That's the dream, isn't it? To work solely creating the things that you love, and get paid for it in the process? Sound pretty good to me. But before you write the resignation letter you better be sure that you can make it as a sole trader. That means being not only being on the ball about the creative process but also on the business side of things. Read on to find out more.
Buying materials
The number one cost for most creatives that decide to go into business for themselves is the materials and tools that they use. Whether it is canvas and oil paint, clay, or a drawing tablet and Adobe Creative Cloud that you are purchasing to create your masterpieces, you need to make sure that you always have access to these items to allow your creative spark to shine.
A good way of doing this to work with only reputable suppliers, so you know that when you order items, they will arrive post haste. It's can also help to use a printed business check to pay for your goods, as this stops any confusion about where to assign the payments that you have made and stops any hold up in the supply process.
Keeping a check on your finances
Another thing that you need to do if you are going to be a creative success story is to make sure that you keep the financial aspect of your business as well managed as the creative sides.
Yes, sometimes this can be a challenge especially when you would rather be mucking about with the latest Photoshop techniques, but it really isn't something that you can ignore and hope to be a success.
Happily, things in this area are much easier in the digital age in terms of your accounts that they ever have been before. You can get an accounting service that is cheap, user-friendly and easy to use online. Which makes invoicing customers and logging all of your business expenses a breeze. Some of the programs even help you to work out your tax, which is another self-employed headache that you would rather avoid.
Advertising your products
Of course, in today's market, it doesn't matter how good quality your product is if no one knows about it. That is why advertising and marketing are also things that you will have to get to grips with.
Luckily, a lot of marketing these days is linked to being visually creative, so you will probably have a head start in this area. Especially for things like social media, where you can take and display photos of your work, link to your shop, and gather a fan base to help share and promote your products.
Your website
Now you will also need a website to act as a home base for all of your online traffic. Again your visual creativity can be a boon here, as websites that both look pretty and are user-friendly are going to get the best results.
However, if your expertise doesn't lie within the digital world, then it can be a good idea to employ an expert for this job, to make sure you get the best product for your needs.
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