Tag: art-based business

Feel Like You’re Not Making Enough Progress? Here’s What To Do About It

VLOG: We all feel a little behind sometimes. Christopher Reed shares his advice for how to move forward.

(Part 2) Meet Christopher Reed, co-founder of Creation Film–my business partner and husband. Christopher gives some insights to living the life of an artrepreneur.

Don’t have time to watch? Here’s a RECAP:

1. Understand the stage you’re in and enjoy it. If your artrepreneurial journey has 100 stages within it, enjoy stages 5, 25, and 75, because you will never be there again.

2. You should become an expert in what you do. Becoming a master of any craft takes time, so take advantage of the learning process.

3. Building a business takes time; be patient in building a solid business model and plan, and then executing them.

We all feel like we aren’t making enough progress sometimes. Let go of your expectations and do your best at staying focused and determined.
Remember: The journey of building your own art-based business is what it’s all about. Of course, you’ll always have a destination in mind, but don’t ignore the joy of actually getting there.

Follow Artrepreneurship – where ‘art’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ meet for more information that will make your artrepreneurial journey easier!

Peace, Kayla

Balancing the Life of Artrepreneurship – in 2 Minutes!

VLOG: Christopher Reed gives his tips for balancing the life of an artrepreneur.

Artrepreneurs around the world are asking: How do I balance the life of artrepreneurship? In today’s vlog, I’ve invited another real artrepreneur to share his advice. Meet Christopher Reed, co-founder of Creation Film–my business partner and husband. Christopher gives some insights to balancing the life of artrepreneurship.

Don’t have time to watch? Here’s a RECAP:

– Prioritize based on importance and time sensitivity
– Know your schedule
– Work on your art/business every day, even if only for a small amount of time
– Be consistent
– Take breaks to rest and reflect

Follow Artrepreneurship – where ‘art’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ meet to get more information that will make your artrepreneurial journey easier!

Peace, Kayla

Need a Physical Location for Your Art-Based Business?

But not sure where to start? Keep reading to get started in securing the right location for you.

Much of today’s business is done online, and while you can’t escape it, you may also be interested in opening a physical location for your art-based business. Here are 5 important considerations to keep in mind:

1. Think about how much space you’ll need

Based on your business model, what activities will take place in this location? Based on those activities and the number of workers and customers you might expect to be in the space at one time, how large will your location need to be? Be realistic and understand that more space means more money in rent.

2. Think about how much you should spend

Based on your business model and expected target market size, understand how much revenue you expect to make. Many experts advise that your rent cost should not exceed 20%. Of course, the lower your rent is, the more profit you’ll make. With that being said, there are factors other than rent that should be considered when looking for a location.

3. Think about what area would be best for your creative business

Who is your target customer? Where do they live and what other areas do they frequent? Think about what factors are important for your kind of business. For example: Depending on if you’ll need lots of foot traffic or a large industrial building, your ideal area will vary greatly. So ask yourself what you’re looking for in a perfect location. Do forget to ask: What other businesses would be best to have as neighbors?

NOTE: Develop a list of important criteria you can use to help select your final location. Prioritize those criteria and refer to them whenever making a decision about a potential location.

4. Research local commercial real estate agents

Finding a real estate agent whom you think is honest and benevolent is an ideal situation. While that won’t always happen, its important to try your best to find a knowledgable and connected real estate agent. Ask around for recommendations and scour the web for reviews. Once you start working with an agent, share your prioritized list of criteria with them.

5. Visit multiple locations, if possible

Its often helpful to have multiple locations to choose from, so that you don’t find yourself settling on an almost-perfect location. With that being said, there is almost never a 100% perfect location. So make sure to keep your list of prioritized criteria handy and refer to it often. Discuss your available options with your business partners. If you’re a “soloprenenur,” ask your friends and family, or your SBDC Business Advisor, what they think. Talking through your options can often help you understand which selection is best.

Looking for your ideal business location will take time, so plan ahead and try to be patient. If you’d like to read about securing a physical location in more depth, leave a comment below. There are many aspects to finding a great business location; these five tips are the best place to start. Good luck!

Peace, Kayla

Follow Artrepreneurship – where ‘art’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ meet to get straight-to-the-point information that will help make your artrepreneurial journey easier!

5 Things to Avoid When Monetizing Your Artwork

Thinking about these 5 things early on in your artrepreneurial journey will help you avoid time-wasting mistakes.

1. Undervaluing Yourself

As you start to think about asking for money for your artwork, it can be hard to place a dollar amount on your value. But doing so is one of the first steps to monetizing your artwork. It’s important to strategically price your artwork–learn about how to do so here.

If you’ve never charged for your art before, it can be easy to undervalue yourself. You might sell your first oil painting for $300 and realize later that it was worth at least $1,000. A mentor once told me to start high to test the market; if people won’t buy my product because it’s too expensive, then lower my price. Do this until they finally purchase, and you’ve found your sweet spot. Unfortunately, lots of artrepreneurs (myself included) do the opposite. We price too low and gradually increase as we realize the value that we’re really providing. Save yourself some time and lost money, and make sure you are valuing yourself and your artwork fairly.

2. Undervaluing Others

Artrepreneurs are often “solo-preneurs”–people who are building a business on their own. As a solopreneur, its easy to undervalue the help and support of others. You might think that it’s easier to do things on your own, but have you tried working with someone else to accomplish the same goals? Of course, working with others isn’t always easy, but the power of teamwork makes the collaboration worth it. Instead of trying to do things all on your own, start off your artrepreneurial journey with others on your side.

3. Not Thinking About the Customer First

Being an artrepreneur is unique because artwork is often more important to artrepreneurs than other products like, let’s say, toilet paper or toothbrushes. Artrepreneurs are so connected to their artwork, that they often forgot to think about their customers first. Remember: As an artrepreneur, you are creating for other people, not for yourself. The customer must be the core of your creative business. Your art-based product or service is made for them.

4. Only Creating for Money

However, artists also need creative time that is not restricted by product limitations or the wants of the customer. As an artrepreneur, remember to take time to create for yourself, not only for your customers. Become dedicated to working on art for your business AND art for yourself. If you forget to create for the sake of creating, you risk losing the joy of creating artwork for others by burning yourself out.

5. Not Asking for Feedback

Depending on the creative product or service you offer, you may have a close interaction with your customers or you may not. Regardless, you must find a way to ask for their feedback. Understanding the experience of your customers will:

– Help you ensure that your product or service is of quality
– Help you improve the customer experience in the future
– Help you identify important changes that you might need to make to your business model
– Help you develop trust with your customers

Whether you create a standardized digital survey, informally ask your customers about their experience in person, or do something in between, getting feedback from your customers and your partners can mean the difference between building a sustainable creative business and not. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from others; its purpose is to make you more successful in the future.

Thinking about these 5 things early on in your artrepreneurial journey will help you avoid time-wasting mistakes. But also remember to revisit each of these points as you grow your creative business. All are important to your continued artrepreneurial success!

Peace, Kayla

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How to Build a Business Model Around Your Art

VLOG: Thinking about building your very own art-based business? Here are 5 steps for getting started, in under 5 minutes!

No time to watch? Here’s a RECAP:

1. Identify the product or service you can offer

Depending on what kind of art you create, you may need to make adjustments in order to make your art a sellable product or service. Think about your art and interests… What products or services can be created from them?

2. Think about why people would want to buy your product or service

Once you’ve discovered your sellable product or service, you must ask yourself: Why will people buy my product or service? Think about “pain points”–these are things that your potential customers either can’t do on their own, or it’s really hard for them to do on their own. If you can solve a problem for your customers, or fulfill a need or want that they have, you’re in good shape to move on to step #3.

3. Ask yourself how you can deliver your value in a unique way

You’ve found your product or service and your best-fit customers, now you need to think about how you’ll offer your value in a way that’s different from your competitors. This is called your differentiation. Without it, you’ll struggle to capture the attention of your potential customers.

4. Look around for organizations or individuals who can act as your strategic partners

Now that you’ve solidified your value and how you want to deliver it, think about others who can help make your vision a reality. Who can help you create your product, market your product, and sell your product? Who can you partner with in order to make your artrepreneurial journey easier?

5. Visit this article to flesh out your creative business model

If you’ve gotten this far, its time to flesh out the details of your creative business. Visit the One-Page Business Plan for the Artrepreneur to finish developing a creative business model around your art!

Best of luck in your artrepreneurial journey! Follow Artrepreneurship – where ‘art’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ meet to get more straight-to-the-point information that will help you develop your very own art-based business!

Peace, Kayla