Initial lack of customers and cash flow often causes a small business to put off designing a logo and marketing materials professionally “until [they] got a few clients” or “until [they] get started.” Designing their own marketing materials when they launch their business, instead of having them professionally created, will make getting those initial clients more difficult, and may result in a business that will not succeed.
Many entrepreneurs choose to design their own marketing materials when they launch their business, especially by creating their first business card. Or, they will have an amateur designer, friend or relative create the design. There are several reasons why this is not the best idea. An amateur logo design and business card can make your business more likely to fail because:
About half of all businesses fail within their first few years. One source of failure that’s commonly cited by experts is sloppy or ineffective marketing – if your marketing materials don’t stand out from your competitors’, your sales will suffer.
When you start a business, you need to create the quickest possible route to business success. A logo helps to create this by contributing to your business’s visibility, credibility, and memorability – three factors that will help your business to grow and achieve success. So, while putting off your logo development may seem like a prudent idea from a cash-flow point of view, it could result in your business never getting “off the ground”. It can also lead to your business folding when it would otherwise succeed – if you don’t invest in your business, who will?
If you think that you can’t afford to design a logo when starting your business, consider the outcomes – how can you afford not to?
Copyright 2005, elf design. All Rights Reserved
Erin Ferree is a logo, print and web designer who has been making it easy for small businesses to stand out and to be visible, credible and memorable for the past nine years.
http://www.elf-design.com
