After Hours© 011: Biz must-haves vs nice to haves

It’s After Hours time – our newest publication for 2026 to ensure creatives thrive and don’t have to quit. 

Why? Because creatives do not belong in cubicles. 

So this week i’ve chosen a submission from Matt as the topic for today: 

“I'd like to hear your opinions on what a freelance business truly NEEDS to have in place to work, vs what is just a nice to have.” 
 
Today's topic: Creative business must-haves vs nice to haves
Estimated read time: ~5 minutes (Skim time: 2 minutes)

What kind of problem is this?
Knowing a must-have from nice-to-have is a clarity problem. 

There’s endless information online and it’s hard to decipher what is necessary and what is just nice to have in business. 

How about we put ourselves in our clients shoes and think about what they want. Because you have to understand your audience to speak to them.

So what makes it easy for the client to choose and work with you?
And why would you, as a client, hire a creative?

Well… 9/10 times it will because it is the seamless choice. 
The easier one.  

The client is choosing the creative that;

• Is easy to find online (website, SEO, social media, ads)
• Has easy to access and view rates (services guide in bio, website)
• A one button booking system (direct booking system)
• Has clear and prompt communication (Professional speaking, clear and polite)
• Showcases clear packages (website, services guide, proposal)
• Outlines the exact process (pitch deck, proposal)
• Showcases good work (portfolio, social media, website)
• Has good reviews (seamless client process) 

So really, the creative that gets hired is clear, professional and has their sh*t together. 

Be the easier choice. 

So what else makes our business easier and more appealing to clients? 

Must-haves in business

• Daily workspace to keep track of internal and external projects so you never miss a deadline or lose a client and you'll always know what's on your agenda
• Contract because without clear terms you’ll be messed around and possibly not paid
• Professional branded invoice to get paid obviously
• Proposal to outline what you’re actually offering to the client. Would be unheard of to land clients without this
• Offer and services
• A client process to follow so you and the client don’t get lost and timelines are adhered to
• Onboarding for the client to understand what they need to do for the project and what's going on
• Marketing of any sort. Try outbound marketing like cold calling/emailing or inbound marketing like social media
• Custom email address. You look unprofessional if its jimmysdesign@gmail.com
• A business bank account
• Finance tracker (or an accountant if you’re making $$$)
• A booking system to book a call and get in touch 

Nice-to-haves in business

• Services Guide to save you time on calls discusses pricing and services. You’ll save 30mins-1hr per client + preparation
• Client Portal keeps all your work, documentation and communication in one place. Looks more professional and saves on average 6hrs per client from back and forth emails and lost assets and documentation
• A full website. Websites are expensive to design, write, develop and pay a subscription for. You could have a portfolio, services guide, booking system, one-page Notion or simple landing page in your bio instead
• Paid marketing like ads. They cost a lot for the bare minimum and if you don’t know what you’re doing it’s just a waste of money
• Fancy tools and software

This week you will

Step one: Get organised 
If you don't already have an invoice, contract, client process, offer, booking system, forms of marketing, professional email address and anything else in the must-have lists, I'd get on that. 
 
Step two: Find your bottlenecks
If you already have the above, find where your clients are falling off.

Is it not finding enough clients?
Fix your marketing, services guide, portfolio and booking system.

Is it after the Proposal?
Your communication, packages or pricing is not clear enough, fix those.

No recurring clients? 
Fix your client portals, communication, onboarding, offboarding and client process.  

The above aren't exhaustive lists but it’s a good start to see the difference of things that you must have and things that will make your business even easier. 

Reach out if you need more information or have any questions. 

Chat soon,
Penelope