Branch Out and Re-Invent Yourself

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Here is a question that I got from one of my clients.

It hit home especially since many of the baby boomers I work with are frequently looking for ways to branch out and do something a bit different than their past career.

What do I hear… an inner critic popping its head through this question? Remember that art is in the eyes of the beholder!! My first question would be to say to you, “Am I doing this because I am passionate about my art, or am I purely doing this for the money?” In this case you can have your cake and eat it too. I always first say to my clients: “Start Where You Stand,” told to me by a very dear friend Hazel Young.

Here are just a few tidbits to begin to think about making this a career:
Get out your calendar and determine when you will complete these following tasks:
You are making a date with yourself, stick to it.

Ask yourself the following questions and write it down:

1. Do I have support from my family? How much? Be bold, ask them point blank.
2. Identify your strengths? Are you a Visionary, Manager, Doer?
3. How many hours in a day, week, month do I want to devote to this? Be specific.
4. Determine what you want your product to be: pottery, paintings, jewelry, etc.
5. Where are you going to market this: galleries, ebay, friends, stores, eblasts, etc.?
6. Brainstorm places where you would sell them. Let your mind think of some of the craziest places, sometimes those are the best avenues.
7. Ask other artists where they market their works. Write those down.
8. Compare your work with some others to determine prices.
9. You need to become comfortable with selling yourself. Create a bio.
10. How much money do you hope to make in a year?
11. Network, network, network!!
12. Join affiliate artists groups, clubs, let them know what you do.
13. Building trust with others sells your products. They need to know who you are first and foremost.
14. Create flyers, emails announcing your new business.
15. Make sure you have a separate bank account for this business.
16. Get an accountant if needed, this is a business.
17. Register your new business in the State you are in.

Contact Sallie if you want to take the next step. She conducts small virtual group or one on one session where she leads you through all the necessary steps to start a small business and become a successful Entrepreneur. She co-founded and published THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNER ASSESSMENT TOOL, 2007 (S BOAT) for small business owners.

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