STARTING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS:

   10 QUESTIONS FOR DYI ARTISTS 

STARTING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS                                        October 2010

Independent artists everywhere are having to use tools and techniques that they perhaps didn’t consider to achieve commercial success with their art.

Whether physical paintings, sculptures, books, poetry, songs, if your hope is to have audience to purchase your work, then you need to start thinking of your self as not just a artist, but a small business owner.

In today’s economic climate regardless of where you live,  thousands  are considering or being forced into  career changes,  if you have a interest in starting your own business however, are at a loss at what to do to begin, consider this:

  Having a strategic plan   (A plan of action) is an essential 1^st step- and not having a clear strategic New research from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that most failures of American startups will occur in the first two years of their existence. (1)

 individuals want to “skip the hard stuff” and just jump in counting on “being discovered”.

I’ve provided some key questions and steps for you to go through to see if being an independent business owner is something you are prepared for.

Ask yourself:  “what do I want out of life”?  If your like most people this is a big scary question which is often skipped, or just given a very vague answer like  “I want to be successful” which doesn’t move you any closer to achieving success in your  business.

You must first clarify is your business one of passion and purpose ? or one of profit and practicality?  When you are able to blend the two that is when you really achieve success.

A purpose and passion business is one born from your love of doing something, your business provides you with your “higher purpose” ie: it is something you would do even if you didn’t get paid.  Individuals fulfilled by these businesses can make a very good living but that isn’t the main motivation for why they do what they do.

Sometimes your passion isn’t at all profitable or practical unless it taps into a coming trend and you have solid research contained in your business plan  indicate it will be  a sure thing.

These businesses can be very profitable, or if not  it will simply feel like a very low paying bad job.

I am going to assume that you are considering starting a business relating to something you are passionate about.

The following questions you should consider to make a living wage and profit from your passion.

1)    Can you create a product or service that fills a need YOU have?

2)    Is there already a proven market for what you want to do?

3)    Is there healthy competition doing what you want to do?

4)    Can you find a way to stand out from others doing what you do?

5)    Can you utilize the Internet to generate leads with little cost?

6)    Can you make 200-300% profit on what you want to do?

7)    Can you sell a package rather than time?

8)    Is there a successful similar business you can go work for?

9)    Can you start small and grow?

10)  Can you visualize what a perfect day in your business would look like in 3-5 years.

If your ready to roll up your sleeves and get started,  and need some assistance let’s talk, I would love to help you have success and fulfillment with your business!

www.tamraengle.com

Reference::

(1) http://smallbiztrends.com/2005/07/business-failure-rates-highest-in.html

(2)  John Jantsch- duct tape marketing