Why Studying Business Is A Great Idea For Independent Designers
Working as a designer is a dream for a lot of people who have an eye for what looks good and enjoy being creative. Going down the freelance route or starting your own design agency can also be things design professionals want to do at some point in their careers. However, a good design background doesn’t always equate to having the skills to run a design company, whether you want to sell yourself as an individual freelancer or make your own design company.For this reason, getting a business qualification like an online MBA degree can be a good option, and lots of great colleges like Northeastern University offer this in a flexible course format that you can do from home and at your own pace.
Here are some of the benefits of doing a masters in business administration online if you want to work independently as a designer or run your own brand:
Learn How To Create, Grow And Sell A Brand
Even as a freelancer, you will have to market yourself well to be able to make a good living and be successful as a designer. If you plan to start a company rather than being a sole trader, this will be even more important as you will have your employees depending on your business for an income too. You may know some aspects of marketing from your previous design work, however you probably won’t know the things you’ll learn with an MBA, which will allow you to go deeper when it comes to topics like brand awareness and learn not just about the design side, but the processes involved in effectively developing a brand identity and getting your brand seen.
Financial Management
Another thing an MBA will teach you is about the strategic and financial management skills you will need to run your freelance business or agency effectively. Creative people generally don’t study this sort of thing in their specialist degrees, and so you may be at a loss even if you are a well qualified designer when it comes to things like setting prices, and negotiating deals – not to mention things like tax law and cashflow strategy. Studying for your MBA will teach you all of this.
A High End, Well Respected Qualification
Whoever you want to work with as a designer, chances are they will be impressed by an MBA listed on your resume alongside your design qualifications and experience. It’s a qualification most people in the business world respect and take seriously, and can give you an edge over your rivals whether as a freelance worker or a business owner.
Getting an MBA online is not a hard thing to balance with your design work if you are good at time management and choose a good online program that allows you flexibility and also gives you access to world class educational materials. Start your MBA in 2018 and who knows how much it will help your design business take off?
Absolutely!! A business degree is amazing to have!! Especially when you are trying to sell yourself!! The skills you learn are priceless!!
I agree! I think that studying business is important for just about any independent designer or contractor. It definitely helps a lot, especially with your finances.