Location. Location. Location.
You’ve heard it, right? It’s the one thing I have felt that has been an obstacle for me when I offer my own events, be they craft clubs, summer camps or whatever. I’ve always felt like I could have gotten better numbers if I weren’t teaching out of my home. And I get it: I wouldn't want to drop my child off at a summer camp in some unlicensed person’s home.
As an adult, I would also likely feel awkward about going to a stranger’s home. Luckily for me, there are people out there who are willing, and thus my camps and clubs have been successful, but I felt like they could have been MORE, ya know?
You’ve probably looked into a studio space yourself, and you’ll know that they’re more of a commitment, higher costs are associated with it, and to use it only part-time doesn’t seem practical. I needed to find a venue that wouldn't charge me more than what my revenue would be bringing in.
Nestled in my neighborhood, there is a coffee house, incredibly charming, and sits on a small lake with beautiful views of the Colorado mountains. It has a room you can rent hourly during business hours which will seat up to 12 persons. I contacted them and the feedback I was receiving didn’t seem positive because we were struggling to land on a suitable time and the details. It was dishearting as I know the manager and coordinator very well, but even then I honestly just wanted to scrap the whole idea and throw my hands up. The coffee house is only open until 5pm and they are closed on Sundays. I had to narrow down my day to Saturday mornings, and I had to shift my perspective because who doesn’t love the idea of painting and sipping coffee on a Saturday morning? I updated the flyer to Create & Caffeinate!
I knew the bonus of partnering with the coffee house was that they have their own audience that they reach. I sent the new flier to the Event Coordinator so she could post it to their social media.
My hopes for the event were that I would get re-launched back in my community. At 10-12 participants each week I could bring in $800-$1200 but what I was more interested in was meeting new people and getting relaunched in my community. I knew this event was more about planting seeds. The neighborhood has experienced such new growth I knew that there were plenty of new customers who would want to possibly use my services again in the future - for their children's birthdays or workplaces. This coffee house seemed like the ideal opportunity.
I waited and waited to confirm the event with the coordinator and I was excited to start seeing the posts about my event. And nothing - just ghosted. They never returned my email, I never saw my post and even as I followed up I never got replies, it was clear that this was a no-go.
Owning your own business can be painful, it may feel like rejection, and it may also feel like you're going down the wrong path. Keep going, there is a new turn on the path, there are people out there who do want to partner with and support your small business. I promise my upcoming blog will reveal how the right door will open soon.
Do you need encouragement in your entrepreneurial journey? This is why we have the Artsy Association, you'll have the support you need - you'll be in business for yourself, but not by yourself!
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