Can creative types succeed in business alone?

satchmo

Sure there are stories of successful fashion entrepreneurs and smaller design firms. But do these companies still need the services of at least one sales/account type personnel?



Much of ones sales/business is generated through trust and relationship building with prospective clients. And while this is a generalization, most creative individuals are far more involved with ideas/vision rather than the bottom line or schmoozing.

mrmister

Really depends on the skill set. I, for instance, don't have a lot of patience with creatives who don't have any business sense--so I work mostly with people who are talented in both arenas, to varying degrees.

giant

The only people I've heard of that did not have at least one employee were not making enough to raise kids. I was actually surprised when I entered the job market and realized how much of an effort everything is. For instance, Bill Viola, a video fine artist, has a whole team of people that work for him. Even the graphic designer I used to date has someone taking care of her accounts. However, I wonder if freelance journalists need one. Maybe not.

moogs

I think it depends on what type of business you're trying to run. If you just a creative consultant / freelancer type - or if your primary output is say digital vs. paper-based - I don't think you do really. The only time the accounting gets really complex is when you have all kinds of supplies and other physical overhead that you have to, well, account for each quarter. Another issue is when you rent a lot of equipment or office space.



Basically, the more complex your product offerings, the more you probably need a real bean-counter or at least someone who is right-brained so to speak. Also, the more employees you have, the more you need someone with real acccounting experience. Handling all the insurance, W-2's, etc is not something you want to give to a self-taught Quicken geek if you take my meaning.

aquafire

As an artist / writer one of the very first things I did after finishing my arts studies was to go to a business college to learn about principals of marketing, advertising, and accounting.



I learnt enough to converse with the specialists in these fields & to pay them for their specialist services.



Most of us forget that all the great rennaiscence artists were astute business types that knew a thing or two about contracts & financing..



After-all most were dealing with the biggest corporate giant of its day........The Vatican.....