Uncertainty Can Lead to Success

For me, the idea of consulting began with questions. The questions I asked out loud and the questions that tugged quietly in the background while I was building my pottery business and later running my gallery. Some questions I could clearly articulate, like “How do I process payroll?” And then there were questions I didn’t even know to ask. Running a small business is a huge responsibility. I thought I knew what I was doing and then, whoops, a situation that needs my attention presents itself.  And often, I wasn’t sure who to ask, or where to look for guidance.

Looking back, I realize I wasn’t alone in that lack of knowledge. Artists, gallery owners, and creative entrepreneurs share many of the same uncertainties, just from different points of view. I knew that if I was experiencing doubts, it was likely that others were too. That realization helped me overcome my fear of asking for help. 

That’s why I started this website. Not because I have every answer, but because I’ve lived those questions, was sometimes blind-sided by the questions, and ultimately learned from them along the way.

As a working artist, I often felt like I was running behind. I was stretched to my limits, my time split between creating work in the studio, blogging, photographing work, applying for shows, and maintaining my home gallery area. I didn’t know if I was doing everything “right, " but I sure was doing everything. My mentality was that as long as I was in motion and selling some work, I was sustaining my business. I didn’t understand that there was any other way to be a working artist.

When I was preparing to open my gallery, I signed up for every business start-up class the community college offered. If there’s a small business development center near you, seek them out. They’re often free, practical, and genuinely helpful. I filled notebooks with information and referred back to those notes for years. If I had to do it over again, I would have repeated those courses every couple of years.

But even with all that initial preparation, there were pieces that didn’t click right away.

For example:

I sat through multiple workshops on business finances and still didn’t fully understand how vital knowing what my cash flow was. I thought, “As long as money is coming in, I’ll be fine.” That’s not how it works, of course, not when rent, payroll, and artist payments are due on specific timelines even when sales slow to a crawl after the holidays. Eventually, I learned. But the learning curve was steep.

I also believed that the consignment model was the perfect solution for my gallery. If I didn’t have to purchase inventory, I would avoid risk. Or so I thought. What I didn’t know to ask was: “What are the advantages of having wholesale items in the gallery mix?” I didn’t realize that wholesale pieces could have helped create more predictable profits.

And then there was advertising. Every business needs to advertise, right? But how much of my budget should be spent on advertising? I tried all the free advertising I could find, listings, flyers, community calendars, and some of that drew customers. But I also spent money on ads that didn’t bring customers in the door. When those ads didn’t work, I felt foolish. I wasted time and money. I should have known better.

Looking back, the problem wasn’t that I made mistakes. We all make mistakes.

The problem was that I didn’t know how to ask the strategic questions that mattered most. I wasn’t able to observe my studio or gallery business with curiosity before making decisions. I didn’t yet know how to recognize which advice applied to my business and which didn’t.

No one knows all the right questions to ask at the beginning.

We learn some of the questions to ask through the act of running the business.
By observing what works and what doesn’t.
By asking “What should I be paying attention to here?”

If you’re in the early stages of running your business, or at any stage, really, and you feel like you should know more by now, please know that you are not behind and you are not alone. New situations will arise and you’ll find yourself seeking solutions. Allow that process. You are learning in real time. 

The key is not to assume you should already know the answers but to stay open, curious, and willing to ask the next question. That’s where the growth is.

And over time, the questions themselves become a compass of sorts, pointing you towards what matters most to you and your business.