Early on in her (now hugely successful) entrepreneurial career, Hannah Philp was advised, “You need to work with a business person,” to which she replied, “No! I need to BECOME a business person.” And she most certainly did. Read our twenty top tips for creatives starting out, inspired by Hannah’s journey…
1. Build your resilience
The main characteristic you need for setting up a creative business is resilience. If you have grit and resilience, every time you hit a stumbling block and overcome it, your confidence increases. And as the hurdles and challenges get harder, your self-belief continues to grow.
2. Expect a bumpy ride
The early days of launching a startup tend to be dominated by two emotions: elation when things are flourishing – and devastation when they’re not. Building a business exposes you to your own weaknesses and shortcomings – and you continually need to face into them.
3. Know your customers
As you’re starting out, learn as much as possible about your audience. Find out what they want, so you can adapt your offering accordingly. Keep asking for feedback and reflecting on it carefully. How can you evolve your proposition to match what people really need?