In the face of lockdowns, border closures and global economic uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last thing on many people’s minds would be starting a new small business.
Not so for Emily Riches, who founded Aniko Press in 2020. With a background in editing and publishing, Riches began reassessing projects she wanted to pursue and found that lockdown allowed her the time to start the press.
Starting any small venture is a challenge, and Riches admitted ‘It was a huge leap of faith for me to do this … because you don’t know how it’s going to go. But then once you do it, and you keep pushing out of your comfort zone – It’s just really great.’
Katherine Larsen, similarly, was compelled to start Debut Books in 2020.
Arriving back in Australia from England six weeks before lockdown began, when it was virtually impossible to find a job, Larsen, found the enforced time as welcome.
With many years as a bookseller, and her time working for Penguin Australia, Larsen knew it was time to pursue her career goals.
‘It really gave me time to sort of sit and reflect on what I wanted, where I wanted to go, and what my future looked like,’ said Larsen.
Tap into your networks and mentors
Once the business plan was in motion Larsen contacted her ex-colleagues and creative connections in order to start filling in the gaps in her knowledge.
‘I contacted some of my colleagues from Penguin, and just reached out and was like, “Look this is what I’m thinking of doing. Would you be interested in just mentoring me?”
‘And they have just been incredibly generously kind with their knowledge and time,’ Larsen told ArtsHub.
Read: What is the value of a mentor in the arts?
After sharing your business plan, ask your mentor for their honest feedback. It might be just what you need to hear. There are many specific online mentoring programs available through various organisations such as the Australia Council and Business Victoria.
Look into business programs, grants and e-resources
Larsen found many challenges in pursuing her goal. ‘I don’t have a business background. So I actually started with the NEIS program.’
NEIS (New Enterprise Incentive Scheme) is a new business assistance program delivered by the Government.
‘I didn’t really want to go and do a business degree and so I was looking at ways that I could learn some basic business skills. And so I was actually accepted into the NEIS program. The program didn’t work out for various reasons, but it gave me those initial skills and ideas on where I could go, and what to look for,’ Larsen said.
The Federal Government’s Business Portal has a dedicated page for Grants and Programs, while the ATO’s Small Business section are also good places to start.
‘Because of COVID-19 there have been so many online workshops and resources,’ Larsen said.
Building an online presence builds a creative community
Creating an online footprint for your business is a must, Riches explained.
‘I pretty much started by creating an online presence and building a website,’ she told ArtsHub.
Read: Six essential videos to help you get your art online
Building a website, creating a social media presence, and cultivating an active online community are ways Riches worked to bring her small press to life. It was also a way for her to network and ‘to get to know a whole bunch of writers straight away.’
The community Riches began to cultivate also became the collective of writers that she would later work with.
‘Since the magazine has been published, some of the writers I featured have had other opportunities built on from the magazine, which was really great … One of the writers, Sharlene Allsop [recently] received an Emerging Writers Residency,’ Riches said.
Learn to understand the publishing process
As an editor, Riches knew what type of writing she wanted to amplify, however, the process of creating a print magazine was completely new to her.
‘The business side of things was a real learning curve – but I think I’ve learned a lot. I think issue two of the magazine will run a lot smoother,’ she said.
Riches said her method was to take the publishing process one step at a time. ‘It’s like, how do you print the magazine? How do you market the magazine? How do you sell the magazine?’
Though it was a slow process, what she learned was well-worth the time. ‘Now I have a better understanding of the processes. And I’ve got a few relationships with bookstores and booksellers,’ Riches said.
Larsen said that while her background in publishing gave her a solid knowledge base, there were still many questions she needed answered.
‘Again, because of the people that I’ve reached out to, I’ve been able to piece together the things I haven’t been so clear on. Particularly around production … typesetting – yes, a new language that I’ve had to learn. I’ve never heard of rags and widows before, but now I know what they are!’
Grateful to be able to work and pursue a new business goal during the pandemic, Larsen said: ‘COVID-19 has made it such a challenge for so many people. But there’s also been some incredible opportunities too.
‘I’m very thankful for the position that I’m in. And that I’ve had the opportunity to realise this dream and actually bring it to life,’ she concluded.
