So, you love tarot you and you want to start a business. Rad! There’s no right or wrong way to do this. I can’t offer a formula for success, because everyone is different. And your differences are exactly where your business should start.
I created a tarot deck and printed one copy for myself back in 2011. At that point, I had no intention of starting a business. I was just fascinated by the archetypes and the images, and I wanted to see what reading from my own deck was like. Eventually a year later I printed a few copies for sale.
The place I started doing readings were bars and music shows, because that is where my peeps were at. My first venue was the Empty Bottle in Chicago. At the time, I was performing with my band Laughing Eye Weeping Eye (the name stuck for me!), and I took the pre-show time to provide very cheap readings. I also read on other nights when other local bands were performing. I think I was charging $5 – $10! Total tarot newbie was gettin’ her walking legs!
I had no tarot network. I had no training, other than the books on tarot I was reading. I had some social work experience, so I knew how to talk to people – but I was otherwise totally just taking a risk.
So, the first step to starting a tarot business is in being willing to take a risk and put yourself out there.
Where is your network? Start there. Think of where you work, and what you do for fun. Can you get some experience through any of these networks?
Yes, you will eventually make a website and get the online presence going. And charge more than $10. But the only way to get comfortable doing readings and to find your voice is by doing a lot of readings.
Events, or social places are great because you are often hanging out in a casual environment. And people are curious about tarot – and are generally pretty cool with the chance to try something out in a low pressure environment. It’s a win win. You get experience, they get a low cost reading.
Are you worried your readings aren’t good enough? Eventually you will get over this, but often it’s just a matter of doing a lot of readings and having some experience under your belt. Doing a lot of readings back-to-back at a few events or social gathering tends to help you get over this a lot faster.
When you are reading under the gun like this, you kinda forget the danger.
Now, let’s talk about the practical aspect of getting your business live and out there in the world. You want to start a blog, get your instagram, twitter, and facebook live. You want to do newsletters, you want to do events. You want to run through the streets screaming, “I AM HERE TAROT, TAROT HEAR ME ROAR!”
It’s an exciting moment, but all the above things at once are a recipe for disaster. Take on too much to fast, and your business will fail. Start slowly, and focus on one thing at a time. A great place to start is to begin writing. What drew you to tarot? What is your philosophy about life, and what do you believe in personally? These two things will intersect. There you go, you are already developing your business philosophy.
Another thing that people are often not prepared for is the sharing of energy. This is a service profession. You are working in a capacity to help people. Self-care is soooo important. I cannot stress this enough.
We are drawn to the tarot because it is magical. But once you start reading for other people, you are sharing your magic with other people. Suddenly, the tarot is not just your magical thing anymore, it’s everyone else’s. Are you ready to share your magic?
The only way to share tarot and the magic you have with others is by keeping some of your own. You NEED your own magical time. Have a tarot deck that you only use for yourself. Have magical items that you don’t bring with you to events. Meditate. Do spellwork for yourself. Go to classes, take online classes, continue to learn and grow, and do things for yourself.
I recommend taking at least a year or two to do tarot part-time, before expanding to full-time (if that is your long term goal). Make sure you really like it and get a sense of what it is going to be like, and where you want to focus. Just like anything in life, developing your business takes time and energy. Patience, persistence, a love for what you do, and some good ‘ol elbow grease is where it’s at (sorry, I’m terrible. Elbow grease?!?!)
I hope you have found this blog entry helpful. Blessed be, tarot friends! I wish you the best of luck on your journey!