For Those “Too Busy” With Client Work…

If you run a creative business, you’ve probably said this at some point:

“We’ve been so focused on client work that we haven’t had time for our own.”

Look, I get it.

You’re delivering great work.
Keeping the team moving.
Keeping revenue flowing.

But at some point, being “too busy” to invest time and money in your own brand’s growth stops being noble and starts being reckless.

And that, my friend... is how great studios/agencies/etc. plateau.

So let’s talk about how to avoid that.

How prioritize your brand without waiting for a slow season:

Don’t wait for a gap in client work. Do build low-lift systems that reinforce your positioning in the background.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Reclaim 90 minutes a week

Block one short window to zoom out, review, and refine.

Ask yourself/your partner(s)/team questions like:

• What’s outdated on our website?
• What content could be reused?
• What work deserves to be seen?

Step 2: Treat your own brand like a client

Give it structure. Name the project. Put it on the calendar.

If you don’t carve out time on purpose, it will always fall to the bottom of the list.

Step 3: Build once, evolve slowly

You don’t need to keep reinventing the wheel.

Use flexible frameworks that scale with you so your brand evolves WITH you.

Don’t wait until your pipeline dips. Do act from a place of leadership, rather than survival.

People make this mistake because it feels responsible to put clients first.
But when your brand takes a back seat for too long, the cost compounds.

Don’t prioritize delivery at the expense of your brand. Do see your brand as a multiplier that deserves your attention.

Here are 3 benefits of keeping your brand active even when you're busy:

• Higher-value clients who come in already trusting your value
• Shorter sales cycles because your positioning is doing the heavy lifting
• More stability and optionality when the project load shifts
  ‍

It’s easy to see why the famous cycle continues:

1. You’re busy → You put your brand on hold
2. The work slows → You rush to show up again
3. You get busy again → And round we go

The best firms aren’t the ones who wait for things to calm down.
They’re the ones who stay visible even when they’re booked.

They understand that your brand is part of the work.
Not separate from it.

So this week, reclaim just 90 minutes.
‍

Not to overhaul everything, but to take one small, strategic step forward.

Future you (and your pipeline) will thank you for it.

‍

Need a little help figuring out what that first step should be?

Take the Website Maturity Snapshot™: a free tool we built to help creative teams identify what’s holding their digital presence back and how to fix it.