Initiatives of the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft
From the Hanau Academy of Art to her own brand in Hamburg: Anna-Lena Steidle has made a name for herself with her timeless jewellery. Five lessons she’s learnt from running her own business.
How does an idea become a piece of jewellery – and how does a goldsmith become a successful entrepreneur? With her studio in Hamburg-Ottensen and her own brand, Anna-Lena Steidle has made a name for herself with timeless jewellery and meticulous craftsmanship. After completing her apprenticeship, she graduated from the Master’s programme at the Hanau Academy of Fine Arts and took the plunge into self-employment. We asked her for her top five business tips.
#1 You don’t have to be able to do everything yourself. "When you first start out as a self-employed person, you inevitably end up doing a great deal yourself: the website, photos, marketing, customer communication and organisation. Fortunately, I had a tax adviser from the very start – that was definitely a good decision. Over time, I’ve learnt to look more closely at where my own time is best spent and which tasks others can handle better or more efficiently. Delegating tasks and not feeling the need to do everything myself was an important learning process for me."
#2 Creative work requires just as much structure as it does freedom. "Even in a creative profession, fixed structures are incredibly important. Fixed studio days, realistic production times, a booking system and clear procedures for communicating with clients are what give me the freedom I need to concentrate on design and craftsmanship. At the same time, it remains a challenge for me to find the right balance time and again, to say ‘no’ when necessary and not to overload myself with too many commissions and projects at once."
#3 Not every commission has to be the right one. "Over time, I’ve learnt to define my own work – and my limits – more clearly. I don’t have to accept every enquiry, nor do I have to fulfil every request. The clearer I’ve become about what my work stands for and what sort of projects really suit me and my design style, the better the clients suit me too. Saying ‘no’ can sometimes be just as important as saying ‘yes’."
#4 Calculating the cost of your own work properly is a learning process. "As creative professionals in particular, you may initially tend to focus mainly on the materials and the actual time spent working. But there is much more to a price than that: development and design work, consultancy, organisation, studio costs, external work and, of course, the experience you have built up over many years."
#5 Visibility is part and parcel of being self-employed. "That, too, was a process for me. Good work alone isn’t necessarily enough if nobody finds out about it. Showing my own work, developing a clear visual language over the years and also becoming more visible as a person are all part of it for me today. At the same time, I think it’s important not to chase every trend, but to find a way of communicating that really suits my own work and my own personality."
Thank you for sharing your insights, dear Anna-Lena!
After completing her training as a goldsmith, Anna-Lena Steidle studied at Europe’s oldest goldsmithing training centre – the State Academy of Fine Arts in Hanau. After completing her master craftsman’s training, she spent some time working as a journeyman goldsmith in Frankfurt and Hamburg before settling in the north. Here in Hamburg, she fulfilled her long-held dream and took the plunge into self-employment with her label ANNALENASTEIDLE. Photo credit: Jenny Bewer
