up covering everything from retainers to pricing to who you should even be working with in the first place. Here are some of the big takeaways (sprinkled with a little real-talk).
1. Relationships Are the Real Currency
Forget the fancy cold email templates for a second. The truth is, your next project is probably coming from someone you already know—or from someone they know.
Most of my best work has started over coffee, lunch, or a totally random chat. Like I told Tony: “Most of the time it’s just having some deep, meaningful conversation about something that’s completely unrelated to work… and then by the end, we end up talking about work anyway.”
That’s the trick. Stop treating every interaction like a pitch. Talk about baseball. Ask about their kids. Hell, complain about airline food if that’s what you’ve got. People remember how you made them feel way before they remember your portfolio link.
2. Retainers Are Great, But Not A Magic Cure
Retainers sound sexy on paper—predictable income, fewer sales calls, a sense of stability. But they can also trap you into doing work that doesn’t excite you.
I usually shoot for a balance: about half of our revenue from retainers and half from one-off projects. Not all, but some retainers can easily suck out the creative fun from the work we do, especially if it’s the same type of task done on repeat. A good balance creates a healthy, creative soul.
And here’s the thing—even so-called “one-off” projects often lead to more work. The client might come back three more times that year. So while invoicing may be more sporadic, you may already have a perfect client and not even know it.
3. Get Creative With Pricing
This is the part a lot of people get squeamish about, but pricing doesn’t have to be rigid. You don’t have to follow some corporate agency formula.
Sometimes I’ll send a proposal with three options. Sometimes I’ll say, “If that’s your budget, cool—let me make a plan for it.” And yeah, sometimes I just get weird with it. Like I said to Tony: “As long as they’re getting value, I can literally do this however I want—as long as I’m getting value too.”
The point is: don’t be afraid to improvise. Clients respect when you shape things around them instead of forcing them into a template.
4. Work With People Who Can Actually Pay You
If you’re working with tiny businesses or brand-new startups, you’ll probably get a lot of enthusiasm but not a lot of budget. And sometimes, by the time you finish a project, their entire business model has changed anyway.
Mid-sized companies—let’s say $10M to $50M in revenue—are usually the sweet spot. They’ve got marketing teams, real budgets, and ongoing needs.
But don’t write off smaller companies entirely. Like I told Tony, “You either move up the chain a bit, or you develop a product so good that even the little guys will pay a premium for it.”
Both can work. Just be clear about which game you’re playing.
5. Show Up in Person
Zoom is fine. Emails are fine. But nothing beats showing up in person.
This year I’ve been travelling more than usual, and it’s paying off. As I said in our conversation, “Competition is fierce right now, and I need to make sure I’m one up on everyone else. So I need to get face-to-face with potential clients often.”
It doesn’t always have to be a big pitch, either. Sometimes it’s literally just a coffee and a chat. The work comes later… In some cases, 12 - 24 months, so be patient!
6. Surprise People (In a Good Way)
Here’s a secret: the little extras stick in people’s minds way longer than the polished deck you spent three days on.
Sometimes that means designing a graphic they didn’t ask for. Sometimes it’s buying tickets to their favorite baseball team. Sometimes it’s redoing their website just because you know it’ll help (and because, let’s be honest, you wanted to anyway).
As I put it: “Doing things nobody else would do builds so much trust.”
Don’t give away the farm, but those little surprises? They’re what turn one-off clients into long-term partners.
7. Keep It Fun
This might be the most important one. We could all make more money doing something boring and predictable. Roofing, accounting, whatever. But we chose creative service because we like it.
So don’t build a business that sucks the fun out of your own creativity. Balance client needs with passion projects. Overdeliver when it feels good. Travel to meet clients if that excites you, and if it doesn’t, try something else!
Because if you’re not enjoying it, what’s the point?
Wrapping It Up
At the end of the day, building an in-demand creative services business isn’t about locking everyone into a subscription or chasing every lead on LinkedIn. It’s about being human. Building relationships. Staying flexible. And remembering why you started in the first place.
As Tony put it, “I feel like I’ve been thinking too small… but I also don’t want to lose that heart for helping people.”
That’s it right there. Big enough to grow. Small enough to care.
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