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09/05/2025

Lessons we’ve Learned Running a Creative Business

Written by Oliver Minett
Ollie 5 business lessons 2x

Running a business is one of the steepest learning curves you can put yourself on. There’s no real playbook, and often the most useful lessons are the ones you only learn after you’ve made a mistake.

At Oliver Lauren Studio, we’ve been growing our creative business for a few years now — and we’re still learning all the time. But there are a few key lessons that have stuck with us. Some came from personal experience. Others came from speaking with other business owners we admire. All of them have shaped the way we now approach our work and our business.

Here are five we keep coming back to:

1. Don’t over-rely on a single client

In our first year, we had one client who made up a large chunk of our income. When things changed on their side, it had a big impact on us. Since then, we’ve worked to avoid any one client accounting for more than 20% of our revenue. It’s not always possible, especially when you’re starting out, but it’s a good benchmark. Diversifying your client base gives you more control and stability.

2. Take payment upfront wherever possible

We used to avoid this — worried it might scare people off. But it’s actually been one of the most important shifts we’ve made. Taking payment upfront (or at least 50% at the start of a project) protects your time, sets expectations, and helps cash flow. It also reduces the awkwardness of chasing late invoices later down the line.

3. Keep your brand and website up to date

We work with a lot of clients on their branding and websites, and something we always say is: if you’re not proud of your online presence, it’s probably holding you back. That goes for us too. As a design studio, we know how important first impressions are — and we try to treat our own brand like we would a client’s: regularly reviewing and refining it.

4. Play to your strengths — and delegate your weaknesses

Early on, we wore all the hats — from project management to finance to design. But over time, we realised that the most effective thing we could do was lean into our strengths and get support elsewhere. That’s looked different at different stages: upskilling in some areas, outsourcing others. It’s helped us focus on the work we do best.

5. Make time to work on the business

It’s easy to let things like marketing, outreach, or refining processes fall by the wayside when client work ramps up. But we’ve learnt that staying visible and building a healthy pipeline only happens if you carve out time to work on the business — not just in it. That might mean writing a newsletter, updating the site, or planning future projects. It doesn’t need to be big — but it does need to be regular.

Every business has its own set of lessons — and these are just a few that have made a difference for us. They’ve helped us build a more resilient studio, and we hope they’ll be useful to others doing the same.

What our clients say
“I have worked with Oliver Lauren studio on a number of projects over the last few years. Their attention to detail and passion for fluid elegant design ensures they are always front of mind for my graphic design needs.”
Tim Healey
Founder, Little Grey Cells Club
“Oliver Lauren Studio really 'got' my mission, vision and values very quickly and more importantly took the time to listen. Bringing a practical and calm approach to a very enjoyable experience and I now have a brand that will open up opportunities and excites me for the future.”
Karen Douglas
Founder, Dwellbeing
“We asked Oliver Lauren Studio to perform a brand refresh for us. Working closely with Lauren, we were able to easily convey what we wanted and iterate our way to a brilliant result.”
Tom Etheridge
Managing Director, Ecotype Genetics Ltd
“Oliver Minett and Lauren White get inside the brief delivering consistently strong design to tight deadlines which elevates content without distracting from it. I highly recommend them.”
John Higginson
Founder, Higginson Strategy
“Oliver Lauren Studio have been excellent to work with over numerous projects. With their highly creative and professional approach they make consistent and impressive design solutions seem effortless.”
Oliver Green
Managing Director, Create Circus
“It was a pleasure working with Oliver Lauren Studio, and we couldn't be happier with the results. They provided us with outstanding designs, that served as the foundation for our client's website development. Their expertise and attention to detail were evident in every aspect of the project. ”
Joanne Ryan
Co-Founder, Cherry Bird Agency
“It was fantastic working with branding experts Lauren White and Oliver Minett from Oliver Lauren Studio on the brand refresh of Comment Central. They really understood the problems with the previous branding and created a superb, clean visual solution.”
William Walter
Founder, Comment Central
“We’ve been using Oliver Lauren Studio for over a year now and the results have been fantastic. They have been incredibly reliable, efficient, and creative, every project has exceeded expectation. I can’t recommend this design agency enough.”
Christian Fayd'Herbe de Maudave
Operations Director, OAC Services

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