Have you ever had a project that turned out to cause way more stress that it was worth? Of course you have. We all have. Most of the time you’re left saying “Why didn’t I see this coming?”

Here are some early warning signs of a problem project and some tips for upgrading them from hopeless to profitable.

1. “I tried doing it myself, but…”

This is a sign of the frustrated artist. They fancy themselves creative, and have given it their best shot, but found that their skills fell short. Now they are turning to you, the consummate professional, to pick up the pieces.

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Photo by Paul Worthington.

We’ve all said the words “I’d really like to…” followed by some personal or career ambition that often doesn’t get done. “I’d really like to write a book”, “I’d really like to be able to add illustration to my design skills”, or “I’d really like to learn to cook Thai food.”

And, of course, these statements are almost always followed by “if I had the time.” Here are five really easy things that are guaranteed to get you a lot closer to your ambitions (lets face it, if we didn’t have lofty ambitions we wouldn’t be reading this blog).

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Photo by netan.

I would never call myself a salesman. The word brings to mind a host of stereotypical, manipulative, sleazy jerks I’ve encountered who have very transparently tried to pad their wallets through coercive tricks. I have, however, worked some sales jobs over the years (reluctantly) and each provided lots of sales training, tips and tricks. Frankly I hated it, but when I left the world of sales to pursue a creative career I was surprised to find that my sales training comes into constant use when dealing with clients.

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