When we launched Badberries a year ago, I thought I understood what challenges we’d face. Finding clients. Creating standout work. Building our reputation. Yes, these were true. But what I’ve come to realise is that the heart of all these challenges revolves around a single question: where do we invest our time? The invisible client that never sleeps Every agency has two distinct sides that constantly compete for attention. The first is client delivery – the work that pays bills and builds reputation. The second is the business itself – operations, growth, and longevity. I’ve started thinking of this second side as our “invisible client.” Like any client, it has deadlines, demands, and deliverables. But unlike external clients, this one never stops needing attention, never wraps a project, and never takes a holiday. The challenge? If you neglect client work, you have no income. If you neglect the invisible client, you have no future. Complementary founders as strategic advantage Recognising this tension early was crucial to our survival. As managing director with a background in complex agency projects, I bring planning and operational expertise. Meanwhile Dani Wolf, our creative director and my co-founder, ensures our output remains distinctive and compelling. Together, we lead a team of designers who execute our vision for clients. This complementary partnership has been fundamental to our success. When we first discussed starting the studio, Dani appreciated my approach, recognising how proper structure could give the creative work room to flourish. He saw how systems would help us be more efficient, meet deadlines consistently, improve collaboration and help the creative process flow better. This balance allows us to serve both our visible and invisible clients more effectively than either of us could alone. When urgent client needs arise, we can divide and conquer, one of us focusing on delivery while the other keeps our business moving forward. Time as investment currency In a service business where we essentially buy time – from ourselves and our team – and sell it to clients, we’ve learnt to think of time allocation as investment decisions. This may sound very dry, but it’s necessity to recognise it. In the creative industry, there are typically two pricing approaches: value-based and time-based. Value-based pricing operates on the principle that the worth of the work transcends the time invested in creating it. There’s a famous anecdote about Paula Scher, the legendary Pentagram designer, who reportedly designed the Citibank logo during a meeting on a napkin. As she famously said, “It took me a few seconds to draw it, but it took me 34 years to learn how to draw it in a few seconds.” “The main question isn’t how to manage time, it’s how to invest it wisely.” As a new business, we made the conscious decision to adopt time-based pricing. Not because we don’t value our work, but because it creates transparency with clients while protecting us from scope creep. It’s given us the clarity and flexibility needed in our first year, allowing us to be agile while maintaining healthy margins. More importantly, it’s forced us to be intentional about where we invest non-billable hours. When you track time meticulously, you quickly see which activities generate returns and which don’t. The art of delegation One of our biggest time management lessons has been understanding what to outsource and what to handle ourselves. The equation isn’t simply about cost, it’s about strategic focus. We quickly outsourced accounting and legal services, areas where mistakes would be costly and specialised expertise is essential. This decision, while an investment, freed mental space and reduced stress considerably. For marketing, our approach has evolved. We initially outsourced social media management but brought it back in-house when we realised we were still finding our voice. Conversely, hiring a PR specialist to build brand awareness has been transformative precisely because it’s a specialised skill neither of us possesses. The question isn’t what can we afford to outsource? It’s what can we afford not to outsource if we want to grow? Beyond billable hours Six months into our journey, we faced an uncomfortable truth – while we were steadily winning client work, these projects had limited portfolio potential. This realisation sparked a multi-pronged approach. First, we became more intentional about which client projects we pursued, weighing creative potential alongside financial return. Sometimes a smaller budget project with greater creative freedom became a better long-term investment than a larger but creatively constrained opportunity. Second, we carved out specific time for “studio projects” – self-initiated work that might not generate immediate revenue but would demonstrate our capabilities, showcase our passions as a business, and attract the type of clients we ultimately wanted. Fluid time allocation What we’ve ultimately learnt is that time allocation isn’t about rigid formulas, it’s about maintaining a fluid, responsive approach while never losing sight of both sides of the business. Our approach continues to mature. Some weeks demand intense focus on client delivery; others allow more investment in the invisible client. The key isn’t perfect balance in any given week, but ensuring that neither side gets neglected over the longer term. This fluidity extends to how we work as founders and how we blend our work and personal lives. Dani, a morning person, starts early when he’s most energised. As a night owl, I often put in hours after my son’s bedtime. We’ve even started taking a couple of weekend hours to plan the week ahead, as we found weekdays often began with immediate client needs that left no space for strategic thinking. I’m not advocating for poor boundaries. But as founders, finding the rhythm that works for your life circumstances is essential. Another lesson our invisible client has taught us. Looking forward A year in, we’re still refining this balance. But we’ve learned that the main question isn’t how to manage time, it’s how to invest it wisely across both sides of our business. For those starting their own creative venture, recognise early that your invisible client demands as much strategic thinking as any external project. Build systems that acknowledge both sides need nurturing, be intentional about outsourcing, and remember that sometimes the most valuable hours you spend won’t appear on any client invoice. Natasha Szczerb is managing director and co-founder of design and branding studio Badberries. Industries in this article Recent Jobs #design #leaders #must #manage #invisible