Ready to jump-start your business as an artist?
Because, here, we’ve got an awesome, 10+ page business plan template made for creative people just like you!
Each page is interactive, and you can either write on the pages digitally (more help on that below), or you can print them and write on them that way, too. You are more than welcome to save or print multiple copies of each page as well to write on as your business plans change.
Included interactive pages are…
- Artist introductions & defining yourself as an artist
- Business introductions & defining your art business
- Market understanding & finding your customers
- Understanding your competition & finding ways for collaboration
- Understanding marketing & advertising
- Financials & budgeting
- Marking your milestones in sales
How to Use This Business Plan
This free business plan is designed to help you brainstorm ways to move your business as an artist forward. If you’ve already got a business up and going, you can plan your current budget or come up with new ways to advertise your art. If you’re completely new to selling your work as an artist, you can map out how you’re going to start sell your art pieces.
Now, as mentioned above, you can either print this document in full or save and edit it digitally. Either way, you can print/save multiple copies to keep “revising” your business plan.
How to Print This Plan
After hitting the button above, your device should open the full “Ultimate Free Business Plan for Artists”. Each device will vary, but you should see a print icon or button somewhere at the top of the document.
Hint: If you don’t see the print button right away, try hitting “File” first to find it.
From there, you’ll be able to send the full document over to your home or office printer. If you don’t have access to a printer, consider going to a local library with printing services!
How to Use This Plan Digitally
You can also edit the business plan on a digital device, but it takes some technological know-how. I recommend editing the document with a tablet or a laptop with a touch-screen since that’s the easiest, especially if you have one of those stylus pens. You can try editing it with a phone, too, but it may be difficult with such a small screen.
Most devices come with a built-in PDF editor, so you should be able to see editing options once you’ve downloaded and saved the file. The ‘save’ button should be available near the print button, as I show below, but, if not, try hitting “file” first to find a “save” or “save as” button.
After you save the file, you’ll need to open it from where you saved it to find the editing options. For example, if you saved the file to your downloads or documents folders, you’ll need to go to that folder to open it again.
Then, once you open the file with your device’s PDF viewer, you will see editing options, if they are available on your device. Below is a screenshot of the editing options I have on my MacBook, which is similar to the options you might see on an iPad or iPhone.
You’ll probably see a “draw” editing option, which allows you to hand-write on the document. You could also using a typing option to type out on the document, if you’d like. Just play around with each of your options and see what works best for you!
Business Plan FAQs
Do I need a business plan as an artist?
Having a business plan isn’t required for you to start any business, but it can certainly help. Even if you are a beginning artist who wants to sell just one or two pieces, making a business plan will help you figure out how you can actually go about selling those pieces.
What all should I include in my business plan?
A good business plan introduces your business, its purpose, and how you will execute business “tasks”. As artists, this just means you’ll want to introduce yourself as an artist, describe your art style, and do things like make a budget and plan how you will reach potential art customers.
In the business plan offered above, you’ll get to describe yourself and your business, plan your financials, make a marketing and advertising plan, and describe your customers and how you’ll reach them, all in one simple document.
How long should my business plan be?
Your business plan doesn’t have to be long to be effective. As artists, you really only need 8-10 pages (which is what we include in the business plan above) to make your plan work. The simpler your plan, the better, so that you don’t get carried away or distracted from doing what you love—making art!
How often should I update my business plan?
It’s a good idea to look over your business plan at least once a month, although you don’t have to make any changes to your plan if it’s not needed. As long as you look over your plan monthly, you can make updates and revisions every few months or as necessary. If too much of your plan changes, consider making a brand new plan from scratch.
More Help & Resources for Artists
For Beginning Painters
If you’re a painter who wants to practice your skills some more before you start selling your work, consider taking some online painting courses and classes. Canvas Academy offers tons of lessons online, most with downloadable files and guides, a lot like the business plan above!
Visit Canvas Academy to learn how to paint with tons of classes, courses, lessons & more. Become the best artist you can be, anytime, anywhere!
For Artists Who Want to Sell Art
No matter what “level” of artist you are, you can also check out some of the posts and videos below to learn more tips when it comes to selling your work.
Plus, more tips and resources for artists, especially painters, can be found here on my blog.
Happy creating and selling, fellow artists!
–Kari
Kari Lynn M. 
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