Getting Down To Business

The best ideas in the world are irrelevant without the business know-how to turn them into a functioning, profit-generating company. It seems that this is particularly true in the creative industry. Sure, that copywriter may be the wittiest thing since Oscar Wilde, but if he can't run QuickBooks, he's going to have a hard time charming the IRS come April 15th. Yeah, that art director may be a visionary genius, but if she doesn't know how to market her services, she'll remain buried in perpetual obscurity (the phrase "starving artist" exists for a reason, friends and neighbors!)

So when we set out to form Crazy Savvy, we wanted to make sure that the business end of things was every bit as, well, savvy, as it was creative. Fortunately, we're not quite babes in the wilderness. (Babes, maybe. Wilderness, not so much. Ha!) Yours truly had the opportunity to study at the Wharton School of Business at UPenn, learning tricks and tips of the trade from some of the brightest minds in business. (Donald Trump sightings were surprisingly frequent, and Your Dear Author promises that no matter how successful Crazy Savvy may one day become, she will never resort to the atrocious comb-over as the ultimate status symbol.)

Partner Dearest Erin was instrumental in setting up shop for another small business, and knows the ins-and-outs of bookkeeping and the unique challenges and opportunities that face start-up business owners. Crucially, we had amassed two decades of experience in the communications and marketing industry before setting off on our own, so we knew our market, our competitive advantages, our craft, and our strategic partners like the backs of our hands. (Probably better. I am examining my left hand now and just noticed a tiny scar on my knuckle. Where did that come from? How long has it been there? These are questions I don't have to ask myself about my business!)

There are plenty of resources out there for anyone hoping to follow in our footsteps (size 5 1/2, probably stiletto, for the record). The library is your friend. There are literally thousands of books out there for start-up business owners, on everything from tax law to incorporation procedures to developing your own forms. And, fellow taxpayers, it's free! It's fun! You may even learn something! Your attorney is your friend. She will have wise advice on how to register your business and protect your assets and your interests. Your accountant is your friend. He will help you look after the all-important Bottom Line, and save you a good deal of anxiety (perhaps a better word is panic?) come tax time. Hey, even your friends are ... your friends. Their ideas, connections, moral support, and willingness to fetch coffee while you're on a midnight business plan typing tear cannot be overemphasized! (Are we noticing a trend here? It may not take a village to found a successful company, but it does take a well-stocked Rolodex.)

In the abstract, setting up shop can seem daunting, and perhaps rightly so. Running a business is not something to be entered into spontaneously or lightly, and there are enough cautionary tales out there to keep me typing through Valentine's Day 2010. But, with some strategic forethought, innate belief in the services you have to offer, and organizational clarity (an airtight filing system is -- you guessed it -- your friend), embarking on your own business
(ad)venture will seem like the exciting, gratifying experience that it should be. I know that I wouldn't have it any other way.