why starting small and slow is good for a new beginning?

Hi artists, I received an interesting question the other day. A member asked me how I started my art business and if I got a business loan to start.
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This question got me asking, if I were starting from scratch, what would I do differently? So today I want to discuss the mistakes that I have made in my business and shine the light on them so hopefully, I can save you from making the same mistakes as me.

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Owning an art business or any small business is not an easy feat. Most businesses fail within the first two years. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t turn your talent into a business; it just means you must watch your steps.  

I am still standing strong because I never did jump ahead of my game, but I persistently built my business one step at a time with my husband, Paul. We created a strong foundation and continue to grow and make it better.
  
Not to say we did everything perfectly because we certainly didn’t. After over 20 years in business, we got a few “Could have and should have’s.”  

The thing is mistakes are the only thing that makes you learn. These lessons are humbling and if you learn from them, they also make you wiser.

So back to the question, loan or no loan? 
Loan or no Loan? We did not get a loan because we were unsure about our footings. At that time, we knew nothing about business, we were artists, other than our passion for creating beautiful work, sharing it with the world, and getting paid for it.
  
I am grateful we didn’t get a loan because most of our mistakes were made in our first year in business. If we would have gotten a loan, we may have planned ahead of our experience and failed in the process. 
 
Okay writing this blog is another humbling experience, reminiscing about our journey made me chuckle at our epic mistakes. 
 
Here are our Mistakes.
Location: Having a good location is really vital to your business especially if you need foot traffic. To sell your art you need foot traffic. But there is the right or the wrong traffic.

One of the biggest mistakes we made in our first year in business was putting our business in the wrong location. 

After Nine Eleven, Paul, and I returned to Canada after residing in the Caymans for four years. Paul was a jewelry maker and I was a painter. So we both decided to open our creative business.
 
Paul rented a kiosk in a mall and sold his hand-crafted jewelry there, being new at business, he thought, well there is foot traffic and so he thought he was set. 
 
Well, that was a huge mistake! The sales were horrific, he wasn’t making bills and it was deflating. Selling Paul’s jewelry in the mall taught us that we didn’t belong in a mall environment because we were unique. 

Malls are great with generic brands or couture but unsuitable for artisans and artists. It was a terribly depressing experience for Paul, 3 months later he packed up his kiosk quickly, and found another solution. 

While Paul was making his mistake in the mall I was still selling my art via the Caymans. 

Long-distance Gallery Representation: Since the gallery in the Caymans was selling my work rapidly; I remained loyal to them. I continued to send my work to the island, which turned out to be a wrong decision because I wasn’t in close proximity to protecting my asset.

Plus shipping was expensive and receiving a commission of 50% made my effort quite redundant. I was working hard but not smarter. 

Eventually, the gallery closed down due to hurricane Ivan, and because I wasn’t there to protect my asset, I lost money and artwork due to the circumstance. 
 
Artists, watch over your assets, and don’t be too naïve. Even with a contract you still can get swindled and when that happens it is up to you to take the person to court which is time and money-consuming. That is why you have to watch over your assets, dealing with reputable long-established galleries would help, and close proximity would be ideal as well. 
 
Okay wait here is another mistake we made all in one fall swoop of our first year in business.
 
Language Barrier: Okay, this is a given, don’t ask, but here is another mistake. Don’t stick yourself in a city where you don’t speak their language! Duh! 
 
Paul and I are adventurous souls. When 9-11 happened, we decided to move to Montreal, the French-speaking city of Canada, and rented a beautiful loft in the old town and lived the artists' life. Serious, it was all very romantic, we had the loft with ceiling to floor windows and it was like the perfect artist's dream! 

Paul is French, but I couldn’t speak the language fluently, so I couldn’t help himl with sales, which made me feel very inadequate, not to mention my inability handicapped our new business furthermore. 
 
Well, that summarized the first few mistakes we’ve made in our business in the first year. But the journey continues with fewer mistakes balanced with more rewards because we decided to take our time to learn the rope. We made humbling decisions to start small and continue.  

And don’t kid yourself mistakes are not just for inexperienced artists, because there was another mistake I have learned and would correct if I were to re-open my gallery when the Covid situation is under control.

Hire help: Hiring a good sales associate is not easy. First of all, it is a highly stressed job  and I expected a certain result from my employee rewarded with higher pay and incentives. 

Training a sales associate is also a huge investment in time and effort. When it doesn’t work out, you wasted money and time, and that can be defeating.

Now reflecting back on our business, we should have taken more time to find the right person that would fit into our gallery culture or shortened our gallery hours to avoid burnt-out. 

So artists, when it comes the time, when you feel like you are drowning in work, take your time to hire someone to help you. If your employee is not good at sales, find other things for him/her to do. For instance, packaging your prints and so forth so that you can concentrate your time meeting new fans and selling to them.

In business, we learn as we go. My experience taught me that hiring part-time staff to help with things such as cleaning, product stocking, and packaging would have been perfect, and allowed me more time to build my business. 

If I were to re-open the gallery when the economy and the situation improved, I would do it differently. I would operate the gallery with fewer hours of operation or have it seasonal with an assistant.
  
Conclusion: One of the best things about having a business is that it is creative and inspiring, but most of all, you can call the shots and tweak what worked and didn’t.  

Having a business is not for the faint of heart, but the journey rewards you with so many lessons that it is an adventure in itself. I never regretted having a business because it did change me and my life. I wouldn’t have asked for anything more.
  
Since the pandemic, my husband, Paul, got into finance managing and investment, and I am selling art online and business coaching. I love how our dynamics have shifted and a  new phase has begun.  

If you are thinking about turning your talent into a business, heed my advice, start small and slow. Give yourself grace and time. When you are ready, expand and grow. Continuously re-invest in yourself, further your skill and business education, because your talent is worth the investment.

P/S If you not sure starting an art career is your cup of tea, check out this insightful worksheet,  it will help you make decision with clarity.

With Creative Joy,
Ting