Why is building a direct-to-customer business better than relying on galleries or third parties?

A direct business where you sell directly to customers has a dramatically higher success rate than relying on galleries or third-party sellers. This isn’t opinion—it’s a fundamental entrepreneurial principle that applies across all industries. When you build a business dependent on third parties to sell your product, it’s highly risky: the rug can get pulled out from under you, you have no control, and you have no consistent income. Compare 100 artists pursuing galleries versus 100 pursuing direct sales over three years: the gallery route will leave most frustrated with almost no money being made, maybe one or two with decent success, but never enough to feed a family. The direct model has reasonable, consistent success rates. Getting 1099 checks from a gallery isn’t a real business—it’s not something you can pass to the next generation or retire on. A direct business gives you control, consistent cash flow, and builds real equity that can sustain you for 20-30 years.

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Asked by general teaching point · Answered by Nick Friend and Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2022-03-04