A good START, or what to do to get off to a good start.

17-09-2023

Do what you love. As lovely as that sounds, after all, we’d all like to wake up in the morning with a thrill of excitement at the very thought of what wonderful and favourite activities we’re going to spend the next day on. If you’ve come to us then I’m betting you’re a creative person who has an irresistible urge to create, a drive for ever newer experiences and who wants to live in all colours, shades, tastes and smells. Whether your passion is crochet, music, tattoos, handling words or a kitchen knife – you create because… you have to, otherwise you will suffocate 😊

Creativity, or what?

As the magazine says: creativity is the ability to generate original and valuable ideas, to solve problems in unusual ways and to create innovative creations in fields such as art, science, literature, design and many others. In other words: creativity is the process by which the mind combines a variety of information, experiences and concepts to create something new and unique. A bit like blending exotic fruit with fresh nettle and chilli peppers in a blender, it sounds rather extravagant, but the end result can very positively amaze.
So…

…, could the creativity that you love about yourself and that has led you to discover a passion for doing unusual things in unusual ways be the spiritus movens of what we popularly call work?

The answer is: it depends 😊 For some, indulging in a creative passion is a time to relax, soothe their nerves after work or just have a nice time. For others, it’s a way of personal development, an investment in themselves that will one day pay off financially too. And here, all in the green💲 comes the first condition: passion and business can only go hand in hand if the balance of profit and loss is likely to come out in the positive. Life is brutal, and without income there is no business. If you spend more on your creation than you are able to earn from it, it is not a source of income, but a hobby.

Invest in...yourself

Secondly, the transition to creative professionalism requires investment – your time, effort and money. If you have the resources and you want them to start making a financial return, you need to answer one important question: what do I like to do in life, and then start doing it.

Let’s assume that:

You have a talent / passion that makes you create something new
You are open to change and have quite a bit of intrinsic motivation
Your intuition tells you that others might like what you are doing so much that they are prepared to pay for it. Hah! and you even know/see a few people in your sector who are already successful in business

3x yes means you are on the right track.

Before you spend all your savings on buying equipment or materials and run to register your business, think about a few things:

How you want to do it and who you want to do it for. Not every idea has to be super innovative, but you will definitely need to make sure you stand out - like a red sole in Louboutin, a Tom Waits hoody or a pineapple on a thick Hawaiian pizza. At this stage, write the famous marketing slogan 'stand out or perish' on a big piece of paper and look at it every day. Remember that this differentiation does not at all have to be immediately spectacular. Many companies have started by focusing on details that their competitors haven't thought of. It could be the way it is packaged, the quick turnaround or a personalised thank-you note for your order. A differentiator also adds value to your purchase and allows you to price your services higher. There are thousands of possibilities. You can learn about how to generate and implement ideas here.
Do a review of your resources - and no, this is not about checking your bank balance, although start-up money is most often needed nonetheless. It's about the resources you've already accumulated in the form of experience, skills, contacts, but also failures. Those can be invested in developing your business idea. Answer yourself honestly about how much time, money and effort you are willing to put in and what time you assume the results will appear. Set yourself realistic goals to avoid frustration.
Choose one very specific area of your creative activity and focus your attention on that to start with. Start with something simple and don't throw yourself into the deep end straight away. This will avoid burning through your budget and drowning in misguided and time-consuming activities. Remember to treat the first stage as a test. You can be sure that after a while you will see that things look different than you assumed at the beginning. The grand plan has not clicked, and something you thought was unimportant is nevertheless crucial for your audience
Exactly! Customers. Without customers, there is no business, it's as clear as day. If your talent is to sell, think of those people, institutions, companies to whom this talent can solve a problem or be the answer to a need. Try to step into their shoes and think about how you can meet those needs in your unique way. You know how to connect the dots, so seek out and meet your audience in unusual places. Talk, test, gather feedback and look at other creators. You can read about how to operate in a multibranch and international environment here:

Thought through and what's next? Let's get going!

Hard part is over – you already know what you’re going to do, how and for whom. You want to sell your works, products, services, but black clouds loom in your head: business, taxes, offices, formalities, etc. Are you terrified by the vision of running a business? There are a few options that we will zoom in on so that you feel calm and confident.

Do you need to make friends with the authorities?

The legislation includes the possibility of running a business without registration. This is a type of profit-making activity for individuals with a maximally simplified formula that requires virtually no formalities. Of course, it comes with certain restrictions. The main one is the earnings limit. Without registering your business, you cannot earn more than 75% of the minimum wage in a given year. In 2023, the minimum wage was 3600 as of 1 July, which means that monthly earnings on an unregistered business cannot exceed PLN 2700. An important advantage of this form is that you do not keep accounts, you do not have to fill in declarations and pay contributions to the Social Security.

IMPORTANT! You must remember that the unregistered company is only available to individuals who have not conducted a ‘standard’ business activity in the previous 5 years (60 months).

But but, there is no rose without thorns, so to the pluses of an unregistered business there are also responsibilities: