10 Sep Round 2: Business of Art & Art of Business
Deep-Dive Marketing for Artists Workshop. Oct. 7,6:30-8 p.m. — Our quest to connect the business and art communities in the Nickel Plate Arts region continues with the second phase of our training series, The Business of Art & Art of Business. We are using everything we learned from our August kickoff panel discussion which featured local business leaders with arts experience and are using that to shape in-depth workshops focused on a single topic. The first of these workshops will be devoted to marketing tips, tricks and must-have information. Join us Oct. 7, 6:30-8 p.m., at the Noblesville Library; cost is $10. If you are interested in the latest plans for this workshop or would like to sign up, visit nickelplatearts.org or call (317) 452-3690.
5 Tips for Entrepreneurial Artists
During our Business of Art & Art of Business panel discussion on Aug. 26, three local business leaders shared valuable tips for artistic entrepreneurs. The panel was made up of Patty Heugel from Brannon Sowers & Cracraft, Eric Jungbauer from Darbin-Jungbauer, and Jacquelyn Fry-Bilbrey from Platinum Living. Here are our top five tips from that session:
- Set up your business entity. If you’re going into business for yourself, no matter what your level of business, the first thing you need to do is set up an LLC. A small business lawyer can help you do this in no time and help you understand why this is important.
- Use contracts. You should always have a written agreement with anyone you plan to enter into business with, whether it be a fellow artist, a gallery owner, a client or a landlord. The contract is there to protect you and your work, so read it carefully and don’t sign it until you are clear about and comfortable with the contents therein.
- Present yourself as professionally as possible. Dress nicely for meetings with anyone you plan to do business with. Aways call ahead to arrange a time instead of just dropping in. Have your portfolio or any other paperwork neatly arranged and carefully organized so that it is easy to read and absorb.
- Know your trademarks from your copyrights. A trademark protects words, names, symbols, sounds and colors that distinguish goods and services from those manufactured or sold by others and to indicate the source of the goods. A copyright protects works of authorship, such as writing, music and works of art that have been tangibly expressed. An intellectual property lawyer can help you distinguish which you need and how to attain them.
- Your business name is, perhaps, your most important asset. It is very much worth the time to research what names are already in use, and to work to create a name that is unique and arbitrary (meaning that it is a memorable, abstract word or phrase that stands for something else). Examples include Google, Oreo, Kinkos — strong, memorable words that can’t possibly mean anything other than the company they represent! Once you settle on a good one and have confirmed that no one else seems to be using it, trademark it!
