Business Overview:

If you are art lover wanting the freedom of owning your own business, finding out how to open an art gallery could be the answer you’ve been looking for. Not only is opening an art gallery a prestigious business idea, it could make you quite a bit of money if you position yourself and your art properly. There are many ways to go about opening an art gallery so it’s important to have a solid art gallery business plan to help you focus your efforts. You need to decide where your gallery will be located, what type of art you will feature, what your price points will be, whether you will sell on commission and much more. If you are an artist yourself, owning your own gallery is the perfect way to showcase your own pieces. You can host exhibitions at your gallery to draw attention to your art. You also have the opportunity to introduce new talented artists to the community. Surprisingly, even in an uncertain economy, art is still a popular commodity. Some art dealers are making as much as $2 million a year. As you can see, there is quite the market for all types of art and all types of galleries. You can focus on only local artists or import art from all over the world. Your galas could be small, intimate affairs or grand events attended by the local glitterati. The key to having a successful art gallery is finding your niche and attracting repeat business.

A Day in the Life of a Art Gallery Owner:

Your day will begin with a check of any pieces that are set to arrive at your gallery. You will need to find places on your walls for new pieces and confirm with the artists that the pieces arrived safely. You will spend a portion of your day contacting artists asking them to showcase their art at your gallery. You will interact with potential clients perusing your exhibits. You will need to meet regularly with any staff you have to make sure they are aware of any new pieces and have them adjust art placement if needed. Finally you will spend some time looking at your finances to ensure everything is in order.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be art lovers looking for a piece for themselves or as a gift for someone else.

What You Need to Start:

• Business plan
• Marketing plan
• Gallery location
• Art
• Proper lighting
• Staff
• Computer with finance software
• Knowledge of the art community
• Love of art

The Good:

• For an art lover, getting to spend your days in a gallery would be a dream come true.
• If you are an artist, you can showcase your own art.
• You can sell art that you enjoy.
• Art lovers will pay hefty prices for particular pieces.
• If you have a good staff in place, you can come and go as you please.
• Helping art lovers find the perfect piece for them is very rewarding.

The Bad:

• Opening an art gallery is a big investment.
• It could take some time to make your first few sales.

Resources:

• Fine Art Dealers Association
• Art Dealers Association of America
• Private Art Dealers Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Artists and Related Workers
• Wikipedia on Art Galleries

Technorati Tags: art gallery business plan, how to open an art gallery, opening an art gallery

Business Overview:

If you’ve ever gotten a business card and just stuffed it in your pocket never to be seen again, you should look into starting a photo business card business. Imagine if someone gave you a business card with beautiful photographs on it that helped explain the business and piqued your interest? You might not just stick it in your wallet and forget about it. You only have a few seconds to make a first impression and a good looking business card will go a long way in establishing that all important relationship with a potential new client or business contact. The good news is you need no experience and no special equipment. You can operate this online business idea in your spare time with just your computer. But perhaps the greatest feature of this business idea is your clients will come back to you again and again when they run out of cards! Marketing practically takes care of itself since your clients will market your business each and every time they hand out one of their business cards. You will of course need a marketing plan to get going but this can be relatively simple since almost every business person needs business cards. Set up a booth at a small business fair and you should pick up enough business to get started. Once your client list grows and residual orders start coming in, you may have to farm out some work to a small staff to help handle the orders. In no time at all you will be enjoying a successful business that markets itself.

A Day in the Life of a Photo Business Card Business Owner:

In the beginning, your day will begin by marketing your new business. You will research small business fairs and look into setting up a booth to display your business. You may also want to consider setting up a website to capture some online business. Once you have a few customers, you will spend part of your day creating new and exciting photo business cards. You will email proofs of new cards to your customers, get their approval and send the cards out. You will explain your referral and reorder policies to try to bring in new business. If you have a staff working for you, you will assign them certain projects and check in with them periodically. At the end of each day you will review your orders, check progress and record the day’s income.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be small business owners or anyone who needs business cards to promote their goods and services.

What You Need to Start:

• Marketing plan
• Sample cards
• Computer with graphics and finance software

The Good:

• Almost everyone needs business cards; demand for your products will be very strong.
• It costs virtually nothing to create these cards so return on investment will be high.
• Making photo business cards is simple once you get the hang of it.
• You can easily run this business from home and in your spare time.
• You don’t need any special equipment.

The Bad:

• Making business cards everyday can be repetitive.
• Building up your client list can take time and patience.

Resources:

• Printing Industries of America
• British Printing Industries Federation
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Printing
• Wikipedia on Business Cards

Technorati Tags: photo business card business

Business Overview:

If you’re a skilled graphic artist or simply interested in getting into this exciting field, you should look into how to start a graphic design business. Graphic design is everywhere from magazine ads to websites to business logos. Virtually every business out there needs a graphic designer to create their marketing materials and help shape the look and feel of their business communications. This is the perfect time to get more information about this online business idea and start a graphic design business. If you already work in graphic design, it will be a smooth transition to opening your own business. If you are new to graphic design, you may need to take it a little slower, working with smaller clients at first, getting a few projects under your belt, or hiring a graphic designer to work for you while you focus on bringing in new clients. An important marketing tool when trying to get new clients will be your portfolio. Potential clients will want to see previous work you’ve done and will want to ensure your work is of high quality. The first thing you should do before you start a graphic design business is to create a business plan. Determine how you will market your business and what type of graphic design business you will concentrate on. Will you focus on website design, print ads, logos or all of the above? One thing you don’t need to worry about with this business idea is an office because you can easily run this business from your home. You can even do it in your spare time while keeping your current job. However, soon you will find you’ll be able to quit your job and run your graphic design business full time if you wish. You may even need to hire an entire staff of graphic designers to work for you with each one focusing on a different specialty. Then you can spend even more time beefing up your client list.

A Day in the Life of a Graphic Design Business Owner:

Your day will begin with a review of ongoing projects. You’ll work on those projects and contact your clients with any questions and to update them on your progress. If you have a staff working with you, you’ll check in with them to see how their projects are coming along and assign new projects as necessary. Spend part of your day marketing your business to other businesses via online ads, phone calls or print ads. Finally, you’ll review your finances to make sure all clients have been billed for completed jobs and your bills have been paid.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be business owners and managers needing various graphic design services for websites, advertising, logos, etc.

What You Need to Start:

• Business plan
• Marketing plan
• Computer
• Design software
• Finance software

The Good:

• This is a fun and creative industry.
• You can spend your day doing what you love.
• You can charge top dollar for your designs.
• You can work as much or as little as you want.
• This business is easily scalable.

The Bad:

• If you are an inexperienced graphic designer, it will take some time to build up your portfolio and be able to charge enough to run this business full time unless you hire a graphic designer to work for you right from the start.
• You will need to be patient while you market your new business and get your name out there.

Resources:

• The Professional Association for Design
• Graphic Artists Guild
• American Design Awards
• Wikipedia on Graphic Design
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Graphic Designers

Technorati Tags: how to start a graphic design business, start a graphic design business, starting a graphic design business

Business Overview:

If greeting card commercials don’t make you cry, but instead make you think, “I can do better than that,” learn how to start a greeting card business. Starting a greeting card business is a fairly simple online business idea once you learn how to write and design unique and marketable cards. If it’s a home based greeting card business you’re interested in, you can be up and running in no time. First, you will want to think of a name for your company, and consider getting your website up and running (you can also sell your cards at fairs and home parties, but it’s likely that the internet will be your biggest selling tool). Then you will need to have a computer that can help you design your cards and either print them out for processing or send along to your printing company of choice. You may want to hire a designer to work with you on your cards to be sure that they’re professional. Here’s where you will want to do your homework before you start a greeting card business; getting a great price on printing and card stock can mean bigger profits for your business. Finally, you will decide on your pricing scale and shipping costs—the right price point can mean a great deal more business so it’s wise to compare your product to existing cards for accurate pricing. Happily, if you have a solid greeting card business plan in place, you can watch this business idea grow and your profits increase while doing something you really love. Now that’s a real Hallmark moment.

A Day in the Life of a Greeting Card Business Owner:

When you run a business like this, you will want to look for inspiration around every bend. You may spend a good portion of your day designing cards and researching ideas, especially when you first start your business. Then you will want to check in with your website to see if any orders have been placed that you need to ship. You may decide to create custom cards for special events like weddings; if this is the case, you will want to keep in close contact with your customer and ensure you have a solid contract in place for payment, shipping, etc. Your day will end with the uncreative task of checking on your finances, logging your expenses and the like.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be online shoppers looking for a unique greeting card. If you’ve done your marketing homework, your website will capture the essence of your cards and will win customers on its own.

What You Need to Start:

• A company name
• A website
• A business and marketing plan
• A computer with graphic design software and printing capabilities
• Inspired ideas for greeting cards

The Good:

• This creative business can be enjoyable and profitable.
• You can work entirely from your home.
• The business is scalable.
• Your greeting cards will start marketing themselves as people receive them and notice your company.

The Bad:

• There are such big name players in the business that your products must stand out in order for your business to be successful.
• Sales might be slow at the start until your cards catch on.

Resources:

• Greeting Card Association
• Greeting Card Association (UK)
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Artists and Related Workers
• Wikipedia on Greeting Cards

Technorati Tags: greeting card business plan, home based greeting card business, how to start a greeting card business, start greeting card business, starting a greeting card business

Business Overview:

Entrepreneurs, get your artistic side in gear; there is a lucrative and unique business opportunity awaiting you in the reproduction portrait business. The world of reproduction portraits is an untapped market, whereby the artist takes the customer’s existing photograph and turns it into a long-lasting oil painting. The best part is that you can run this business idea entirely from your home and take on as much work as you have time for as you build your reproduction portrait business. To begin, you will need to learn how the actual process works—a fairly straightforward practice—and you will need to garner the art and business supplies to make it possible. As far as investment goes, this is about all you will need to get started. Of course, you might consider obtaining a business license, doing some advertising, and perhaps even creating a website as a hub for your online business idea. But this can all come with time. Perfecting your art—and providing this distinctive and invaluable service to your customers—should be your top priority as proprietor of the reproduction portrait business. Once you become a recognized dealer in reproduction portraits, you might consider bigger opportunities like a bricks-and-mortar storefront, employees, and even online sales. Try your hand at this venture and see where your creativity takes you.

A Day in the Life of a Reproduction Portrait Business Owner:

As owner of an art business like this one, you will want to have a few samples of your work to showcase to potential customers, so part of your daily tasks will be to keep up your portrait portfolio. Next, you will want to review your work orders to see which projects you have to complete and get working on them. You will have to decide if you will ship your completed products or work only locally where pick-up and delivery are options. You will also want to work on getting new customers to build your reputation and, as in any business, you will want to review your profits and expenditure.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be those seeking a memento or a unique gift for themselves or loved ones. They might be interested in art, or they might have just seen or heard about your service. Your best customers will show-off your artwork and get you more work.

What You Need to Start:

• A primer on the reproduction portrait method
• Art supplies
• Shipping materials
• A business license (if required in your area)
• A website (if desired)
• Financial-tracking software

The Good:

• You can easily and entirely work from home.
• The business is scalable.
• You can become an expert in the genre of art.
• Your profits can grow as you master your technique.
• This can be a very rewarding business opportunity.

The Bad:

• People may not know what reproduction portraits are, or may not think to acquire one without solid advertising on your part.
• You’ll initially need to spend time learning this particular art form.

Resources:

• National Art Association
• Portrait Society of America
• American Society of Portrait Artists
• Wikipedia on Artists

Technorati Tags: reproduction portrait business, reproduction portraits

Business Overview:

If you’re the go-to picture taker in your family and you enjoy taking photos in general, you must consider starting a portrait photography business. If you think starting a photography business seems like an impossible dream, you’ll be surprised to discover that this business idea can be started with minimal initial investment and can be done part-time or even as a weekend gig. In fact, learning how to start a home-based photography business can be your ticket to building a successful and profitable business that makes people happy and enables you to control your future. As with any business, you will need to get a few tools of the trade under your belt. The obvious investment is a camera, though you don’t need as technical a camera as you might think—a basic, solid performer will serve you just fine, especially in the beginning. You will also need a computer with a photo-editing program like Photoshop and a backdrop with a lighting source. You’ll also want to create flyers or advertisements for your business (you can use Photoshop) to get your first of many customers. Believe it or not, these basic items combined with a bit of guidance can be your answer to the question of how to start a photography business. It must not go unsaid, however, that the key component to running a successful photography business is your ability to engage with many different people. Before getting into this business, be sure you enjoy meeting new people and working with subjects of all ages—and make sure you have patience for children and animals, who are often the heart of a photography business. As you grow your own business you may want to have an entire team of people working for you. You can handpick them and train them to do the work exactly the way you want it done.

A day in the life of a portrait photography business owner:

If you’re inspired to start a portrait photography business, your days will be filled with life and creativity. You will start by checking your equipment to ensure it is in proper working order. Next you will check on your schedule to see how many sittings you have scheduled for the day. If you have a team of photographers working for you, giving them their assignments for the week will be near the top of your list. Then you will want to work on finishing any existing projects you have in the works for the day. After that, it will be time to get snapping!

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be people who want a competitively priced portrait photography session to capture memories of their loved ones—family members and pets alike. They may have ideas about what they want the backdrop or style of photo to be, or they may leave it entirely up to you as the professional.

What You Need to Start:

• A camera
• A backdrop
• A light source
• Photo-editing software
• Financial-tracking software
• A genial personality
• Patience

The Good:

• If you enjoy taking photos, you get to do something you enjoy for profit.
• The business can be both lucrative and fun for the right person.
• You can run your business either part- or full-time.
• You can hire assistants to ease your workload.

The Bad:

• Your sessions will often include children and animals that don’t always behave or sit still.
• The work may at times be seasonal, with very busy times followed by slow seasons.

Resources:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Photographers
• Professional Photographers of America
• Wedding and Portrait Photographers International

Technorati Tags: business, how to start a home-based photography business, how to start a photography business, portrait photography business, starting a photography business, starting a portrait photography business

Business Overview:

If you have a passion for fashion and are looking for a way to turn your love of clothing into a booming business, consider a t-shirt printing business. Maybe you’re a fashionista with a great idea or a stylish office worker who wants to work from home. Even if you’ve never considered fashion as a home business, you should check into how to start a t-shirt business. Until recently, this 20 billion dollar a year industry has only been accessible to those with a large amount of start-up capital and connections to major fashion houses. However, thanks to technology and support for small business owners, it is now possible to break into this lucrative business with little more than an original idea. You don’t need any experience or a lot of money to get your foot in the door of a custom t-shirt business. If you don’t know how to start a t-shirt company, you’ll be pleased to know it’s a very simple process. All you need is a good idea, a few supplies and some knowledge about the fashion industry to make this business idea work. Some small business owners have been successful in the clothing business with nothing more than a logo on a t-shirt. Creating your designs on a computer makes the process easy because you can change it and perfect it, all at no additional cost by using designing software. This is a wonderful online business idea because you can sell your shirts on the Internet to anyone around the world.  You too could make it big in the fashion industry with your very own t-shirt business and see your designs on people everywhere.

A day in the life of a t-shirt printing business owner:

A typical day for a t-shirt printing business owner will begin with a check of any new orders. If you sell your products in stores, you will need to check inventory numbers with storeowners or managers. If you sell over the Internet, check your orders and fill as many as you can with your current stock. You’ll need to spend some time making t-shirts and eventually you can start working on new designs. If you have a staff of workers, make sure they know your production goals and be sure everyone is on task.

About Your Customers:

You customers will be t-shirt wearers. They could be shoppers in local clothing stores or online shoppers looking for a terrific new t-shirt design.

What You Need to Start:

• T-shirts
• Computer
• Finance software
• Design software
• Printing equipment
• Trademarks/copyrights

The Good:

• This is a great part-time business that can ramp up to full-time when you’re ready.
• Start up costs are low.
• T-shirts can sell for much more than it costs to make them; return on investment is high.
• T-shirts will sell in any economic environment.

The Bad:

• Coming up with a unique and marketable idea can take some time.
• As trends emerge, your designs will need to change with the times.

Resources:

• Wikipedia on T-shirts
• American Apparel and Footwear Association
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Fashion Designers

Technorati Tags: custom t-shirt business, how to start a t-shirt business, how to start a t-shirt company, t-shirt printing business

Business Overview:

If you have a creative edge and love taking photos, consider starting a digital photography business. The first item to take care of will be to craft a photography business plan. The demand for photography business services is high, and it keeps growing each year. Recent statistics showed that there were over 150,000 photographer jobs held and over half of these were held by self-employed photographers. This is a much higher ratio than in other professions. There are always events and milestones that need to be preserved. Weddings, graduations and birthdays are just a few examples. The wedding photography business is booming, even in today’s uncertain economy. A professional wedding photographer can make anywhere between $1,000 to $5,000 or higher per event. Imagine booking a couple weddings a month plus various other events, and you can see the profit for a digital photography business can be extremely high. You can have a successful business in a flash. You may decide you want to expand on this business idea in the future. In that case you can hire other photographers so that you can schedule several weddings in the same day. You will need to train them to your specifications, of course, but this can dramatically increase your business.

A day in the life of a photography business owner:

A typical day for a photography business owner will begin with a check of your schedule. If any booked events are coming up, make sure you are prepared with contact information, time schedule, etc. If you have other photographers working for you, you will need to let them know about upcoming events. You might need to meet with your clients to discuss their needs and make sure everyone is on the same page for the event. For any recent events, you will need to work on getting photos ready for your clients. This may mean putting a DVD or physical wedding album together. You should spend some time marketing your business to make sure you have enough events on the calendar. You can do this online or in various magazines or newspapers. Finally, you should review your financial records to make sure the appropriate bills have gone out and your finances are in order.

About Your Customers:

Most of your customers will be brides wanting you to photograph their weddings, or parents needing photos of their children’s birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, graduations or recitals. Parents also book photographers for various milestones in their families’ lives such as baby’s one-year photos and holiday card photos.

What You Need to Start:

• A high-quality digital camera
• Extra memory sticks
• A professional quality tripod
• A passion for photography
• Photography business plan

The Good:

• Demand for professional photographers is huge and will remain so, regardless of the economic outlook.
• Startup costs are relatively low.
• Maintenance costs are also relatively low.
• Demand allows higher charges for your services.

The Bad:

• If you don’t have a real passion for photography, this business will not be fulfilling.
• If you do not properly maintain your equipment, you will lose work and spend more money than is necessary for repairs.

Resources:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Photography
• Professional Photographers of America
• Wedding & Portrait Photographers
• Wedding Photojournalist Association

Technorati Tags: digital photography business, photography business plan, wedding photography business

Business Overview:

If you enjoy taking photos and are interested in starting your own business working from home, owning a freelance photography business may be a perfect fit for you. You can start this online business idea in a flash with just a camera and a computer. If you already own a computer and a digital camera, great! You can start earning money selling your photos right away. Simply take some great pictures, upload them to the Internet, and sell them to various webmasters, business owners, and artists who need stock photos for their various marketing materials. Internet technology as well as dropping prices on high quality digital cameras are making it extremely easy to be a successful freelance photography business owner. If it is your dream to work your own hours, stay home with your family, take vacation whenever you want, and make money when you travel, this business will be perfect for you.

A day in the life of a freelance photography business owner:

A typical day for a freelance photography business owner is anything but typical! Since you can take photos anyplace, you can literally be working anywhere in the world. You can go out into the garden and take pictures of flowers. If you’re on vacation, you can take pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, or the Arc de Triomphe. Each day, simply upload your pictures to one or more of dozens of photo sites and wait for the orders to come in. You might also spend some of your day organizing your photos and planning your next photo shoot.

The Good:

• Startup costs are very low. All you need is a good camera and a computer.
• You can work anywhere in the world.
• Demand for stock photos is extremely high.
• Current technology makes it easy and quick to upload your photos.

The Bad:

• Developing an eye for what makes a “good” photo may take some time.
• Competition in this business can be heavy, so you’ll need to spend time on marketing.

Resources:

• Professional Photographers of America
• North American Nature Photography Association
• Photography Association International
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Photographers

Technorati Tags: freelance photography business

Business Overview:

If you’re creative, like working with your hands and want a lucrative business you can operate from home, the jewelry making business might be for you. There is very little overhead and you can rapidly start making a profit, especially if you position your product in high-end retail stores. The tools you will need are few. First, you will need a computer for tracking your finances and, since this is a great online business idea, you could choose to sell your jewelry over the Internet, in which case you would need a website. You will also need jewelry supplies. These can range from extremely inexpensive beads, to pricier items like semi-precious stones, gold and silver. There are resources available that sell these supplies at a major discount so this doesn’t have to be a huge expense when you’re starting up your business. The only other “supply” you need is time. A few hours a week should be enough to get your jewelry making home business up and running. In no time at all, you can be living your dream of creating beautiful, wearable art pieces and selling them for a profit.

A day in the life of a jewelry making business owner:

A typical day will start out with you checking any online or store orders, then recording them on your order spreadsheet. You will need to make sure any orders that need to be completed by a certain date are on schedule. You may then spend time creating the jewelry to ensure timely delivery to either the store or online customer. Finally, your day will include spending some time shopping either online or at jewelry supply stores for new products you can use in your new jewelry creations.

The Good:

• If you love making jewelry, this business is a wonderful and rewarding artistic outlet.
• The bookkeeping is relatively easy with readily available software programs.
• With inexpensive supplies, you can sell your jewelry for a fairly high profit margin.

The Bad:

• You may find it hard to sell your items if you cannot easily come up with new creative jewelry ideas.
• Making jewelry takes incredible attention to detail which you may find tiring.

Resources:

• Jewelers of America
• Women’s Jewelry Association
• Fashion Jewelry Trade Association
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Technorati Tags: jewelry making business, jewelry making home business