Finding time to market and run a business?

A wonderful question! I asked a financial planner running two businesses that same question. His response, "The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss." 

The book is full of useful and useless information. Take away only things that apply to your business. A few suggestions are priceless for managing time. My favorite was email and telephone requests.

I was working 60 plus hours a week at my day job. Being a parent and starting a business was daunting. Following The 4-Hour Workweek suggestion, I set scheduled times for email and telephone requests.  Thus freeing enough time to get work completed. This also allowed me to leave work on time. Giving me time for family and the new business.  

I also learned families need structure. My children were four and six at the time. I started doing homework with them as I made dinner. This change accomplished two things at once. I also began to  write and draw while the kids did homework. A few small interruptions during math is more managable than play time arguements. 

Create a kid work station in your office. I'd rather work with my kids than the person my old boss stuck me with. Work through kid noise and some great memories can be made. 

Invest in The 4-Hour Workweek either as a book or audiobook. Audio books are great for multitaskers.  

Mark Wayne Adams,
Award-winning Illustrator of King for a Day: The Story of Stories

Becoming Relevant.

How does a new illustrator become relevant?

A. Know the current market before illustrating in various styles. Consider the style, niche, and genre that reflects your unique talent. Visit libraries, book stores, and book fairs to see which books are popular and most importantly...selling!

B. Be observant of the books consumers read, borrow, and purchase. If a consumer is compelled to bring a book home, either the story or illustrations are entertaining. Generally both!

C. Keep your enemies close! Research award-winning illustrators from the past five years in your genre. These illustrators are relevant and competition. Ask questions about their work. Who employs them? What makes them unique? When did become popular? Why are people purchasing their books? How many books have they illustrated? Sometimes the illustrator will post this information on a website, blog, or even share via email.

Practice Observing:

Illustrating a dog book for children? Then visit a local library. Arrange an assortment of dog books on a table in the children’s section. Make notes* if a patron skims through a book. Place a hold on any book a patron borrows. There is money in that book, find out the who, what, when, why, and how of that book.

*Notes: Document font size, color, title, and illustrative style on covers. Don’t exclude the spine either. Most books are stacked on the shelf, what catches the readers eye.

Mark Wayne Adams
CEO, MWA, Inc.