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Balancing the Ups and Downs of Running a Service Business
Balancing the Ups and Downs of Running a Service BusinessRunning a business can often feel like you're strapped into the wildest rollercoaster with no idea what twist or turn is coming next. I've been there and it's both exhilarating and daunting. In my best month, I soared high with earnings hitting over $95k. The next month, it’s a plunge into a $15k loss. Yeah, it’s a wild ride. And here's the thing – it's completely normal. There are going to be amazing days and some not-so-great ones. You might even hit a rough patch that lasts weeks, months, or, brace yourself, an entire year. But here’s what I learned: it's crucial to zoom out and look at the bigger picture. Those down times? They're not the end of your story. They're just part of the journey. Often, there's something incredible just around the corner, waiting for you. All you need is the resilience to ride out the storm and the vision to see beyond the immediate hurdles. So, let's dive in and explore how to navigate these ups and downs, and most importantly, how to keep your eye on the big picture.
Tip of the weekCopy interactive elements from FigJam to Figma fileDid you know you can enhance your Figma design projects with interactive elements from FigJam? It’s quite simple and effective. For instance, you can copy elements like lines with arrows directly from FigJam and paste them into your regular Figma file. These elements retain their interactivity – the arrows will still stick to your elements just as they do in FigJam. This feature can be particularly useful for projects that require detailed flow diagrams or interactive features. I’m currently integrating these interactive elements into my QuickFrames.io tool, which adds a dynamic and user-friendly aspect to the designs. Try it out in your next Figma project for an added layer of functionality! What got me inspiredTextOS - WeatherIt's this incredibly unique weather mobile app that's caught my eye. Imagine a weather app, but designed entirely using text and ASCII-like art. It's as minimalist as it gets – just black and white, no flashy graphics or colors. It's a refreshing reminder that innovation isn't always about adding more; sometimes it's about seeing what's already there in a whole new way. Take the Next Step
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Rafal Tomal
Join 20k+ people who love good design. Get my best tips, resources, and strategies to elevate your design skills and grow your business.
Design Through Fast Iterations We often dive deep into design theory and spend hours on tutorials learning new skills. But I don’t think we focus enough on practical techniques that actually help us achieve the best results. You can have all that design knowledge, but you still need a process that helps you stay creative, make those little decisions at every step, and find the best solution. When I first started designing, I’d often stare at a blank page, unsure of where to begin. My usual...
Auto Layout in Figma: to use or not to use? Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the debate around auto layout in Figma. On one side, you’ve got designers who say skipping auto layout makes their work faster—they don’t have to get bogged down in the details, and it speeds up their process. On the other hand, some argue that auto layout is essential for efficiency, helping to maintain consistent spacing, reposition elements easily, and ensure everything is pixel-perfect. Personally, I’ve...
It’s Typespiration Time! Lately, I've been feeling a bit nostalgic for the days when design was just pure fun—no business plans, no client deadlines, no specific goals, just the joy of creating. So, I decided to revisit one of my older side projects, Typespiration. It reminded me of a time when I could simply create, share, and not worry too much about anything else. For those of you who haven't heard of it before, Typespiration is a collection of simple designs that play with different sets...