Starting out as a creative entrepreneur (Lessons leant from 7 years experience)

Starting out as a creative entrepreneur can be difficult I go through what I’ever experienced so far to help you on your journey!

Who am I?

I’ve been a self employed actress, singer and dancer for the past 7 years. In that time I’ve had to manage my finances, work out marketing myself, learning how to communicate with professionals and production companies and much much more! Here are some of the things I’ve learnt along the way.

12 Tips for budding entrepreneurs:

1. Treat it like a business. It can feel awkward selling your skills when it just feels like something you like doing. Change your mindset. You can’t expect other people to respect what you do if you don’t even respect yourself #truth

2. The first way to treat this as a business venture is to Get set up as self employed with HMRC. If you’re really serious then take this step and start. You can test the waters to see how it goes but if you start earning more than £1,000 you’ll be liable for income tax

3. Be on top of your finances and overheads. You fon’t want HMRC coming for you. The number one reason most business fail within the first year is because of cash flow. When you’re not earning money it can really stifle your creativity. Have a backup of available cash to hand to cover any fees or processing costs for your product or services. Roughly add up any subscriptions to services you need to pay for so you know whatever happens you can pay those fees. As an actor I knew I needed to pay for Spotlight subscription castings, the actors union equity subscription and cash for auditions and recalls (listen the train is expensive!). I had a rough figure so that I knew as long as I could pay those things I could operate as an actor.

4. Track your expenses find a way to keep track of all the things that you’ve purchase in relation to your business. There are many different methods you just need to find a way that is easy for you to keep on top of. Personally I don’t suggest leaving it until January and getting in a whole heap of stress before deadline on 31st. So find a way you can details of what you’ve bought throughout the year. I find having a separate tax receipts email folder handy so anything I purchase I can move straight there and it makes it easy to see what I purchased in date order.

5. Remember - You don’t have to be the best. This hamstrings a lot of people, ‘’they’re better than me, this person can do something I can’t’’- so what!? Everyone has to start somewhere and there will always be someone better than you - its up to you whether you will let that stop you doing what you love.

6. But you do have to be good! However, really assess where you’re at in relation to others in the industry. This is just being realistic, can you hold your own in a dance audition? Can you sing confidently? You can still earn a living from the unique skills and talents you have, but you need to be better than the average person on the street. You can’t change money for something that isn’t going to be good value for the customer.

7. Make a portfolio and keep it up to date. The best thing you can do is to show what you can do. In the performing arts industry you need to have a showreel to show casting directors ‘here is me singing, dancing‘ etc. If you’re a filmmaker have clips available so others can see before hiring you, a graphic designer? Make a portfolio of things you’ve designed. It doesn’t even have to be a paid gig that you showcase. If you’re a dancer, get someone to film you in an empty studio, heck even outside! (I’ve done that before!). Give people confidence so they want to book you. Then you need to keep that portfolio up to date. I’ve had people ask me for links to my website so they can use it if I’ve had a speaking engagement on a industry panel and sometimes it’s out of date, it doesn’t have all the up to date things I’ve done, Ive had to scramble around updating it so I can send it. Just keep on top of it and review it every so often or maybe after a job so you can but up details and production photos if you have some. Remember that at anytime someone could look at you online wouldn’t you want it to best representation of you?

8. Put money aside for tax so it doesn't sting you at the end of the year, good rule of thumb is to just put 20% away from every job you get. If you don’t pay all that tax then you could use it a buffer for the next year or invest in some equipment or training to improve your product or service.

9. Have a side hustle or part time job to help support you, even better if it’s in the sector that you work in. I have taught dance in primary schools, I love it because it keep me fit and in shape, also I enjoy it because its dancing!. The key is to find something flexible that you can drop or pick up more of when work fluctuates.

10. Do other things not to do with your job. Other activities help inspire you to not feel like you’re on a hamster wheel and consumed by the industry. When working in the creative industry, inspiration goes along way so vary the people you hang out with, the settings you find yourself in. This life experience will not only make you a more well rounded person but you’ll have multiple real life experience to draw on when it comes to creating your work. There’s a perception that you have to be 1000% only about your line of work but its just not healthy.

11. Have an rehearsed answer for the question ‘so what do you do?’. When you meet someone this is a question that’s always asked. If you’ve not thought about this it can easy turn into a strange ramble of ‘I’m kinda, sort a actor working in theatre and stuff‘ which doesn’t sound great, but if you answer with confidence ‘I’m a professional actress I work in TV, theatre and film’ its hard for people to not take you seriously. Especially with something like performance you are the business you are the brand, so how you come across to people matters. Key answer with confidence. If you're resting or break you don’t need to share that with everybody. Just because you don’t have a contract right now doesn’t mean you‘re not a professional. I have struggled with this in the past. If you’ve not worked in a few months you can question ‘am I even still an actor?’ Have an answer so your not thrown off guard when someone asks

12. Remember it’s a marathon not a sprint give it a good few years before you chuck the towel in. As soon as you decide to peruse this path, it make a few years for you to see real progress, to build up a reputation for being reliable and excellent at what you do as well as building rapport with people in your industry. Huge successful companies aren’t successful overnight or in a matter of a few months it takes time. Start small just take the next best step available to you

So that’s my advice to those starting out in the creative industries. all the best with your endeavours!

Much love

Naz x