If you’re a creative person from Africa, it’s possible you’ve thought about starting a small-scale online business with your creative skills. For example, if you’re a writer, graphic designer, web developer, digital artist, or social media influencer, etc., you must have tried using your talents to build a brand for yourself.
You may have attempted to showcase your services on social media, registered on freelance platforms, or sought other avenues to gain visibility. Yet, despite your efforts, it seems like nobody is paying attention. Sometimes, the lack of attention might be due to the fact that you’re African. So, what do you do?
Well, in 2024, there’s a platform called CreateSpace. It’s an online marketplace specifically designed for creative minds in Africa like you. With CreateSpace, you can easily turn your passion into a small business. In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of CreateSpace to help you understand how to use the platform to transform your side hustle or passion into a sustainable source of income.
Key Features and Benefits
CreateSpace has a lot of interesting features and benefits. Such as:
1. Build a Professional Portfolio
You can build a portfolio with galleries, listings, and storefronts. Let’s look at the details of these portfolio features;
Galleries: A gallery is a visual showcase of your creative work. It involves displaying multiple projects, which you’ve done, with images in a grid or slideshow format.
Listings: You can create detailed listings for each project you have done on CreateSpace, including descriptions, images, and tags to help clients find your work.
Storefronts: You can establish a dedicated storefront showcasing your brand, services, and expertise, making it easy for clients to find and hire you.
For your portfolio, there are customization options, such as:
Templates: You’ll be able to choose from various customizable templates to match your brand’s unique style.
Drag-and-Drop Editor: You can easily arrange your portfolio content using a drag-and-drop editor.
Media Support: You can upload images, videos, and documents to showcase your work in various formats.
You also have the search and filter functionality, which involves:
Categories: You can organize your portfolio into categories (e.g., graphic design, writing, photography) for easy browsing.
Tags: You can assign relevant keywords to your projects, making them discoverable by clients searching for specific skills.
Search Bar: Clients can search for your work using keywords, project names, or descriptions.
2. Receive Ratings and Reviews to Boost Your Credibility
On CreateSpace, you receive ratings and reviews, which improves your reputation on the platform and promotes your expertise. It’ll also increase the level of trust potential clients have in you, and improve your visibility in search results.
3. Enjoy Secure Financial Integration for Local and International Payments
CreateSpace provides secure financial integration for local and international payments. Your payment processing will be safe and reliable, and you can accept payments from clients worldwide. The best part is that payments on CreateSpace are timely, so you won’t have any delays.
4. Access Learning Resources, Courses, and Community Forums for Growth
Another benefit with CreateSpace is that you have access to online courses and tutorials. You can learn from industry experts, join community forums for networking and support, share your knowledge and experiences with peers, as well as stay updated on trends in your industry.
5. Manage Clients, Projects, and Jobs Efficiently
CreateSpace is a platform that makes it easy to organize client communication and projects, track deadlines and milestones, manage multiple jobs simultaneously, automate invoices and payment reminders, including scaling your business with ease.
6. Utilize Analytics to Track Your Performance
With CreateSpace, you’re in full control of your analytics. You can track views, clicks, and engagement on your portfolio, monitor client interactions and project progress, analyze earnings and payment trends, identify areas where you should improve, and adjust your strategy for success.
Advantages for Small Creative Business
There are many advantages for small businesses on CreateSpace, and here are some of them:
1. Global Exposure, Overcoming Geographical Biases
With CreateSpace, you can showcase your business globally, regardless of location. You can connect with international clients and collaborators, increase your visibility and opportunities, and compete on a level playing field with other creatives on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork.
2. Access to Diverse African Talent
On CreateSpace, our clients have access to skilled African creatives. As a creative, you can find collaborators or freelancers for your business projects. We’ll have people on our platform who will inspire and motivate you to be more creative and innovative.
3. A Curated Roadmap to Business Success
Another benefit with CreateSpace is that there’s a tailored plan for creative entrepreneurs to set and achieve their business goals. For example, if you’re just starting your creative business and you’re not sure what steps to take, you can develop a strong brand and marketing strategy through learning resources, industry experts, and mentors accessible on CreateSpace.
4. Quality Assurance and Roadmap for Future Development
On CreateSpace, you can receive feedback and support on your business for improvement. Using CreateSpace analytics, you can track your business with regular check-ins and evaluations, while planning for the growth and expansion of your business and continuously developing your skills and expertise.
Competitive Edge
If you compare CreateSpace with platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Toptal, you’ll discover that while these platforms offer vast marketplaces, they often prioritize quantity over quality, leaving African creatives lost in a sea of competition. Platforms like Bark.com, Skyword360, and Toptal focus on specific niches, but lack the tailored support and resources African creatives need to succeed globally.
Dribbble Hiring and Freelancer.com offer specialized platforms, but their focus on established professionals can make it difficult for emerging talents to break in. Toptal, while exclusive, caters primarily to top-tier freelancers, leaving little room for growth and development.
CreateSpace, on the other hand, offers an online marketplace specifically designed for African creatives. With features like global exposure, business resources, and community support, CreateSpace empowers you to succeed. Unlike other platforms, CreateSpace prioritizes your unique needs and challenges.
For example, let’s say you have a talented Ghanaian graphic designer called Ama, who started her freelance journey on a popular platform, but felt lost in a sea of competition. That is, her portfolio was just another face in the crowd, and she struggled to find clients willing to pay fair prices. Feeling such frustration, someone like Ama will find peace on CreateSpace.
On CreateSpace, Ama would discover that there is an online marketplace which is focused on African creatives. She could build a stunning portfolio, access learning resources, and connect with potential clients through networking events. Unlike other foreign platforms, CreateSpace offers a unique blend of global exposure, business resources, and community support.
Financial Benefits
A great advantage with CreateSpace is that creatives can receive proper financial benefits. For instance, let’s say Emmanuel is a Nigerian freelance writer who is working on Upwork, but is frustrated with the platform’s high commission fees (5% client payment fee + 5% freelancer payment fee).
For someone like Emmanuel, he’ll enjoy switching to CreateSpace, where he can enjoy lower commission fees (10% flat rate) and secure financial integration for local and international payments. His earnings would increase significantly, and this would allow him to invest in his business.
On CreateSpace, Emmanuel will also discover additional revenue streams. He would be able to monetize his skills through webinars, workshops, and mentoring programs. With crowdfunding options and intra-community collaboration, Emmanuel’s projects will gain more visibility and funding.
Compared to platforms like Freelancer (10% commission fee + payment processing fees) and PeoplePerHour (10% commission fee + payment processing fees), CreateSpace will offer Emmanuel more financial flexibility. Unlike Toptal (variable commission fees) and Skyword360 (fixed project rates), CreateSpace will provide transparent pricing and flexible payment terms.
So, with CreateSpace, you’ll enjoy:
- Lower commission fees (10% flat rate)
- Secure financial integration for local and international payments
- Additional revenue streams through webinars, workshops, and mentoring programs
- Crowdfunding options and intra-community collaboration
- Transparent pricing and flexible payment terms
- Join CreateSpace today and unlock your earning potential.
Conclusion
In conclusion, CreateSpace offers a game-changing platform for African creatives, providing global exposure, business resources, and financial benefits tailored to their unique needs. By joining CreateSpace, you’ll bypass the limitations of other freelance platforms and unlock your full potential.
Also, if you’re an African creative with an interest in photography, you should consider selling African pictures on (link unavailable) All you’ll need to do is register on the platform, and you can sell your photos as a stock photographer. So, are you interested in registering on CreateSpace?
