Start & Run an Art Teaching Business. Tanya Freedman

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СКАЧАТЬ entrepreneurial roles are interconnected and, therefore, overlaps may occur. The wizard coordinates and juggles the many traits of the entrepreneur. If one hat best fits your personality or mood most of the time, and you neglect the other aspects of your business, the resulting imbalance can pose a risk of failure. The following example will help you understand the importance of being able to use a combination of the characteristics mentioned above.

      Let’s say you plan a big craft fair to raise money for charity. Planning this event requires all of your architect skills. A craft fair provides an opportunity for your students to showcase their art projects and for their parents to feel pride in their accomplishments. Your students may bring their siblings, friends, and other prospective students to your school, and linking the craft fair to a charity involves the community as a whole. Journalists are always hungry to cover stories that showcase the community’s successes, and if money is raised for a charity, the event will be greatly appreciated.

      For this charity event you also use your politician skills to attract people to your event. You have your creative juices flowing. But then what happens? You fail to organize the art supplies, which means that you have failed as an administrator. You have let everyone down, and have also hurt your school’s reputation. You will have your work cut out for you to reestablish your credibility. This could be very costly, because prospective clients judge your school on first impressions. A perfect opportunity to boost business awareness has just been wasted. The adage bears repeating: “If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.”

      It is important for each of us to know our own limitations and strengths and how to use them most effectively. We tend to concentrate on doing things that we are good at and enjoy, neglecting or avoiding the things that we do not particularly like to do until we are eventually forced to address the massive backlog.

      Take a good long look at your skills and realize that in order for your school to earn a great reputation, you and your staff have to impart the right messages, whether they are literal or subconscious. The right attitude is imperative. Become aware of and address those weaknesses that may stand in the way of your success.

      What differentiates great companies from good ones? The attitudes and commitment of their staff. If you are not a natural team leader or you find it hard to motivate and manage people, bone up on these skills before starting your business, instead of just jumping in and hoping for the best. With a strong will, incentive, and confidence at the outset, you can achieve success sooner rather than later.

      Your Strengths and Challenges at the Beginning

      Everyone has fears of some form, and some of these fears may grow to become phobias. My fears are left over from having been brought up in a hardworking but financially insecure family, and have resulted in my vowing never to depend on anyone as much as I depend on myself. For a number of years I had worked as an administrative assistant and office manager, and this experience confirmed for me that there are those who should be employees and those who should be their own bosses. I am one of the latter.

      Some people are content to work in the background, satisfied with receiving recognition in the form of pay and respect, and do not feel compelled to be in charge of anything but the office equipment. Their pride in a job well done with no hassle outside of their nine-to-five hours is sufficient for them.

      Others, however, become restless, resentful, and unhappy with their situation. Unable to stop at the notion that “this is just a job,” they instead feel compelled to do everything to the best of their abilities and strive for more recognition. Their current positions may not give them sufficient challenges or satisfaction. These people are goal-oriented and aspire to move up the corporate ladder, or to start their own businesses in the future. But no matter how many promotions they get, they still search for new hurdles to overcome. These are people who need to be their own bosses.

      Make a list of your biggest and most redeeming assets, strengths, and traits. Include such characteristics as using calm logic while everyone around you is becoming stressed. Consider your organizational skills, people skills, and creativity.

      Personal Skills Development

      As an entrepreneur, you may need to develop new skills or improve upon existing ones. Most of us need to face numerous challenges, on a regular basis. Some of these challenges may include conquering our fears of public speaking, overcoming shyness, and learning to delegate tasks.

      Public speaking

      Some people enjoy standing up and speaking in front of a crowd. For others, there couldn’t be anything more frightening. Fear of public speaking is one of the top five causes of anxiety, topping fear of death, financial ruin, and creepy crawly things!

      You may not fear public speaking, but you may be slightly uncomfortable with other aspects of interacting with large groups. You may be shy by nature, or you may be afraid of rejection or of trying the unknown. Some of us are merely afraid of what we have not practiced before. Regardless, as an entrepreneur you will have to develop your public speaking skills in the search for long-lasting success. And you never know, you may discover that you actually enjoy public speaking and add it to your growing list of talents.

      The benefits of learning and developing this skill far outweigh the investment of the extra time you spend on it. For me, these benefits included:

      • Gaining the confidence to approach and speak to people from all walks of life and different business backgrounds

      • Learning to listen effectively

      • Learning to focus on my clients’ reactions and needs

      • Learning to speak about any subject at the spur of the moment

      • Improving my interpersonal skills (for both my personal and business life)

      I had decided to work on my public speaking skills when the date of the second annual Jolly Good Art exhibition approached. Although I was comfortable meeting with new students and their parents, I was still nervous about speaking in front of a large group of people in my studio.

      When I first heard of Toastmasters, a nonprofit organization that helps people improve their public speaking and leadership skills, it meant nothing to me. Now, however, I was running a successful, expanding business. As the school’s owner and leader, I had to stand up and speak eloquently and confidently about my business, which meant moving out of my personal comfort zone.

      Toastmasters has a strong reputation for helping people from all walks of life gain insight into their communication styles and confidence in self-expression and the art of persuasion. This new path to self-discovery opened up more opportunities for me than I had ever expected. Not only did practicing public speaking help my confidence level, joining Toastmasters also increased my network of acquaintances — I found a diverse mix of minds and interests.

      Tips and techniques to become a better public speaker

      Visualize, prepare, practice, and perfect: these are the four cornerstones that are essential to effective public speaking.

       Visualize

      Visualize yourself speaking to hundreds of clients — whether it is at the yearly art exhibition, charity gala, or award evening. Keep in mind that public speaking is an aid to your business and personal development. You must also believe in yourself and your own expertise.

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