Art. Spirit. Life. - John Hannafin's Success Story
By Dawn Wivell
Small Business Development Center, Kutztown University
July 2005 Success Connection Newsletter
Although John Hannafin, founder of ArtPassionista, never took a formal painting class and never thought he had it in him to become an entrepreneur, a series of events guided him into starting his own art business.
Hannafin has been drawing all his life, but when a back operation had him laid up, his mother bought him painting supplies and his art expanded. He learned how art has a subconscious effect on the health and body while attending Psychology conferences with his mother, a psychologist. He became intrigued by human emotion, and wanted to help and inspire people through art.
After recuperating from the back surgery, he continued working in the corporate world until being laid off in September 2004. A small slip of paper about the Self-Employment Assistance(SEA) program in his packet of unemployment information gave him his opportunity. Hannafin began attending SEA classes, graduating in November 2004.
He began doing research about a relatively new technology called Giclée(a French word pronounced "Zhee-clay"), a technique that produces top-quality canvas prints. This would allow him to provide affordable, high-quality prints that look like original paintings. He purchased the equipment and found a way to represent other artists and influence more people with art.
He added five artists' work to his own, and began selling the limited-edition canvas prints through local outlets such as gyms, salons, and furniture stores. Then he turned his attention to the internet.
In his research he found several websites from England selling high-quality reproductions that viewed art more than just a commodity, but very few such websites in the United States. In order to offer the high-quality prints at half the price one would see in galleries, he chose his website as his primary selling venue. He hired one of the speakers at his SEA class to develop his website.
Hannafin believes that perseverance is the most crucial attribute of a successful entrepreneur. He says it's necessary to maintain a positive outlook and keep the bigger picture in mind.
Two of his biggest challenges have been expressing the quality of a product on a computer screen and reaching his target market with search engine optimization. Of course, along with those challenges comes independence, control over his life, and the opportunity to do what he loves.
Hannafin says it would have been nearly impossible to do what he's done without the help of the Small Business Development Center. They helped him conduct research, write a business plan, and determine pricing. He continues working with the SBDC to expand his distribution.
His future plans include: adding more artists, branding the ArtPassionista name, and possibly opening a gallery in West Chester, PA. He is also experimenting with reproducing people's photographs on canvas and enhancing them to look like real paintings. The possibilities and Hannafin's passion for the business seem endless.
To learn more about Hannafin's philosophy about how art influences human emotion and to view his online art gallery, visit www.ArtPassionista.com.
