Do you think of yourself as an illustrator but not a business person? Have you always struggled with the business side of your career?
Me too. But at the beginning of 2010, I decided to set myself a challenge and finally commit to making my illustration hobby into a serious. income-generating business.
I thought it’d be motivating and fun to invite others to join me on the challenge…and so the 12 week challenge was born. This eGuide is the resulting advice and includes the key business tasks which were part of the original 12 week challenge.
*** IMPORTANT: If you’ve purchased the 12 Week Challenge Kit, this is a streamlined version of it with the business-focused tasks only ***
What is the zero2illo Business Guide?
The 80-page zero2illo Business eGuide consists of:
- 9 business-specific tasks to complete to ensure you’ve got the solid foundations in place that a business needs to succeed.
- Advice with each task to help you fully understand & complete what you’ll be doing for each task.
- Additional resources recommended to help you excel at the task.
The tasks are designed to take you through a step-by-step process which means that by the end of the Guide you’ll have all the building blocks in place for a sustainable and successful illustration business. Some of the things that the eGuide will help you create include:
- A 1-page business plan (aka OGSM)
- A marketing plan, including a social media strategy
- A portfolio website of your illustration work
- A target list of clients to contact
Here’s what people have said about the original challenge and the eGuide:
“I’ll admit that I was more than a little skeptical about the Guide. So I was ready and waiting when it released. Let’s clear the air here a bit. What this book isn’t – it isn’t some “get rich quick” scheme.
Is there some good information in it? Simply put, yes. If I wouldn’t be undercutting him, I’d snag some of his “challenges” and incorporate them into ArtOrder. The information for creating some solid business practices is worth the price of admission alone.
Hearing advice and suggestions from all the ‘additional voices’ that are featured in the product makes it something I would consider a “must read” for anyone starting out in the business.
Actually, considering the fact that I got some good stuff myself, after being in the business for many years, I’d probably suggest it to anyone that isn’t satisfied with the state of their freelance business. The exercises and assignments may get you rethink the way you do business, and help you find a new business vision.
In a nutshell, this is a solid resource for anyone interested in having a freelance illustration business, and I highly recommend it.
~ From a review of the Guide by by Jon Schindehette ~ Senior Art Director for Dungeons & Dragons.
“Being an absolute newbie in the world of professional illustration, I was lacking artistic confidence, time management skills, and business acumen. Not only did the 12 Week Challenge provide me with those things (in spades), but it introduced me to a fantastic community of illustrators and friends who are probably some of the most talented and supportive people on the planet.
If the 12 Week Challenge can set someone like me (a serial procrastinator) on the right course, it will be of an amazing assistance to anyone seeking to dip their toes into the wonderful world of professional illustration.”
~ Kristine Astop from wwww.plasticcake.com
“I’d always harboured dreams of being an illustrator and happened upon the 12 Week Challenge online. It gave me the structure and guidance I needed to get started and start believing in my talents, and has become an invaluable resource. Not mention the incredible group of people I have met and who continue to offer unending support and inspiration.”
~ Laura Nuttall from www.lauranuttall.co.uk/wordpress
What’s included in the zero2illo Business Guide?
The 80-page Business eGuide includes the following components:
- Nine specific business-focused tasks
- Additional advice to help you complete each task
- The best recommended resources to help you excel at the task
- Extra tutorials & resources such as:
- A recording of a sample coaching session to create your 1-page OGSM business plan
- Specific illustration-based example of a 1-page OGSM
- In-depth WordPress configuration & set-up video tutorials
- Sample business processes for your illustration business (including email templates)
- Email templates
- Interviews and articles from other successful people in the industry such as Jannie Ho, Carlos Castellanos, Holly DeWolf, Tara Reed and Scott Purdy.
Purchase The Business Guide for GBP 10.95
And here’s more feedback from 12 week challenge “alumni”…
“The 12 week challenge was a good match for me and helped me to clarify my own objectives and goals for my career in illustration. The 12 week challenge is designed to build upon the personal objectives for each person’s illustration career.
I was actually glad to find areas that were a bit more difficult for me to face, because it meant that those same areas hadn’t been given the attention that is needed to grow a fruitful illustration career.
I felt like the 12 week process was challenging but achievable. Starting with basic objectives and moving through image creation, to websites and promotion, I know that my portfolio is stronger and my sense of where I am taking my business is clearer. I have already started to recommend it to my friends!”
~ Brian Bowes from www.studiobowesart.com
“Knowing that I wanted to be a professional illustrator but not unsure of the best way to start, the challenge helped me framework that goal into logical step-by-step, week-by-week actionable tasks to give my business the solid foundation it needed to thrive. Jonathan’s system is a great solution for the easily overwhelmed!”
~ Aura Lesnjak from www.auralesnjak.com
“Sometimes we know what we want to do but we do not how to get there. The 12 Week Challenge provided me with a road map and tools needed to successfully get to where I wanted to be in my creative career. It also gave me a solid foundation of concepts and resources that I can use to market my craft as I continue my creative journey.”
~ Maria Senkel from www.mariasportfolio.com
“Happening upon this step-by-step masterclass has benefited me enormously; not only in helping to consider and reposition myself within the creative industry, but through my participation in the 12wk challenge I’ve found myself amid a dynamic community of inspirational and supportive peers.”
~ Dylan White from www.dylanwhite.me
“I’d been wanting to go back to illustration for a long time but I did not know where to start. This challenge was exactly what I was looking for: practical tasks, a lot of thinking and strategic planning.
We not only looked at our drawings but also (and more importantly) at the business side of our craft. Because if it all goes well, we will be drawing and painting AND we will make a good living out of it.”
~ Philippe Debongnie from www.philippedebongnie.be
“A professional illustration career is a dream I’ve had for a very long time. Completing this challenge took me further than I thought possible in 12 weeks. Just about the time the hard work was getting me down, a question was asked, ‘How bad do you want it?’. Well say no more, I completed the tasks and I’m rolling!! I’m not saying it was easy, I’m saying it was worth it!”
~ Donna Jeanne Koepp from www.whitewolfstudioart.com
Purchase The Business Guide for GBP 10.95