Stage 1, The Learning – this stage is your foundation, where you develop and improve the quality of your craft.
This is also an ongoing stage!
You never stop learning, improving and developing – this is one of the joys of being a creative and you need to keep the joy in your business to prevent it becoming a chore.
The plus part of your journey from hobby to business is that Stage 1, the learning, is usually a business expense…
The caveat being that the course is to do with your craft – for example: you can’t claim a dressmaking course if your business is as a photographer, however you can claim an oil painting course if you’re a watercolour artist wanting to increase your range.
Always keep a receipt for the course and also any materials you purchase for the course, you can put these as expenses through your business to offset any profit and reduce your year-end tax liability.
If you don’t yet have a business keep the receipts as you may have a business by the end of the year in which case you can claim them!
Remember investing in yourself is incredibly important for both you and your business growth.
You can find out more about business and costing tips at Ventures with Vision, to find out what the other 5 stages of a creative business check out the 6 Stages of a Creative Business blog.
Be kind to yourself and enjoy the journey!
Su x
