How To Start An Art Business That Thrives

Starting an art or craft business is both exciting and horrifying. I can still remember how excited I was when I decided to start an art business many years ago. Before Facebook existed just to give you an idea.

But when my dreams started to turn into reality, I began to ask if this was the right thing to do.

I started to question myself because I didn’t know where or how to get started.

When I began, I didn’t know how to sell products online or where I could sell my art online.

I had so many questions, and back then, the resources were not as available as they are today.

My goal for this post is to help make starting an online art business more comfortable for you.

How To Start An Art Business — Original Pastel Painting by Dave Nevue

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking on an affiliate link, Nevue Fine Art Marketing may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to, Bluehost, Tailwind, Skimlinks, SareASale and StudioPress. To learn more visit Affiliate Link Disclosure Policy

Purchase Prints

Bt the end of this post, you will know…

How To Start An Art Business With No Money
How To Identify What Your Wants And Needs Are
How To Set Up A Budget
How To Start Planning
How To Define Your Mission
How To Learn Who Your Target Audience Is
Know The Cost Of Doing Business
How To Price You Artwork For Profit
Set Up A Business Checking Account
How To Build A Website
How To Build Your Brand
How To Start A Blog
Set Up Business Accounts On Social Media
Network With Other Artists

How To Start An Art Business With No Money

The first step to take when starting your art business is to know your objectives. The second step is never to stop working towards your dreams.

I do have to disclose that there will be some bumps in the road as you go along, but you will overcome them and learn from the obstacles.

The challenges you face will only make you a better business person.

You might also have to work different jobs to generate an income while building your art business.

Every artist I know, including myself, had to work different jobs until the business generated enough money. I still know many artists who work additional jobs for extra income streams.

You have to keep in mind that when you start an art business, it will take some time to grow your audience.

During that time, you will want to ensure that you generate income to pay the bills.

There might be a time when you are at a point when you have to decide to make your art business your career.

Let’s go back to knowing what your objectives are.

Why do you want to start an art business?
How much income do you need to make from your art business?
How many hours can you devote to your art business?
Will you be working with someone else?
Where would you like to be in 2 years, 5 years and 10 years?

A clear vision of what you want will help you make a better art marketing plan.

Once you have a clear vision of what you would like to achieve, write them down.

Writing down your goals will help to keep you accountable for your actions.

Here are some workbooks and printables to help you write achievable goals, keep accurate note,s and how to assess the growth of your art business.

Identify What Your Wants And Needs Are

There are going to be some upfront costs when you are starting your art business.

All of the marketing I do is free online. However, it does cost money for art supplies, and if you want to build a website, there will be some costs associated with hosting and a domain name.

An artist operating a successful art business knows all their expenses and income.

There will be things you need to invest in, and there will be things you wish you had but do not need at this point.

For example, when I first started, I would draw wherever possible.

I didn’t have a drawing table or an office for the art business.

It would have been nice to have an office/art studio then, but I could not afford it then.

I made do with what I had, and when money came in, I would reinvest it in my business.

Over time I was able to purchase everything I needed for an office/art studio.

Now is the time to think about what your business expenses will be.

Write down everything you need to start an art business, not what you “want.”

Art supplies – What supplies do you need to create the artwork you will sell?

Office/art studio – Do you need ample space to work, or could you find a place in your home?

Website – Could you start selling your artwork on a Facebook business page, or do you need to invest in a website?

I do recommend owning a website for online art businesses. This website only costs me about $ 4 per month.

I use Siteguard for my hosting and domain name.

Yes, you could start on Etsy for a small listing fee and selling fees, but when you start to sell more products, you will find that your Etsy fees will cost more than owning a website with Siteguard. And you will own this website.

You can change and modify your site as your art business grows.

Other Expenses – write down any other expenses associated with your business like internet, smartphone, etc.

Start An Art Business – Set Up A Budget

It takes most businesses up to 6 months to see any activity and up to a year or two to see a substantial profit.

Knowing this is valuable.

Putting money aside for the monthly business costs will help you keep your business running during the growth process.

A clear vision of the cost of doing business will be the foundation of your art business plan.

During the growth process of your business, you might want to consider hustling and doing other small jobs related to art to help with the business costs.

While figuring out your business costs, you will also want to focus on your spending.

Track your spending for a couple of months.

Write down what you need to live on, and on a different piece of paper, write down things you might be able to cut expenses on, like going out to eat once a week instead of five times a week.

Save money everywhere you can.

Use coupons
Reduce your electric bill by turning off lights in rooms that nobody uses.
Reduce your cable bill
Reduce your entertainment costs by eating out less or going to fewer movies.

Think of all the ways you can save money and start doing it.

There will be some sacrifices you will have to make in the beginning.

But in the long run, you will be enjoying the rewards of operating a successful business.

The strategies you learn about saving money will also help you immensely for your business.

Every business starts because they have a vision of making a profit.

One of the easiest ways to profit is to keep expenses low.

You will be learning how to do just that while building your business.

Start An Art Business Plan

When people decide to sell their artwork, they often think they are starting a business.

But it is true.

If you are selling products or services, you are operating a business.

Now that you know you are starting a business, let’s discuss writing a business plan.

Every business that succeeds has a plan that they implement daily.

Everything that they do will affect their business either positively or negatively.

And the same goes for you.

The more you plan, the better you will be.

Start An Art Business By Defining Your Mission

What does a mission for business mean?

A mission statement is a sentence or two that describes a company’s function, markets, and competitive advantages.

Your mission statement defines your art business and provides a way for your audience to understand your vision.

A mission statement will also help you to stay on track with your goals and prevent you from derailing and wasting time.

What is your mission?
What is your vision?
How do you describe success?
What are your long-term goals?
What are your mid-term goals
What are your short-term goals?

This is the point when the goals you have documented will come in handy.

Learn Who Your Target Audience Is

Identifying who the people you will be selling your art to will help you to:

Grow your business faster
Prevent you from wasting your time marketing to people who will not purchase your art
Save your money on marketing expenses.

The people who have a passion for your artistic style and would love to display your artwork in their homes are known as your target audience.

One of your goals is to learn everything you can about them so you share your art with them.

I have written several posts about target audiences you might be interested in:

How To Price Your Artwork For Profit

Pricing your art will be one of your biggest challenges in the beginning.

Learning how to make a profit can even be more difficult.

But your goal is to make money, not lose money, right?

Have you ever heard the saying, “the starving artist”?

There is no such thing.

The success of any business falls back on its plans and strategies.

The same is true for your art business.

Unfortunately, no magic formula will help you decide on the best price for your artwork. I wish there were.

Here is a brief outline of what you will want to focus on.

The costs of making the product
The time invested in making the product
The cost of marketing the product
The fees associated with selling a product
Shipping expenses

The next step is to research the market value for artwork like yours.

Once you have all of this information, you can price your artwork accordingly and make a profit.

I have written several posts that will help you with pricing your artwork.

Set Up A Business Checking Account

Now is the time to make your art business legal.

Even though you might think that you are the only one working on your business, it is still a business.

You are required to have a business license.

Contact your accountant and ask what business structure would be best for you.

Most artists choose to classify their business as a sole proprietorship but I recommend that you do some research to find out what will be best for you.

Every state has different laws, so you will also want to visit:

Department of Revenue site
Clerk of Courts site
IRS site to see what the next steps you will have to take

After your research, you will want to create a business checking account.

Your business checking account will help you to keep track of all the business’s finances and separate your expenses from your business expenses.

How To Build A Website

Now that you have finished all the tedious work, let’s have fun and start building your online art gallery.

Your online art gallery will be the place where people can view and purchase your artwork

There are several different options that you have.

You can:

Build and own a website (I recommend this option for every art business)
Create a gallery on eCommerce solution sites (these sites have a monthly fee that could eat up your profits)
Sell on a third-party site (Most third-party sites have a monthly fee, and you will have limited customization options that will make it difficult to brand your business)

For more information visit – Sell Art Online – 16 Websites And Website Builders For Artists

If you decide to build a website I recommend using WordPress as your platform.

You will have to purchase hosting and a domain name which costs me around $4 per month using Siteguard as my hosting service. (This is much cheaper than some sites that charge over $30 per month.)

Visit Siteguard and discover how affordable and easy it is to have your WordPress artist website up in just a few minutes.

WordPress Tutorials for artists:

How To Build Your Brand

Now that you have your online art gallery, you will want to focus on building a brand that will separate you from all of the other artists selling art online.

You want to focus on branding when you first start an art business.

Your brand will help you to attract your target audience and make it possible to recognize you on all mediums online.

Here are some helpful posts to help you with branding your art business:

What Branding Is For Creative People
Sell Your Paintings By Building Your Brand
7 Effective Social Media Tips For Growing Your Artist Brand
3 Easy Tips To Help Artists Build Their Brand Online

How To Start A Blog

Next is to drive traffic to your art listings, which will be done with content marketing.

Your artist blog will be the fuel that drives many people to your website.

Every post you write will make it possible for your target audience to discover you in the search results and inspire your social media following to visit your site.

To learn how to build a successful art blog visit – Best Art Blog Traffic Tips That Work

The next step is to set up business accounts on all social media platforms on which you will be marketing your artwork.

Do research before creating business accounts for every social media platform.

Discover what social media platforms your target audience visits.

Keep in mind that you are going to be working alone. There are so many hours in the day.

Related Post – Choose One Social Media Platform To Focus On

Network With Other Artists

The last thing you will want to do is to find other artists to work with.

Build a network with local people and people online.

A village is built with a tribe.

How To Start An Art Business That Thrives

How To Start An Art Business With No Money

Identify What Your Wants And Needs Are

Start An Art Business – Set Up A Budget

Start An Art Business Plan

Start An Art Business By Defining Your Mission

Learn Who Your Target Audience Is

How To Price Your Artwork For Profit

Set Up A Business Checking Account

How To Build A Website

How To Build Your Brand

How To Start A Blog

Network With Other Artists

Newsletter signup

Thank you for sign up!

Disclosure:

Where To Start

How To Start An Art Business With No Money

Identify What Your Wants And Needs Are

Start An Art Business – Set Up A Budget

Start An Art Business Plan

Start An Art Business By Defining Your Mission

Learn Who Your Target Audience Is

How To Price Your Artwork For Profit

Set Up A Business Checking Account

How To Build A Website

How To Build Your Brand

How To Start A Blog

Set Up Business Accounts On Social Media

Network With Other Artists

About Dave Nevue

Disclosure:

Where To Start