School of Creative Business - Creative Entrepreneurship

9 Good Topics to Share in Facebook Status

Alease — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:41:51 PST

Facebook maybe new to you or it maybe it's a tool you've used for a while. Although Facebook doesn't seem bad, it does come a time when you just don't know what to share on Facebook with friends or future clients.

I have the answer!

I'm offering you 9 Good Topics to Share in your Facebook Status:

1. Share with your fans special events your business has sponsored. It could be charities, fundraisers, charity auctions, etc.

2. Share with your fans about joint ventures with other reputable friends or businesses they would recognize.

3. Share some valuable information.This will create rapport with them. It could be tips,a how-to excerpt from a few of your mentors.

4. Share reviews of products or services you are using. It could be a new book you are reading, a webinar you've attended.

5. Share your story. Tell them a little history or past information about your business. It could be how it started, how you got the product idea, etc.

6. Share success stories about your clients. It could be about what they struggle with then solved.

7. Share with your fans about milestones and goals your business has achieved. It could be a sales goal or a customers served goal.

8. Share about innovations your business has discovered. It could be inventions,new technologies, software, new products, etc.

9. Share with your fans the things you have done to improve your product.

* Do you have another topic you would like to add?

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From Have It Your Way, To Make it Your Way, To Go Your Own Way –
The Top 10 Creative Business Trends for 2012 will be reviewed in January's Starting Points for Creative Entrepreneurs monthly webinar. Register Today for this Free webinar and Discovery game changing creative business trends that will make you think bigger and bolder!

Online Business Models for Creative Entreprenerus

Alease — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:45:32 PST

There are many different ways a creative business owner can increase their income. As creative people we think we have to start from the beginning but instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, there are easier ways to accomplish making money online. All you have to do and replicate a model that's already proven to generate income.

Here are five such Business Models for Creative Entrepreneurs.

#1- The Informational Website

The informational website is based on giving away free information and products. It’s primary source of income is AdSense, advertising and affiliate product sales. For example, if you were to start a small website on knitting, and write around about 50 articles on various knitting tips and techniques and populated it with AdSense ads, you’d very likely get decent traffic as well as make a decent amount of money. Actually for physical products, the commission is usually between 5% and 20%. For digital products, the commission is usually between 50% and 75%.

#2 - Infoproduct Marketing

Infoproduct marketing is when you’re selling products that teach people how to do things. This one can be super easy for creative entrepreneurs. I believe we teach in our sleeps. Your infoproducts can be anything from “How to Create a Professional Logo ” to “How to Take Photos of Your Artwork” to “How to Increase Art Sales on Etsy.” The possibilities are endless.

You need three primary skills to succeed in information marketing:

1) The ability to bring traffic to your website.

2) The ability to create good content in a specific area.

3) The ability to convince people online that your infoproduct is a good investment that will help them solve their problem.

Once you have these three skills, you’ll be able to produce many profitable infoproducts.

#3 -Services: Charging for your time.

You could easily charge others for coaching and consulting. Helping people solve their problems is a growing trend that we can jump on today. You can either meet with people one-on-one or in a small group. You could even take this business model to another level by teaching and speaking about what you do so well.

#4 - Membership site

Charge others to have access to an online community or to have access to tips and techniques. This is a recurring payment system that will ensure that you will have money deposited into your account monthly.

#5 Joint Ventures

Any the above online business models would work with a joint venture. This online business model requires you to collaborate with someone else on promoting a product or service. The benefit is - that all involved in the joint venture will sharing the efforts of selling the product or services, the profits and possibly new customers.

There you have it – Five different online business models for creative entrepreneurs with a proven history of success. Just pick the one that sounds most actionable to you now and get started today!

Learn more about 2012's Top Creative Business Trends...

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Top 10 Creative Business Trends for 2012 - FREE Webinar

Alease — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:54:39 PST

Top 10 Creative Business Trends for 2012

Did you know...

“The path to greatness, has been paved by the risk takers, the doers, the makers of things” President Obama

‘Entrepreneurship has been on the precious few bright spot in a terribly gloomy economy and this new generation of entrepreneurs – has taken upon themselves to keep things chugging alone.” Entrepreneur Magazine – December, 2011

‘Entrepreneurship has become sexy.” Clay Newbill, Executive Producer of ABC’s Shark Tank

"565,000 new business were created in 2010- the most in 15 years.” The Kaufman Foundation

From Have It Your Way, To Make it Your Way, To Go Your Own Way ,

The Top 10 Creative Business Trends for 2012 will be reviewed in January’s Starting Points for Creative Entrepreneurs monthly webinar.

On January 31, 2010 at 8:00 pm (eastern time) you’ll learn...

Why? Decision and Discovery increase sales.

Why? It’s nicer to share than not.

Why? Having it your way isn’t just for Burger King.

Why? Talent is an entrepreneur’s dream.

Why? Buying local is sprouting.

Why? The masses want their goods pretty.

Why? Extreme fitness is the new norm.

Why? The Recession spurs growth.

And...

Why? You shouldn’t single anyone out.

Register Today for this Free webinar and Discovery game changing creative business trends that will make you think bigger and bolder!

Click Link Below to Register Today

http://www.anymeeting.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EB53DF81874B

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Creative Entrepreneur Interview with An'Angelia Thompson

Alease — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:07:30 PST

An Interview with Creative Entreprenuer - An'Angelia Thompson

An’Angelia Thompson was born and raised in northern Ohio, and continues to reside in the greater Cleveland area with her husband, Keith, and sons, Nicholas and Michael. She displayed artistic talent from an early age and spent childhood summers participating in local art programs.

She developed a strong appreciation for artists from every genre, including Monet, Matisse, Renoir, Van Gogh, Modigliani, Picasso, and Cezanne. She was heavily influenced by the pure, rich colors of the 60s and the artists who used them, such as Peter Max, Andy Warhol, and graffiti artist, Jean -Michele Basquiat. Those influences remain evident in her work today.

An’Angelia’s work has been displayed at galleries throughout Northeastern Ohio and Michigan. She was Cleveland’s Fox 8 Featured Artist of the Week and she designed and created The 2008 Woman of Achievement Awards for Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, OH.

Her latest projects include a large mural at The Department of Labor’s Job Corp Center in Collinwood, OH. Her work is currently on display at Lakeland Community College where she also teaches creative journaling workshops.

The Interview

What inspired you to become a creative entrepreneur? Many things lead to me becoming a creative entrepreneur, but ultimately, accepting responsibility for my life gave me the courage to truly embrace myself as an artist. For as long as I can remember, I have considered myself to be an artist, and was recognized as such by my mother when I was very young. However, like many artists, I found myself in many different types of employment to earn a living. Coupled with being a wife and mother, my career as an artist remained on the proverbial back burner for many years. As my children grew older and more independent, I found more time to paint and eventually found the courage to begin showing my work in galleries in the mid 1990s.

My mother became ill in early 2008 and it looked as though she would need extended home care. I wanted to be there for her the way she had always been for me. Sadly, she passed away four days after I quit my job as a medical billing specialist. I look back at that time as her final gift to me. I hated every moment of that job but stayed from the fear of feeling like a failure, and from fear of not having enough money. The months I spent in quiet reflection after Mom's passing brought me to the realization that doing what you LOVE is the true path to being content. Working at something that you are not passionate about is devastating to your mind, body and spirit.

What would you say contributes to your success?

I think my love of art and sincere passion and desire to help inspire others has lead to the success of my classes and other creative endeavors.

Share one business goal:

One of my goals for 2012 is to fascilitate an all day workshop. I'm even considering hosting a women's journaling weekend getaway.

What is a typical working day like for you?

My day begins with my very sweet and supportive hubby bringing a steaming mug-o-coffee and the laptop to me in bed as I struggle to regain consciousness. After that, I get started on my creative process for the day which includes art journaling, preparing for my art journaling classes and creating posts for my art journaling blog. After lunch, I switch gears and practice my keyboard. I've wanted to learn piano since I was a little girl and finally began learning this past May. Afterwards, I return to my art for a couple hours until it's time to think about dinner preparations. I have dinner and coffee with my husband and then usually return to my artwork and catch up with my social media and Internet surfing. I'm really pretty disciplined when it comes to my work, working four out of five weekdays and most weekends. The fifth weekday is reserved for grocery shopping, catching up with family and friends, and anything else that needs my attention.

What has been your biggest struggle as a professional artist?

My biggest struggle as a professional artist has been isolating what is most important to me as an artist. I had to do a lot of soul searching, and I had to ask myself a lot of questions. I found two books to be invaluable to me during this time. The first book was Julia Cameron's, The Artist's Way. The second book that really brought clarity and focus to me was Lisa Sonora Beam's, The Creative Entrepreneur. These books helped me to realize that what gives me the most joy as an artist is helping others discover and embrace their own creativity. I highly recommend these books.

What has been your biggest accomplishment with your business?

My biggest accomplishment with my business is the wonderful network of beautiful women who inspire, encourage and support me. These are the women who take my classes, and the women who hire me to teach workshops in their groups. When I can see that I have been a catalyst for helping someone overcome their fear of creativity, I am overjoyed. I love the interaction. I explain to my students that I receive just as much from them as they do from me. No amount of money in the world can compensate for that feeling of accomplishment.

What piece of advice would you offer to someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Follow your passion. Listen to your inner voice. Look the face of fear directly in the eyes and confront it! Take a leap of faith and believe that there is a net to catch you. Expect failure and find the strength that is left behind. You're going to make mistakes. If you're not making mistakes, you're not growing or taking chances. Expect naysayers - smile, nod, and walk away. Network, network, network. A wonderful support system is crucial, and surrounding yourself with like-minded creatives is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Listen to their suggestions, learn from their mistakes. Most importantly, be your own best cheerleader! Nurture yourself and your dreams.

What resources would you recommend to help other creative people stay organized?

Oh, no! Not the "organized" word! I'm having a definite struggle in this area; however, I am finding the Internet to be a valuable resource for learning this skill set. Join a forum. Follow websites like Alease's, I am a Creative Entrepreneur, and don't be afraid to ask questions and get advice from the professionals.

What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a large commission painting and preparing activities for my winter art journaling classes. I am also working a new look for my blog, Angelia's Art Journals http://angeliasartjournals.blogspot.com/

Next Month:

Creative Entrepreneur Mo Stegall

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