If you could start a new business right now, what would it be?
Daily Writing Prompt
Similarities between starting a business and job searching are that you need to impress people. I have thought about starting a business for years because job searching is a pain. I would start a graphic design business. I’ve tried to find clients through social media, but it’s like a job search. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.
In a job search, you need to make a resume and impress an employer. If you have a business, you need to impress a client. I’m not good at either. But I don’t want to be idle. Like my next-door neighbor, who doesn’t work and never goes anywhere. Just smokes and goes to the store at least twice a day. That’s not life. That’s waiting for old age.
My dad was a business owner, and my grandfather was too. It runs in my family to have a business, so it’s natural for me to think about it too. My cousin also has a business. The difference is that my occupation is different. So many people work in design that it’s harder to stand out.
But I’m not a typical graphic designer. I don’t want to do branding and visual identities. I don’t want to do print design either. I want to help Finnish female entrepreneurs who already have a brand and all that. But they don’t know how to use it in their daily work. I do graphic design for online use. Like visuals for social media and websites. I use my photography for design projects.
It just seems like no one wants to buy my services. I’ve taken different courses on how to promote a business. I’ve planned a posting schedule and posted regularly on Instagram. But recently, I’ve gotten bored of trying to get people to find me. It feels like I’m wasting time and energy writing and designing posts. Because what is the point when no one seems to care?
Maybe no one in Finland needs graphics or photographs for their content. They do them themselves. I’m bad at both marketing and job searching. No one wants to hire me. Perhaps people want me to be poor. The stars don’t shine my way.
I don’t want to take another marketing course, because they don’t help me at all. The Internet is full of tips on how to find clients, but it doesn’t work for everyone. My problem isn’t a lack of skills or education. It’s the marketing part. I can’t hire anyone to do my marketing, so I have to do it all myself.
I don’t want to start a business without clients. I don’t want to do a job search anymore, but without the social benefits, I won’t be able to manage financially. Starting a business is the easy part. Finding clients is the biggest challenge. When no one even contacts me, it feels like I’m not good enough to get people’s attention. I don’t have a network because I have never worked in a graphic design job. I don’t want to look for clients; I want them to find me. Cold calling terrifies me, and I don’t want to do something that isn’t in my nature. There are easier and more modern ways to find clients than that.
The year is ending, and I haven’t accomplished a thing. At the beginning of the year, I posted regularly on social media. I tried to write posts that could attract clients. I created visual content, graphics, and photography, but nothing happened. Likes are one thing, but getting someone to reach out is another. I don’t have time to wait years to find clients. I need them now.
But one positive thing this year is that I haven’t been idle. Giving up is not an option. I know I won’t find a job, but I know that if I really try, my target group will find me.
