For many entrepreneurs and artists we work from home. We build our business from the ground up, from scratch! This means having to learn how to run a business (wish they offered this class in school)! Between Google, YouTube, and Forbes magazines, we hide in our “office” to try and learn how to run a successful business. Unfortunately for most of us it is a trial and error process. With technology and social media being all consuming, business models are like snowflakes! There are hundreds of millions of snowflakes, what works for one person doesn’t work for another. So how do we get started, where do we get inspiration and motivation, and what are some tips for keeping it going? Below are 5 tips I have discovered that keep me going!

1. Create a space that is exclusively for work.
It could be an actual studio space, a home office room, or like me a desk in the corner of my living room inspired by IKEA.  If you don’t have a space that is specifically for working, you will lose focus, time, and money.

2. Get ORGANIZED.

Have a calendar, inspiration journal, and binder to help organize both the Front of House and Back of House operations. For me, carrying an inspiration journal around helps grow the Front of House responsibilities. Networking, coming up with ideas when they are fresh in your mind, and keeping track of your To-Do List. The calendar and binder I use for my Back of House responsibilities.  Keeping track of events while the binder has all my receipts, expenses, tracking mileage, etc.

3. Get dressed every morning, even if you’re not going anywhere.

This is a HUGE one for me. The alarm goes off in the morning and you struggle to get out of bed. I think to myself, “I’m not going anywhere today I can just stay in my pajamas…living the dream!” Getting dressed gets me motivated to work on whatever I have going on for that day. It could be running errands, cleaning the house, or working on my business. Getting dressed helps me get in the mindset of, “I’m going to work today, whatever that ‘work’ is.”

4. Social Media management.

As we all have encountered, social media has become so huge it’s almost a full-time job in itself! So how can we manage it or at least stay on top of it? Create a schedule for it! On your calendar set aside one day a week to work on social media. Get your all your postings done as far ahead as you can. Many of the social media platforms will allow you to schedule posts now and is a big help. Or you can get an account with companies like Hootsuite that connect all your social media pages into one place, allowing you to create, edit, and schedule posts.

5. NETWORKING. 

For all of us that work from home out there, get dressed, make appointments, and put on your best outfit. Whether in person, over the phone, or via e-mail, networking and word-of-mouth is key for building any business. Especially in the beginning stages. I can easily say with confidence that over 50% of my business comes from work-of-mouth and or referrals through networking. Join local organizations in your area that fit your industry, advertise on industry related websites, and gather like-minded industry professionals and create a group to talk about idea, struggles, and life lessons.

What is all this for again? I’m exhausted just reading this! For many of us artists’ the desire to create and put our stamp on the world comes at a price. We sacrifice the steady paycheck, big house, and lots big-boy-toys. All of that gets swept away when we lay down on our pillow at night and think, “I’m living the dream, I’m getting paid for what I love to do, even if it isn’t that much.” This is why we create, strive, struggle, and carrying on.