Hi there everyone, a couple of days ago I gave a webinar for The AOI about business planning, vision and growth. We covered a lot of ground in forty-five minutes or so, and I hope the content will help illustrators seeking to scale up their enterprise some ideas.

There is an awful lot to know about new and growing markets in illustration, beyond the traditional markets of editorial, publishing and advertising. In print media and publishing is declining and its very difficult to grow in shrinking markets. We covered eight new expanding areas of trade and talked about some brilliant trailblazers in these genres. I also mentioned the importance of trends, and its possible to find some information on trends for free if you know where to look, but much has to paid for. Getting this type of insight can be vital to help you think more commercially and make more informed decisions.

Its also important to understand such matters as money management, viability, profitability. The size of your game can change quite suddenly when you are an illustrator or other creator, e.g. winning a large cash prize, big advertising licensing deal, commissions from luxury brands, etc. These unexpected opportunities can have tax implications, so to understanding how companies work can be advantageous for higher earners.

If you are a member of the AOI one-to-one consultancy is available with me for £35  per one hour session via Skype.

Equally I am available for one-to-ones directly, but its much better value to to talk to me once you have joined as you gain over 70% discount. My full rates to non-AOI members are here one-on-one or via Skye.

Header image kindly supplied by Mike Lee-Graham Mike Lee-Graham on Twitter Mike Lee-Graham on Instagram

In article image also kindly supplied by Josephine Dellow Josephine Dellow on Twitter  Josephine Dellow on Instagram

You may be interested in my book The Essential Guide to Business for Creatives

Business Start-up for Creatives Weekend Course at Central Saint Martins

Entrepreneurship for Creatives Term Time Evening Course at Central Saint Martins