Sound Advice for Small Businesses

Recently I've been working a lot on making money from my art and designs in a way that feels good to me. This means that I've been getting and expirementing with a lot of different business advice, some of which was good and the rest... less. I figured that there are probably other people on here struggling with sifting through the huge pile of suggestions, so here's a short list of things that I either tried or saw with my own eyes that worked:

1. If a lot of people are starting the same type of business at the same time, don’t do it too. I didn’t start a slime business, and I won’t start a ‘‘snail mail subscription box’’ business either.

2. offering free stuff is incredibly important. It can be a monthly digital zine, or it can be a blog every once in a while. either way, you have to offer something of value for free so that people know you can be trusted.

3. It’s important to have a bond with your costumers. how you make someone feel is a lot more important than what you’re selling them.

4. People don’t pay for something that doesn’t even look good. get good pictures.

5. Competitors aren’t hurting your business, they’re helping it grow. Either by collabs or by giving the costumer something to compare to.

6. Don’t be afraid to be “too niche”. With good marketing you’ll find you’re audience.

7. Do something consistently for 6 months and you'll end up with good results. A lot of people start things but don't stick with them, if you stick with yours you'll look a lot more serious and proffessional.

8. AI makes your product look cheep. Even if it's "just a caption"

I wasn't sure if I should include the last one, since it seems so obvious to me. but on the off chance that someone might benefit from it, I kept it in.

This isn't a long list and it's kind of basic, but these are just the few that I feel comfortable with promising they'll work. If you any other good advice, you're welcome to share in the comments! I'd love to hear more from other businesses here :)