In this episode of the Artist Academy Podcast, I’m joined by Derrik Diza to dive into hiring, team building, and growing an art business beyond just yourself.

Derrik was previously on the podcast to talk about outreach. Since then, he has built a much bigger operation with employees, artists, a mentorship program, and systems that allow him to take on more work without doing everything himself.

With hiring as the focus of this month’s content, I wanted to hear what Derrik has learned from building his own team. He shares how to know when it’s time to hire, what tasks to hand off first, and why having a system in place makes all the difference. He also explains why he believes culture matters more than skills when choosing the right people.

Derrik has also spent a lot of time figuring out what works in his marketing. He shares his approach to cold email and niche marketing along with some great advice on making your outreach sound more human. We get into how testing and consistency can help you find what works and eventually turn that process into something someone else can manage.

The bigger lesson here is that growth doesn’t mean you have to work more hours or do more yourself. It means finding ways to build systems and bring the right people in so your business can grow beyond what you can do alone.