The 4 Opportunity Levers Every Artrepreneur Should Know

I’m not sure what brought you here today, but I’m glad you’re here. 

Maybe you feel stuck in a dead-end day job, you’re underpaid or under-appreciated, you want to start your own business so you can be your own boss and set your own hours, you’re in debt like so many Americans and are looking for a way to make extra money on the side, or perhaps you even have your own business and are looking for ways to scale so that you can find the freedom of time and money that we all crave.

Does any of this sound familiar? 

Then it’s a darn good thing you found this blog because I know a thing or two about all that and I’ve come out the other side. I spent over a decade in New York City hustling my butt off as an actor, piecing together various soul-crushing jobs just to scrape by. I remember when buying a cup of coffee felt like a big decision because $3 was bank-breaking back then. 

My 20s taught me so much about hard work, determination, grit, and how to live on a dime . . . my only regret? 

I didn’t start my own business sooner.

Fast forward to today and my $15/hr days are over. I now own three six-figure businesses and I’m sure I won’t stop at just three :-) 

I have a passion for building creative businesses and tapping into all the opportunity levers that are inherent in any business or side hustle. And if you use this system for mining opportunities in what it is you do, then I guarantee you’ll be on your way to a six-figure business (or two) as well. 

Opportunity Lever 1: A Product or Service People Actually Want 

It may seem obvious, but I find that the #1 thing that can kill any business’s chances of success is the product itself. You absolutely without a doubt MUST create a product or service that either brings people joy or takes away their pain. 

In order to figure out what people really want and need, you have to figure out who you’re helping with your product or service. And don’t fall into the trap of “MeSearch” like so many entrepreneurs I see. So many times I see businesses being created because it’s something the creator would want or thinks is cool, but isn’t grounded in research. 

Opportunity Lever 2: Your Special Spark 

Ever heard of blue ocean/red ocean? A red ocean is one with lots of competition like sharks in the water and they’re all fighting over the same clients...it’s a bloody mess. A blue ocean is wide open without any competition. 

Personally, I don’t believe you should only go into business if there’s no competition. A healthy dose of competition can help us innovate, stay on our toes, dig deeper and serve our clients better. It’s not about finding the blue ocean, it’s about finding your special spark. 

In fact, all three of my businesses are in super competitive markets. But I didn’t care because I knew I was different and could offer something special. How? 

I looked at all the other companies out there and dug into what they offered, how they offered it, how they communicated with their customers (including how quickly!), their branding and visual identities, how they seemed to acquire customers, what seemed important to their customers in reviews . . . I mean my competitors might as well hire me because I know their businesses pretty friggin’ well. 

Then I figured out where there was an opportunity to be better or at least different than everyone else out there. For my coloring book business it was all about super fast quote turnarounds, high-touch client communication, and strong follow up systems. For my murder mystery party business it was about targeting Broadway fans, using Broadway actors in my games, creating unique and edgy themes, adding a membership component (the ONLY murder mystery membership out there!), and the design of my website. For Big Leap Brands it’s all about helping people find opportunities in their business...there are tons of marketing and business consultants out there, but I don’t know anyone else who calls themself an opportunity consultant, do you? 

As you can see from these examples, there may be more than one opportunity to leverage for your business. But do your research and figure out how to be special. Otherwise you’re just like everyone else. 

Opportunity Lever 3: Make Your Mark with Your Marketing

Being a marketing wiz never hurts. If you want your business to start strong and scale, investing in your marketing systems and advertising is the best money you can spend. And you have two choices . . . 

Train yourself on all the essential areas of marketing that all entrepreneurs should know . . . or hire a professional to do it all for you. 

Either way, be prepared to make a significant investment here because it’s the best money you could spend. If you can dial in your marketing to the point where you know that for every dollar you spend you make $2, $3, $4 in return, then you are SET. Now it’s not easy to get to that point, but if you have a product people want and you find your spark, then the right marketing systems will fan the flame. 

Opportunity 4: Scaling Your Time

No business can grow if it’s 100% dependent on your time. I learned this the hard way when I was first starting out with my coloring books. I did everything for that business from building the website, to communicating with customers, to drawing each individual coloring page. One client could take over 20 hours of my time and let me tell you no amount of money could make me go back to living like that. 

It wasn’t until my mentor told me to hire some artists to help with the illustrations that I started to free up my time for more valuable tasks that actually generated revenue for the company. I was able to 80/20 my time and start outsourcing tasks that were less valuable which meant that my time continued to become more and more valuable as I tapped into where I was most useful for the company. And it took a huge amount of letting go and trust and trial and error . . . but that was probably the best advice I ever got. 

So let me break it down for you in the same way . . . 

You CAN do everything for your business. But you SHOULD NOT do everything for your business. 

Starting out, yes, you may need to do everything from creating the product, to building a simple website, to figuring out your marketing . . . but as soon as you can, start to identify the areas that could be done by someone else. Because until you start to let go and ask for help, your business is going to run you, not the other way around.