The events industry is full of creative entrepreneurs, each tasked with having to master two areas that are very different- being consistently creative and running a business. For some it comes easy, but for others it can be difficult to marry the two together. So, how do you do it? I have a few tips that will help you along you along the way.
Carving out time to be creative
It is so easy to get bogged down by the ‘business’ side of of having your own company, but as a creative you have to carve out time to be artistic. After all, isn’t that why you went into business in the first place? Whether that’s sending your staff home early once a month so that you can have the space to yourself to reflect and focus, or just taking a few hours once a week to visit the park or museum down the street to get your creative juices flowing again. Do whatever you need to get your head back into the right space. You cannot make a vehicle go on an empty tank. Creatives need to refill the tank every so often to give their best work to clients.
Going dark
To prevent burn out, I’ve found that sometimes it’s a good idea to go completely dark from the world around you. These are days where you actively do not respond to email, text messages, or phone calls and focus only on yourself. This could be soaking in the tub or getting a massage, whatever will help you escape. It may sound counter-intuitive, but occasionally you have to turn yourself off from clients and vendors. Pick a day, even if it’s just once a month to do whatever you want to do and DO NOT work. It’s the only way to stay sane in this industry.
If the idea sounds scary, I suggest letting clients and your staff know ahead of time that you won’t be available that day, and set an out of office message reminding everyone that you’ll be back tomorrow.
Know your strengths
The key to success for any business, creative or not, is knowing your strengths and weaknesses. If you’re not good at doing your books, then you need a plan from the beginning to hire someone to do them. If design is your forte but you need to do production as well, it may be worth it to create a relationship with someone that does production, or hire a production person outright. You will quickly burn out on the business in general if you don’t delegate what you either aren’t good at or is not your passion.
Remember, you can be both creative and an amazing business owner. It just takes time, effort, and a lot of coffee.
Opening photo courtesy Sunshower Photography
