It’s been three years since we opened our doors. Here are the top lessons learned over the past three years. I am going to share ten – five in this post, five in the next…
1. Tell the Story – people buy the art, but what really sells it is the story. We have had people enjoy our art, enjoy learning what tools we used, but what REALLY sells it is the story of how we went about creating it. What inspired us? Why did we do what we did? What were we thinking or trying to make other people think? And where did we obtain the elements that we pulled together into the final piece? It’s the story that seals the deal. Be proud of your story, it is YOUR story, and no one else has your story.
2. Think Long Term – this is a distance run, not a sprint. My brother Ben runs marathons – crazy and amazing at the same time. He runs every day toward his goal of 50 marathons in 50 states. It’s the same thing when running your own business. If you train to win the Olympics on your first race, you will most likely be disappointed. If you think you will make money the first day, think again. If you train to survive the elements, if you train to build your endurance, if you train to overcome the mental and physical tests along the journey, if you train for the unexpected…then you are training for the long-term. Running a business is long-term. There will be dumps in the road, stumbles through pot holes, angry dogs that chase you down the hill, and neighbors who wave hello each time you pass. All of this is part of the journey. Think long-term about the journey of running a business.
3. Be Committed – this is not for the faint of heart. If we wanted to have more money and time, we would not have opened the gallery. If we wanted to play it safe, live our lives in a simple manner, then we would not have opened the gallery. But we were committed to our dream of sharing our art with the world…and we stared in Canton. Not only is this a long-term goal, it is a committment. It takes asking the hard questions like – will this decision help us reach our goal? Will this dollar spent/invested/saved help us move forward? Will the time we spend doing this move us closer to where we want to go? It’s asking the hard questions over and over and over again, not just when it is convenient. Not everyone will understand the choices we make, but we understand them and that is what matters.
4. Laugh a LOT – and I do mean a lot. We are serious about this, and yet always find a way to have fun. We poke fun at ourselves, our art, our space, and our creative messes. We laugh at each other, at bad jokes, at bad hair days, and bad art. We laugh! And most of the time we are the butt of our own jokes. I created a piece with the following saying…the day you have your first laugh at yourself is the day you grow up…no kidding! We take our goals and commitments seriously, but not ourselves. A day without laughter is a day wasted!
5. Gather a Good Team – we do not do all this alone. We have suppliers, a CPA, a lawyer, a Financial Adviser, vendors and wholesale partners, someone who acts as our marketing sounding board, local artists to coach and encourage us, a reliable contractor…and we have each other. If we do not know the answer, there is someone who does. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, ask questions, or admit when you are wrong.
Tomorrow’s post will have the next installment of our lessons learned!
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