For Anyone Considering Starting a Creative Business...

Ugh, it's a dreary Friday evening. Who wants to talk business? *raises hand* I do.

It's become painfully obvious to me (and probably to you if you've been following the blog long enough) that a regular 8 to 5 isn't really for me. In fact, no "traditional" job comes to mind when I think about the things I would love to do. Yes, I am still applying for jobs that seem "realistic" but what about the fantastic? What about the idea that I can put my creativity to work with my years of business education to make a living for myself? After all, others have made it happen, so I should be able to do the same... I think.

Since there aren't many options for a creative professional in most companies, starting a creative business is the most practical solution. So the challenge is where do I begin? Fortunately, one can find a wealth of info on just about everything online, so that's where I started my search. When I started looking for "starting a creative business" the first sites that came up were tips and advice from people who had done just that. Perfect! One of the best was a post on Blacksburg Belle, where 9 creative entrepreneurs shared the challenges they faced when starting their businesses. I can definitely relate to their experiences, especially the one about figuring out exactly what you love. There are a lot of things that I love, which mean a lot of potential businesses! But realistically I can't do everything. So that's a biggie. The question of "will there be enough money" is one I have too, but at this point I think that's a legit concern considering that right now there isn't...

I also found 10 tips for the creative entrepreneur on Ladies Who Launch. If you're a right-brainer who is struggling with starting your business (or even if you're not struggling but looking for ways to improve/make the process easier) this is a good read. The right-brain business plan is one that stood out to me. I never considered that my plan didn't have to be the standard plan that I learned in business school. That may explain why I've had such an ordeal trying to get it together! Now I'm researching alternative styles to determine which one will be best for me.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Note to self: This is probably the book I should've gotten from jump!"][/caption]

Finally, I found an awesome guest post on Leslie Laughs from Tahni, a photographer and artist. It's a realistic but encouraging look at what it's like to be a creative entrepreneur (really any entrepreneur for that matter). In it, Tahni basically says: you have to pay your dues, don't beat yourself up if/when you fail, and it's a roller coaster. Of course she said it a lot better than I just did, so read the post.

I've found plenty of information, some useful and some not, and I'll be sharing it here from time to time. Are you, or have you considered, starting a creative business? If you have insights, resources or your own story that you would like to share, let me know!