Artists & Passion Projects

As some of you may know, my art work is my Passion Project and something I do for fun rather than business (fun fact: I am a full-time Physiotherapist by trade!). But to be able to share my work with the world I had to become a little business minded, and so todays blog is all about how I stepped into the world of entrepreneurship, and turned my Passion Project into a Side Hustle.

Here are my top 5 recommendations for you to consider and think about if you wish to do the same:

1) Prepare to spend money

I want to put this one out there first up because as much as you may be able to minimise your costs and keep your expenses low, you will still need to spend money on some things to be able to get up and running. The saying "you have to spend money to make money" exists for a reason.

To get this little project off the ground, I needed to register for an ABN, register my business name, purchase a domain, set up this website, set up my online store, set up business banking account (and new business PayPal), and then there was the purchasing of samples to test and trial my products for quality... and all of this costs money. Having said that, the initial start up costs for a small online business is relatively low in comparison to setting up a physical store, and my ongoing expenses are now mostly just the cost of continuing to make my art (which I was doing anyway), so I am certainly not going to complain too much. Just keep it in mind, and set yourself a budget to work with, with the expectation that you will need to spend a little to make a little more.

2) Research

Research your industry. Research your options for marketing & advertisement. Research your platform options for social media, shops, financial aspects and administrative management. Research your market and proposed target audience.

Research. Research. Research. The more you know about what you're doing, why your doing it, who you're doing it for and how to go about doing to it... the better it will be for you.

It's honestly the less exciting part of this whole process but it does give you an idea of what direction to move in and it certainly helps a lot with step 3 which is...

3) Plan... Plan... Plan

I have put in a lot of effort in the planning process of getting this little business up and running - even though its only a small online gallery and shop, I have not half-arsed my efforts.

I have drafted, edited, revised, scrapped and recreated this website so many times I cannot count - but all so it was perfectly set up in exactly the way I wanted it to be - which is something I am proud to share with my friends, my family and with the rest of the world.

I also have plans in place for growth and expansion and the future of this site if it is successful (fingers crossed, keeping positive vibes only!!).

To help with the planning I used a range of different tools including a business plan template, listening to podcasts that focus on how to set up small businesses, researching other similar business to see how they operate and to try and work out what I liked and thought worked well vs what I didn't like and didn't think worked for me. I have also been talking with a lot of people - other small business owners, other artists, creatives, and entrepreneur's - anyone that I can try to learn from to ensure my venture will be as successful as it can be.

4) Goal setting

Set LOTS of S.M.A.R.T goals, for everything - big and small.

WFT is a S.M.A.R.T goal you ask? Let me break it down for you!

S.M.A.R.T:

Specific: What are you trying to accomplish, why are you trying to do it, who needs to do what, what obstacles do you have to over come, and how do you plan to complete it?

Measurable: How do you know when you have accomplished your goal? How will you measure you success?

Achievable: Is it doable? Do you have the skills necessary to achieve your goal, or do you need to upskill or outsource some parts?

Relevant: How does this goal, tie into the bigger picture and overall goals?

Time: A goal without a timeline/deadline is just a dream!! So set a realistic timeframe on your goal to help push you towards achieving it, otherwise your dream will always sit it the realm of "one day"

Without goals, then you're basically shooting blind at a moving target that is set at an undetermined distance away from you; S.M.A.R.T goals give you direction to work with.

5) Be brave!!

I cannot tell you how many times I had attempted to talk myself out of doing this. I touched on my mean and critical inner monologue during my first blog and lets just say, that bitch went into overdrive as I started working through the process of getting this all up and running.

All I can say is, if your inner voice is as mean

as mine, tell it to STFU and surround yourself with friends and family who all talk you up, believe in, support and encourage you so loudly that it drowns out the sound of your own inner critic (easier said than done, but cannot recommend this more!).

It is a scary thing to start a business, especially one that is so intimate and personal as sharing ones own art or creative medium - you are literally putting yourself out there for the world to see, criticize and judge. But you are also putting yourself out there to give and share yourself with others, which is such a beautiful thing to do. So be brave, surround yourself with the strongest of love and support, and trust in yourself!!

I hope if you are reading this, then you might feel a bit more inspired and motivated to share your own passion with the world, whatever it may be. If you have any questions regarding how I got to be where I am today, please reach out and chat with me. I'm really very happy to share my journey - the pros and cons, the ups and downs, the fun and the challenges - with anyone who genuinely wants to know more.

With Love & Positive Vibes,