Meet Antonio Higgins | Creative Director at AHP Studio

We had the good fortune of connecting with Antonio Higgins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Antonio, do you have a budget? how do you think about personal finances?

In regards to budget, personal finances, lifestyle and financial decisions one book that has helped me the most with fingering out how to manage my company AHP Studio. FABAS; Freelance, and Business, and Stuff written by Jennifer and Amy Hood the co-founds of Hoodzpah. They are twin sisters running a design studio in Orange, country California. In their book they provide formulas for finding your billable hours per year, hourly rates, flat rates, when to raise your rates, perceived values vs cost and creating a financial plan among many other useful tips, resources and templates. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to get a good sense of the business side of running your own studio or just having a better understanding of how one operates.

I use these formulas to determine my rates per client and project. I also consider many other factors as well to calculate my fee. Keep in mind that larger revenue projects can allow you the freedom to take smaller budget ones you may want to work on as well.

• Is it a project I am excited to be a part of?
• How big is the company?
• What is the SOW (scope of work) and the life of the design or creation?
• Do you need to take this project or do you have enough money saved up to cover expenses for a while?
• Does the project need to be expedited or rushed in anyway?
• How much time will the project require?

Helpful formulas to use:
• Billable hours per year (BHY):
Weekly billable hours × 48 Work weeks per year = Billable hours per year

• Baseline hourly rate:
Income goal for the year ÷ Billable hours per year (1,680) = Baseline hourly rate

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

From a young age I was always interested in art, design and creating things. I loved to solve problems with design and seeing my imaginations come to life. I went to school for broadcasting, computer engineering and business but most of my working career is in the Supply chain industry. While working in supply chain and freelancing as a designer I was able to learn and practice soft and hard skills allowing me to become a better overall communicator and creator.

The lost of our first child reignited my passion for design and my desire to run own studio full time. The loss of my son and other family members the same year put into perception how short life is and how we should seize the day, carpe diem. I am totally motivated to honor my child and GOD by perfecting my craft daily, becoming my absolute best and sharing my talents with the world. Through my success I hope to bring glory to my son in heaven and the kingdom.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

There are a few places I would take my best friend visiting the A. First, we would go to the Atlanta Breakfast Club where they can get some of the best breakfast in the state. Then we would walk the Beltline and visit Ponce city market to have lunch. Later we would get dinner at Frankie’s steak house or Slutty Vegan. To cope with the Atlanta heat and humidity a trip to Jeni’s Ice Cream shop to get some great cool treats.

I would also take them to see an Atlanta United game as the atmosphere is like none other in this stadium. In ATL you have to attend one of the many festivals as well; Sweet Auburn Springfest at Sweet Auburn historic district, Dogwood Festival at Piedmont Park, Sweet Auburn Music Festival, Afropunk Atlanta Carnival of Consciousness. To get a few drinks we would head to the Suite Lounge and to the bars off Peter’s street.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been blessed to have had very supportive family and friends in my life. There are a few people I would like to shoutout specifically. My wife motivates me to want to be better and to strive to be the best I can be every day. My older brother, I have always looked up to as a mentor and a role model at a young age and still to this day. Lastly but not least my mother who has encouraged all of my sibling to continue to better ourselves, teaching us the importance of family and leading by example as the backbone of our family.

Website: www.ahp-studio.com

Instagram: @antonioAHP

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonio-h-5b464235/

Twitter: @LaughterFollow

Youtube: www.FTLYouTube.com