Have you heard this scenario before?
Super talented, right brain extraordinaire decides to ditch her day job and start making crafty widgets for a living.
What spurred this on was a ba-jillion friends and friends of friends gushing about her work and how she could
“Make a killing”
If she sold these online.
So she sets up her Etsy shop and sells a couple crafty widgets and thinks
“Well hell yes.”
“If I actually marketed myself I would be a rockstar!”
But, you see, having a hobby business and business-business are two very different things. Because Marketing is not the make-or-break factor. In fact, there is no single element that will ensure your success.
Running a for realz business is a big picture investment. And you should probably understand what that investment is before you belly flop into it.
Creatives are awesome – but they’re not always the best business people. They tend to be a little scattered, dramatic and reactionary.
Relax. I know this because I’m the same way.
But over the years I’ve learned how to balance between two very different personalities. And when you have the right skills, resources and support system you can be a total business rockstar.
So how do you get there?
First you need to take your business very seriously. NO you do not have to work between the hours of 9 and 5 but you DO have to set a schedule. Once you have a business baby it’s going to depend on you. And so will the people who pay you their money. So when your friend with a day job calls for happy hour and you have an order to ship, your answer must be “No thanks.”
You also need to stop saying “Ummm” when people ask you what you do. You remember what you do, right? Say that instead.
Next, stop thinking that just because you’re creative you can get away with doing everything yourself – for free. You cannot. And nothing is truly free. If you toil away at things you are not good at or do not make you money, that will cost more than you realize.
Your energy (creative and otherwise) is finite. You can only put out so much before you need to recharge. Working on things you don’t understand or hate doing will suck your energy a lot faster than the things you enjoy and can do well. So don’t waste precious energy on sucky stuff, get help.
The best thing I can recommend to a creative entrepreneur is a business consultant, coach or strategist. Someone who understands your business and what you want out of it – and can paint a big picture along with actionable steps to get there. Creative people need help wrangling ideas and staying focused. [Sidenote: if you haven't signed up for the Idea Catching E-Venture, that helps too!]
Being in business is a journey, that’s all there is to it. You can’t jump in and do everything right the first time around and you must be willing to grow and explore new ideas and approaches. The love of creating drives us to do extraordinary things. Stay the course and you will be rewarded.
