The Business of Creating: Processes, Communication, Organization, and Workflow
me writing poems at FFâs first networking breakfast where Tia and I met for the first time!
Tia and I have been creating together for almost four years now (our four year anniversary is actually September 22 we celebrate every year đ„ș) and as you can imagine, our processes have evolved and improved significantly since 2017.
How many invoicing platforms have we tried? At least seven. More on that laterâŠ
For us, what weâve learned over the past five years is that unfortunately, the administrative platforms and knowledge sharing tools we try to use to collaborate end up hindering our workflow, not helping it. We always want to try to streamline, but somehow finding ourselves losing notes, asking each other where the __ contract draft is, not feeling confident about our payment systems⊠and all those question marks flitting around like flies detract from the satisfaction of creative collaboration. Iâm sure weâre not the only ones who have felt this way, especially shifting to more and more remote and distributed teamwork.
When Tia and I started working together, she first just asked me to write poems at one of Freelancing Femalesâ first networking breakfasts in Williamsburg. From that first parfait moment (pun intended fellow Francophiles) we knew we had great creative chemistry, so little by little she started asking me if I could help out with things like the FF newsletter and some of the social media client consulting she did - and still does. As new collaborators, we really took our time getting to know each other and each otherâs workflows and prefered communication channels. We created written agreements for our piecemeal work, and I would draft copy for her in google docs which she would then approve and translate into our beloved newsletter, social media captions for clients, pitches for partners, etc etc.
Now, our collaborative and creative potential is much deeper, and (imho) results in higher quality work, quicker turnarounds, and more joy in the process of creating. I think the reason for that boils down to three key points:
Trust
Timeliness
Tools
Allow me to explain:
âTrustâ is something that I have learned is best developed slowly over time. When I first started freelancing with Tia and FF, she approved everything I did before anyone else saw it. Now, she trusts me to communicate externally on behalf of FF, send work directly to clients, negotiate on our shared behalf, and vet opportunities without her oversight. I still often ask for her guidance and input because she is way smarter than me in many ways, but our trust of each other has deepened over time without being thrown âoff the deep endâ immediately. Our collaborative trust is strong, so our creative output is mighty.
âTimelinessâ is a catch all for the importance of mutual understanding of the importance of time, both in terms of patience and not rushing things unnecessarily, and in terms of having an unwavering respect for the time and timelines of your collaborators. A stitch in time always saves nine. A well-thought-through time saving measure is worth its weight in gold. And hitting a deadline on time? Thatâs priceless.
âToolsâ probably seems pretty self explanatory, but itâs something that is often forgotten and is constantly changing. As I mentioned before, Tia and I have probably tried every invoicing platform, project management software, and team info sharing tool out there. Everything weâve ever recommended to you, we have tested and found useful. Thatâs why when Lumanu asked us to try out their new invoice and collaboration tool, I said: of course. I always want to make myself aware of companies in our ecosystem trying to shake up the way we can simplify operations and enjoy our creativity more. And as it turns out, Lumanu is doing just that, and specifically with creative entrepreneurs in mind.
After trying out Lumanu, here is the most important detail that I want to share with all of you:
In the Lumanu platform, your invoices, notes, contract, and important supplementary documents can all be accessed in real-time, at one link. I have never tried a platform that allowed me to do that in a simple and streamlined way, no extra clicks needed.
That utility in itself is enough reason for us to stick to Lumanu Invoicing, but itâs the focus on easing collaboration - Lumanu collabs - that makes me really excited to see how this approach can increase the trust and timeliness of all the new projects we are taking on. And believe me, they are many đ
When it comes to the business of creating, Tia and I care most about supporting every Freelancing Female to know her worth, take confident control over her work and life, and excel beyond what we ever could on our own. Its baby steps like thoughtfully selecting your collaborators, developing trust over time, and using helpful tools like Lumanu, that make for an awesome freelance life.
If this post was interesting and useful to you, you are going to LOVE the panel that Tia is speaking on with Lumanu on September 15th at 12:30pm EST. We currently have exclusive access to the Lumanu platform to share with you and get you to the front of the waitlist. Use code: FreelancingFemales to sign up here - weâve already been paid on our first invoice sent through their invoicing product.