Frustrated artist looking for tips on starting a successful business

I have been working s a graphic designer for the past decade, reluctantly. Not that I dont like being a graphic designer, it pays the bills. But I'm tired of creating someone else's ideas. My true love is creating furniture. Especially retro styled/ or tiki/polynesian/ themed items. My question is this, how do I start the business of selling these items, moreover how do I acquire the capital to create these items. I've created a few, but the rest are great ideas still stuck in my head or sketched onto paper. And once I create these items, how do I create the draw for these items. I know that I have all these fantastic ideas for fabulous furniture, but how do I know if it will sell. How do I make it sell? Does anyone make a good living on just selling tiki themed items? (Besides Shag) Every vendor Ive met, always has some other job they do to supplement. I'm tired of working for someone else, with no job security, taking crap with a smile to get a paycheck.
But is it possible to make a living on just this? Any advice, words of wisdom, parables, amusing anctidotes, would be greatly appreciated.

There's a few guys here on TC who survive exclusively by selling tiki related items. My advice to you is to start it as a hobby (small) and see what reaction you get. Another way is to grab a parachute, walk to the edge of a cliff and jump off, hoping that the parachute opens. It's tough no matter which way you do it, unless you're a stand out like Shag, and it probably took him many years to get where he is as well.

Another thing to consider is that being self-employed is not always what people think. Consider retirement (there is no money for that unless YOU save it), working all hours, (weekends included), your name and your product are what you survive on. If you can't "deliver the goods" then your name isn't worth much. Will you be home-based or rent a shop? Doesn't matter if you're in a bad mood, hung over, or whatever, you still need to meet the customer with a smile and a handshake. Your customer is your boss and they will tell ALL there friends about you, postive or negative. On the other hand, there's a lot less political office crap and you call the shots.

Kapu

What part of the country are you in? We should have a chat.

I reckon you start off as a hobby/weekend thing and see how it goes. My mate does antique furniture restoration in his garage 3 days a week, and works a 'regular' job in a hardware store 4 days a week. Hes going okay, and has more than enough demand to keep him going. All he has is a simple add in the phonebook.

If you can get enough kick out of doing your own thing, then maybe fronting up to your regular job on Monday might not seem so bad.

But then I would neve have the balls to start my own business - talk to some of the people on here thta do it fulltime and find out what it is really like.

As far as creating your own stuff, you will probably still have to alter your designs to give them more universal appeal so that the masses will buy them - I think Beach'n has this problem (?). And that puts you in a similar place to which you started.

Yes it can be done. But it's not easy. My advice would be to get your expenses as low as possible right off - like work in your garage and start maybe part time at first. Start setting up and get the tools you need if you can afford them with the job you have now, and just start making the stuff. You'd be amazed what an inspiration and incentive it is once people start buying your items.

Get yourself a business license and create a good name for your business. You can get started with that while you're working on your present job and it will inspire you to start making your products.

If your stuff is good it will sell. Put it up here at Tiki Central or start a web site, or create an ebay store like a lot of people do. A web site is your best option for good publicity, and it doesn't cost much to maintain once it is up. If you can manage it yourself so much the better.

For your pricing, once you start selling you'll have to figure out what kind of quantity you can make and sell in a month and how much money you'll need to survive and then try to price accordingly.

We've been doing our tiki sign business for three years now and we're finally starting to do okay with it just now. Our first year we made over a hundred signs but the prices were too low. At the end of the year I added up everything and with our expenses we barely made any profit at all. Man it was sooo frustrating! I had savings to get us through that. But the next year we raised the prices a little and sold even more - we did a little better. Last year we were very busy all year and we ended up making 3 times more than the year before. I was so happy with our progress.

So it takes some time and risk to get it going. This year we started off with a bang and we've been very busy and our prices are just about right I think - so we expect a good year.

Advantages: You can design and sell whatever you want, make your own hours and control every aspect of your business. Working with your customers can be great - in our three years so far there's only been maybe a couple that were anywhere near difficult, but even then nothing too bad.

Disadvantages: You have to come up with your own healthcare. Prices can range from under $100 a month to astronomical depending on the plan and provider. I hate dealing with them.
I you want retirement savings you'll have to plan for it yourself.

Overall it's not easy, but hey - you only live once. Go for it and good luck.

It sounds like you have a Lot of Great advice here already KapuCaleb. Welcome to TC already. Come on in and Join the club. Relax and listen to the experience around you. My bet is to start of part time and Sell ALL your work that you produce. You will find pricing to be difficult as every other artist does. You just have to realize your artwork is Not made of gold. Start pricing somewhere and if it sells too fast, up the price on the next one. if it doesn't sell then Lower the price until it does. The time and raw materials are not going to put bread on the table sitting on the shelf. If you Under price an item, no big deal, adjust it Up on the next one. Sell one piece and buy materials to make the next and before you know it you will Have to quit your day job to keep up with hte demand.
If you Start off full time then the pressure is going to affect your art work and it will no longer be fun. Go part time until all those questions have answered themselves. Hope this helps and Good Luck.

Yo KapuCaleb, Where did you go?? Did we scare you off. We didn't mean to do that. Come on back and tell us about your plans. What you like to produce and who you want to sell to. Hell WE Might want it ALL. Lets talk about it and see what ya got.

Hey Kapu!
Best of luck on you're new business.
But BEWARE, this is what could happen if you work from home.

Now That's the job I want. Droooll