This semester I have had the privilege of teaching a brand new course at the School of Visual Arts to a wonderful group of Continuing Education students. The class is “The Business of Studio“, a course that I created because I saw that many of my students in my Flash course were very interested in finding out exactly how a studio is run. The premise of the course is a complete overview of what it takes to essentially run a successful creative studio. I say “creative” because the course really applies to any type of studio that deals primarily with providing a creative service to a client. I have placed my course outline below to give you a better overview of everything we have covered this semester.

WEEK 1
• About This Course
• Introductions
• Problems We Face
• Personal Experiences

WEEK 2
• Business Planning
• Ways to Incorporate
• Defining our Business

WEEK 3
• Pricing Models
• Setting Rates
• Financial Management

WEEK 4
• New Business
• Understanding the Client

WEEK 5
• Scoping a Project
• Quality Triangle
• Determining Profit Margin

WEEK 6
• Writing a Proposal
• What is an RFP?
• Pricing a Project
• Estimate vs. Proposal

WEEK 7
• Intellectual Property
• Understanding Defamation and Privacy
• Work-for-Hire
• Contract Law

WEEK 8
• Marketing 101
• Promoting your Studio/Yourself
• Writing a Press Release

WEEK 9
• Project Management 101
• Essential Tools
• Time Tracking
• Working with a Team

WEEK 10
• Resource Management
• Keeping Morale Up
• Meeting Etiquette
• Dealing with the Naysayers

WEEK 11
• Keeping Organized
• Setting Standards
• Maintaining an Archiving System
• Final Project Presentations

WEEK 12
• Final Project Presentations Continued
• Establishing Continual Growth

The students in my class range from recent SVA grads to several freelancers getting ready to make the plunge and even more small studio owners who are about to grow exponentially. I am especially excited because now, as we near the end of the semester, I can say that this course was a success. I truly believe that the students gained some very valuable information from the lessons and our guest speakers (including an accountant, lawyer, and genuine saleman!).

On another note, if this course sounds interesting to you then I invite you to register and see what it is all about. Word to the wise: my course filled up this past semester so I imagine it will do the same again in the spring, so if you really want to take it be sure to register for this class as soon as you can.

Best of Luck in Business!