6 Tips for Starting an Artistic Small Business

You're a creative — an artist. You might be a painter, dancer, or musician — or something else entirely. All you know is that you want to enter the market and sell what you've created. You've considered the pros and cons carefully and done a good bit of soul-searching. You're ready to take a leap into the unknown. It's an exciting and daunting realization. It requires believing in yourself and your talents and dealing with the inevitable fears. But you're practical, too‚ and are willing to look at concrete facts that will help you make informed, wise decisions. And you'd prefer to collaborate with other like-minded artists, instead of going solo. How to begin? Here are a few key steps.

1. Gather Your People

Get out a journal. Make a list of other artists who you know and trust, and everyone who has helped you along the way. Remember your history together, make notes on personality traits, and take a look at their artistic output. Consider their reputations as you write. See what patterns emerge. Notice how your breathing and body feel as you think about them. What ideas have floated between you? What does your intuition say about your relationship? How might a collaboration look? Do an online search for small business statistics that may influence your choices. Once you've made your list and communicated with your colleagues, gather the ones who are most simpatico and trustworthy.

2. Identify Your Offering

It may seem obvious to you what you plan to offer, but it may not be to all members of your group. In these crucial early stages, make sure that everyone is on the same page about exactly what your service or product is. You can always expand and adjust in the future, but it's important to have a mutual understanding at the outset.

3. Make a Plan

Becoming a professional artist is one thing, but starting a creative-based business involves a different sort of strategy. You are selling your creative product to people (whether they're collectors or fans) who find it valuable and are willing to pay for it. It's time to create a business plan. It'll help you identify needs, strengths, and weaknesses, and formulate a basis for seeking outside funding. It doesn't have to be too long or complicated, but don't skip this step.

4. Define Your Parameters

This is part of your business plan and will guide your actions and priorities. Define your mission, and what success looks like for your artistic business. Identify your short- and long-term goals that will help you achieve that success. Be as specific as you can, getting equal input from everyone in your collective. It's a rewarding process, to visualize and define your creative career in this manner. It will help you comprehend the organic progression of steps to take, and calm down the fear factor. Also, defining your parameters will help you develop an artist statement that you'll need for marketing collateral, shows, and digital campaigns.

5. Identify Your Customers

Identify your ideal customer. This is a crucial step that will drive almost every decision you make, from the venues you approach to how you deal with pricing. It will also prevent "splatter" in your marketing approach. There are many ways to market your creative output, but you want to be sure that you appear in the places and on the channels where your ideal customers are looking.

6. Map Out Your Finances

Make an itemized list of all of the expenses involved in getting your endeavor started, and how you will sustain it. Then, formulate a plan for how everyone in your group will pay for their own living expenses while your business is in its growing stages. It can be any combination of joint income, savings, artist grants, crowdfunding, selling a certain amount of product, or day jobs.

Creating a business with other artists is an exciting challenge. Consider these tips to start strong.