You started your business because you were artistic and
passionate and you didn't want to be bossed around. But now you
realize that, even as an entrepreneur, you have to manage and boss
yourself around--while still keeping those creative juices
flowing.
Kevin D. Brewer, 31, founder of Creative Visions Integrated
Marketing Concepts, knows how hard it can be to balance
creativity and business. After 10 years in the media industry, he
started his Clermont, Florida, firm in 2001 to produce everything
from commercials and promotional videos to TV pilots and product
demos.
Like many right-brained folks, Brewer says creativity comes
naturally to him, but his challenge has been learning the business
side of things. The marketing, the profit and loss statements and
the sales strategies were not as easy for him to pick up.
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The key to mastering your business responsibilities is to
pinpoint your learning style, says Jane Pollak, the author of
Soul Proprietor: 101 Lessons From a Lifestyle Entrepreneur
(The Crossing Press). Figure out what time of day you're most
creative and what time you're best at learning. Do you prefer
to learn from books or from classroom instruction? Whether you take
community college classes or read the latest business book,
learning and feeling confident about the business side will create
the balance you seek.
Brewer also finds it challenging to balance his creative side
with the demands of his business. "It's difficult when I
get a business call when I'm in the middle of editing,"
says Brewer. "You're in the creative process, and it's
like an explosion of ideas. When someone calls, you have to leave
that."
Setting up a schedule can help in a situation like this, says
Pollak. If you feel most creative in the afternoon, try to schedule
business calls in the morning. Contrary to popular belief, this
type of structure can actually breed creativity. Give yourself
strict time guidelines, or work toward a specific goal-like
entering your artistic product into a show or contest. Says Pollak,
"It's having a direction for your business."
Tony Rogers has a clear direction for RJ Studios Inc. in
Newtown, Pennsylvania. Rogers, 44, and his staff of 20 design toys
and medical models to the tune of about $3 million in sales.
"I came into this business with a creative arts degree,"
he says. "I attacked it [by] not looking at [the creative side
and business side] as two different things." For instance, he
treats his marketing duties with as much dedication and attention
to detail as he does his model-making. "You have to put the
same drive and creativity into everything as you [do] into your
artwork."