Should you start a creative services business?
3 things you need to know before you start…
1. Wanting to be your own boss is a terrible reason to start a business.
In fact, most creative people need a boss. Why? Most creative people cannot meet deadlines, show up on time to meetings, and deal with hard conversations. If it weren’t for stern bosses most creative people would be jobless due to not being able to show up and do the little things. News flash, running a business is mostly THOSE little things. Please reassess how bad you want to “be your own boss” and why. Could it be that you simply aren’t manageable? Maybe you struggle with authority? In 15 years of experience, those who struggle to take feedback, be teachable, or manageable are often also terrible at leading or having their own business. The same skills that make you a great teammate are the same skills that make you a great leader.
Creative people are typically visionaries, great at ideas, and brilliant at making things that solve problems or bring beauty to the world. However, we are also not typically administrative beings who love conflict, numbers, and confrontation.
We are spacy, late to meetings, and historically forgetful. What usually happens to creative people who start their own agency or business is that after a year or two they have this rude awakening and exclaim out loud in their shower while they cry “Starting a creative business was not what I thought it was!” We become confronted with our own shortcomings in a way that either pushes us to change, or pushes right back to where we started, doing the creative work and not the hard stuff.
Wanting to be your own boss only works if you’re a great boss. The reality is, most of us aren’t.
Do this: Instead, serve for a season under a good boss. Invest in leaders who will invest in your skills and your character. Focus on becoming the kind of person who can show up and do the little things on a consistent basis. Then, when the time is right you’ll have the tools (pending you have the grit and the love for chaos) to start your own thing. If not, it’s ok. There’s no shame in working for someone else who will provide an environment for you to create amazing things, make great money, and be really happy. It’s all about finding the balance between being patient and developing the right motivation for starting a business.
2. Kiss creating goodbye!
That’s right, if you love designing, writing, or building you will no longer be doing that if you start your own thing.
Even at the height of my solopreneur journey, before Forrest.co, my time was spent working with clients, in meetings, handling billing and admin, etc. I didn’t spend much time actually creating. For me, this was ok because I had a plan to scale beyond being a solopreneur, but many creatives like you and I do not think this far ahead. There were others who I had already started hiring so that I could multiply myself, but even in doing that I learned very quickly that having a creative business was more about teaching others to create than actually creating.
I’ll say that again so that it sticks.
Running a successful creative business is more about teaching others to create than actually creating.
If you want to start a creative services business that actually scales then you better love teaching more than you love making things. The lie that many creative people believe is that if they don’t scale then they are not succeeding. That is not true. Real success as a creative pro doesn't come from more money or scaling some massive thing. Real success comes from growing in every area of your career, and your life as a human. You can find that success in a 9-5 job, or building a business. It all depends on what you’re wired for.
But if scaling is what you want, then there are three ways to scale as a creative professional.
Get a great job, stay there a long time, and make the market rate for your skills.
Trade more hours for more dollars as a freelancer or solopreneur.
Multiply yourself by teaching and building a team
Which of the above sounds the most palatable to you? Which of those three gets you excited? That’s often an indicator of what you should be doing.
Do this: Instead, spend some time self reflecting and self assessing if you really want to make, or if you want to manage. Ask yourself:
Do I want to be a maker or a manager? Am I willing to be a manager? Would I be a good manager? Can I lead people? Do I like leading people? Am I wired to lead people?
Running a creative business is more leadership, management, and administration than making or creating. Know which you want to really do more of before you make the jump into starting your own business.
Remember the point is just to get clear on what YOU want.
There’s no shame in whichever direction you go. There are many successful makers and creators out there who do not have the headaches and stress of managing and constantly teaching others.
Again, deciding to have a creative services business is all about really uncovering what your motivations are. Self awareness is key!
3. If you’re serious…you better love chaos!
Like I mentioned above, creating is fun. Building is amazing. Making things brings life to the soul for creative people like you and I.
Starting a creative business on the other hand is pure chaos, especially for the first year or two. One thing that has been an x factor in my life is that I realized early on that I actually love chaos.
I love the unknowns associated with hiring people and not knowing if you’ll have the money to afford them six months from now. And I love it! But what may be fuel to my fire is often the epitome of stress to others.
Managing overhead, expenses, capacity, and projects is everything BUT creating. It’s chaotic, left-brained, and time consuming. Oh yeah, and if you’re not good at this you will need to be good at trusting someone else who IS GOOD AT ALL OF IT! Thankfully, now, I pay other people to handle all of this stuff.
On top of all that, wait until someone is upset. Creative people hate when people are mad at them. Wait until it’s someone you’ve hired. I won’t even get into turnover or what to do when people leave. That’s another conversation for another time.
Do this…
To successfully run a creative business (or any business) you have to love certain levels of chaos. You have to be so mentally tough that you can face all kinds of conversations and conflicts. You have to have hard talks with potentially intense clients.
So, if you’re thinking about starting your own creative services business remember:
Doing it JUST to be your own boss might not be a great idea
Be ready to not be the one doing the creating anymore
Prepare for chaos and learn to love it!
I believe that EVERY single creative person has what it takes…
But you’re going to have to dig deep. And remember, don’t choose someone else’s path just because you think you have to. There’s no point to trying to be something you don’t want to be. If you want to start a business go for it. If you don’t then be the best, most abundantly successful creative employee, freelancer, or solopreneur you’re capable of!
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