THE BUSINESS OF CALLIGRAPHY
(AND OTHER CREATIVE VENTURES)
WITH KESTREL MONTES
A glimpse at the class outline...
TRANSITIONING FROM HOBBY TO BUSINESS
- Making the mental shift: Doing it for money not love
- Knowing when you are ready: Addressing the Doubt Monster
- Friends & Family: The expected discount dilemma
- Building a portfolio: How to show off when you don’t have much to show
- Branding/Naming: Picking and securing your business name
NON-CALLIGRPAHY SKILLS
- Photography: Taking photos that sell
- Mockups: Work smarter, not harder
- Vectorizing: Why you need to know how
- Getting Found: Website necessities, SEO, marketing, building an audience (without spending a fortune!)
- Painless Networking: Getting work by giving it away
- Assessing Clients: Reading between the lines for the red flags.
GETTING FOUND
- Selling Yourself: Learning to toot your own horn
- Website Necessities: What you should really have
- Social Media: Attracting an audience while balancing the life-suck
- Building an Email List: How to grow a list and why you should
- Exposure Options: Putting yourself online without spending a fortune
- Professional Associations: Networking without torture
- Connecting with the Competition: Building a community
- Reviews: Where to get them and why (some) bad ones can be good
- Collaborations: Pros/cons of styled shoots & pro bono work
MONEY STUFF
- Contracts: What should they say and when to use them
- Pricing Fairly: How to be fair to yourself and your fellow colleagues
- Sales & Giveaways: The ugly truth
- Pricing Transparency: Why we should all post real prices
- Cancellations: When do you NOT offer a refund
- Hidden Costs: Health insurance, retirement, income taxes
- Getting Paid: Payment processing options
DIVERSIFYING YOUR REVENUE STREAMS
- How Many Eggs In the Basket: Narrowing your focus but NOT narrowing it
- Money While You Sleep: Passive income development
- Making Things: Product development & production options
- Shipping: You sold a thing, now what
- Wholesale: Becoming the supplier
- Building an Empire: Selling on multiple platforms
PAPERWORK STUFF
- Make Life Easy: Preparing document templates
- Be Legit: Permits, liability insurance & licenses
- The Big Question: Sole Proprietor vs LLC
- The Unavoidable: Income taxes, sales tax, VAT, 1099s
- Counting Pennies: Tracking business expenses
- Artists Respecting Artists: Copyrights and the DMCA
DOCUMENTS:
- Sample contracts: events, commissioned pieces, digital work, royalties
- Sample invoice
- Sample cold call email
- Sample wholesale catalog
- Sample commission request reply email
What if I haven't started my business?
Will this class help me if I already have clients?
Is this class just for calligraphers?
Will this course help me if I'm not in the USA?
Patti Rishforth
Kestrel helped me narrow my focus so I could save time on what is most effective. She shared great tips and resources.
Ivet Bandirma
Kestrel takes women’s entrepreneurship to a level of unstoppable excellence in everything she does!
Michelle Banks
Kestrel is giving of her time and talents to help other fellow calligraphers succeed in this industry.
DON'T MISS A THING!
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How this will work:
- This is a prerecorded class.
- You will have instant access upon registering.
- Includes closed captioning in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Chinese, and Japanese.
- All handouts, links and recordings are found in the course portal.
- Includes ongoing access to the Business Community, our class forum.
Marisa Jackson
Through her mentorship, I have been able to increase the product sales and expand my business offerings.
Sarah Richardson
Kestrel’s business advice is incredibly detailed and helpful. I am constantly referring back to my notes.
Shelley Borcherding
I can honestly say that without Kestrel as my guide, I would not be where I am today as a successful business owner.
Can I rewatch the lessons?
What supplies do I need?
Does this class have closed captioning?
Is this an interactive course?
About Kestrel:
Having built a 7 figure annual revenue around art, there's nobody better to help you grow your success! And her background in education makes her a natural cheerleader for others' successes!
Here is a little about the variety of her success since launching in 2013:
- Over 70,000 sales on Etsy (3 shops)
- Over 7,000 font sales on Creative Market
- Over 20,000 product sales on Amazon
- Over 45,000 product sales on INKMETHIS.com (independent website)
- Over 8,000 online students taught
- Over 50,000 email subscribers
