5 Major Lessons I’ve Learned doing Murals for Businesses in Rehoboth 

About 10 years ago I started taking on clients locally to do murals and chalkboard artwork for local businesses and for people in their homes. Over the years, I have been lucky enough to do Artwork for 23 different local businesses as well as about 10 home owners looking for various Art projects big and small. I have learned a lot of lessons about doing this type of work in the community and I wanted to share them with you especially if you are considering doing this type of work. 

1. Pricing Expectations:  I think a lot of our skin crawls when we think about having the hardest conversation in this process when the client asks us, “So what is this going to cost”. I have run into this a lot over the years so before I even begin designing or brainstorming, I ask them what their budget is. Right away, if it’s something you can’t work with walk away from the job because if it’s not worth your time the whole process with be a nightmare for you. 
2. If they can buy it as a wallpaper, you should charge more than the wallpaper. Sounds kind of obvious but I use this analogy all the time to local businesses when they are trying to talk down my prices. For some bizarre reason I often find locally that hiring an Artist is a way to save money than buying a Wallpaper or decals. Wallpaper and decals are mass produced and printed on machines. There are typically hundreds and thousands of them. When you do Art, it is one of a kind and doesn’t exist anywhere else on this planet. That is rare and it is worth more than something that is mass produced. An Artist’s original Artwork should always be more valuable than something that is mass produced. So, before you do a design ask yourself could this be a wallpaper or decal? Google it, look at the price to buy it and install it and use it as collateral when you are pricing out a project. 
3. Beware of being paid in gift cards from restaurants.I have had a lot of businesses offer me Food and Drink for pay… and I honestly regret that. Now think about this. A $100 gift card from a restaurant costs them about $20. Their staff is tipped so its food cost and some overhead that it costs them. When you swap your $100 services for a $100 gift card for you to spend at their restaurant just really benefits the restaurant, not really you. Rule of thumb, get paid in money and go eat at their restaurant. Now, if they feed you while you’re working, that is just common courtesy and that should never come out of your pay. This is a little different for services swap. I’ve done murals for yoga studios and got an equal amount of what I would charge in credit to their studio for classes. If you are doing a trade make sure it equals the amount you would charge and make sure it’s for a product that brings value to your life!
4. Don’t just charge for the Art. Charge for meeting to discuss the mural, creating concepts/ sketching, and your travel in addition to your time and materials for a mural. 
5. Have a contract. Have a service agreement so that you and the client are 100% on the same page with output and payment. Contracts also signify to the client that you are professional. Professional products are paid a professional price, never forget that. Before I used a service agreement with my clients I would get burned from time to time. From someone handing me a check when I’m done with significantly less money than we agreed upon to someone deciding they didn’t like it and not paying me at all PLUS keeping the Artwork. Contract agreements protect you and manage expectations. Know your worth and make sure everyone is always on the same page.