Starting an Art Gallery to Fulfill a Lifelong Dream – and Writing About It!

 
With the economy in its current state, I’ve concluded that the chances of me being hired into a lucrative marketing or advertising position are slim – at best; at least for the foreseeable future.

So, I’m throwing caution to the wind and killing two birds with one stone: (1) fulfilling a lifelong dream of profitably making and selling art, and (2) documenting the entire process in excruciating detail for everyone to read.

And, although my marketing and advertising experience is extensive, my budget is not, so this will also be an exercise in how to create and run a successful business using every cheap – or preferably free – trick in the book. The benefits for my audience – which will hopefully grow by leaps and bounds – is that you’ll be among the first to see all the wonderful art I’ll be promoting and – if you find yourself in a position similar to mine - just about everything you need to know to start your own business on a shoestring budget will be right here.

For now, I’ll be using my blog as the primary data dump for all the useful information I uncover. But eventually, there will be a website, PDF downloads, books and maybe even a Nobel prize in Brazen Self-Promotion.

What the heck…. If it all goes bad I can always move in with my in-laws!

Taking control of your career and your future – where has the loyalty gone?

 
A disturbing trend has been spreading throughout the business world for decades and even attorneys are not immune. It’s the disappearance of loyalty in corporate America. I can’t say whether it’s a problem in other countries as well, but I’ve experienced it firsthand here and continue to see it week after week across the country.

Corporate America no longer cares about its workers and hasn’t for a very long time. A Dilbert cartoon illustrates this perfectly – as usual. The pointy-haired boss observes that employees are no longer the company’s most important asset, cash is. Employees rank number nine, just below carbon paper.

While there are still a few pockets of sanity where employers truly believe in the value of their employees, for most, the mantra has become, “show me the money.”

Without whining too much, this is now happening to me for the third time. The software company, of which I am soon to become the former marketing director, has been sold to a major legal services conglomerate and I’ve been given the opportunity to “pursue other career options.” I really can’t complain, since I received one of the better severance packages which will allow me to advance my personal goals.

What irks me is the owner’s oft-proclaimed cherished commitment to the value of his employees. This was supposed to be a place where you could have a good job, get rewarded and which would be there when you were ready to retire. I can only assume that the owner had his “price” all along and that when it was offered, he took it.

Whether he’s plagued by guilt, having reneged on 19 years of promises to employees and customers, I don’t know. I do know that if I were in his position, I would probably have done the same thing - I have my price, too.

Now, to the point – having aired my grievances. Regardless of your position, if you think you can count on your customers, company or boss to be there for you through thick and thin, you probably can’t. Self-reliance is the rule.

To minimize the pain of inevitable change, take control of your career. You decide where you want to go and what you want to do. You make the plans and implement them to achieve the success you want. Clients and companies come and go. Write a business plan and marketing plan for yourself to meet your goals and then implement them.

You work for your employers and they compensate you. Quid pro quo. Executives have understood this for years. It seems that only dedicated, hardworking employees are surprised when “human resources assets” are “right-managed” to achieve maximum revenue for the shareholders.

We are commodities in the marketplace and only by managing our personal “assets” to their best advantage can we hope to have the career and life we want and deserve.