Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in arts but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Casey Rooney, Owner of The City Goblin, located in Denver, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is centered around creating alternative art that is equally both challenging and healing for its viewers. It's an acquired taste, so my audience definitely has a dark side.
Tell us about yourself
I've always been an artist, but I never really developed confidence until I became a teacher as a full-time job. I fell back in love with art, and I decided to give myself a platform for my art to start speaking to larger audiences. I started creating my best work when I was searching for healing, and I feel that if I keep putting my art out there, it awakens or resonates with the healing other people are working through too. It's a litany for those dedicated to carving their own path in all its pain and beauty.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I had a follower who was an old friend reach out to me and tell me that my work was strangely resonant with them. As we shared our stories, we realized how we shared a lot of similar growth and conclusions. I view the personal connection as more invaluable over the fiscal.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
My business is my side gig at the moment, so the day-to-day habitual discipline is the hardest part.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Decide what your aim is. My business is simply another way to wear my own heart on my proverbial sleeve—all my language, copy, and content come from that place.
- Your audience grows through your own vulnerability. When you are ready and able to share, your own growth as a small business owner attracts your own small tribe/niche of people that are faithful and supportive.
- Don't assume anything you don't know or struggle with is a setup for failure. Invest in classes, online courses, coaches, etc., until you feel ready and that you have all the tools to succeed. The vision for your business will become more clear the more you take a leap of faith and start making more incremental investments.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.citygoblinart.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/citygoblinart/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-rooney-4b9677104/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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