Artist Business Plan For Total Beginners: 5 Key Steps To Get Started.

Read the Blog below, or watch the similar video on my YouTube channel HERE.

If you’re an artist trying to build a profitable art business but keep getting stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to start, you are absolutely not alone. Creating an artist business plan for total beginners can feel far more complicated than it needs to be. You know you should have one. You know it would help. But once you sit down to actually do it, it can suddenly feel full of questions you’re not sure how to answer.

The good news is that it does not have to be so complicated.

In this blog, I want to walk you through the five biggest stumbling blocks that stop artists from finishing their business plan, so you can get clear, make decisions more confidently, and start building an art business that actually supports the life you want.

Because so often, it is not that artists are lazy or incapable. It is simply that they hit a few tricky points, feel unsure, and stop.

And when that happens, the document gets filed away, never finished, and never used.

That matters because a clear business plan can be one of the key things that helps you move from “hoping this might work” to building a profitable, sustainable art business with far more direction and confidence.

Start With the Bigger Vision

Before you begin building your business plan, it helps to get clear on your bigger vision.

What do you actually want this business to lead to?

That might mean owning your own gallery one day. It might mean building passive income from your art. It might mean creating more freedom and flexibility in your life. Or it could be as simple and powerful as wanting your own dedicated studio space and a business that genuinely supports you financially.

Whatever your version looks like, it matters.

Because your business plan should help you move towards that bigger vision, not away from it.

If you are not clear where you want to go, you can easily end up creating a plan that leads you in completely the wrong direction.

So as you read through this, keep your bigger vision in mind. It will help you make better decisions as you go.

The 5 Biggest Stumbling Blocks in an Artist Business Plan

These are the five places where I see artists get stuck most often when trying to create a business plan.

1. Deciding How Much Money You Want to Make

This is one of the first major stumbling blocks.

When artists ask themselves, “How much money do I actually want my art business to make?”, many simply do not know.

Others do know, but the number feels scary, so they shrink it down into something that feels safer and more realistic.

But if the number is too small, it may not work logistically. It may also fail to motivate you.

What you really want is a number that feels like a stretch, but still believable. Not so huge that it paralyses you, and not so small that it leaves you uninspired.

A simple way to think about it

For some artists, the first goal may simply be to break even.

That means:

• covering your expenses

• building a small cash-flow buffer

• not having to keep putting your own money into the business

For example:

• Monthly expenses: $500

• Extra cash-flow buffer: $500

• Total needed each month: $1,000

• Total needed each year: $12,000

That would give you a turnover target of $12,000 for the year.

For another artist, the goal may be higher.

For example:

• Monthly turnover goal: $3,000

• Monthly expenses: $1,000

• Cash flow and tax set aside: $1,000

• Small monthly salary: $1,000

That gives an annual turnover target of $36,000.

Neither goal is right or wrong. What matters is that the number makes sense for your stage of business and gives you something meaningful to work towards.

Your first step

Choose your annual turnover target.

It might be:

• $12,000 to break even

• $24,000 as a solid starting point

• $36,000 if you already have some momentum

The important thing is to make the decision and write it down.

2. Knowing What You’re Going to Sell — and at What Price

This is the next place many artists get stuck.

You might be asking yourself:

• Should I sell original artwork?

• Should I sell prints?

• Should I offer workshops?

• Should I try to do all of it?

Then once you have decided what you want to sell, the next challenge appears:

How do I actually price it?

Keep it simple to begin with

Ideally, start with one to three offers.

For example:

1. Original artwork

2. Prints

3. Occasional workshops

But do not try to launch everything all at once.

A much better approach is to:

• start with one offer

• get that working

• then add the next

• then add the third

This keeps things manageable and gives you a much better chance of actually gaining momentum.

If you’re selling original art

Keep your sizes simple too.

You do not need ten different sizes when you are starting out.

A simple structure could be:

• Small

• Medium

• Large

Very often, the medium size becomes the strongest seller. Some buyers only have room for something small, while a few will want something large and statement-making. But for many artists, the medium size is the sweet spot.

Example price points

For simplicity, let’s imagine:

• Small original: $250

• Medium original: $500

• Large original: $1,000

Then ask yourself:

How many would I need to sell each month to hit my target?

For example, if you need to make $1,000 a month, you could sell:

• 1 large piece, or

• 2 medium pieces, or

• 4 small pieces

This kind of simple maths helps you see whether your pricing and your income goals actually line up.

A mindset note on pricing

This is where a lot of artists wobble.

You may think:

• Who am I to charge that?

• Will anyone really pay that?

• That feels too expensive

But here is something really important to remember:

You are not your customer.

Your ideal customer is not looking at your work through your fears, your self-doubt, or your own money story. They are looking at it through the lens of connection, desire, beauty, and value.

They see a piece they love.
They imagine it in their home.
They decide to buy it.

Pricing your work properly often requires both practical strategy and mindset work. Both matter.

Your second step

Write down:

• what you plan to sell

• your starting price points

• how many sales you would need to hit your target

3. Choosing the Right Business Model

This is really about how your business will operate.

There are a few different directions you could take, including:

• face-to-face

• predominantly online

• hands-off or passive-income focused

• a mixture of the above

A face-to-face business model might include:

• galleries

• art fairs

• open studios

• local markets or events

• solo or group exhibitions

• selling directly to customers

An online business model might include:

• your own website

• third-party platforms

• gallery websites

• online marketing

• shipping directly to customers

A more hands-off model might include:

• print-on-demand

• art on products

• third-party fulfilment

• passive-style income streams

None of these are automatically better than the others.

The key question is: which one fits your bigger vision?

For example, you may love the idea of local shows, galleries, and customer interaction. But if your bigger dream is freedom, flexibility, and passive income, that model may not be aligned with where you actually want to go.

That is why your bigger vision matters so much.

Your third step

Decide which business model best fits:

• your lifestyle

• your personality

• your strengths

• your long-term goals

Then write it down.

4. Getting Clear on Your Niche and Audience

This is another major stumbling block.

A lot of artists resist choosing a niche because they worry it will limit them. But in reality, choosing a niche usually makes your marketing much easier.

If you try to market to everyone, you end up making life much harder for yourself.

A simple example

Imagine you create:

• realistic watercolour seascapes

• of the south coast of England

You want to sell:

• original paintings

• later, prints

• through galleries, tourist shops, and local outlets

In that case, your audience may be:

• locals who love the area

• tourists who want a reminder of a specific place

• people looking for meaningful artwork connected to that coastline

That is far easier to market than simply saying, “I make art for everyone.”

Why niche matters

When your niche is clear:

• your message becomes clearer

• your audience becomes clearer

• your marketing becomes easier

• your offers often become easier to develop as well

You do not need every tiny detail mapped out at this stage. You simply need a strong starting point.

Your fourth step

Write down:

• your niche

• what kind of work you create

• who it is most likely to appeal to

5. Knowing How You’re Going to Reach People

Once you know:

• how much you want to make

• what you’re selling

• your prices

• your business model

• your niche and audience

…the next question becomes:

How are people actually going to find you?

This is your marketing piece.

Choose 3 to 5 marketing strategies

You do not need to do everything. In fact, you should not.

A much better approach is to choose three to five marketing strategies that make sense for your business model and audience.

For example, these could include:

1. Email marketing
   Your email list is one of the most valuable assets in your business. It gives you a direct way to share new work, updates, offers, events, and products.

2. SEO on your website
   Search engine optimisation helps people find your work when they search online. This is especially helpful if your art is tied to a location, subject, or niche theme.

3. Instagram or another visual platform
   A visual platform can help you share your work, connect with people, and build awareness around your art.

4. Printed materials
   Depending on your business model, printed postcards, flyers, or promotional pieces can work well in cafés, galleries, local shops, or tourist locations.

5. Joint ventures or partnerships
   Collaborating with local businesses or aligned brands can help you reach a wider and more relevant audience.

6. Google Ads later on
   Once your business is more established, paid ads may help you expand your reach, particularly for local or niche-focused businesses.

Start small. Choose what feels most aligned and manageable. Then build from there.

Your fifth step

Choose your 3 to 5 marketing strategies and write them down.

Why This Matters

Once you have answered these five questions, you will have worked through some of the hardest parts of your artist business plan.

You will know:

• your financial goal

• what you’re selling

• your starting prices

• your business model

• your niche and audience

• your marketing direction

From there, it becomes much easier to build out the rest of your plan, including your timelines, finances, weekly routines, research, and action steps.

And most importantly, your business plan stops being a vague idea and becomes a practical working document that helps you make decisions and move forward with more confidence.

Final Thoughts

If creating an artist business plan for total beginners has felt overwhelming, I hope this has helped simplify the process for you.

You do not need to have every single answer perfectly figured out right away.

You simply need to work through the key decisions that stop most artists in their tracks.

Once those are clear, everything else gets easier.

So rather than overthinking the entire plan, start here.

Answer these five questions.

Write your decisions down.

And begin building the art business that supports your bigger vision.

Ready to Create Your Full Artist Business Plan?

Ready to go deeper and create your full artist business plan? My Build Your Artist Business Plan course walks you through the process step by step, so you can get clear, make confident decisions, and build a business that truly works for you.

About the Author

Hi, I’m Sophie Mahir — artist, teacher, and art business coach. I help artists build clear, profitable businesses around their work, with practical strategy, mindset support, and simple steps that actually make sense.