Congratulations! Your art or craft is at a place where you are ready to make it your livelihood. Now what? Starting a creative business is exciting and a little scary – and you should approach it much the way you would any kind of business. Here are 10 key steps.
1. Research your market
“A lot of businesses don’t do enough research,” says Mona Afshari of WorkInCulture. “They’re too tied to their product or service and they just produce. Then they find out there is no need for their product or not enough people to buy it.
You’ll also want to suss out the competition. Do a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) on similar businesses in your market. What are their price points? Where/how do they sell?
What if your research turns up a lot of competition? “There will always be someone making something similar,” Afshari says, “It’s how you talk about it that matters.”
Which brings us to our next point . . .
2. Know your “why”
Whatever your reason, you need to know why you are doing this. Your “why” is not only compelling for customers, but also for you on those days when you need motivation to get out of bed in the morning (or stay up late at night).
3. Know yourself
Dorton stresses that before deciding to launch, it is important to look inside. “Loving making doesn’t mean you’re going to be love making a living that way. How do you want your life to look? Know your strengths and weaknesses and know what you’ll need help with. Are you self-motivated? Are you a procrastinator? For me, the hardest part about being a potter is working alone all day.”
4. Create a business plan
Your business plan will answer simple questions such as how much product you can make, how much you can realistically sell, what your overhead costs are, and how you will fund your inventory. “It will probably change in a year or two, but it’s great to have goals to work toward,” says Afshari, who is Marketing and Communications Manager at WorkInCulture.
Afshari recommends using online business tools to write a business plan, such as those from Futurpreneur Canada or BDC.
5. Possibly pivot
Now that you’ve committed to specifics, be prepared to change. If your plan was to specialize in square-metre works, but they’re gathering dust while your square-foot studies fly off the shelves, you might want to change gears. Dorton switched to making porcelain jewelry when she had an injury, and she continues to sell it today.
6. Don’t neglect bookkeeping
Even something as simple as collecting receipts and bills in envelopes will give you a leg up come tax time. “I keep a folder with each line number [of the tax forms] on it,” says Dorton.
It’s not necessary to register for HST until you have collected $30,000 in revenue in the past 12 months, or in a given quarter. If you cross that threshold, you must apply within 30 days.
7. Start lean
No corporate jet, yet. But seriously, don’t spend money renting a storefront until you’ve tried selling at a market, online, or in another existing shop first. Can you keep up with the demand? Is there demand? Do consider renting or borrowing expensive equipment for your first shows.
8. Market yourself
“I love making pots. I hate photographing pots, telling people how beautiful they are, and shouting ‘look at me’ on social media,” admits Dorton.
Marketing may not be your favourite thing either, but people need to know you’re out there and where and why to buy your work.
Although you may be tempted to rely on social media, you do need a website. There are many simple drag and drop platforms for building a site that are created for non-developers.
Where you sell depends on your target market. Dorton does some shows, some wholesale, and sells some things only in her shop (179 Woolwich St., Guelph, as of mid-June).
Guelph Arts Council helps promote members and lists calls to artists and upcoming exhibitions and sales. Need some help? Drop in or give us a call. And check out our five easy steps on How to Write Your Artist’s Bio.
WorkInCulture also offers resources such as free webinars on specific business topics including branding and e-commerce.
9. Talk to people
“Don’t work in a bubble,” Afshari says. This applies once you are up and running, too. Ask clients and strangers at exhibits what they love about your work. “It’s encouraging and energizing to hear from others.”
10. Believe in yourself.
Of course you won’t have everything figured out when you launch your business, and if you wait for the perfect time, it won’t happen. So go for it.
For full article see https://guelpharts.ca/about-us/news/410-how-to-start-a-creative-business
- by Jane Litchfield
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