The Artist VS The Business-Owner

Mastery is not the same as building a business - but both work.

When I started my first business, I thought I was being an entrepreneur.
In reality, I was being an artist.

I had a service that took your pet photos and turned them into drawings. I then put these drawings on phone cases and hoodies, selling them for $20-50.

Sounds fine, until you do the maths:

• Each drawing took 3–4 hours

• Hoodies and merch cost at least $10 a pop

• I was making less than minimum wage

It didn’t make sense to me - and I didn’t know what I was doing wrong - so I shut the whole thing down.

But what I didn’t realize was this:
I was using the artist’s model in a business problem.

Here’s what I mean:

The Core Insight

There are two distinct games people play when they “start a business”:

Game 1: The Artist

• Goal: Mastery

• Product: Your skill

• Pricing: Based on demand for you

• Strategy: Get so good they can’t ignore you

• Outcome: People pay you top dollar to do the thing

Game 2: The Business Owner

• Goal: Systems

• Product: Outcomes

• Pricing: Based on value delivered

• Strategy: Build acquisition, retention, monetization

• Outcome: People pay your business to solve their problem

Both are valid.
But you can’t mix them. The moment you confuse the two, your decision making breaks.

That’s what I did. I tried to sell custom art like it was a productized business.

Spoiler: custom doesn’t scale. And art doesn’t pay unless you become world-class… or build leverage.

What I Would Do Differently

If I wanted to succeed as an artist, I’d:

1. Go all-in on the craft.

2. Build a public body of work.

3. Share everything - process, progress, and personality.

4. Use the exposure to create demand.

5. Gradually raise prices until they match the value I’ve created.

If I wanted to succeed as a business owner, I’d:

1. Start with an outcome people already want.

2. Build a process that delivers it efficiently.

3. Build an acquisition engine.

4. Hire and train people to deliver the service.

5. Remove myself from the day-to-day, or choose the role that suits me best.

Same ladder, different steps.

The Key Question

Ask yourself:

One is mastery.
The other is scale.
Pick one. Play it all the way through.
And don’t mix the rules.

Ben.