More than ever, people want to work for themselves. In fact, 62 percent of Americans say they’d rather run their own thing than work for someone else. However for most people who venture out on their own, there’s a lot about running a successful business where they have little to no expertise at all.
That’s why we’re introducing Open for Business, a new toolkit series from Adobe built for small businesses, solopreneurs and entrepreneurs. This first edition is all about marketing, with practical tips for getting your story in front of the right people and turning interest into real business.
Your customers love your work, but marketing it is a different job, and nobody handed you a roadmap for creating a brand kit, getting in front of new customers or figuring out what to post each week. The toolkit was built to close that gap.
You’ll find step-by-step workflows and ready-made templates you can open and personalize to make your own, each paired with advice from industry experts who have been in your shoes. Think of it as a guide for helping to grow your business.
The toolkit includes four chapters, which follow the real arc of winning and keeping customers.
- Chapter One: Build your marketing foundation. Create your story, brand identity, list of product descriptions and rates once, so you’re never starting from a blank page.
- Chapter Two: Win new customers. Turn interest into signed deals with a tailored pitch deck, proposal, agreement and welcome kit.
- Chapter Three: Make every win count. Capture your results and package them into case studies and a portfolio that proves what you can do.
- Chapter Four: Amplify your story. Tap into a massive collection of professionally designed templates to create click-worthy social posts, then share, repurpose and schedule so your best work keeps reaching the right people long after a project wraps.
The right tools make a real difference
Great marketing starts with good prep: knowing what you want to say and having the right tools within reach when you need them. The toolkit leans on two specific tools small businesses can start using today: Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Express.
Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Express bring together powerful productivity and creativity tools to help entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and small business owners build and grow their businesses.
- With Acrobat, you can do your research and analysis, uncover insights across your files, turn plain documents into polished assets and create, review and sign the agreements that make a deal official, all in one secure, AI-powered workspace.
- With Express, you can design standout marketing materials and social content, set up a brand kit that keeps everything on brand and schedule a month of social posts quickly and easily. From the first pitch to the signed contract to the follow-up campaign, Adobe helps you save time, get more done and stand out.
Advice from people who’ve been there
Every chapter pairs these tools with real advice from experts who’ve built businesses of their own, including Kristen Kish, professional chef, small business owner, and "Top Chef" host, who we’re partnering with to launch the first edition.
Kish spent years mastering her craft in professional kitchens before she won "Top Chef" and went on to host it. When she opened her own restaurant, she had to learn a whole new side of the job: building a brand, leading a team, keeping the tables full. Like a lot of small business owners, she was cooking and running the business at the same time. She figured out the business side the way many do: by asking questions and leaning on people who had been there before.
