2 Years of Hot Dog! – Thoughts On Running a Creative Studio
Photo by Allison Stutsman during one of our meetings for Brand Camp
I never would have started my own business if I wasn’t laid off in 2023. At the time, my wife was planning to leave her corporate job to open a bookstore. I was going to keep my “stable” job that was enjoyable, paid well, and offered remote flexibility. I had just been promoted to Lead Product Designer – I loved my team. Then one Friday morning, three days after my promotion, I saw the surprise all-company meeting on the calendar. That’s when you know its bad.
But once it happened, I knew I didn’t want to spend an entire year looking for a similar tech job that was just okay. If I could make it work, maybe I could spend that year building something for myself while making a little money – instead of applying for 300 jobs and waiting for something to come to me during a job shortage. Why not?
That day, I was locked out of my computer before lunch and I had to pay the UPS store to send the damn thing back. That weekend, I went to Best Buy to purchase the exact same Macbook. Then Monday morning, I sat down at the exact same desk and pretended to know what the hell to do next.
I’ve learned a lot during these first 2 years, but everything still feels brand new. I’m getting better at trusting myself when starting hard projects. I’ve helped lots of first time business owners get their ideas off the ground. At the same time, I’m awful at estimating timelines and I still feel guilty quoting people a fair rate for basically any project.
I don’t know what this article is, but I think its a journal entry to myself to collect my thoughts on running a creative studio. Here goes:
FanThreeSixty team jerseys I designed in 2019.
I didn’t know it, but I was preparing for this the whole time.
My favorite part of any job has always been the random side quests: making merch no one asked for, designing stickers, painting murals, taking photos at events, designing window graphics, etc.
I thought I was setting out unprepared for starting this business, but everything I do now I’ve done before: I create presentations, I help people brainstorm and lead workshops, I build connections with people throughout the process, I coach younger designers, I devour podcasts about founders and entrepreneurs.
Something else I realized: My strength has always been taking an idea from zero to one – getting something started out of nothing. In the past, that was researching and designing a new software product from scratch. Now, its bringing businesses to life with brands and helping entrepreneurs believe in themselves enough to see it through. That’s still my favorite part. I get to help other people make their dreams happen.
A collection of logos I have designed since 2023.
Pride in your craft is hard-earned, but feels good.
One of the hardest things in the beginning was shifting away from doing projects I had become very experienced with (software and apps) to doing things I had less experience with (logos, merch, administration, invoices). I knew I could do those things, but it was slow-going and everything took longer than I hoped.
It’s that way with anything, I guess. You have to put in your reps, and I feel like I’m hitting my stride. I’m confident in the things people ask of me and it feels good to get better every day.
I’m also proud that I’ve helped other people do things they’re proud of. Together we’ve launched bookstores, law offices, online stores, educational brands, healthcare practices, marketing agencies, small batch whiskies, clothing companies, sporting goods stores, and golf hangouts. That makes me really happy.
In some ways, it’s harder than I thought. In other ways, it’s easier.
Harder than I expected:
Figuring out how the hell to establish an LLC.
Figuring out how the hell to pay quarterly taxes to people who, seemingly, want to make it as hard as possible.
Running a business with kids. Especially in the summer.
Getting started on a project that is scary or pushes my experience level.
Knowing when to wrap up a project that you really want to be great.
Putting a monetary value on your time and asking someone to pay it.
Planning a three month project without knowing how many cheer practices you’ll be attending in three months.
Being diligent about what you “spend” your attention on.
Deciding to play hooky at the golf course or baseball game even though you can, hypothetically, play hooky whenever you want.
Explaining the value of a brand to someone who “doesn’t get it”.
Easier than I expected:
Explaining the value of a brand to someone who “gets it”.
Finding new work. The next thing always pops up.
Prioritizing work. It’s easy to know which tasks to prioritize when your next paycheck depends on it.
Being a mentor. If you find someone you believe in, tell them what you know. This person might find you.
Finding inspiration (when you keep your mind open to it.)
Becoming a morning person. I mentioned this in my newsletter a couple months ago and, so far, its working!
Making products look “professional” even though you assembled them in your kitchen.
Thinking about work all the time and working on the weekends. I kinda like it – and it’s probably better for my mental health than instagram reels.
On Finding Work
When starting, the most common advice people ask for is “how do you find new clients?”
The best thing I ever did for finding new clients was work a bunch of semi-lame corporate jobs, try my best the whole time, and try to be as kind and generous and optimistic as possible. After a decade of that, there are plenty of ex-coworkers who reach out when they need creative work.
I heard Jen Hood say something like, “Your first client might be your mom. The second might be your mom’s friend. But the THIRD client is meaningful.” My first client was my wife. My second was a close friend. My third was someone I had never met. You have to attempt the first two to reach the third. The first three clients might offer projects that don’t fit perfectly into your portfolio. Just do whatever comes next.
Another underrated way of finding clients: tell people what you’re working on. And do it more often than you think.
“Talk about the things you love.
Your voice will follow.”- Austin Kleon
On Finding Your People
I have always admired Hoodzpah, a small studio in California that takes on giant projects. When I started Hot Dog!, I joined their online course called Freelance and Business and Stuff. I wanted to learn as much as I could, and it might have been the best decision I’ve made so far. I learned loads of important lessons that would have taken years to figure out, and connected with other designers that have become friends and a support group.
Last fall, a young designer emailed the bookstore asking for a job. The email was professional and straightforward, and her work was great. We couldn’t hire more staff at the store, but I started working with her as often as I could. Now, she’s a huge help – she has contributed some of my favorite products at the bookstore and helps monthly on other projects. It’s been fun to have a creative partner, but also nice to have a chance to coach a younger designer, something I miss from working on a larger team. (Shoutout to Afton Lin, one of the best young designers out there.)
I met Allison from Brand Camp when both of us were working on a website for a different client. We seemed to have similar interests and styles, so I asked if she wanted to get coffee sometime. A year later, we’ve collaborated on some of my favorite projects and we regularly scheme about crazy ideas like [redacted, so you don’t steal it.] Asking another adult to be your friend is a superpower, and more people should try it.
At first, survival was the focus. Now my values are becoming more clear.
It didn’t take long to land on the phrase “helping small teams do big things.” I don’t know why, maybe it’s because I’m from a small town, but I’ve always believed the little guy should be able to compete in the big leagues. The projects that are most meaningful to me are the ones that align with this and help real people make real progress on their goals.
Other values:
Clients shouldn’t be positioned as enemies. I don’t like it when designers (especially famous ones) joke about their clients for being stupid or overbearing or tasteless. Clients are paying for the work, which means the work belongs to them as much as it belongs to the designer.
“Staying small is an act of resistance.” I heard this from Jessica Hische. I don’t want to become an international agency with clients in Copenhagen or Hong Kong. I don’t want to IPO alongside the Silicon Valley bros. I just want to make good work in a little studio with exposed brick walls, a record player, and a handful of great teammates.
I’ll say it again: You can just do things
Some people really love these bumpers stickers. Others are just confused 🤷
Some things work, some things don’t.
The best response to my work frequently comes from things I did simply because I liked the idea. A few times, I even worried about sharing, because I assumed I was the only person who cared. But sometimes it works:
People actually wear my Hot Dog! hats
We made a zine! Some people love it. Some people ignore it.
Other times, I make something that I think is the absolute coolest thing… and I actually am the only person who cares. I am not sure how to tell the difference between what works and what doesn’t. Maybe you can’t tell – maybe it’ll always be that way. Maybe you just have to keep making things.
Don’t get me started on the word “freelancer”.
If a plumber or electrician runs their own business, do we call them a freelancer? No, they are trade professionals. They are plumbers and electricians.
Well, what should we call you HoT dOG mAN?!?! I am a f*cking graphic designer. I am an entrepreneur. I am an independent studio.
Using the word freelancer erodes our credibility and reputation.
For some reason, I like to take morbid self-portraits. This photo was taken the morning I was laid off in 2023.
The “stable” corporate job is an illusion.
I told you the story about my role being impacted* at Previous Company. When HR sent the email that day, they spelled my name wrong in the subject line.
These people don’t give a shit.
At least now – even though I am a “freelancer” – if a client fires me, there are usually a few others to soften the blow. Are corporate jobs actually that stable? I’m starting to think “corporate stability” is just a myth they need us to believe. **
* “Impacted” is a stupid word that corporations use so they don’t have to tell you you’re FIRED. It’s like a guy on The Bachelor saying, “I just don’t think I’m what you need”. He’s just deflecting, sweetie, because he doesn’t want to be the bad guy.
** I mean, the healthcare is nice… but still.
My Perfect Day
I love the question “describe your perfect day”. I’ve learned enough about my own habits to know my perfect day:
I wake up early, before the kids, to drink coffee and read The Daily Stoic as the sun comes. I go to my desk and work for an hour – no interruptions! – then pause to get ready and wrangle everyone for school. After school dropoff (on-time), I order a breakfast burrito from Alejandra at Red Kitchen and eat at the table outside, watching the locals pass by. I return to my home office and work until lunch, managing emails and checking small tasks off the to-do list.
A friend has invited me to lunch and we try a new restaurant that everyone is talking about. Friend convinces me to order a lunch cocktail. I am “hesitant” as I have much important work to do, but don’t want to offend Friend. I return to work and tackle a large task for 1-2 hours.
Around 2:30, my brain gets fuzzy, my eyes cross, and I can’t focus – so I take a walk around the neighborhood. I walk for an hour, listening to an audiobook or favorite podcast, saying hello to Mrs. Susie who feeds the geese at the park. There is an extra Red Bull in the fridge when I get back, so I sip away and piddle around the office – doing something that isn’t important enough to be on the to-do list but, alas, needs finished anyway. Or maybe I just read some blogs. At 5:00, I head out to pick up the kids (windows down, Q104 on the radio) and simply try to survive until bedtime.
The weather is a perfect 67 degrees, so Kate and I sit on the deck into the evening and drink red wine and talk about things that have nothing to do with work.
Books that are meaningful to me:
The Austin Kleon Trilogy: Steal Like an Artist, Keep Going, Show Your Work
Atomic Habits by James Clear
This is Strategy by Seth Godin
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Hell Yeah or No by Derek Sivers
Daily Rituals by Mason Currey
Dear Writer by Maggie Smith
Do Whatever
Lots of people will give you lists and rules that guarantee success. What is working best for me is just… doing whatever works.
I don’t have a sophisticated project management software: I keep a list of monthly goals taped to my monitor, I have a weekly to-do list always sitting on my desk, and I use a daily planner to keep track of smaller tasks. It may be elaborate, but it is certainly not sophisticated. I rarely use the fancy Notion templates that I purchased early on.
I started with processes I learned from other designers and slowly tweaked it every time something was missing or didn’t flow right. Every project is different, every client is different, and I can usually tell if the next piece of the “process” feels right or needs to be skipped. People move at different paces.
I don’t do a lot of formal “pitches” for new projects. I may change this as the business grows, but for now I find that it goes a long way to buy someone a coffee, answer their questions, and send them a detailed visual document to review on their own (and share with a team, without pressure).
I write a newsletter now – and I don’t even have imposter syndrome about it! It’s my favorite part of the month and it brings me joy when a friend texts to say “loved the newsletter!”
Everything is stupid until it isn’t. Just do what works and don’t apologize.
"When I notice myself worrying about 'what other people will think,' I find I'm usually not worried about any single person's opinion.
If I pick a specific person, I'm rarely concerned about what they will think. What I fear is the collective opinion in my head. It's imaginary."
- James Clear
I’m fine today.
There never would have been a good time to start. If I had waited until I knew enough to start my own business, I wouldn’t be here… and, honestly, I’d know a lot less than I do now.
