Thriving as a lone worker: Strategies for success as a design team of one
I know we often brag about the thousands of brands we’ve worked with at Deer Designer. Many people might assume these brands are huge companies, but that’s not always true.
Most of our clients are small companies and startups run by only one person.
And I know how tiring that is. I’ve been there.
Wearing multiple hats in the beginning is inevitable.
But the thing about hats is that you’re only supposed to wear one at a time.
Otherwise, you’ll look ridiculous, right?
As a one-person team, you do everything: design, strategy, research, and testing.
You can’t pass work on to anyone else.
When you succeed, you get all the praise.
But when something goes wrong, you blame yourself.
It can be rewarding but it’s definitely very challenging.
So, as you grow, you gotta start removing some responsibilities from your day-to-day, whether you’re automating your systems, delegating tasks, or outsourcing parts of the work.
I started Deer Designer literally to solve that!
Being a CEO is already hard enough.
Imagine being the only person in your company!
Not all is lost, though.
Based on the teams we’ve worked with, success is possible with good strategies.
So here are some tips that can help you run a one-person service effectively.
Prioritize having a well-structured strategy
We often forget how important structure is at work.
In a big company, the structure is usually already set up.
You just follow it. But when you’re alone, you need to create this structure yourself.
Working by yourself means fewer parts to manage.
You just need to stay on track.
To create a good work strategy, think about:
- What are your company’s goals?
- Who is your target audience?
- What can you offer your audience?
- What do you need to create your offer?
- How long will it take to deliver your work?
- Do you have any obstacles?
Whether it’s design, web development, or marketing, have a clear roadmap for each project. Keep track of your progress and any issues, as this helps manage client expectations.
They know when to expect your work and can track your progress.
This can be as simple as a pre-set checklist you can use for each project or a template on a productivity app that lets you fill in all the assets you need with a timeline of your deadlines and progress.
It not only keeps you on track but also helps manage client expectations.
For example, if you are creating an app, your steps (or roadmap) could include user research, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and final design iterations.
This checklist can help you complete each project, one step at a time.
Using existing design systems
Even if you’re working alone, your work doesn’t have to be slow.
There are a lot of design systems, guidelines, tools, and elements you can use out there. It’s like having a ready-made template to start your work instead of starting from scratch.
If you don’t want to use an existing system, you can create a framework for your brand to maintain consistency and efficiency.
This could include reusable components, guidelines for typography, color schemes, and spacing.
For example, instead of thinking of every layout for social media posts, pick an existing layout from your design system and customize it.
Here are some things you can add to your design system:
- Develop a library of reusable components like buttons, forms, and icons. This saves time and ensures design consistency across projects.
- Establish guidelines for typography, color schemes, and spacing. This ensures all your designs adhere to a cohesive visual style.
For example, instead of having to think of every layout for your social media posts, you can just pick an existing layout from your design system and customize it for the posts you are making.
Be your product manager: managing your time effectively
If you’re a hard-working person who likes to take on multiple roles, it can feel like you don’t have enough time. Managing your time helps you know what needs to be done.
In fact, we don’t manage time.
We all have only 24 hours in our day. We can’t change that.
We manage priorities.
Here are some ways you can manage your time better:
Prioritize tasks
Try to categorize your tasks by urgency and importance.
Focus on high-impact tasks first, as these require most of your energy and time. Tasks that can wait or be outsourced should follow.
While it is so easy to micro-manage yourself, you don’t want to waste your time and energy on trivial tasks.
Instead, you push these tasks to another day or outsource them to another person.
Set realistic deadlines
Starting a company solo often means thinking you can do everything, but your tasks can (and will) pile up.
Need a design? You can get it done in about 30 minutes, probably. More if you’re not skilled enough.
Need an article? Yeah, sure, you’ll sort it out in a few hours.
Need a new website? Hmmm… How hard can it be? Maybe two months from now?
Since nobody is tracking how long things take to get done, you’re just assigning tasks to yourself that you know you can do.
But when the tasks start to accumulate, it can be hard to keep track of how long you’re taking to do everything and if you’re achieving your self-imposed deadlines.
The next thing you know, it’s been months and you have only worked on one thing and have pushed the others off since they’re too complicated.
And remember: Time is money, and there’s no line for “wasted time” in your Profit & Loss report.
So, “take a break” and break projects into smaller tasks with achievable deadlines. Allocate time for interviews, meetings, emails, research, and designs to avoid burnout.
This will help you maintain momentum and reduce the risk of burnout.
Use project management platforms
With a team of one, the only colleague you can trust is yourself, but you don’t exactly have to do everything alone.
Tools like Trello, Asana, or Notion help you track tasks, set deadlines, and collaborate with clients.
Also, take advantage of automation and reminders for recurring tasks.
And don’t forget to use AI for brainstorming or coming up with outlines. It’s like having a supportive team to back you up when you forget something or don’t have the energy to come up with ideas from scratch.
Need some in-depth help with time management?
This guide can help!
➡️The CEOs guide to time management: How do CEOs manage their time for best productivity?
Don’t underestimate documentation
This is the part that can be the most confusing and frustrating when working alone.
Working alone means you have no secretary or auditor to keep track of your documentation. I’m talking about contracts, invoices, and other assets.
So try to organize your documentation in a way that lets you access it easily when you need it. Apps like QuickBooks and FreshBooks can help with accounting.
If it’s confusing, consider hiring part-time help (accountants, EAs, secretaries, etc.).
Otherwise, you’re bound to get big consequences for little mistakes like delayed payments from your clients, refunds for accidental charges to your client’s accounts, problems with your tax documentation, and more!
Beat expectations and constantly update your portfolio
Whether you are working with design, marketing, user experience, web development, or anything else, you can always expect competition.
Someone out there is constantly coming up with something new that becomes the next standard in your field.
Think of the drastic explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) tools on the market.
Even in 2020, AI was still a fairly foreign concept, with people experimenting with improved voice assistants and chatting with OpenAI.
Now, in 2024, everything we use online essentially has its own AI.
Instead of just search bars, apps have added AI tools that allow you to simply input what you want the app to do, whether that’s to write something, look up a question, send a message, generate an image, or replace something in a photo.
You never know when something drastic is about to happen in your field.
While you keep up with deadlines, set aside time to upskill and research.
Join workshops, online courses, and events to look into the different improvements in your field and the tools now available to you.
You can add these to your portfolio and even potentially attract new clients looking for people who have this niche expertise.
Don’t be afraid of feedback and insights
The thing about working solo is that every piece of work you put out is done entirely by you.
It’s easy to have some sentimental attachment to these projects. That work is like your child, right? The fruit of your labor.
However, working with clients is a collaboration. You’re bound to have different opinions, especially when it comes to design and messaging.
What may look and sound good to you may not be enough for the client. It’s impossible to avoid getting feedback and creating several revisions.
If you’re somebody who can’t take feedback and insights objectively, then you might not be cut out for this type of work.
You will have to change your mindset and consider every piece of feedback and iteration as a step toward getting the best final product out of your work.
Each revision is not a negative reflection on you as a person or as a professional but a way to improve your work.
Remember that behind each masterpiece of a painting or an engaging website are hundreds of prototypes that never made it.
They were all building blocks that helped the artist or team come up with the perfect final product.
Also, you can use these insights to help you speed up and improve your workflow in the future.
You’ll know what things to avoid and what steps to take instead of making the same mistake all over again.
Power your startup through outsourcing
You might have chosen to be a team of one because you have limited resources.
Not everybody has the time and money to look for full-time employees, train them up to your standards of work, and pay for their monthly salaries.
This is particularly true for smaller start-ups.
However, this doesn’t mean you can’t get any help at all.
You can still consider the cheaper alternative: outsourcing.
Through outsourcing, you usually pay a set flat rate or subscription fee to get the work you need done.
If you need more work, you can just raise your subscription plan, and if you don’t need the extra work anymore, you can just unsubscribe from the service.
It’s way less of a commitment compared to expanding with a full-time crew.
Outsourcing some work you don’t have time for doesn’t make you any less of a great company either.
If anything, you should treat it as a power-up that allows you to significantly enhance productivity while reducing your personal workload.
That means you have more time to focus on the important aspects of your work, such as innovating concepts, planning your growth, and anticipating your clients’s needs.
How you can thrive as a team of one
As a one-person team, you have all of the company’s responsibilities exclusively on your shoulders.
Managing your workload and maintaining high productivity can be challenging, but it’s achievable with the right strategies.
By embracing a structured strategy, making use of design systems, managing your time effectively, and outsourcing, you can still deliver exceptional-quality work.
The key to success lies in continuous learning, adaptability, and a commitment to delivering work that meets your client’s needs.
Do you need help managing your workload?
Here are some guides that may help!
➡️Better work-life balance: how to balance work with your personal life
➡️Redefining success: leveraging design outsourcing for maximum ROI
➡️4 Myths and truths in outsourcing design tasks
Are you considering outsourcing your design work?
Deer Designer makes it so easy!
Just send in your requests and our reliable design team can work on them in 1-2 days.
You can even add or remove designers depending on the demands of your work!
Key takeaways
- Working as a design, marketing, web development, or UX team of one can mean taking on multiple responsibilities, but it can be a fulfilling job anyway. It’s all about the right strategies.
- Having a set structure to navigate your workflows, deliverables, and deadlines helps reassure you and your client that you can submit your deliverables on time.
- Speed up and optimize your work by taking advantage of existing design systems instead of coming up with designs from scratch.
- Effectively manage your time by setting priorities, setting realistic deadlines, and using project management tools.
- Make sure to document every contract, payment, or purchase you make to avoid problems with deliverables and taxes.
- Spare some time to join events and workshops that help you adapt and stay updated with the skills and tools needed in your field.
- Feedback and revisions are constant parts of most projects. Instead of taking it negatively, bounce back and think of it as a little boost to improve your work.
- Even if you have limited resources, you can still get help and scale up your work through outsourcing.
