We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michelle Bylow. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michelle below.
Michelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I would say I am a happy business owner: a very busy one, but a happy one nonetheless. I haven’t had a regular job in over 10 years and I don’t think I will ever have one again. I love the freedom to make my hours, take an afternoon off, go away for the weekend or work 18 hours one day so I can take the next one off. This is what I tell myself. However, 99% of the time, I work 7 days per week, 10+ hours per day. Having your own business is like being in University; you could always do more, which is looming in the back of your head at all times. So yeah, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to punch out at 5pm, go home and not think about work until you arrive the next day at 9am. But then I think of the reality of having a boss, possibly doing something I’m not passionate about and not having any freedom. I’ll take the 12 hour days doing something that I am passionate about any day!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am currently the owner of RAW Artists Canada and curate multi-media art showcases throughout the country. I have been involved in the arts in one way or another for most of my life. I have an eclectic past ranging from a competitive athlete to a touring musician to a fashion designer and art gallery owner. I started to explore the business side of visual art when I opened up Moniker Gallery in 2013. It was a wonderful learning experience that rooted me in a new, exciting, fresh scene. Moniker focused on emerging talent, allowing new artists to showcase in a gallery setting. I curated my shows and worked with outside curators as well. Unfortunately, Moniker was forced to shut down due to the sale of the building. I took the next year to focus on my fashion brand Jojee Apparel and enjoyed pushing my design skills and exploring a new business. In 2015 I started to get the itch to get back into the visual art world and applied for a job at RAW:natural born artists. They hired me to curate their Toronto showcases and I grew to curate and organized events across the county. In 2019, I had the opportunity to purchase a license to own and operate RAW in Canada; thus, RAW Artsits Canada was born! RAW Artists Canada is an excellent continuation of what I was pushing to achieve at Moniker Gallery. I want to give emerging artists a platform to learn, show their work and be seen and recognized by their communities. There are so many amazing artists out there who never get this opportunity. We are that platform for them to step onto and eventually step off into the next phase of their careers. Our showcases combine art, photography, music, fashion, performance, craft, tech, beauty and accessories all in one showcase. It is an exciting mix that allows artists and spectators to experience artistic disciplines they haven’t before. The vibe at the shows is always electric. You can feel the excitement and positivity the moment you walk in. Seeing artists having their moments in the spotlight, selling work or getting applause from the audience is something that literally brings tears to my eyes. Knowing how much of a positive impact those moments and interactions will have on them, not only as artists but as individuals,, is powerful! RAW Artists Canada will continue to be that platform that makes these moments happen, encourages artists to keep going, and reminds them that what they are doing is recognized and important.
Have you ever had to pivot?
As an events-based company, we wanted to ensure we could offer an experience to those unable or unwilling to come out to events. In Canada, there was a fair amount of tension around being vaccinated and at one point, you had to be vaccinated to attend all events. As we were ramping back up to hosting showcases again, I wanted RAW Artists Canada to remain inclusive. I was brainstorming how to do this, and the obvious one was to do a live broadcast of the event for ticket holders to watch from home. Not knowing the cost or tech behind this, we hired a team to run this for us at our first showcase. It was costly and not something that was financially sustainable. I couldn’t let it go. How could we do this? The only answer I could come up with was your typical entrepreneur answer, “I’ll do it myself”. I spent 3 months researching and learning the tech side of how to put together a live broadcast, bought the required equipment for less than the tech team had charged for one show and then very nervously did the first live broadcast of a RAW Artists Canada event. It was a little clunky and we had some issues but I did it! We have been doing broadcasts at all our showcases for over a year and went from having only a few people logged in to an average of 500. I continue to upgrade my skills in this area and am now getting hired by outside companies to run their broadcasts. A nice pivot that turned into a side hustle!
Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses
I purchased a license from RAW:natural born artists to use their Platform Software and have the right to run showcases in Canada. The process was fairly long and drawn out, taking over 2 years. There was a fair amount of back and forth between our lawyers, breaks and pauses in the negotiations where we seemed to have forgotten about it and then returned to the drawing table. At the time, it was a significant financial commitment and I was a little scared of taking the financial risk, so I welcomed the pauses. I remember the day I signed the contract! I was happy, excited and nervous. Looking back on it, it was one of the best decisions I have made.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.RAWartists.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rawartistscanada/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rawartistscanada
- Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/michellebylow
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL2uJY0eGt7YGYsiLbY-KZw
- Other: https://vimeo.com/rawartistscanada
Image Credits
Tim Sandik