Business mentoring/consulting

With the right advice, accountability and assistance, you can build a strong foundation for your creative business, put an end to the instability of "feast or famine," stop taking whatever comes along and build the business that meets your needs, both personal and professional.

Whether you’re running your own firm or freelancing, if you’re like most creative professionals, you have little or no training in business. Hopefully you’ve had luck on your side so far, and learned a few things by trial and error along the way. But business is probably not your favorite aspect of the business.

That's where I come in. Through one-on-one coaching, I will help you get “down to business” on the issues that will make or break your business. Together, we’ll clear away the financial fog, overcome the procrastination, put some systems in place, find your focus and implement practical techniques that will bring you the work you want and take your business to the next level.

It all starts with an initial 2-hour consultation (via phone, Skype, Facetime) with me, Ilise Benun.

You fill out the Getting Started Questionnaire, which becomes the foundation of your plan for growth. Then, during the consultation, we dig into your goals and dive right into your immediate challenges. You will get practical advice tailored to your needs and an objective perspective. There is no “program” to go through. Everything is customized for you. You come out of the consultation with a "to do" list and a clear direction for growth.

Together, we begin by setting specific and realistic short and long-term goals. Here are examples of actual client goals (some verbatim!):

• "Replace penny-pinching clients with those who value my services."
• "I need to stop pulling prices out of the air and figure out what I should be charging to be profitable."
• "Smooth out the peaks and valleys of the feast-or-famine syndrome."
• "Find clients who are more respectful."
• Put systems in place to work smoothly with clients and employees.
• Get 5 more clients @ $10k each by the end of the year.
• New web site that supports the evolution of the business.
• Develop a content marketing program and plan.
• Begin publishing a monthly email newsletter.
• Expand prospect list 150 names.
• "I want to have four or five new prospects in my pipeline each month."
• Hire employees to set the foundation for expansion and put a marketing plan in place to provide for them.

At the foundation of the process is a simple, concrete plan of action to help you take small but solid steps toward your goals, while you also do all your day-to-day business tasks.

At the end of the initial consultation, your direction will be much clearer. Here's what one client recently did immediately afterward:

No matter your goals, you will leave the session a short list of tasks to do to continue the process. Some people take that and run with it. Others want accountability and ongoing guidance., such as a bi-weekly 1 hour check in call It's up to you....and tailored to your needs.

If this sounds like it would help, take advantage of the free session to see if we're a good fit.