Tired of running your creative business all alone? Check out More Creative Academy, the ultimate support platform for creative freelancers and agency owners.
02/27/2026
Every discount is a strategic decision. NOT a panic button.
👌DROP “UFC” to get a free guide to proposals and contracts.
If you discount, don’t forget to ask for: • A testimonial • A referral • Future work • Case study rights
And show it in the proposal.
Never quietly reduce your value. That’s how discount creep starts.
And if you ever do free work? Scope it. Contract it. Document it.
Because nothing ruins a relationship faster than “Wait… I thought you were also doing this.”
02/23/2026
Your pricing problems aren’t personal. They’re mathematical. ⚖️
➡️ When supply = demand → you’re in harmony.
➡️ When demand > supply → raise your prices (or grow your team).
➡️ When supply > demand → lower prices or sell more aggressively.
Creative business isn’t chaos. It’s balance.
Stop guessing. Start adjusting.
Drop 💰”Price Better” to get a free Proposals & Contracts Mini-Course.
02/20/2026
𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲.
When you spend time ensuring your existing clients are happy, referrals will come. They will come better and you won’t have to sell the cold.
👇🏼Drop “UFC” to get a free training of proposals & contracts for when you land the sale.
02/15/2026
Some of the Arizona ladies from MCA and I met up at ! It was so great to catch up with them. This community is full of incredible creatives and business owners.
Check out to learn more!!
01/30/2026
You don’t really win if what you’re offering is the cheapest.
Evaluate why clients are or are not buying from you. If you don’t have the reputation or relationship, how can clients see your quality and convenience until you do?
💬COMMENT “BOOK” to get 199 bite-sized gems to help you run your business without losing your mind.
💬 COMMENT “MCA” to learn more about garnering reputation and get the support you need!
01/29/2026
👋 Hey there. I’m Michael Janda.
There are some new faces here and I’d like to reintroduce myself.
I’m a product of the “Dot Com” era. I got here the good ole’ fashioned way. Although it took me a lot longer, the things I learned along the way gave me understanding of how to grow and sell a multi-million dollar agency with clients such as Disney, Fox Kids, ABC, and many more.
I have built thousands of resources, courses, videos, templates, diagrams and a community to help creative business professionals grow their freelance work or agencies.
• Want freebies? ⬇️ COMMENT “Freebie”
• Want community? ⬇️COMMENT “Community”
• Want to tips every Sunday? ⬇️ COMMENT “newsletter”
• Want more clients? ⬇️ COMMENT “MCA”
• Want knowledge shipped to your door? ⬇️ COMMENT “Book”
• Ready to retreat with other creatives? ⬇️ COMMENT “Morepalooza”
There’s so much more you can dig into at MichaelJanda.com. ⬇️ COMMENT “More” if you just want to browse it all.
Welcome to the page, thanks again for following along!!
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Michael Janda posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
I am an executive level creative leader with more than 20 years of experience in both in-house creative departments and agencies working with some of the greatest brands in the world.
I founded the creative agency, Riser, in 2002. Over 13 years I led Riser to a 31% average annual profit margin. Riser was a nationally recognized agency creating high-profile work for clients including Disney, Google, ABC, Fox, Warner Bros., NBC, TV Guide and numerous other notable companies. Producing topflight work with exceptional customer service, Riser grew significantly including annual revenue increases of 94% in 2006, 33% in 2008, 36% in 2011 and 117% in 2012. Our three year growth rate of 235% in 2013 resulted in a ranking on Inc. 5000 (#1657). Riser’s work quality and successful business practices yielded some of the most coveted awards in the industry including Webbys, FWA, Awwwards, AIGA and Addys. Riser is also one of Utah’s most decorated Best of State award winners with 16 medals and one Best of State Statue.
In 2015, I sold Riser to a competing Utah marketing agency named Eli Kirk where I became one of four partners at the agency and its Chief Creative Officer. Following the acquisition I orchestrated a rebrand of the agency as EKR. With our new brand in place and following a revised strategic direction for the company, EKR realized 42% annual revenue growth in our first year as a combined agency and our 70% three year growth resulted in a listing on the Inc. 5000 in 2017 (#4018) and 2018 (#4769). In collaboration with the other partners, we successfully migrated Riser’s clients and acquired new notable clients including Google, National Geographic, ABC, Intel and Netflix.
In addition to my robust experience managing creative and marketing teams, I am the author of the book, Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff they don’t teach you in design school, but should. Since its publication in 2013, Burn Your Portfolio has been one of the top selling books in the industry and has been published in English, Russian, Chinese Traditional and Chinese Simplified. Burn Your Portfolio’s success has resulted in opportunities to be a keynote speaker at AIGA, Advertising Federation and University events across the nation. In addition to these events I was a keynote speaker at HOW Design Live in Atlanta in 2016 and Boston in 2018, the headline speaker at the 2018 Behance Portfolio Review in Moscow and a keynote speaker at a national event for Mercedes-Benz.
Since 2007, I have served as an advisor to several agencies helping them position themselves in their market, develop business systems and navigate growth. Additionally, I spent five years on the advisory board of Stevens-Henagar College and four years on the advisory board of the Art Institute of Salt Lake City.
My work and business have been featured by Print Magazine, HOW Magazine, Utah Business Magazine and BusinessQ Magazine, where I donned the cover of the December 2012 issue highlighting their article for “Utah’s Coolest Entrepreneurs.”
On a personal note, I live in Utah with my wife and three sons. We are “beach people” and regularly find ourselves laying in the sun at our favorite place on earth, Kauai’s north shore. During my early 20’s I lived in Colombia for two years and speak fluent Spanish. I play guitar and piano. I bench pressed 300 pounds on my 40th birthday. I’ve been to the top of Machu Picchu. I hold a first degree black-belt in karate and I have a multigenerational, genetic love for the Chicago Bears.
