A reader asks:

I have a business idea. To open a new art and design gallery. I can see how it looks, but the main problem is, I have no idea how to make it happen.

Starting an art gallery is not something I’ve ever done, or ever considered doing. There are two good reasons for this: firstly I know very little about art; secondly I know absolutely nothing about this industry. I suspect anyone asking me for advice on how to go about opening an art gallery probably knows even less, so my advice is simple: don’t do it.

If you really, really want to start an art gallery then your first step should be to get some experience working in an art gallery and to become an expert in the type of art you wish to sell. Note, that’s not an expert in the techniques used to produce it (although you should know more than most) but an expert in whose work sells well, who buys it, why they buy it and how much they’ll pay for it.

I suspect that there are two key aspects to running a successful art gallery: knowing what art to sell; and building a contact list of art buyers.

It might also be worth buying or borrowing a copy of the book How to Start and Run a Commercial Art Gallery

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