I noticed that a lot of artists are looking for business plans. Last month it was the second highest non-branded term that people searched for when they landed on this site. I did some looking and it turns out there aren’t a lot of business plans out there for artists, so, I made one for you. Here you go! Please feel free to download, share, repurpose, and abuse. I’d appreciate attribution if you share it online, but mostly I just want artists to have this so that they can get an idea where to start.

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Business Plans for Artists

The first thing I ask every artist when we start working together is if they have a business plan. Most of the time the answer is no. Why do you need a business plan, you ask? Great question.

Edit 2/17/10: The original business plan that was in this spot was created by Amber Jean, an amazing artist who recently had major surgery. You can support a charity auction in her name by clicking here to donate to her cause.

You will become focused. As you start planning, that shotgun approach to marketing that most artists take will start to thin itself out and you will learn how to put a system in place. Also, establishing your unique selling proposition is really important. Sure, you’re a painter, but what makes you stand out from all of those other painters out there? There’s a lot more to being an independent artist than just creating your art.

You’ll know where you stand. Your strengths and weaknesses will become apparent to you as you start to create a business plan. What aspects of your art do you excel at? What do you tend to put off because you don’t know how to finish? Once you know where you stand, you’ll know what your weaknesses are, and this is really important. Most artists have no idea that they’re not good at accounting, or they don’t want to admit it so they run around in circles. A business plan will help you eliminate this.

You’ll know how to get where you want to be. Once you write down a business plan, it’s easy to refer back to it often to get re-focused on your goals. Carefully analyzing what you really want out of your art business is a good way to stop doing what is getting in your way.

You’ll know what other artists are doing. Do you want a competitive advantage? Are you afraid of really pushing your business because you don’t know what will make you different and make people want to purchase your art?

Tagged as: business plans