11. Getting my illustration business started and slow January
Setting up... slowly
Hi, I’m Libby. I’m trying to find my feet in the world of illustration. I’ve done a load of research and I’m sharing it here, along with my progress on how my illustration journey is going. I’m so glad you could join me on this bumpy ride!
Hi Hi!
I’m in Earlsfield, London for a few days looking after Ross the cat between 2 longer sits.
As Ross’ face suggests, things have been slow in January. More on that below…
Aims for the year
After spending 2024 developing my practice as an illustrator, I decided 2025 would be about monetising my illustrations.
I completed 2 illustration business courses1 last year and was trying to figure out where I fit.
I decided I liked the idea of illustration (or art) licensing.
This takes different forms, but for me, it will be creating designs for greetings2 cards and gifts and selling my illustrations to licensees (as opposed to seeking commissions.)
This will be my primary focus in 2025.
To test out my designs with my target market, I’d also like to open a small online shop.
A shop feels like a rite of passage for an illustrator and will be good for gathering data on what’s popular.
Defining my business
After leaving my corporate job (in manufacturing management) I’ve run 2 product businesses and currently run an Engineering services business with my husband.
I’ve learned from some fun successes and many mistakes across these 3 ventures.
2 business planning bits have been key in each one:
defining the product and how it adds value to the customer.
creating a roadmap that links goals, a strategy and a plan to achieve them.
I don’t pretend to be a business expert or to have succeeded in business.
In all of my ventures, life has gotten in the way of plans, but having a framework to circle back to has been essential to keep moving forward.
My second product business went from us making things in our living room to running a manufacturing facility with contract staff, shipping pallets across the globe and being featured in Cosmopolitan.
We couldn’t have done it without starting with these fundamentals.
So I’ve begun to use some familiar tools to keep me on track this year, Namely;
The Business Model Canvas
The Value Proposition Canvas
The Customer Persona Canvas
All of these tools and more can be explored here on Design a Better Business.
I’d really recommend trying them out to test out your business model.
I had the chance to do this with other small business owners in workshops when I started my first business. There are also helpful videos and examples online.
I’ve created versions for my illustration business and I’ll go back to revise it as things progress.
I’ve also begun using The Maker’s Yearbook by Nicola Taylor as a review tool and planner.
I met up with some other illustrators in January who are using it too and this was helpful to bounce business ideas around.
Defining my goals, strategy and plan
So I’ve come up with some goals to keep me on track in 2025 around some rough categories:
Sales Goals
Monetise my illustrations to achieve an initial target of £1000 income/month.
Achieve my first licensing deal by the end of the year.
Strategy:
Client outreach: 5/week (~250/year) using email, LinkedIn etc.
Launch a product/design test shop by Spring 2025.
I will assess non-licensing focused illustration opportunities and accept them depending on my workload.
Portfolio Development Goals
Become a sought-after licensable illustrator through the breadth of my portfolio covering seasonal, occasion, evergreen trends and topics that interest me, by the end of the year.
Strategy:
Regularly create new portfolio collections (6-18 illustrations and patterns on a theme): 1/month (~12/year)
Launch a full range of cards x5, prints x5 and stickers x5 in an Etsy shop in the first half of 2025.
Communication Goals
Record my journey and share it with potential clients and other new illustrators for accountability and feedback
Strategy:
Keep a Substack blog - how it’s going 1/month and an educational post 1/month
The educational portion will act as accountability for me to develop new skills
Post my collections on Behance 1/month
Post my collections and progress posts on LinkedIn 1/week
Supplement the above with Instagram posts related to my new work and blog - I’m reluctant to put a target against this but ideally, post 3/week.
The Plan
I’ve used a weekly planner template to put the above into action, defining a focus area for each day of the week.
It looks roughly like this:
Monday - Planning and Learning
Tuesday - Collections and process recording
Wednesday - Outreach and learning
Thursday - Collections and process recording
Friday - Writing
The plan is subject to change as, bearing in mind I am still a pet-sitting digital nomad moving every two weeks…
I’m really grateful for this lifestyle but aim to be in a fixed home and place of work by the end of the year.
Slow January
After all of the above planning, I have to admit January has been a slow start.
I’ve been taking time out for some self-care after a very eventful 2024.
January Progress
Sales
Outreach 9/20
Shop launch:
Dormant Etsy shop rebranding complete.
Sample products ordered: 3 greetings card designs. Colours need reworking and new samples to be ordered.
Commissions: 1 enquiry received
Other: 1 ‘collaboration’ enquiry received
Portfolio Development
Collections: 1 Birthday mini collection created: 3 cards and 3 patterns
Communication
How it’s going blog - complete
Illustration Industry/skills blog - not achieved
Minimal social media posts in January
Now my weekly framework is in place to guide me going forward.
I’m hoping to move onto a slightly faster-paced February and make some headway and will let you know how I get on!
What I’m excited about for the next month
My next post will be all about illustration courses. I’m on a new one specific to illustration licensing so I’m looking forward to sharing more about it.
Getting stuck into my weekly schedule
How’s January been for you so far? And how are you feeling about the year ahead?
Libby
Greetings card: Do Americans detest this spelling of greeting card? It annoys me immensely that we have two different, very similar terms between British and American English.
Wow, just putting this post together feels like you’ve achieved more than I have 😅 Thank you for sharing so much of your thought process. It always sparks so many ideas for me, even if it’s just that I should really put more thought into my own business and work (but it’s always so much more than that)
Love the slow-paced start to January! I skipped resolutions this year and have been focusing on restoring myself before getting back into the rhythm of work. You’ve achieved so much this month—cheering you on for your next steps!
(Also, I was curious about your background during the digital coworking session—now I have my answer! Such an interesting journey, Libby!)