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When Talent Isn’t Enough

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When Talent Isn’t Enough

Business Basics for the Creatively Inclined

Career Press,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

You might be as creative as Shakespeare, but if you don’t understand business, don’t open one.

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • For Beginners

Recommendation

Writers, artists, designers, website developers and other creative professionals think that they can succeed as private business owners based solely on selling their talent. But they need to know more than how to write, paint, draft, design or program. If they plan to work for themselves, creative professionals must become good businesspeople. Writer and freelance expert Kristen Fischer details the skills and knowledge that creative types must possess for success in the business world. Fischer does a solid job of covering essential information for new creative entrepreneurs. getAbstract recommends her advice to creative professionals who plan to open their own shops.

Summary

Being Good at Business Is Creative, Too

Many beginning creative professionals think that all they need to do is let people know they are in business to make assignments and profits pour in immediately. You may be the world’s greatest creative freelancer, but if you don’t pay attention to the business basics, you will not succeed.

To make a living and create an enterprise that survives, you must run it like a business. You must know how to promote your work. You must find and win clients. Once you have clients, you must keep them happy.

You must know how much to charge for your work and what payment terms to set. You must learn how to read a contract, keep records, manage your business and financial affairs, pay your taxes, and obtain the necessary insurance, and more.

Does this sound crass and commercial? Well, money is why you want to run a business. This is as true for a creative enterprise as it is for a company that manufactures and sells machine parts. To be in business, you must get out of the “hobby” mode and think and act like a businessperson. You don’t want to behave – or end up – like a starving artist.

Where to Start?

When art ...

About the Author

Kristen Fischer is a copywriter, journalist and author. She has written for Writer’s Digest, New Jersey Monthly, HOW Design and MediaBistro.

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