Reaching the Right Customers
Don Whittecar is one of only six wildlife engravers in the U.S. He is just beginning a successful small business, after losing his job due to his disabilities.
When Don first accessed the Careers through Partnerships Project, he asked for money to buy photo processing equipment. He was already being sponsored by a photo equipment manufacturer and had a couple of contracts with Montana nature organizations to photograph wildlife. His plan was to use the equipment to establish a business in his home, process the pictures to fulfill his contracts, and enter various shows in the area where there was a market for his art. Besides the equipment, he requested money for business start-up expenses, including marketing, travel, and assistance finding funding for a new vehicle. The car he was driving was old and unreliable, especially on long trips into the back country. Staff from the Montana Job Training Partnership and the Rural Institute talked with him about what equipment he needed and advised him to apply for funding from the Careers Project through a local provider. A few weeks later, his funding was approved and he purchased the equipment.
Prior to this, Don had begun working with the local small business development center on drawing up a business plan. His company was to be a limited liability company specializing in wildlife engravings and hand-colored black and white photographs. He developed a customer profile and a target market that defined his buyer group, plus a list of thirty engraving galleries, twenty-two photography galleries, and two advertising agencies. The marketing plan included developing a professional brochure for each of his product lines, sending slides to galleries, and developing a web site.
Don had begun working with the local small business development center on drawing up a business plan.
Don had done his homework. He had a workable business plan and was implementing it. He had taken steps to secure some initial funding and had contacted important manufacturers and customers, but he still needed reliable transportation. Don contacted a local car dealer to buy an all-wheel drive van that suited his purposes. To buy the van, he turned to the Social Security Administration and wrote a Plan to Achieve Self Support (PASS). Don proposed using his SSDI check to make van payments and pay for maintenance for more than 36 months. He wrote his own plan, with some technical assistance from the Careers Project team. Initially Social Security rejected the plan because it left him too little money to pay his monthly mortgage. They cited that once the plan was authorized, the SSI benefit amount would be far less than what he needed to live. Since we could not reduce his home payments, utilities, and food expenses, and Social Security would not authorize the PASS to pay for a portion of his mortgage (he was operating the business from space in his home), Don found a roommate to split the expenses. By doing this he qualified for the PASS.
While writing the PASS plan, Don contacted the local Vocational Rehabilitation office. He applied for services in order to fund his planned marketing activities, such as printing his brochures, printing slides to illustrate his work, entering local art shows, and travel expenses. The counselor authorized $5,000 for these marketing expenses. Don had also been able to get private funds to travel to New York to make contact with a photographic equipment manufacturer who was considering showing his work in their gallery, and who had supplied Don with equipment through the years.
During the first summer of business operations, Don exhibited at four art shows in Montana. Although he did make limited sales, he found that the shows were more craft exhibits and did not really promote fine art, which was his intended market. Since his PASS plan had not been approved at this point, Don felt uncomfortable traveling the distances required to attend shows that promoted his work and were more to his marketing plan specifications. Going back to the drawing board, he began contacting specific galleries around the country where he hoped to exhibit and where his art would be appreciated and purchased. He sent slides of his work and brochures that not only illustrated his work but told his story and his goals as an artist. He also began directing people to his web site.
His PASS plan was approved in late summer; he purchased the van, service agreement, and insurance, and had some money for travel expenses to market his products. Also, since the van had been his highest priority, he gained a great deal of confidence in his ability to now promote and operate his business. He was, literally, on the road!
Within a few months, four galleries had agreed to exhibit his work. These galleries were located in Whitefish, Montana; Bamebridge Island, Washington; Bar Harbor, Maine; and Medford, New Hampshire. The Medford gallery, the Old Print Barn, is an exclusive exhibitor and purveyor of fine art. It features only art on paper and handles art from the fifteenth century as well as more contemporary pieces. Artists on exhibit include Mantegna, Paranisi, Georgia O’Keefe, Currier and Ives, and now, Don. His work is exhibited in all of the galleries.
Next year, he plans to attend eight art shows that are specifically for fine wildlife art. Instead of considering only the shows that are within 200 miles of his home, Don has widened his physical market to 500 miles, because he has reliable transportation. He is considering purchasing a travel trailer to cut expenses involved in attending the shows. This year, he will be appearing at shows in Ellensburg, Washington; Toppenish, Oregon; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Spokane, Washington. He will also attend other shows in Montana, if they correspond to the way he intends to market his art. He will continue to contact galleries across the country, by mail, over the telephone, and through his website.
Don has continued to build resources to develop his business. He operates both a chemical and a digital darkroom from his home. He obtained a digital camcorder from his new professional sponsor, Canon, which can supply him with both video and a wealth of still images he can download and edit on his computer and then print on a new photo quality printer. The support for his business is now more based on the markets that he has established and less on funding from public sources. He is beginning to see his dream realized.
How to contact this small
business owner:
Don Whittecar
296 Meadow Rd.
Stevensville, MT 59870
(406) 218-8821
don@taiowaimages.com