the Journey

ok - here goes...in typical rambling fashion, I'll share what I know, spill my guts, empty my notebooks - you get the point. Again, I want to stress that this is not a how-to, I am not a professional business adviser, and what may work for me may be a disaster for you...I'm just sharing. A lot of the info I've learned from other people, books, workshops, speakers, websites, etc., and I do not get kickbacks, special favors, cupcakes, etc from any of them. If they work, they work. I will credit them where I am able to remember, bearing in mind that menopause can do some tricky things to the memory. Also, (and I stress this because I am a Very Firm believer in giving credit where credit is due. Very Strict), if I got the same info from more than one source, and you are that source, and I forget to give you credit - please email me so I can make this right. Now I've made this sound bigger than it is. And although this is from an art-as-career point of view, parts of this really are pertinent to many entrepreneurial start ups. the short version of me: I have made art all of my life, in some form. I became serious about being an artist 25-30 years ago, but really didn't think being an artist was a "real" job - it's something Women Who Married Well did, because they have the luxury of a husband's income/trust fund/hedge fund/whatever. finally 10 years ago, I decided to sell my house, buy a 2-family house, and let the rental income pay the mortgage. and become a full time artist. as i looked for 2-family houses, I met & married my current husband, and all those art plans got set aside while we settled into being married & i became a stepmother to 2 kids, 3 dogs and a total post-wedding Becky Home-ecky Syndrome victim. Fast forward 10 years - kids in college, only have 1 dog and 1 cat. i had been making art more seriously in the past few years, and had had shows from NY to LA. I sat in my cube at the office thinking, "What are you waiting for??" and the thought of doing another month of spreadsheets was more than i could tolerate. i stood up, walked into the boss' office and said, "I can't do this anymore. I'm leaving." i left 2 weeks later, with $600 in savings, an incredulous husband, and a gritty determination. In retrospect, maybe not the way to do things, but it was 10 years coming, so logic had left me. there was full-on bliss. for a day. then cold sweat. the very first day as a Full Time Artist, my mechanic advised me i needed $2K worth of brakes & miscellany that day if my car was to sport a new inspection sticker where he'd torn off the old one. i plotzed. wept. got busy. so as of 4/1/11 I became a full time artist as my day job . Yes, just a few months. but believe me, i've ramped up quickly, out of necessity. now to the down & dirty of being an artist as a chosen career. First, here is a typical day - and I might add here that my weeks are monday-sunday, and i've had 7 actual full days off since april, and 2 half days, and also that I am lucky to have a 22x22 studio in my home, so there is no commuter time, but it is also always there taunting me: wake up at 3am, make coffee, feed animals, let dog out, clean up after bulimia cat, hit the studio. work on quieter things until husband is up, then switch over to metal pounding and can turn on music. take a nap at 6am-6:15am, work, nap at 9am-9:15, work, lunch (sometimes when blood sugar demands) around noon-ish, walk dog, clean up after cat, back in studio. at 2:00, i usually take a real nap till 3, then work until 6-ish. make dinner, take care of animals, back in studio till 11pm. rinse & repeat. It's how my body works best, as I have bouts with fibromyalgia and CFS. on thursdays, i try to catch up on emails, blogs, check banking, get to post office to mail out orders, clean house, do laundry, and chat with friends on a headset phone while doing all of the above. This is not a whine-fest, just the facts. now, the business of the business... things I wish I knew. *have a business plan *have start-up capital *have an accounting system *have a good calendar with big squares (old school paper calendar hung on the wall. trust me) *it's hard work...the cube farm will frequently look like a paid vacation. have a business plan to make it all so much easier. *you must be as organized as a person with OCD *you must be realistic about your goals, your talent, your shortcomings, your strong points & weak points, your available time to invest in your business, your ability to design/make/market/ship enough "product" in a timely fashion. *plan to grow slow - like a good romance, taking it slow will allow you to test the waters and make moves you are comfortable with. it will allow growth that won't overwhelm you. *have your personal core values solid, and prioritize (and family should be first on that list). *Create a space in your home, or rent a studio/office that is JUST for your business. if it's in your home, it is essential that there is a door that locks. *although, like me, you may work in your studio in baggy sweats or a bathrobe, whenever you leave the house, have a professional image. Always. you really truly never know when you'll run into a client, potential client, old boyfriend. *along those same lines, always be nice. that person you flipped off in traffic because you were late for the sales call? surprise - she may be the buyer. and it just feels so good to be nice. best advice i've gotten from my late father (a remarkable, award-winning salesman): be careful how you treat people on your way up - they're the same ones you'll meet on your way down. *you cannot do this on your own. have a group of trusted friends, business mentors, bankers, accountants, your spouse all ready to rally. Reach out to them when you have a question in their specialty. Be professional with the professionals, though...even if the banker is your buddy, you may need a loan (soon) and if you've spent all your time crying on their shoulder about how bleak things look, there's not a great chance they'll give you a loan. *Learn to say no. learn to be firm. there will be any number of worthy organizations asking for a donation of your art for their auction. these generally do nothing to get your name out, as they allude to. unless it is a charity you strongly affiliate with, learn to say a gracious "so sorry, no." Likewise the number of friends that will expect discounts and freebies and bridesmaids gifts, etc. This is your business. your sole income. do not undervalue yourself and give it away. if they value your work enough, they will purchase it. if not, they just wanted something free. *don't overpromise & underdeliver. make your delivery timeline realistic. it is worse to overpromise a delivery & not make it, than it is to renegotiate a delivery time, or let the opportunity go. it is only an opportunity to get your name removed from a clients go-to list if you can't realistically deliver the goods on time, and as promised. you'll create more problems for them. *always carry a notebook, pen/pencil, 3x5 cards, biz cards, and something from your product line, if possible. i always leave the house with an eyecatching piece of my jewelry on. something to start a conversation. it's easier for me to point to what i make, then to try to explain it. and buyers grocery shop too, so you may cinch a meeting over the rutabagas. it could happen. *the Elevator Speech...make one, learn it, practice it, have it on a 3x5 card on the bathroom mirror. it is a 30-second synopsis of your business, and how it can help a buyer. yes - 30-seconds. make it work, people. Listeners want to be talkers - they want to talk about their favorite topic, themselves. so you have about 30-seconds to get your message across in a friendly, conversational way. after that, according to science, they tune you out. *be flexible and have a Plan B. okay - that's all i have time to do right now - that's a basic outline of what I'll be writing about in more detail. tomorrow (or later, if i get my project done)I'll flesh out the bullet points. i hope i haven't bored you - hope you'll find some timesavers & good resources here in the next few days. Please feel free to email or comment if there is a specific question you want me to address, and I'll do my best!