One thing you notice after you have been a creator for a short time is there really aren't enough hours in a day to get everything done that needs to be done. This is especially true if you are doing this as a side hustle or second income stream. If you are doing this as your main income stream, you will have more time BUT you will also want to produce more!

There are three ways you can get around this. They are:

1. Pay someone to do all the work. This will eat into your profits.
2. Create systems, cheat sheets and checklists so you always know what to do next.
3. Use Templates.

In this post, I am going to talk about templates, what they are and why you should create them.

So, what are templates?

The word template has a few definitions, but for this post, I am using one from the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

A template is something that establishes or serves as a pattern.

For creators, they can be a design that can be edited and sold as a different version. An example of this could be a Pinterest header or a paper design which you can change the colors of to create a version for a different color theme or video templates or mockups or…

For your business, they could be for emails, your accounts or your social media posts or …

Should you buy a template or make your own?

The easiest answer to that is yes! I know, I know, it’s not a helpful answer. There are pros and cons to both ideas.

The pros of buying a ready-made template are:

• If it is digital, you should have it winging its way to your inbox within minutes or purchase. 
• Once downloaded, unzipped and open in the correct software, you are ready to go. 
• It solves your problem.

The cons are:

• Normally it has to be paid for.
• You may have to adapt it to suit your problem.
• There may be limitations to how you can use it or adapt it.
• If you are paying someone else to design it for you, then it may take weeks for it to be as you want it to be.

If you are making your own template, the pros are:

• It is normally free to create if you have the software.
• You design it to suit your problem.
• There are no limitations to how you can use or adapt it.

The cons are:

• You need to understand what you want to create.
• You need to understand how to use the software you are using.
• It takes time, and time is a commodity you may not have a lot of.

So you can see that the pros and cons of each option are the opposite of each other and you will use either time or money to pay for the creation.

That’s not the whole truth - I missed out one important thing.

If that was all you needed to consider, then you have a simple decision but there is one last pro to creating your own templates that I haven’t mentioned and it may persuade you it is worth taking the time to make your own templates, even if you have the money to pay for them.

This one thing is, if you create the template for your own use, there is a need for it. If you have a need for it, then so will other people. 

So, if you create the template, you can not only use it yourself but also sell it as a product to other people and create a new income stream.

In my opinion, this is the biggest reason for you to create your own templates. As a business owner and creator, if I can make money out of something I am doing to make my life easier, then it is a win-win.

Now is the time to look at the way you create and how you run your business and see if you can make templates to make your life easier. Then package them up and sell them to others.

I found the Dictionary Definition at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/template