Have a Better Business Sense, A Guide for Creatives

Being creative, and looking for a way to translate your art into something that can actually be sold, and make you a living can be tough. One thing we’re not taught enough in school is how to have better business skills, and how we can navigate a constantly changing industry. We all want to do something we love, but having a better business sense lets us combine our passion with a little bit of ‘treat yo’ self.

If you’re looking to develop better business skills, here are some tips:

Read Books to Improve In Your Field

It’s hard to tear your eyes away from your Instagram feed, or not watch that last funny cat video on facebook, but, yes, I’m asking you to take a step back from technology and pick up a book.

Reading lots of books on the subject you want to know more about will help you to become a better business person. You can read books written by other business people, entrepreneurs, books in your industry, etc. Look at the reviews on Amazon first, or see if any of your favorite blogs have reviewed the book so you can make sure you’re picking the right one for you. One of my top picks is The E-Myth by Michael E Gerber. This book has been recommended to me by the School of Style Founder, Luke Storey, in this post with his tips on building a business and many other successful creatives in my network. It shares the way to divide your creative self and your leadership skills to work ON your business, not in your business.

If you’re not into reading that much, or you find yourself on the go a lot, consider taking in the knowledge through an audio-book.

Do Your Research

Make sure you do lots of research online, to see what people who have similar goals have done to reach their goals. The internet is obviously one of the best sources to find the answers to your questions. There are so many great online communities that support entrepreneurs and business people looking to move up the ranks, Foundr has great articles for those looking to found their own businesses, and Mavenly is great to hear stories of women who have found their calling! Not to mention, right here on yes supply where we interview tons of creative. You can even do courses online. Always check the internet before anything else! Sites like Diversity could help you.

Take Courses and Workshops

If you feel like you want another qualification or someone to one help, why not take some courses and workshops? It’s worth it to learn a specialized skill, and really gain a deeper understanding, if you have something specific you could improve on that will help you meet your goals.

Many major Universities and Colleges offer night classes. If you’re looking to learn more about the technology you could check out places like http://www.brainstation.io/ that offer immersive workshops for as little as 15$ a session.

Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is a surefire way to become a better business person. You can then enhance your strengths and find ways to improve on your weaknesses.

A problem that I have, that a lot of other creatives I know have admitted to as well, is that we literally like doing so many things. We like painting, and healthy eating, and tech, and graphic design and the list goes on. It’s hard to give up on trying to make a living from everything that you love simultaneously, but it’s even harder to market your skills on being a jack of all trades.

If you know your strengths, and how you can use these to create a product or service for others, you’ll give yourself the opportunity to become REALLY good at your trade.

And the things that you enjoy, but you’re weaker at, you can keep as hobbies and things you do for fun1

Know-How to Make Decisions

Making decisions is one of the most important features of a good business person. You can’t be paralyzed by fear to make the wrong decision; sometimes, you need to make a quick decision. It’s definitely good to do your research, but don’t allow analysis paralysis and getting too much inspiration slow down the time it takes you to make a decision and start working towards your goals.

It’s better to start, and fail, then never start anything at all and always wonder. It’s better to start, and fail, then never start anything at all and always wonder.

Don’t Worry About Failure

Worrying about failure will only make failing more realistic.  Just because you might fail, doesn’t mean you’ll never get anything right. It’s all about your mindset. There are hundreds of business people who have failed, but instead of giving up, they try something new, until they achieve the goals they’re after.

You need to believe that you’ll get it right! It’d be hard to find a negative business man or woman who does well for themselves. You have to continue  They all have a positive outlook with a can-do attitude!

Don’t Give Up

It might take you a while to become successful, but you shouldn’t give up. It’s an ongoing process. You should want to improve yourself and learn no matter how successful you are. Keep going and things will only get better.

Are you ready to become a better business person?  It isn’t something you do once and then stops when you’re where you want to be though; you need to continue to learn and adapt! Have some tips of your own you’d like to share? Leave a comment.

Image from Pop Sugar