The Lean (Art) Startup

Choosing a career in the arts is a viable option and you can be highly successful. You'll have to work hard, get up every time you get pushed down, and teach yourself to smile through self-doubt when a myriad of struggles come along.

If you can stand all of that, you can definitely turn your passion and talent into profit.

But you'll still have the job of getting your art business off the ground. Will you need a team? What about studio space? Will you do your own accounting? And what about social media? All the pieces will have to come together in order to get your work consistently into the hands of patrons and become profitable.

And that's why I decided to look closely at how tech startups succeed or fail. Technology disruption like Uber, Snapchat, Airbnb and a million others have become the norm. And there are some things we can learn from them that apply to the art startup too.

I asked myself:

Q - Can we create any tools for artists that resemble tech startup tools?

A - Ummm... why can't we?

Q - Ok. Then what would they look like?

A - I think they'd look nearly the same. Take a look and see what you think.

The "Lean Startup Canvas" vs. The "Lean (Art) Startup Canvas"

1. The Lean Startup Canvas below was created by Ash Maurya for the tech entrepreneur who wanted to start a business. Ash modeled it from the business startup world, but made changes that are iconic today. He streamlined the startup process to specifically accommodate the tech startup and the fact that they usually have no capital and very few people, but need key developments to occur in order to succeed. He simplified the process to focus on all the pieces needed to become profitable in the shortest amount of time.

  2. I created the Lean (Art) Startup Canvas, a repurposing of the above Lean Startup Canvas, for artists because in many ways, tech and art startups are similar. These are the key components required for art startups.

So, is this a tool that will help artists increase the odds they'll succeed at their business?

Yes, I think so.

Is it supposed to make art business fool proof?

No, but it is supposed to reduce the chance of failure and improve the chance they come onto the scene as innovative.

For artists to start thinking of their businesses as any other startup, notably the tech startup, is a good move in today's world.

The two worlds are similar if we look closely. And since the tech world has put gobs of blood, sweat and tears into understanding what a successful startup lifecycle looks like for the tech entrepreneur, then why shouldn't we do the same for the artist entrepreneur?

Q - How do we get artists to embrace and iterate their businesses the way tech startups do?

A - We show them how they're alike, give them tools to use as a measure and explain the benefits:

How Art Startups And Tech Startups Are Alike

• Both start with a small team. Tech and art startups are micro businesses comprised of 1 - 3 people usually, with art startups typically remaining at 1 unless a team comes together to co-create the works or performances.
• Both need to answer a problem, need or want. The handcraft artist may discover there are no locally made wallets for the eco-friendly, nostalgia-driven leather consumer. The tech entrepreneur may see there's a need for a music site designed solely for the local musician who wants to get hired by patrons nearby.
• Both need a viable solution. The artist can decide to use their skill to handcraft leather wallets made from old, locally recycled saddles, bike seats, and junkyard car upholstery. The tech entrepreneur can design a spin-off site from a larger business model like Encore.com - "hailed as Airbnb for live musicians’" Forbes.com.
• Both need to define their unique value. For example, be the ONLY artist crafting wallets made 100% of recycled leather gleaned from local regions and sold to consumers of that same area (include an accompanying printed description of the history of that particular leather) or be the user-friendliest tech solution assisting musicians who want to be hired locally.
• Both must validate the need for the solution they're offering. Once you have your idea, pitch it to potential customers, listen to feedback, take notes and iterate if you need to. Get your product/market fit exactly right before moving forward.
• Both have to sell their 'special sauce'. Figuring out what that special thing you do is that's unlike anything or anyone else is key. This is similar to your unique value, but can include more than that, like uncommon customer service techniques, packaging or freebies. Pinpoint it and then CAPITALIZE on it like crazy.
• Both must figure out how to reach customers and how to deliver to them. Decide where to go online and offline to meet consumers and get their attention and keep it. Then, figure out how you'll deliver your prized solution.
• Last but not least, both need to balance costs with revenue. What is the revenue model and does it offset the cost enough to make it sustainable long term?

The Lean (Art) Startup Canvas can be used as a core building block for art business when starting out or even when taking an existing art business to the next level. The art and tech worlds DO, in fact, resemble each other as you can see. And there are other industries that can adapt the Lean Startup Canvas to their benefit.

By following models like the Lean Startup Canvas, whether tech or not, we can take away benefits that work with all types of modern businesses and their consumers. What are your thoughts?

All the best to you,

Paula

#entrepreneur #startup #art

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Paula Soito is the CEO and founder of Artsrow.com - an American art marketplace, and a journalist and official judge for Art Market Magazine’s Top Emerging Artists – Gold List. She is highly dedicated to highlighting the works of American artists and helping them improve their lifestyle as artists.