Hugh MacLeod

Hugh is a cartoonist, creative director and co-founder of Gapingvoid, a company that transforms business through art. He is intensely interested in what makes people tick, and combines that with the biggest part of most people’s lives: what they do for a living. This is why his artistic focus is on the work environment, instead of making art for people’s homes or other places. And he’s been hugely successful in doing so.

Growing up, unlike a lot of kids who wanted to be an athlete or an actor, Hugh thought he might like to become a cartoonist. And so he did! He really enjoyed drawing as a kid, and he also enjoyed reading Dr. Seuss and Peanuts and later, Doonesbury. By the age of 9, he was reading and drawing cartoons constantly.

Fast forward to 1995, it’s the early days of the Internet and the very pioneer days of blogging. As a struggling artist, he realized blogging was a tool that could help him earn a living by reaching people directly with his work.

He no longer needed to be “discovered,” as had always been the traditional path for an artist. He simply needed to find his 1,000 “true fans” ala Kevin Kelly, and he would be set. Blogging gave him a powerful medium to reach his audience.

Hugh believes passionately that the right location, the right office, the right layout, and the right décor can be incredibly powerful. And art is really the key. Art disrupts and drives behavior, because it bundles together our primary drivers as human beings: love, hate, fear,  beauty, sadness.

There is much more to this episode with Hugh, be sure to tune in to hear it all!

Please join us in thanking Hugh for being with us today, and thanks to you as well for joining us. We’ll see you next time on WordPress Elevation.

Elevation Round

Q: What’s the #1 thing any freelancer needs to know?

A: Know when to say no.

Q: What’s the best thing you’ve done to find new customers?

A: I started a newsletter. And go after the gigs nobody else wants. We weren’t interested in the guy who has a lot of money. We were interested in people with real problems.

Q: How do you stop competing on price?

A: We had very unique offerings so we didn’t have to. If you’re competing on price you’re not differentiating your offerings enough.

Q: Any tips for writing better proposals?

A: Be clear about what you want.

Q: What’s your favorite CRM tool?

A: Gmail and Basecamp is what we use.

Q: What’s the best way to keep a project and a client on track?

A: Practice! You have to be vigilant. Be realistic when setting deadlines. Build in time for unforeseen events. Constantly communicate with clients.

Q: Any ideas for getting referrals from existing customers?

A: Art is there all the time. It’s just hanging on the wall. People see it, and they ask “where’d you get that?”

Q: What’s the #1 thing you can do to differentiate yourself?

A: Go after a niche nobody else has thought of. Too many people are trying to sell the same stuff to the same people.