Tips for this new year will concentrate on specific techniques for building your business. This is the first in the new series of tips.

Whether full or part-time, a "for-profit" attitude is essential to the successful self-promotion or marketing of your creative services. It is the sign that distinguishes between the hobbyist and the true professional.

Then, you will need a marketing plan or "map" to help you accomplish your business and profit goals. To write this marketing plan, you must first define the area or areas of creative services where you want to find clients.

This definition process is critical for two important reasons.

• One, most clients use the "specialty" method to hire. When a company needs an annual report they will hire the person that specializes in this area before they will hire the person that does "everything".
• Second, you can't find what you are looking for if you don't know where to look! If you specialize in "annual reports" then it will be very simple to find clients with this need compared to the search for clients that buy "everything".

Next, list your strengths and weaknesses in business and marketing. Look at areas such as project management procedures, the portfolio, selling skills, promo pieces, your logo identity, follow-up techniques and even equipment. Evaluate each and write down the areas that need the most work.

Now that you know what needs work, set goals to correct the above weak areas and to strengthen the strong areas. All of this planning must be done in writing to insure the accomplishment of your goals. For example, if you have noted above that your portfolio is weak in "annual reports" and that is an area you want work in, you will write, "Improve quantity and quality of samples of annual report work in portfolio".

The plan you are writing now starts to fall into place as you tackle this next section. For each goal written above, write down all of the steps you will take to accomplish that goal, schedule the time to do the work and plan the budget required. These are the "strategies" required for goals to become reality. To continue our example from above, for the portfolio you will write, "Design (or shoot or draw) one annual repeat project each month for the next six months". At the end of six months, you have your new portfolio!

This step-by-step planning process can be used to put all of your dreams into goals and your goals into reality. The key is to turn self-promotion into action. You must write down each step, give yourself deadlines and do the work! Only then will you achieve the success you so richly deserve.

Next month's column will suggest specific techniques for developing your direction.