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My successes.

“The biggest thing I have been able to do is learn about scope creep and to refine the work I do,” Hauer says. “My next goals are to work on financial growth and marketing. 

She encourages fellow artist-entrepreneurs not to delay in seeking mentorship for their business ventures. “You don’t have to have every question perfectly formulated before you start meeting.” 

How SCORE helped.

Kyira Hauer has attended several SCORE online workshops and notes the “tangible next steps for increasing the professionalism of my business” she has learned from the various presentations. 

After her first meeting with a mentor, she had “some basic ideas about putting together a business plan and had been asked some of the hard questions I needed to think about.” Her conversations helped her consider ways to monetize her business to make it sustainable. She also discussed an idea to shift her business into two different entities and make the #ReclaimBeauty project  nonprofit. “It was really helpful to talk to a nonprofit expert about the pros and cons to this,” Hauer says. She ultimately decided not to pursue nonprofit status. 

How Did Your Business Get Started?

Kyira Hauer started her business, Kinda Kreative, to sell her artwork. But it expanded rapidly to include more service-based work and public speaking. She launched the #ReclaimBeauty community project after a conversation with fellow artists about traditional views of beauty. The project utilizes art, community action events, photoshoots, and a community-run blog to encourage free expression and appreciation of beauty in all its forms. 

“It is really tricky to think about how to expand and grow a service-based business, especially one focused on community action,” Hauer says. She turned to SCORE for guidance in developing her business skills and thinking more critically about business development.