Bhavini Lakhani, Graphic Designer, B81 Designs
I work with business owners to help them discover their visual identity. I do this by creating bold, dynamic branding and print design solutions, so they can look professional and elevate their business to the next level. I've been a print-focused graphic designer for over fifteen years, working in-house and for agencies before I broke free and setting up B81 Designs in 2011. From my years working in the corporate world, I know that corporate and professional doesn't mean stuffy and boring. I know all the design rules; clean lines, white space and organisation are really important elements in my design work, but I love to break the rules by adding exciting splashes of colour, unexpected fonts and vibrancy to my work.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
At the moment, I'm really enjoying using LinkedIn. I've spent the last two years focussing on building up my profile, building up my network and making sure that I'm unapologetically me. The me that you see on LinkedIn is the person that you'd see in real life and on all my other social media channels too.
I'm enjoying LinkedIn because of the people that I've met during the time I've spent on that platform. I've met some incredible people who I would now call friends. And not only that, but it's helped my business grow and reach a wider audience.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I work for myself - this year marks ten years as being self-employed for me, and although it was unexpected, it's been a fantastic journey so far. I've been working as a designer since 2006, and in 2011 I went self-employed. I chose to take redundancy after my maternity leave was coming to an end in 2011, and it was supposed to be a temporary thing, but it clearly hasn't turned out that way.
When I was first freelancing, I'd design anything and everything that could be printed - even things like wedding and party invites and pens and mugs! As time went on, my focus started to narrow down, and I began saying no to the things that I didn't enjoy. About three and a half years ago, I decided that I was going to relaunch my website, and that was the perfect time to completely stop offering these services. Out went the invites, and I put more of a focus on branding and marketing collateral for B2B clients. And that's where I've stayed since. I primarily work on brand identity design, business stationery and marketing collateral to support my clients. Why? Because that's what I love working on!
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
There are a lot of things that I love about my career and my area of focus. I love the flexibility that being self-employed gives me. I have two girls (aged ten and eight), and my working hours are based on when they're at school. I love that I can take the morning off to go and watch a school assembly or spend the afternoon at their sports day.
I also take on less work during the school holidays so I can spend time with them. I think that I have a really great work-life blend. I decided to focus on B2B clients because I absolutely love taking something that is often seen as dull and boring and making it look amazing. I enjoy making things look more appealing to my client's audience. That's not to say I don't ever do any B2C work, but I tend to target my services towards B2B clients.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
"Just do it."
I sometimes have a habit of overthinking things, and then by the time I've finished thinking, it's either too late, or I've lost the passion I had for the idea/project!! Since I've started to JFDI, I feel like I've achieved more, and I'm a lot happier!
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
I'm inspired by lots of things. I find a lot of inspiration in nature, especially the gorgeous bold colours around during spring when flowers are blooming. Even autumn colours inspire me. If I'm feeling a little unmotivated, I'll step away from my desk, and I'll go for a walk.
We're really lucky that where we live is surrounded by lakes and woods to walk to/explore. I really enjoy photography as a habit, so I find that taking my camera to record days out with the kids is really inspiring too. My kids help me move forward, too - they see what I'm doing with my business, and I love how that inspires their own creativity.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
I'm proud of my children - we're raising two really amazing girls! I'm proud of making it to ten years of self-employment. It's something I never ever wanted and so to get to this point is huge. And I'm proud to have got my business to where it is now organically, I've never advertised, and my business has been built on word of mouth and referrals. I'm really proud that I can say I've got clients that span the globe.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
I love informal networking events. Pre-covid, I enjoyed going to Business Buzz once a month - these are very informal events where you turn up, have a coffee and some brownies or churros and just meet new people. No pressure whatsoever.
I'm not the kind of person who can wake up early and go to a breakfast networking event at 6 am. There are now some really, really decent Facebook groups for Freelancers - these communities are great for speaking to like-minded people and finding support. Being Freelance, Doing it for the Kids, and Freelance Heroes are my faves.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
I never stop noticing things around me - I think that really helps when it comes to being inspired to design. I believe in always doing things with kindness and helping others if I can - so that's what I do in my business life too.
If I can help other designers by recommending them, I will. If I can help clients by going above and beyond on a project, I will. I'm always honest, too - for example, I'll always tell potential clients to make sure they've spoken to a few other designers apart from me before they make a decision about who they want to work with.
Skills... I think natural design talent has to be there to start with, but the skills needed to use things like Adobe Illustrator can be learned.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
I wish I had known to charge what I'm worth. I started out undercharging - probably by quite a lot. And I now realise I was doing that in order to get work in, but it was far too low. I also wish I'd known to use a contract and watertight terms of business. I've learned a fair few lessons over the years!
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
I really admire Sophie Cross, who runs Thoughtfully Marketing and created Freelancer Magazine. She's working incredibly hard to support other freelancers, and the energy she brings to her work is amazing. I've done her LinkedIn for Humans course, and she's just who she is. Honest, kind and extremely supportive.
I also admire Steve Folland, who runs Being Freelance. He's very inspiring! He runs a community aimed at supporting and celebrating freelancers. And he does that while running his own business too!
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
Outside of work, I enjoy photography. I did a couple of courses during lockdown with a local photographer. It's something that's become a great hobby because it's creative, but it's something that I wouldn't do as a job. I also enjoy working out. A few years ago, my then PT introduced me to weight lifting, and I was instantly hooked.
Each morning I get up early enough to fit a workout in because it's my me time; it gets my day off to a great start and sets me up for the rest of the day too. I'm passionate about coffee, too - drinking good coffee is really important to me. We buy beans from a local roastery, so I love the fact that we're supporting an indie business too.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you been managing it?
Both, to be honest. It hasn't been easy - especially in the beginning when there was so much uncertainty. I guess there still is! Work-wise I lost a lot of work at the start of the pandemic, and my husband was furloughed for about six months, in a way that worked nicely for us because once our girls were at home and he was furloughed, I ended up winning a couple of new projects.
So while I focussed on those, my husband was able to focus on the girls. And things have been pretty steady work-wise since about mid-May 2020. Outside of work... I think there's been a positive impact on my immediate family. We've had so much quality time together. We've all really enjoyed the slow pace of life and exploring more of our home town by going on walks every day.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
The answer to both is no. There are a lot of people in the freelance world that I look up to and admire, and I would love to have a mentor one day!
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Better done than perfect. There'll never be the perfect time to do something, and if you don't try, you'll never know.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Comparing yourself to others in your field and seeing them as your competition. It's so easy to see another designer/branding expert doing really well on their social media pages and automatically wondering why you're not doing as well as they are. But you have to realise that you might be comparing your year one in business to their year ten. You just have to keep going and stop comparing.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"I'm not merely lucky. No one who succeeds is merely lucky. Lucky implies I didn't do anything. Lucky implies something was given to me. Lucky implies that I was handed something I did not earn, that I did not work hard for. I am not lucky. Do you know what I am? I am smart, talented, I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way, and I work really, really hard. Don't call me lucky. Call me a badass." ― Shonda Rhimes.
This resonates with me so much! I often get told:
"oh, you're so lucky you can work at home."
"oh, you're so lucky you can choose when to work."
"oh, you're so lucky that you don't have to work in the school holidays."
No... I'm not lucky! I've built my business and worked hard so that I have that blend!
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Innocent drinks - their humour is just fantastic. Nike - they always form an emotional connection with their audience. And that continued during the pandemic too.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
To me... success is being happy. Not just in work but in life too. A big part of my why is my family, and if I didn't have happiness in both my work life and my personal life, I wouldn't feel like I'm successful.
Lessons: Follow your gut. ALWAYS. With some projects or clients, there have been red flags - a lot of red flags. And when I've ignored those gut feelings, either I've not enjoyed at work, or things have gone horribly wrong! But whenever I follow those gut instincts, if something feels wrong, something so much better has immediately followed.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying no if that's what you want to say. Say no to cutting the project fee in half; say no to turning around the logo in 24 hours. JFDI/Better done than perfect. Write that book, launch that thing!