Marketing List Basics

What is 4 Hats?

We provide simple reading and tasks for the creative professional. Started by two creatives who realized early on that maximizing their other non-creative professional skills could not only get them the kind of work that they wanted, but get them the kind of lives that they wanted, My4Hats is about more than building a business that makes a lot of money. It's building a business that gives you the opportunities to do the kind of work you love, and have the kind of work/life balance that makes it possible for you to do your best work.

• The Planning Hat - Taking care of business means knowing how to allocate your resources and anticipating the future needs of your customers, and your own business.
• The Marketing Hat - You do it for other people; now it’s time to come up with a marketing plan for your business. Marketing also allows you to confidently raise rates and be selective on who your clients are.
• The Operations Hat - Yeah, we know: this is the hat most creatives don’t like to wear. But billing, time keeping, and running an efficient practice are essential to maintaining a profitable business. Don’t fall under that preconception of a creative person and instead become a business person who sells creative services.
• The Creative Hat - Being able to harness your creativity is an important part of crafting award-winning, results-oriented work. And that’s as much about having discipline and a game plan as it is about ideas.

This action sheet series is designed to give creative freelancers, solopreneurs and small-business owners practical, hands-on lessons for developing their skills and growing their businesses. The lessons are pulled together from real-world know-how and experience that’s been fortified with knowledge from respected authors and books. They’re bite-sized, but still satisfying and filling. The goal is less reading and more action.

About The Authors

Joven Orozco is the chief-thinker and principal of Jovenville, a leading creative agency for consumer companies, whose clients include Mattel, the Orange County Transportation Authority, John Wayne Airport, Disney and E! He earns new business and wins truckloads of awards every year, yet still has the time to be a loving husband and terrific father. Jovenville is located right in the middle of Newport Harbor, which means Joven can look out his office window and have a magnificent view of the ocean, and pretty girls rollerskating by in bikinis.

Luke Mysse is as sought out for his business acumen as he is for his design skills. In addition to being the principal of Crossgrain, a successful design and marketing firm, Luke is a marketing strategist and business consultant who helps small companies achieve their big potentials. He’s a recognized expert who’s been invited to speak at HOW-CFC, AIGA and Freelancers Union. And perhaps the most telling measure of his success? He lives less than a mile away from his office, and his commute is a ten-minute walk.