15 Art Business Success Stories & Case Studies
Starting an art business can be a great idea if you have a passion for art.
You’ll be able to work on your schedule, set your prices, and do something you love—while supporting yourself or even making money!
There are so many different avenues available to you as an artist-entrepreneur right now—from selling your work online (on sites like Etsy), through galleries or museums, or even at craft fairs and flea markets.
In this list, you'll find real-world art business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a art business that makes money.
1. Hoagard.com ($4.98M/year)
In 2014, Ali Bedrettin Boz and Cagri Ayten started designing steel samples as a hobby. They realized the potential for their designs in the interior design market and established Hoagard as an e-commerce brand. Despite facing challenges and initially low sales, Hoagard experienced a significant leap in 2016, reaching an average annual turnover of 4.5 - 5.5 million Euros.
How much money it makes: $4.98M/year
How many people on the team: 43
Hoagard is a profitable metal wall decor brand with an average annual turnover of 4.5-5.5 million Euros, which started out as a new hobby and transformed into a successful e-commerce business with 85% of sales coming from the brand's own website.
2. Art Lovers Australia ($1.92M/year)
Nancy and Jarrod, both with backgrounds in the arts industry, recognized the obstacles that artists faced in gaining visibility. They decided to start Art Lovers Australia, an online gallery, to showcase the talent of Australian artists and make buying art easy for art enthusiasts. Through collaborations with designers and TV shows, their audience has grown, and they now have almost 1000 artists on their platform, with monthly sales averaging $160K.
How much money it makes: $1.92M/year
How much did it cost to start: $100K
How many people on the team: 4
Art Lovers Australia grew from 50 to almost 1000 artists and increased their monthly sales to an average of $160K by collaborating with designers and TV shows, building an audience on social media before launching, prioritizing advertising and marketing, and creating partnerships.
3. SALSO Design ($1.2M/year)
Saleh Sokhandan, a designer and founder of Salso Studio, came up with the idea for his business after realizing the potential of optical illusion techniques in decoration, advertising, product design, and more. He started his journey as a freelancer, gradually gaining recognition and expertise in 3D design and optical illusions. Through his unique skills and continuous hard work, Salso Studio has attracted diverse clients, including advertising agencies, big companies, private individuals, and even investors for large-scale projects, generating an impressive revenue of $400,000 per year.
How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 6
Saleh Sokhandan, founder of Salso design studio, shares how he grew his business to $400k in revenue per year by using optical illusion techniques in decoration, advertising, entertainment, and product design for clients ranging from private individuals to big commercial companies and investors.
4. Astrography ($1.08M/year)
Artur Kurasinski and Adam Jesionkiewicz co-created Astrography, a company that prints and sells fine arts related to space. Adam, an experienced astrophotographer, decided to print his own pictures and found that people were willing to pay for them. With a zero marketing budget, they managed to print $160K worth of fine art in 12 months and have since become a profitable business.
How much money it makes: $1.08M/year
How many people on the team: 4
Astrography is a small family business offering high-quality, limited edition fine art prints related to space; in the first 12 months of operation, they managed to print the fine art for $160k, largely thanks to social media without any loans or investors.
5. Stencil Stop ($960K/year)
Colin came up with the idea for Stencil Stop after realizing there was a lack of readily available stencils, specifically Clemson University's logo, online. He set up a rough website and sold his first stencil on the very first night, providing validation for the demand for stencil solutions. Since then, Stencil Stop has grown to earn around $100K per month in revenue by expanding product lines and manufacturing capabilities.
How much money it makes: $960K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 9
A packaging designer started Stencil Stop in 2015, which now earns around $100K per month in revenue selling stencils, offering custom stencils as some of its best-sellers, and attracting and retaining customers through simplified products and efficient advertising techniques.
6. Soundwave Art ($288K/year)
Mike LaTour, the co-founder and CEO of Soundwave Art, came up with the idea for his business during a casual dinner conversation with friends. One friend mentioned the concept of turning sound waves into art, and this sparked Mike's interest. With a background in the music industry, Mike decided to pursue the idea and started working on it in his spare time. After launching the business and receiving orders from around the world, Mike realized the potential of his concept and focused on expanding his product offerings. Ultimately, the development of an augmented reality app transformed Soundwave Art and opened doors to new opportunities, including partnerships with businesses for promotional purposes.
How much money it makes: $288K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 1
Soundwave Art, founded by Mike LaTour, offers customers the ability to turn their voice or any sound into an augmented reality experience through their mobile app, giving them the ability to create personalized jewelry and artwork that is totally unique.
7. Mapply ($180K/year)
Scott Wood, co-founder of Mapply, came up with the idea for his map print business after seeing the success of a similar brand called Mapiful. With a background in digital marketing and a love for travel and art, Scott saw an opportunity to create personalized and colorful map prints. By starting with offline validation and gradually expanding his product offerings, Scott has grown Mapply from a few hundred pounds in sales to over £30k ($40k) in prints per month, with plans to expand further in the future.
How much money it makes: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 0
UK-based co-founder grows map print company Mapply from a few hundred pounds a month in sales to over £30k ($40k~) in prints per month, without much marketing, and expands to brick-and-mortar stores while focusing on continuous product expansion.
8. Marblebee Ltd ($120K/year)
Jack Gao, the founder of MarbleBee, came up with the idea for his business after combining his previous experience in e-commerce with his passion for carving skills. He realized the potential of creating stone carving products, specifically marble bathtubs and sculptures, and decided to merge his skills with the e-commerce model. Since then, MarbleBee has become the go-to manufacturer of natural stone carving products, serving hundreds of homeowners and establishing partnerships with interior designers, contractors, and builders in over 20 countries. With a strong marketing team and a growing online presence, MarbleBee is experiencing a period of rapid growth, with plans to open a showroom in Toronto in the near future.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $150K
How many people on the team: 25
MarbleBee is a natural stone carving products manufacturer that has become the most experienced supplier in designing and manufacturing marble bathtubs and sculptures, established long-term cooperation with interior designers, contractors, and builders in over 20 countries and served hundreds of homeowners.
9. BasedLabs.ai | AI Image & Video Creator ($120K/year)
Andrew and Michael, leveraging their extensive startup and web3 backgrounds, founded BasedLabs in December 2023 after struggling to find high-quality AI b-roll for automated content creation, quickly achieving a $10K MRR and 150,000 signups with less than $500 on marketing.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 0
Entrepreneurs achieve a $10,000 MRR and 150,000 user signups in just four months through SEO, free AI tools, and lean marketing spend, highlighting the power of rapid iteration, distribution, and a focus on user feedback to drive business growth.
10. Avatoon ($56.4K/year)
Zoltán and his colleagues founded Avatoon.net after realizing the obscure market for custom hand-drawn avatars. They launched their website and attracted customers through an email campaign and ProductHunt feature, and have since focused on improving their SEO to attract organic traffic. With a majority of their clients being returning companies, they plan to spend more on SEO and introduce different art styles at different price points in the future.
How much money it makes: $56.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $800
How many people on the team: 3
Avatoon.net founders share how they started a $4.7k/month business selling custom hand-drawn avatars and grew to an average of $5,000 per month with ~100 clients through SEO-focused marketing and serving returning companies.
11. Innerglow Art ($51.6K/year)
Painting had helped Sarah channel her emotions of getting rejected from grad schools in a positive way, as she had been the "artsy" girl in college as well. It started as a hobby but within a few months, her friends and family encouraged her to sell her art. Seeing the demand on her store, she started Innerglow Art.
How much money it makes: $51.6K/year
How many people on the team: 0
Innerglow Art is a successful custom abstract painting business that incorporates scripture and personable connection with buyers to produce beautiful and unique artwork.
12. Sarah Paints Pets ($42K/year)
Sarah Miller, the founder of sarahpaintspets, came up with the idea for her business in college when she painted her boyfriend's cat as a gift. After receiving positive feedback and selling over 100 paintings for Christmas presents, she realized there was a demand for her custom watercolor pet portraits. Since then, she has been able to increase her prices and attract customers through her personalized approach and social media presence.
How much money it makes: $42K/year
How many people on the team: 1
Sarah Miller started a small business, sarahpaintspets, where she creates custom watercolor pet portraits for animal lovers across the US and Canada, which has lead to an average income per painting of $150 and receives word-of-mouth referrals as the biggest source of income.
13. URSULA BARTON ($36K/year)
Ursula Barton, an artist, came up with the idea for her business after a spill of expensive ink onto watercolor paper led her to embrace a process of unpredictable art creation. After gaining positive reactions to her work at a cafe, she realized she had something special and started reproducing her paintings as greeting cards, postcards, and prints, eventually expanding her product line and opening a retail shop called Jailbreak.
How much money it makes: $36K/year
How many people on the team: 1
This case study showcases how artist Ursula Barton built two successful small businesses, one featuring her artwork on paper goods and the other being a retail shop showcasing art and handmade goods from a variety of makers, both of which have seen great success in sales and community support.
14. Custom Pet Portraits by Tiffany Dnaka ($14.4K/year)
Tiffany started her custom pet portrait business after experiencing loss and wanting to create a specific style of artwork to remember her furry friend. She launched on Etsy but eventually moved to her own website to have more control over her marketing and customer communication. Through trial and error and a strong presence on social media, Tiffany has been able to attract and retain customers, and she plans to focus on scaling her brand in the future by partnering with celebrities and influencers.
How much money it makes: $14.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $473
How many people on the team: 0
Custom Pet Portraits by Tiffany Dnaka has seen massive growth since starting in 2021, with yearly revenue doubling year after year and an average of $1,200 a month in sales, and founder Tiffany's 2021 goal is to scale by teaming up with celebrities and influencers.
15. Justin Erickson Art ($10.5K/year)
Justin Erickson, an independent artist based in Vancouver, came up with the idea for his business after attending local events and showcasing his artwork. He realized that he could turn his passion into a career and started developing his brand, taking professional product photos and designing collateral for clients. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Justin has been consistently earning between $500-$1,500 a month through his art.
How much money it makes: $10.5K/year
How much did it cost to start: $7.03K
How many people on the team: 1
Independent artist Justin Erickson earns between $500-$1500 a month and offers advice on developing a career as an independent artist and graphic designer, from building a brand through printmaking, launching a business, attracting and retaining customers, and learning from other resources.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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