How to Start A Creative Business (6 freaking steps)
Somebody somewhere needs your creative product or service. Because only you and your unique blend of skills and experiences can create exactly what they need.
So welcome to my guide on how to start a creative business.
From bootstrapped fashion lines to Etsy shop brands, turning your passion into profit is a grand creative project. And there are no gatekeepers.
You don’t need a large following. Or large bags of money.
You just need a willingness to show up everyday and stumble with a smile. Because it’s not always easy, but it’s totally worth it.
So let’s do this!
Hey, just a quick heads up that some links in this post may be affiliate links. This is at no extra cost to you, but helps me keep the lights on. Thanks for your support!
What Is A Creative Business?
A creative business is the use of artistic or creative skills and knowledge to solve some market pain point.
It lives at the intersection of entrepreneurship and creativity.
While a lot of modern business is already artistic — like content creation or copywriting — a creative business is built exclusively around a creative expertise or asset.
Explore more:
➤ Creative Entrepreneurship 101
Why Start A Creative Business?
Turn your passion into profit
Be your own boss
Own your time
No cap on earning
Control your life-work balance
A deep sense of pride and ownership
Learn invaluable, transferable modern skills
Meet amazing people
Avoid regret
Have fun
Business Ideas for Creatives
Photography or film studio
Interior designer
Indie fashion brand
Creative coaching
Influencer
Art business
Music studio
Start Your Creative Business (6 steps)
1. Get Clear
What type of creative business do you want?
What is your niche and who is your audience?
Step one is to get clear about what you want to build and who you want to offer it to. You don’t need to have it all figured out, but a little bit goes a long way.
So here are some things to think about:
Get specific — what’s your micro niche?
What are your goals?
What are your expectations? Are they realistic?
Draft a mission statement for your business
Get the right mindset
Tip: If you’re unsure about your niche or goals, start with content. Make stuff until you find your voice and audience.
2. Essential Infrastructure
Starting a creative business requires a few tools. So consider this your creative business starter kit.
Here’s everything you’ll need.
Website
A website tells the world I mean business (literally). It’s your main hub and a place for people to find you and contact you.
I use Squarespace for most of my sites and they’re perfect for creative entrepreneurs. They take care of all the techy stuff, so I can focus on the things that actually move the needle in my work.
Socials
You should be present on at least one social platform. The biggest caveat is if you’re focusing exclusively on blogging or a creative marketplace. But remember, social media is powerful.
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X and LinkedIn are all great options for starting a creative business. But here are some quick tips to choose the right platform:
Go where you can be your most authentic self
Go where your audience spends most of their time
Choose just one platform to focus on
Explore more:
➤ Vlog / Blog / Social (how to choose)
Brand Assets
Brand assets are the sensory elements that represent your business. A solid brand is invaluable and building it with intention is something I always prioritize.
Here are some examples of brand assets:
Brand colors
Your logo
Image, photo and video assets
Editing style
Tone of voice
Packaging design
Font typography
Check out Google Fonts for commercial free options
Explore more:
➤ Branding for Creatives (what I’m doing)
An engaged email list is the cat’s pajamas. It’s one of the greatest assets for a creative business (any business really). It’s an audience you own and gives you some of the highest returns.
I’m using Beehiiv (for my travel site) and Kit (for this site).
3. Create Content
“Content is the lifeblood of a modern creative business. And it’s sort of required if you want to grow a brand...”
Technically, you could start and grow a creative business with nothing more than a social media account. Some people even recommend this.
But either way, now’s the time to get your content creation loop started if you haven’t yet.
It looks something like this:
Start posting authentically and consistently
Engage and add value
Dial in on your voice and differentiation
Create a lead magnet to build an email list
Test cheap or free offers
Create and sell a core offer
And boom! There’s your content strategy.
Well, sort of. This is just one way to grow a brand.
Just keep in mind that reality is usually more nuanced. But if you stick with creating consistent, value-adding, authentic content, you can start building an email list and eventually sell offers.
And remember to stay patient. It’s not an overnight thing (especially if you’re going the SEO route).
Choose the platform that makes the most sense for you.
Because whether it’s podcasting, Reels, YouTube, blogging or live streaming on Twitch, they can all work wonders.
4. Create An Offer
Your offer is the product or service you’ll be selling — i.e., your cash flow.
The benefit of focusing on creating content first is you gather data and insights about what actually resonates with your audience.
You can test “mini offers” (as content pieces or lead magnets) before investing too much time, energy and resources into creating your full offer.
So what will you sell? What’s your offer?
Here are a few ideas for creatives:
Custom artwork commissioning
Creative consulting for ______
One-on-one coaching packages
Exclusive memberships
Music production services
Teaching workshops
Your offer should represent your skills, experience, passions and brand. It should align with your audience’s values and solve their pain points.
But don’t stress if you don’t have it all figured out or if the first few flop.
Stay the course. You got this!
5. Sell Your Offer
Creating your offer isn’t the hard part. Selling it is.
Even getting traffic isn’t terribly difficult. It’s converting that traffic where things get tricky. Selling is a hard skill that requires confidence and clarity.
Because even the perfect product doesn’t necessary sell itself.
This is the benefit of building an email list. You have a direct line of communication with people who trust you. So sales are usually a lot easier and cheaper.
But when you are ready to sell, here are a few sales strategies to boost your numbers:
Add urgency with sales or discounts
Get social proof by asking for reviews
Create buyer-intent content like reviews or “best of” posts
Recruit affiliates to sell for you
Use a sales funnel
Use upsells to increase revenue
Match your product price to your customer’s problem
Cheaper products for smaller problems
More expensive products for bigger pain points
Remember the rule of 7+
It can take 7+ points of contact before someone buys from you
6. Legal / Tax Stuff
Let me just preface this section by saying I am not a legal or tax professional. So be sure to do your own research based on your location, situation, etcetera.
Running a business makes tax season a little extra cumbersome. And sorting out which legal stuff to pay attention to can be stressful — like, should I be an LLC or a sole proprietor?
So spend some time researching and speak with a pro if you’re not sure. But here are a few quick tips to start with:
Claim all your income
Make justifiable deductions
Keep records of everything
Choose the right business structure
Talk with a pro
Later ✌️
Starting a creative business is an epic adventure. And somebody somewhere is waiting for you.
To start, it helps to get clear about your goals and expectations. From there, set up your essential infrastructure and start creating content. Eventually, you can create your core offer and sell it to the right audience.
Just remember that it takes time to build a business, an audience and a brand.
But remember to have fun too. It’s my philosophy that modern business is more like art anyways — it’s a great creative act
So you got this.
