Business 101 Advice…AGAIN

So I am reposting this information from a post I did last year about business advice.If you read this post the first time, then skip this one but I am sprucing up the advice and adding an 11th and 12th piece of advice. The reason I am reposting this is because I still get quite a bit of emails asking for advice and I still feel the same way.

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As I am getting more known as a designer, artist, small business owner, more and more people are asking for my advice. Which is actually pretty scarey when I think about it because most of the time, I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing and I’m just fooling everyone. But here are some of my thoughts on this and that.

1) Believe in yourself. You must be your best cheerleader because every step of the way people will constantly tell you no and you must have the confidence to keep going.

2) Educate yourself. Yes, go to film school, art school, fashion school, cooking school, etc. I highly believe in education. School is there to teach you the fundamentals. Your work will be soooo much better because you will have intimate knowledge of the basics. You must know and understand all the rules so you can then break them.

3) Work hard. Work smart. And don’t stop. I pretty much work all the time and when I’m not working I’m thinking about work. Because I love what I do, it doesn’t feel like work.

4) Don’t stop practicing and experimenting. I am constantly experimenting with fabric dying, ink recipes, art materials, fabric, etc. No one taught me how to block print on tshirts. I just figured out my own process and it took me a whole year before I was happy with the results. That’s why my stuff is so good and beautiful and its hard to replicate the look if you don’t know my process. And I’m keeping that stuff close to my chest so don’t even bother asking.

5) Capitalize on your differences. I’m a Queens artist not a Brooklyn one. I block print tshirts not screenprint.

6) Surround yourself with great people. Well, fortunately for me, my husband totally kicks ass in so many things so he helps me with work and life. I love being around my mother-in-law and father-in-law because they have always believed in me. I hired an assistant who prints better than me. I hired a publicist and a sales girl because I can’t do what they do. They fill in the gaps to what I was missing.

7) Take naps. Seriously rest when you need it. I had to buy a futon at Ikea last weekend because I needed a place to nap at my studio. The world would be a lot better off if we could have afternoon snack time with cookies, milk and a nap. When Ciara Elend, LLC goes corporate, I’m going to have compulsary nap time.

8 Just do it. Nike had this right. Stop ho-humming and just do it. Start your business, your clothing line, your restaurant. You’re the only one standing in your way.

9) Be nice to people. Duh. You never know how the next person you meet can help you.

10) Don’t listen to idiots. They might mean well, but they don’t know you and your business so just ignore them.

11) Research, research and research. No one told me where to get supplies, shirts, fabrics, inks etc. I don’t read a manual to run my business. I get asked all the time about where and whom to I go to for my materials, shirts, etc. Well, I rarely tell people because  why the hell should I help my competition? I found out about these things myself and I expect people to do the same thing but surprisingly people don’t research. The internet is an amazing resource that people do not take advantage of. So take advantage of it and stop asking me questions. Geez.

12) Sacrifice. I think this is a really hard thing to do for people but if you want to succeed in something, you have to make sacrifices. For example, if you need money for your business, you’ll have to penny pinch. No more cabs, take the train. No more cigarettes, alcohol, etc.