Business Lingo and Wild Hares Boxing.

Hurray, we have made it through January without being washed away from Scarlett Inc HQ. As I sit here at home, wrapped up in 65 layers of clothing, the wind is tearing along the south coast of England and chucking a whole load of rain at us for good measure. July 2013 seems such a long time ago, when I was sitting in 40 degrees in my studio.  It seems like a good moment to reflect and plan.

So far my major plan of the year is to publish The House on Hare Hill. I'm still at the tinkering phase at the moment; I have pulled together the first spread but am deciding whether to do black and white drawing and colour digitally or have a mixture of digital and watercolour. What do you think? This is my digital colouring (not finished.)

I do love this part of my job; it's the equivalent of the writer's blank page. I quite often change things as I go along when new ideas or obvious problems jump out at me. 

The other thing I am working on is the marketing side. I had a bit of a eureka moment when I realised I that being a creator of books is just like any other good business idea. Take Lush for example. They started off making their soaps and smellies on their kitchen table and upsized as their customer base expanded. My customers tell me that they really enjoy my product (business speak for bearing my soul in a book) so all I have to do now is crack the market! It is really counter intuitive to use business lingo when you are a creative person describing the love you pour into your project. Stories become Products, friends and customers become Client Base and deciding whether to be in a craft marquee or have your own pitch becomes Competitive Analysis. Luckily I have come across a fabulous book called The Right Brain Business Plan which has helped me enormously.

The last time I wrote a business plan was in 1998 when I applied to the Prince's Youth Business Trust for assistance. It was a dry and crusty affair (the business plan, not the PYBT) full of guesstimates of income and spreadsheets of my outgoings. Nasty. This is what my new business plan looks like.

For more info on The Right Brain Business Plan click Here. I'm thoroughly enjoying the process. Watch this space to see if I really can Expand My Client Base!!