Christine Lieu-Guzauskas owns CL Designs, a Toronto based design firm that provides branding, web design, and marketing collateral for purpose driven businesses.
This one person design firm was founded with the intention using design to make an impact and stay lean. Both elements align with Christine’s values of connecting with community, to communicate with integrity and create “that positive impact in the world.”
While design does not save lives, Christine believes that her work is doing good in the world, and hopes that she is able to inspire other people for change.
I truly believe that design can change the world in that way, as a catalyst for so many things.
It isn’t easy though. Design is one of those industries where service providers have to fight to prove their value. Christine’s advice is to “know your lane,” – in other words, know who you are. Such knowledge brings confidence. “I’ve gotten a million more nos, obviously, than yeses, and that just has built that muscle and strength in so many ways. There’s that clarity that I’m not for everybody, and that’s a good thing.”
As with the majority of solopreneurs, Christine’s biggest challenge is juggling all the tasks that come with being a solopreneur.
For that reason, staying lean is a key element of her business and was built into her mission.
I didn’t want to manage, necessarily, people on a team, or to sell it off for millions, or anything like that.
Determining the lifestyle she wants has allowed Christine to be unapologetic about the way she chooses to run her business. She sees herself as being able to make a big impact in the scale she has chosen.
Christine’s lean model allows her to:
- Work one on one with clients and build relationships, in a way that she could not have if she had been working with a big agency. In service business especially, you’re working intimately with the client. Being able to have trust and emotional connection is important.
- Choose what clients to work with, in this case, small to medium sized purpose driven business. Such businesses are often stretched to their capacity and need a dedicated person to work with, trusting that their needs will be taken care of.
- Take months off during the summer – the dream for most solopreneurs. 🙂
However, there are tradeoffs. The primary ones are uncertainty about income, or losing clients who want to work with a “big firm.” Christine has weighed the pros and cons of choosing to stay lean and chooses lean each time. Being able to have sustainable business without burnout is a big pro. And being able to scale without compromise weighs more than everything else.
How the VIP day model helps CL Designs stay lean
For service providers, scope creep can be a killer. It drags projects out, extends timelines and makes solopreneurs lose money.
The VIP day model solves that problem. It’s one day (or a certain amount of hours) set apart for service providers to work with one client on a specific problem. For Christine, this could be a website refresh, creating branded templates, presentation decks, social templates, or workbooks.
Client and service provider work together. At the end of the assigned time, the client is presented with the finished project.
The VIP day is focused on execution, but it is supported by intense preparation before the day starts. Christine starts with an intake form, a discovery call, and a discussion about assets (either content or graphics). The client needs to be clear on their vision, and what they want to have achieved by the end of the allotted time. This takes away any guesswork, as well as constant back and forth that extends a project.
I’ve done over 30 VIP days now. Over the last few years I’ve found that the magic really happens in the preparation.
Christine’s niche for VIP days are companies who do not have a dedicated communication person. This model gives them the ability to hire an in-house designer for a day in this capacity.
At the end of the project, Christine gives her clients an “empowerment tutorial” as a wrap up session. This gives the client autonomy and makes them feel confident moving forward with the project.
Having a VIP day model also builds in the capacity to earn income without burnout. Concentrating all client work in a few days leaves the rest of the week or month free for other pursuits.
Now onto the tech
Christine provides her clients a choice of several software platforms ranging from Shopify, to Wix and Squarespace.
Christine’s expertise on multiple platforms started with clients requesting certain platforms, as well as her own expertise gained from watching YouTube or LinkedIn Learning videos.
Being a Gold status and Circle member on Squarespace has given Christine a shortcut which raises her credibility with clients when they are choosing her services.
“There’s been a lot of practice and curiosity to get to this point of expertise. Also, being an expert with platforms means being at the forefront of new updates and developments, especially when the platforms run community events.”
How Christine leverages technology so she can take months off from her business
Calendly helps automate scheduling so that potential clients can be sent into a funnel without any manual work. Christine also uses Loom, a video platform, which allows her to create videos for client use.
Asana is the “holy grail” for project management. It reduces guess work and gives the clients assurance on how their projects are being handled. When they see the client boards, they know exactly what tasks need to be completed, who’s responsible and what’s outstanding.
Planoply is great for scheduling social media posts while she’s away, so her marketing is always working when she isn’t.
With this system in place, Christine just checks in once a week. If a client needs help, she’s able to step in remotely if needed.
Christine’s working tech stack
Christine estimates that she uses anywhere from 10 to 20 platforms in these categories:
Design: Adobe suite, Canva
Websites: Squarespace, Wix and Shopify
Project management: Asana, Google Workspace and Calendly
Communications: Voxer
Marketing: Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook groups, ChatGPT
How does Christine manage the costs of her tech stack?
By being very strategic! Christine pays annual fees, which then provides a discount on monthly rates. Free versions allows her to test out platforms before deciding to invest.
For website work, clients pay for their own hosting and domains.
Before choosing a platform, Christine also analyzes if the software will grow with her business and fit with her current suite of tools. The software must also support her client experience and either save time for her or her clients.
The best tools Christine uses
For storage: Google Workspace. This platform allows Christine to work remotely. She also finds it to be more intuitive and robust than Dropbox.
For project management: Asana. With so many clients and overlapping projects, Asana is the one hub that helps Christine stay on top of things. “It’s where my sanity lives and breathes.”
The worst tool?
Slack. But only because it’s more geared toward teams and not a solo business. Voxer, on the other hand, has been a great alternative for communication during VIP days.
To learn more about Christine and CL Designs
Visit her website at: christineldesigns.com
Listen to the Brand Party Podcast
Visit her on Instagram at: @_clieu