The Post DTC Era 1.75

Wait, what do we call ourselves?

In my march towards the official installment of Article 2 of my Post DTC ramble fest - I’ve found it increasingly necessary to define some terms. In the week since I launched this blog, I keep bumping into different friends who run different versions of businesses like I do - there are distinctions and nuances to what we all do that “Artisan Business” really isn’t appropriate.

I emailed with my business coach, Holly Howard - again, Holly has coached EVERYONE - work with her! She also shifted from “Artisan Business” to “Creative Entrepreneur” or “Creative Small Business.” I think this helps move us away from the “artisan” language, as that tends to imply more craft-based vertical production, but I’m not sure it adds any distinct clarity to what it is we do that is different than other small businesses. Our products look different than other businesses.

Critically, I am interested in bridging the gap between the art students who run businesses and the business students who run businesses. So I’m not sure if I would modify the term Small Business by adding “Creative” in the mix. I think it creates, albeit unintentionally, a small hierarchy between creative small businesses and others.

Another Grad School Anectdote! I went to an MFA program in Portland, OR, called Applied Craft & Design. The TLDR intent of the program was to equip makers to run small businesses upon graduation. At least that was my interpretation of the program at the time.

Ironically - or perhaps not? I am sitting in a coffee shop in Portland, OR typing this up.

Anyway, as part of the program there was a class in entrepreneurial studies, but it was run by a “non-creative”, running a “non-creative business.” And I was indignant the entire time. I was like, how the heck can this guy speak to what I’m doing - he runs an online language school!!! I failed the class because I didn’t do the (busy) work. It’s also why I was on academic probation a lot in school - I hate busy work. If the teacher doesn’t make it crystal clear why we are doing that work, I won’t do it.

As my penance for the F, I was assigned to be the TA of the class the following year - run by an Architect who wasn’t a business person, or running a business. Flat out, one of the smartest people I know - I mean, architects just have massive brains anyway, but his was off the charts. His opening lecture he tied the lifestyle apparel industry all the way back to ancient Egypt.

100% brilliant. 100% unhelpful information for running a business today.

100% when I was actually running a business, I went back to the syllabus the online language school guy gave us, and devoured it all. Turns out running a small business is a lot like running a small business. Weird, right? It’s almost pre-conventional, it’s that simple.

Here is the only distinction I would make between small businesses - the product itself. And I would reduce it all the way down to physical or non-physical products.

There are Small Businesses that sell physical products.

There are Small Businesses that sell non-physical products. This could either be digital products, or a service based business.

Anyway, I’m just going to say “Small Business” - and where it’s appropriate, I will make the distinction about physical products - because other than that, I can’t see any distinctions that are related to the business model itself.

Small Business.