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Rock Pool Coaching
Home
About
Packages
Book Discovery Call
Blog
FAQs
Contact
Home
About
Packages
Book Discovery Call
Blog
FAQs
Contact
How  Creatives Should Price Their Work
Dean Coates 22/06/2026 Dean Coates 22/06/2026

How Creatives Should Price Their Work

If you've ever quoted a price and immediately wanted to take it back, you already know the problem isn't your spreadsheet

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When Is It Time to Leave Your Job for Your Creative Side Hustle?
Dean Coates 21/06/2026 Dean Coates 21/06/2026

When Is It Time to Leave Your Job for Your Creative Side Hustle?

Creative careers are not the easiest to navigate. Often people perceive creative careers as a precarious one with short term contracts, self employed low paid work and little security.

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Why Craftspeople Need Coaching, Not Just Business Advice
Dean Coates 16/06/2026 Dean Coates 16/06/2026

Why Craftspeople Need Coaching, Not Just Business Advice

Business courses and mentors can only take you so far. Here's why coaching offers something the crafts sector rarely gets — the right questions at the right time.

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You're Not Bad at Marketing. You're Just Telling the Wrong Story.
Dean Coates 29/05/2026 Dean Coates 29/05/2026

You're Not Bad at Marketing. You're Just Telling the Wrong Story.

When I ask what marketing means to them, they're not thinking about connecting with an audience or telling their story. They're thinking about the hard sell.

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The Loneliness of Solopreneurs — And How Business Coaching for Creatives Can Help
Dean Coates 22/05/2026 Dean Coates 22/05/2026

The Loneliness of Solopreneurs — And How Business Coaching for Creatives Can Help

When you are a solopreneur — a maker, a designer, a craftsperson, an artist running your own enterprise — the working day is yours to shape. But it is also yours to carry, entirely alone

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Failure Is Actually Part of Your Business Plan?
Dean Coates 13/05/2026 Dean Coates 13/05/2026

Failure Is Actually Part of Your Business Plan?

We absorb a particular story about failure from a very young age. In school, wrong answers get marked in red. In sport, losing means someone else won.

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Burnout, Depression and Anxiety in the Creative Industries and How Coaching Helps
Dean Coates 04/05/2026 Dean Coates 04/05/2026

Burnout, Depression and Anxiety in the Creative Industries and How Coaching Helps

The creative industries from gaming studios and film and television production to advertising agencies and design studios are often seen as exciting, innovative and culturally influential.

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Why Running a Creative Business Can Feel So Lonely — And What Actually Helps
Dean Coates 30/04/2026 Dean Coates 30/04/2026

Why Running a Creative Business Can Feel So Lonely — And What Actually Helps

Running any small business is isolating. But there's something specific about creative work that amplifies it.

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Why Creatives Struggle With Business (And Why It's Not What You Think)
Dean Coates 28/04/2026 Dean Coates 28/04/2026

Why Creatives Struggle With Business (And Why It's Not What You Think)

Let's be honest. If you're a creative — a designer, photographer, artist, writer, or any flavour of maker — there's a good chance the business side of what you do feels like a different language.

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How to Start a Creative Business in 2026: A Guide for Creatives Ready to Go Professional
Dean Coates 21/04/2026 Dean Coates 21/04/2026

How to Start a Creative Business in 2026: A Guide for Creatives Ready to Go Professional

You are talented. People tell you all the time. Maybe you are already picking up the occasional paid project on the side — but turning that into a real, sustainable business still feels like a leap you are not quite sure how to make

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Running a Creative Business with ADHD: How to Build a Business That Works With Your Brain
Dean Coates 15/04/2026 Dean Coates 15/04/2026

Running a Creative Business with ADHD: How to Build a Business That Works With Your Brain

The business you've built may be working against your brain at almost every level and no amount of productivity hacks or early morning routines will fix a structure that was never built for you in the first place.

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How Creative Business Owners Can Rebuild Work-Life Balance After Burnout
Dean Coates 16/03/2026 Dean Coates 16/03/2026

How Creative Business Owners Can Rebuild Work-Life Balance After Burnout

Creative founders are rarely just creators. They are also responsible for clients, finances, strategy, marketing and leadership. as the business grows, the list of responsibilities grows with it.

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ADHD Time Management for Creative Business Owners: Design a System That Works for Your Brain
Dean Coates 15/02/2026 Dean Coates 15/02/2026

ADHD Time Management for Creative Business Owners: Design a System That Works for Your Brain

If you’re a creative who misses appointments, forgets key tasks, or feels like you can’t see the wood for the trees, this article is for you.

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Creative Coaching to Get Unstuck
Dean Coates 06/02/2026 Dean Coates 06/02/2026

Creative Coaching to Get Unstuck

What is it and how does it feel to be ‘Stuck’

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Creative Coaching for Business Owners: How to Turn Your Creative Work Into Something Sustainable
Dean Coates 01/02/2026 Dean Coates 01/02/2026

Creative Coaching for Business Owners: How to Turn Your Creative Work Into Something Sustainable

Most creatives don’t struggle because their work isn’t good enough.

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Imposter Syndrome Isn’t a Flaw, It’s a Signal You’re Growing
Dean Coates 01/12/2025 Dean Coates 01/12/2025

Imposter Syndrome Isn’t a Flaw, It’s a Signal You’re Growing

Imposter syndrome is one of the most common struggles for creative founders trying to build a sustainable business. Here's why it's not a flaw — and how to work with it instead.

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What Does a Creative Coach Actually Do? (And Could You Benefit From One?)
Dean Coates 09/10/2025 Dean Coates 09/10/2025

What Does a Creative Coach Actually Do? (And Could You Benefit From One?)

What Does a Creative Coach Actually Do?

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Why Creative Business Owners Feel Overwhelmed — And What Actually Helps
Dean Coates 25/09/2025 Dean Coates 25/09/2025

Why Creative Business Owners Feel Overwhelmed — And What Actually Helps

How coaching can help creatives turn ideas into reality.

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