Kristen Fischer - When talent isnt enough: Business basics for the creatively inclined: for creative professionals, including... artists, writers, designers, bloggers, ... to freelance or run their own business

Many talented creatives flop at freelancing because they dont know how to bid on a project, negotiate a contract or manage client expectations. Kristen Fischer is on a mission to ensure you dont become one of them. By the time youre done reading this smart, comprehensive guide, youll be a lean, mean business machine.

Michelle Goodman, author of
The Anti 9-to-5 Guide and My So-Called Freelance Life

Business Basics for the Creatively Inclined

Kristen Fischer

Copyright 2013 by Kristen Fischer

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher, The Career Press.

WHEN TALENT ISNT ENOUGH

EDITED BY JODI BRANDON

TYPESET BY GINA TALUCCI

Cover design by Ian Shimkoviak/theBookDesigners

Printed in the U.S.A.

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The Career Press, Inc.

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www.careerpress.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fischer, Kristen.

When talent isnt enough : business basics for the creatively inclined : for creative professionals including artists, writers, designers, bloggers, Web developers, and anyone else looking to freelance or run their own business / by Kristen Fischer.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-60163-250-0 -- ISBN 978-1-60163-543-3 (ebook)

1. Arts--Vocational guidance. 2. Arts--Marketing. 3. Self-employed. 4. Small business. I. Title.

NX163.F57 2013
658.022--dc23

2012039162

For Joe Fischer, my father-in-law, who always takes the time to ask me, Hows business? Your support for my professional endeavorsand this bookmeans the world to me.

Special thanks to my literary agent, Kathleen Rushall, for believing in this project and making it a reality. The team at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency was instrumental in providing both guidance and patience.

Thank you to the team at Career Press for your publishing expertise.

My gratitude goes out to Richard Streitfeld and Kiffanie Stahle for providing valuable wisdom and professional knowledge.

All of the talented people that shared their stories so candidly have helped other creative professionals tremendously.

Thank you to the New England Patriots, who motivate and inspire me.

Norma, thank you so much for being amazing at what you do and being a true light.

Danielle, Ken, Mom and Dad Fischer, and the rest of my family and friends: Your kind words, support, and enthusiasm have empowered me. I am beyond blessed to have each of you in my lifecats included.

Charlotte, Quinnan, and Lyla: You each inspire me to reach higher.

My loving gratitude goes out to my mother. You are the foundation, you are the support, you are my friend.

To my wonderful husband, Tim: Thank you for listening to me, loving me, and making me laugh. You are my one and only. I wouldnt be living happily ever after without you.

And to my Lord, I really can do all things through You.

We must be careful not to exhaust ourselves waiting for inspiration when we could have simply been working.

Julia Cameron, author, The Artists Way

by Kari Chapin

All quotations from freelancers, in the text and in the Q&A sections, are the result of personal conversations, either in person or via e-mail, between the subjects and me throughout the course of the last year.

As a creative business coach, one of the first questions I ask a new client is, Why did you decide to go into business for yourself? Although the answers may vary greatly, usually the core reason is the same for most of my clients: freedom. Some people are needed at home during normal working hours, but are still required to contribute to the household income; and some people, like me, find that after years of working for others, they are happiest and most productive when they get to call all their own shots.

No matter what your personal reasons are for starting out in the great adventure that is being self-employed, chances are at some point youre going to need more resources, support, and even encouragement to keep your business strong, and to keep that feeling of freedom. That is where books like this become invaluable resources for people like us.

Although you may have a wonderful education and loads of handson experience in your field, chances are when you were a student, intern, employee, assistant, or even a coworker, your experiences were lacking or possibly non-existent in some of the basic skills you need to run a healthy, thriving business. Just because you own your own business doesnt mean you know everything there is to know. Its okay to ask questions, seek out help, and make it up as you go along.

Getting bigger and better clients, marketing yourself, hiring legal help, and working with an accounts person takes practice and a basic working knowledge of what those duties and services are. Seeking support from a book like the one you are now holding in your hands is a great place to start when you simply dont know where to begin or even how to finish.

Kristen has written a wonderful guide to help you decide what will work best for you and your business, while leaving the choices up to you, thus helping you retain that precious freedom.

Good luck and get down to business with your creative self,

Kari Chapin
Best-selling author of the creative business books
The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally and Online and Grow Your Handmade Business: How to Envision, Develop, and Sustain a Successful Creative Business

Chances are that you are a talented person if youve picked up this book. You may be a whiz Web developer who can churn out gorgeous, functional Web sites. Or an illustrator who can bring a drawing to life. Maybe youre a jewelry designer who constructs beautiful necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Or you may be a writer, like me, with a knack for stringing words together. Whatever your creative talent is, it can be something you enjoy as a hobbyor, as many creative professionals have proved, it can be the source from which you make a living.

Have you ever thought about making a living off your artistic ability? Many people start a creative businessits relatively simple to launch due to the low overhead costsbut never build the foundation necessary for long-term success. Why? They think all they need is their talent. They do not realize that they need to know how to manage a business, too.

A business doesnt stay strong for too long if you think that you can rely on your flair for prose or eye for design. For example, a competent graphic designer probably can create a logo, but how does he or she secure a client? How can he or she satisfy that client? What happens if the client does not like that first draft? When the project is over, assuming it went well, how does he or she bill for the work? And what about paying taxes on the money earned?