Manage a Part-Time Business – 2025

ONLINE workshop: ‘Manage a Part-Time Business’ – Thu 3 july 10am – 1pm (UK time)

Many creatives manage a part-time business – and for very good reasons! You might be caring for younger or older family members, you are studying or working, managing a chronic health condition, be semi-retired (but still full of creative ambition – oh yes!), or you simply need more financial security in today’s uncertain world. Or maybe you’re deliberately building your business slowly, without too much financial pressure.

If this sounds like you, you’re far from alone. In the last 12 months especially, we have seen many more (both new and established) professional creatives going part-time. Often for reasons that are deeply personal, practical, and complex. But, very little business, planning and marketing advice caters for you as a part-timer!   

So, we decided to create this brand-new, 3-hour facilitated workshop on how to manage a part-time business more successfully. Together we will explore how to make your part-time business work for you – creatively, financially, and practically. This is YOUR chance to step back for 3 hours (some productive ‘me’ time indeed!), to review your situation, and to start making more deliberate business decisions. You will create a 6-month action plan focused on what works for you and what you want.

This workshop is NOT about pushing yourself to go ‘full time’. It’s about making better business decisions and creating a plan based on your definition of a successful, creative part-time business.

Guided by Patricia van den Akker, the Director of The Design Trust and an award-winning creative business adviser, trainer and coach, you will work by yourself on a series of thought-provoking questions and exercises, and you will be invited to share with fellow creative part-timers too.

Can’t make it live? No problem! We recommend you join this 3-hour class live so you can ask questions and share with fellow part-time creative professionals. However, every participant will get access to the recording and presentation in a private course hub for 5 months until 30 November 2025, so you can watch the audio-visual recording as often as you like, and when it suits you.

the key facts

• 3-hour online practical and reflective workshop on Thursday 3 July 10am – 1pm (UK time)
• Outcome: Understand your motivations and challenges around working part-time, learn how to manage your energy & time better, and create a more part-time-friendly business model for you
• Especially created for: Creative professionals who work part-time, and want less stress and more freedom, creativity and joy in their life and business!
• Tutor: Patricia van den Akker, creative business adviser, trainer & coach, and the Director of The Design Trust
• Time commitment: 3 hours for the training. We recommend you will need another 2-3 hours to finish your financial forecast and your 6-months action plan

want to get time management, business & marketing advice, especially for professional, part-time creatives?

Many creative professionals work part-time in their business … for all sorts of good reasons!

But frankly there is very little, specific business advice out there on how to manage or market a part-time business successfully!

That’s why we created this brand-new 3-hour online ‘Manage Your Part-Time Business’ workshop, especially for creative professionals! This workshop is for you if…

• You are working part-time, but that much-needed life-work balance is still not really there! You work really hard, but it feels like it’s not really working for you. You are trying your best, but too often feel ‘behind’, and it’s pretty lonely too!
• You feel you are not being taken seriously as a part-time creative business owner. By yourself, or by others and are feeling a bit fed up with that.
• Times are tough, and you are considering going part-time. You need a job to make more money, or maybe your family needs you right now, so your creative business needs to go part-time (temporarily).
• You never have time! But, you know that you want or need to make time to reflect to decide what works for you, your family and your business. You want some time to think and reflect, and get support and advice from people who get this!

Are you ready to get back in control of your life and part-time business? Want to make it work financially, creatively and mentally? Get fresh ideas for your time management, organisation and marketing? Get a renewed sense of motivation, self-trust and creative momentum? Sign up today!

what will I learn & get from this ‘MANAGE A PART-TIME BUSINESS’ workshop?

In this reflective, practical and especially supportive (we get it!) 3-hour online workshop we will cover ALL aspects of managing a part-time business: from your motivations and current reality, to improving your finances and time management, to creating and planning a business that will work easier for you and your situation. This workshop exists of 5 parts…

1. Why do you work part-time? Getting clear on your reality, constraints and opportunities, as well as personal motivations around working part-time. Let’s get honest and stop trying to keep all those balls in the air!

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of working part-time for you? And are you maximising the benefits, and minimising the disadvantages? Let’s make this work better for you!

3. How to make part-time work financially. You will look at your current income and expenditure, and what to do to increase your salary and turnover (total sales in a year). What could be a more part-time friendly business model for you? Patricia will show you which income streams or sales channels work better for part-timers, and what to focus on in marketing to get sales. In short: What can give you better financial results with less energy? You will get some practical homework in advance, and during the session you will create a financial forecast to improve your salary and profitability.

4. Time & energy management for part-time business owners to help you rebalance your limited time (and energy!). How to make space for what truly matters, and cut out what doesn’t. How to learn to say ‘no’ more confidently! How to simplify and use systems or automatisations. We will look at how you currently spend your time and who & what you want to make time for! Are you making the most of the quiet and the busy times throughout the year? With our advice on what tools and systems can help you.

5. What’s next? Throughout this workshop you will be creating your personal mini action plan for the next 6 – 12 months tailored to your working patterns, creative goals and financial reality. How to manage your business – gently, profitably, AND on your own terms.

During this online workshop, Patricia will ask you thought-provoking journaling questions and share practical advice to make working part-time work for you. This is a great session to take stock, review your situation and what is working and what is not, and make decisions to make your part-time business work better – creatively, financially and mindfully!

It’s not just theory or motivation – it’s a space to stop, assess, and take clear action. Do not expect to ‘just listen in’ for 3 hours … you will be actively reviewing and planning for your situation. By the end of this workshop you will have more clarity on why and how you’re working part-time. With more realistic expectations of what’s possible.

We highly recommend that you try to join us live, as you are much more likely to show up for yourself, and make a specific time in your diary for this important work, but also to be able to share with other creative part-timers who are with you in this session – for extra support and to learn together.

who is this ‘manage a parttime business’ workshop for?

Patricia has created and developed this brand-new, 3-hour online workshop, especially for …

• Any professional creative who is working part-time, or wants to work part-time, regardless of gender or age. By choice or default. You are balancing other responsibilities, work, study, caring duties, retirement or health challenges with your creative business. You might have fewer hours, but you are still ambitious and want to make it worthwhile financially! You are determined to build a creative, sustainable, meaningful AND profitable business!
• You want to grow creatively and professionally, but you also need to be realistic with the limited time, money & energy you have got. You sometimes feel stuck and are not sure if it’s a hobby or a ‘real business’. You are sometimes feeling guilty because you feel you are letting people down (kind reminder to yourself: you are doing more than your best!) You are always busy, but you want to make some time for you, to reflect and to make ‘this’ work better, and to start taking yourself more seriously!
• You want to work by yourself on this, but also learn & get inspired by other creatives who work part-time on how they ‘do it all’? (Hint: They drop a lot of balls too … we all do! We all make it up as we go along.) You want guidance based on real life, not hustle culture to do even more.
• We welcome all types of part-timers! You might have just graduated or started your business recently and have a part-time or full-time job to pay the bills, or you might have been working for decades and are looking forward to taking it a little easier on your way to retirement. Or you might need to work part-time to get extra money in, you have (unpredictable) health issues or you are a carer. We welcome you all! (And yes, it would be great to get some men joining this workshop too!!)
• The Design Trust works mostly with creative professionals in design, crafts, visual art, illustration and the like. If you work part-time but you do not work in the creative industries then you can still join in, as this workshop is very likely to be relevant for other part-timers in other sectors, especially related creative, performing, sports or beauty and wellbeing sectors.

how to make the most of this short online workshop?

We highly recommend that you join this online workshop live as there will be a strong collaborative element in this workshop where you will share your ideas but also solutions and insights – either in the chat or in small breakout rooms. It’s all completely voluntary.

In advance of this workshop we will give you a little homework to check your income and expenditure, and to start creating a budget of what income, salary and expenses you are aiming at.

Can’t make the live workshop? No problem! The workshop will be recorded and you will have access to the recording + presentation until 30 November 2025 in our private course hub, where you can also ask questions and share your actions afterwards.

FAQ: Got any further questions?

click the arrow to get your answers

• How much time will this workshop take?

  This online workshop is just 3 hours. And at a child-friendly time!

  We will give you a little bit of practical homework in advance and afterwards, but frankly this is about deciding what you will do LESS of, rather than more!

  And if you can’t make it … no worries it will be recorded and you will have access until 30 November. So you can watch it whenever it suits you.

• What if I am not very tech-savvy?

  We use Zoom for our online workshops an online platform that’s very easy to access, and many people are already familiar with.

  A week before your workshop starts we will send you the details of how to sign up for the workshop on Zoom.  If you do not receive this email then get in touch with us ASAP.

  Our private online platform (where we will post the presentation + recording afterwards) is really easy to use too. You’ll only need basic computer literacy in order to navigate it.

• I can’t make it on Thursday 3 July in the morning. Is that a problem?

  We recommend that you join the workshop live if at all possible. You will be reflecting and planning improvements to your own life and part-time business, but also learning from other creatives like you through the chat and in break-out rooms. If you listen to the recording then you will miss out on this collaborative learning experience. 

  But, especially as you work part-time we completely understand that you might not be able to join us live! Remember that this session will be recorded and posted on our private workshop hub. You will have to the recording + presentation until 30 November 2025.

• I want to join with a friend. Can I share?

  When you buy an online workshop from us then you purchase a single license, which means that you can NOT share the recording or presentation with others.

  Like you, we are a small creative business, and this workshop is full of our copyrighted material and expertise that we have developed over many years. If you share with others who haven’t paid then you are basically stealing from us. We know you wouldn’t like it if others did the same to you. So THANK YOU for not sharing with others.

• Until when can I book this workshop? And how long do I have access to this workshop?

  We highly recommend that you try to sign up for this workshop and join us live – in this case on Thursday 3 July from 10am – 12noon

  However you can still sign up for this workshop until Friday 18 July. After that date this workshop will not be available for new students. All students will have access to the private hub with the workshop presentation + recording until 30 November 2025.

• What if I need to cancel?

  The workshop will take place on Thursday 3 July from 10am – 1pm UK time, and we will record the session and give you access to the recording and the presentation till 30 November 2025.

  After this workshop has taken place we will not offer any refunds as you can still access it whenever you like.

  If you need to cancel before this workshop takes place (3 July) then please email us on info@thedesigntrust.co.uk for a full refund. Unfortunately it takes 5 – 10 working days for the money to be returned to your bank account.

• I have another question …

  If you have any other questions then please get in touch with us on info@thedesigntrust.co.uk. We are always happy to help.