Power of Appearances for Artists

How To Become A Successful Self-Taught Artist in 6 Steps

By Julien Delagrange

Introduction: The Taboo & Struggle of being a Self-Taught artist

A Step-by-Step Guide to Become a Successful Artist

Today, there are numerous established self-taught artists. The fact they are self-taught is no longer an issue because their art, knowledge, understanding, and contribution to art are much more important than a piece of paper from an art university. So, let’s say that is our goal. But how to get there?

This article will explain how you can increase your chances of success as a self-taught artist in just six steps. Specifically, we will discuss where you can learn the things they teach at art university by yourself, where to start, how to develop your artistic practice, how to ‘act’ when being self-taught, and how you can make it in the art world.

All too often, there is a certain taboo connected to being a self-taught artist, resulting in various struggles and difficulties for those who do not have the opportunity—or even privilege—to attend art school. Art education can often be relatively inaccessible or too expensive depending on your socio-economical situation or your country’s educational system.

However, do not despair. Today, the most important knowledge and information to become self-taught has become more accessible than ever—if you know where to look, of course. Becoming a professional artist is not easy, on the contrary, let alone becoming a professional self-taught artist. However, with all the pitfalls and challenges one faces when becoming an artist, being self-taught should not prevent you from making it in the art world.

At art school, the focus is primarily on your personal development as an artist—learning a specific skill or nurturing you to discover your style. But as we have noticed and heard multiple times, they most often do not prepare you for the art world or how to make a career in the art world. But don’t worry, we have you covered here.

Now, one more thing before we dive into step one is determining what determines a successful artist. Being a successful artist can mean something different from person to person, but here at CAI, we always strive for the highest goal: becoming a true, established artist in the high-end art world. Others simply want to make a living as an artist.

But from our experience, we have noticed that pursuing artistic success eventually results in commercial success. Even more, when working for artistic recognition, the sky is the limit. Think of being represented by industry-leading galleries taking care of all the promotion and sales, selling your work for five up to six figures, or even becoming a canonized artist featuring in museum collections and publications.

Step 1: Explore, Experiment & Experience

Our very first step is arguably one of the most important and will run parallel with steps two and three. Before we can distinguish ourselves in the art world, we need to know what we want. What type of artist do you want to be? What discipline do you enjoy the most? What style or technique comes naturally to you?

As a result, before we dedicate our lives to a specific medium, style, technique, or vision, we need to need ourselves the freedom and opportunity to explore, experiment, and experience art.

In fact, exploring, experimenting, and experiencing art to get inspired is something you’ll have to do throughout your life and career as an artist. But, in your earliest stages as an artist, you can do this the most radically and intensely. You will notice that it will be more difficult later in your career to make radical changes. Even though, to remain interesting and relevant, your work must change and develop as well, albeit consistently. Because, as in life, the only constant thing in art is change—but we’ll expand on this later.

So yes, you can incorporate a new discipline later on or have a visual shift in your style, but during this step, you have total freedom without having to worry about any consequences. You can try out everything you feel like trying. Experiment, explore, and also experience. And I briefly emphasize this third ‘E’ from step one; experience. Art is something you must experience, both as a viewer and as an artist. These experiences will inspire you, and what inspires you will incite you to experiment, picking up various influences that will, in the end, create a new synthesis of who you are as an artist.

These experiments will result in technical challenges for self-taught artists. Here, it is time to consider supporting your experiments with online tutorials and possibly some courses. Thanks to the World Wide Web, skills can be learned from home and online. YouTube is probably the ideal place to find the right tutorials. I would advise you to do your research and select a channel hosted by an artist you like, and start binge-watching their videos and learning and experimenting along the way.

There are literally thousands of tutorials on painting and drawing. For sculpture, installation, or maybe even video art—in short, less accessible art forms—you might consider digging deeper and scoping the internet for tutorials and courses. Think of platforms such as Skillshare, where you can learn specific crafts or skills from home.

Further, today, there are no rules regarding how you should create art. From this perspective, being a self-taught artist can even be an advantage instead of a disadvantage. It is entirely up to you to paint alla prima or use glazing, with a paintbrush or a palette knife. Even more, you can just search for your own technique and methodology. Doing things differently is not a bad thing; on the contrary.

Explore, experiment, and experience freely throughout steps two and three. These experiments will be your compass to achieve your personal vision, identity, and oeuvre (cf. infra; Step 4).

Step 2: Educate Yourself in Art (History)

Step two is another crucial step when it comes to your development as an artist, but also when it comes to your credibility as a self-taught artist. One of the main things people often question with self-taught artists is if you have a decent frame of reference regarding your knowledge of art and art history. But once again, there is no reason why you should not be able to become an art expert, even if you do not hold a master’s degree in the arts or art history.

Even more, it is also crucial to know art history to have a decent understanding of art today and by extent, the role, and importance of your art. It would be naive to believe you can make it in the art world without knowing art. I can guarantee you your knowledge and intelligence will be tested as you try to climb up the ladder. So, how and where can we educate ourselves?

First, I advise starting with art history by reading the academic reference publications they use as textbooks at university. In fact, you can approach this step as an actual education, in which I highly recommend taking notes along the way. Not to use to study for an exam but to create a personal summary of art history, taking notes that can be useful for your own practice.

We start with general overviews of art history, encompassing the following publications that could be a great fit to educate yourself: A New History of Western Art — From Antiquity to the Present Day, The Story of Art, and The Art Book. These overview publications present the canon of art history. With every art movement or chapter, feel free to look at the notes to discover more specialized books on a specific era or artist. But to keep things simple first, the publications mentioned above are already pretty extensive and have a lot of information to take for now.

Next, we want to focus on our current era, from Modern Art to this day. The reference publications to read are Art Since 1900, Modern Art — A History from Impressionism to Today, and A History of Modern Art. These three are by far the most important reference publications on recent art history, and I would even advise, if possible, to read all three, whereas, with art history, one could be enough—but of course, the more, the better.

Now that we have a decent frame of reference regarding the canon of art, it is time to dig deeper and specialize ourselves in specific art movements, artists, and disciplines. Here, the selected publications depend on your interests and practice, but there are a few things I would like you to know about. Be careful with false information in self-published books. Anyone can write and publish a book these days. And even with small publishing houses, some very questionable art books are often being produced.

As a result, I would advise you to choose books from renowned art book publishers such as Taschen, Phaidon, Thames & Hudson, Skira, Prestel Publishing, Tate Publishing, Lund Humphries, or other famous art institutions acting as the publisher—think museums or universities. These publishing houses guarantee quality art research, trustworthy information, and authoritative authors and editors.

For instance, Phaidon has some terrific publications on almost any medium; think of Painting Today and Sculpture Today. Taschen’s basic art series is another excellent series of books on specific art movements and artists. The monographic publications by museums coinciding with a retrospective exhibition are also always a top-notch resource.

These are all examples of in-depth research and self-education regarding highly established art, but what about less established art? Some of the publishing houses have great publications about art today. Think of Phaidon’s series on new perspectives in art, with Vitamin P(ainting), Vitamin D(rawing), or Vitamin Ph(otography). But also the publications by galleries about the artists they represent and you might relate with.

This brings us to other sources to dig deeper and stay posted on contemporary art—think of renowned art platforms, art magazines, curatorial entities, and contemporary art museums. Even more in-depth and specialized information can be found in the academic literature on contemporary art. Whitechapel’s documents on contemporary art series is an excellent example of a publishing house compiling the most critical academic writings on a single issue or subject in contemporary art. And there are also academic writings that are indirectly related to art, like Foucault and Lacan.

But don’t be intimidated by the sheer depth of the world’s knowledge and information related to art. It is not necessary to become a true academic or Pictor Doctus to be successful. It is clear to say there are various levels of knowledge here, and I would say the first two are absolutely necessary; general art history and recent art history; followed by more specialized literature depending on your discipline, style, or interest.

Further, there are also some great ways to learn and stay posted on contemporary art that require less effort. Think of YouTube channels providing excellent information. But here, I must also add to be careful with what information, opinions, or advice you take as truth. Some excellent YouTube art channels really do their research and are factual, such as the Art Assignment and Great Art Explained, to name just a few, and some other channels are less trustworthy.

Or you could follow some renowned institutions, galleries, and platforms on social media—including YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, or subscribe to their newsletter. Think of entities such as Artforum, Cura., the Museum of Modern Art, Gagosian, Thaddaeus Ropac, David Zwirner, or high-end art influencers such as Mary Lynn Buchanan and, of course, CAI (smiles).

Curiosity is everything. Follow your natural interests. Stay in the loop. Immerse yourself in art and art history. PS: For a more extensive take on art books for self-taught artists, feel free to read our article and guide the art books for self-taught artists next.

Step 3: Get To Know The Art World & Field

Step two will naturally bring you to step three, which is getting to know the art world and the field of artists today. At first, this step might feel less important than the previous steps. However, it is not. The third ‘E’ we emphasized in our last chapter—experience—is at the center. Because the best way to get to know the art world is by experiencing it.

You might think you know, more or less, the art world. You have visited some museums in the past, and you currently follow some galleries and other artists on social media online. Well, I am sorry to burst any bubbles here; this is not enough. Art and the art world are filled with subtle details that ultimately make a difference.

Both when it comes to creating the art, finishing it, and presenting it in an artistic context such as a gallery, but also everything related to art exhibitions—think of creating a series of works or how works relate to one another in a show, the title of a show, how they describe the works and their metadata, how to talk about them, how to install them, inspirations on how to frame or present them, and so on. You need to have your finger at the pulse of the art world. What is trending today in galleries? How do their works look and feel?

The only way to get to know these subtleties that, in the end, make a difference is by experiencing them firsthand. Here, my advice is not the visit museums, but art galleries. Art museums are great for getting to know art that is canonized or being canonized as we speak—so I believe art museums are significant to combine with our previous step.

However, with art galleries, we discover art fresh from the studio. Whereas the museums primarily show established artists, galleries show art by emerging artists, mid-career artists, and new works by established artists. Further, art galleries are crucial to make a career. So it is essential to get to know them to have a clear understanding of them before we can join them.

As with art publications, we need to be critical of which galleries we learn—because there are also numerous ‘bad’ art galleries that aren’t doing things the right way. Some red flags for galleries to avoid are paintings hung from cords, packed gallery walls in which they hang as many paintings as possible, or the absence of a curated gallery program—meaning they do not organize exhibitions but simply present the art in the gallery as products in a store.

Some critical indicators of decent galleries are a curated exhibition program, a professional and minimal display, a press release with every show, a long-standing history as an art gallery, participating in art fairs, and being accepted on renowned gallery marketplaces such as Artsy or a professional gallery website.

The galleries that do things the right way are, of course, the most renowned galleries in the world, the so-called mega-galleries. As a result, this is a great place to start discovering the unwritten rules and behavior of high-end art and art galleries. Some mega-galleries are Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, David Zwirner, White Cube, Lisson Gallery, Thaddaeus Ropac, Perrotin, Lehman Maupin, Victoria Miro, Marian Goodman, and many more.

However, these aren’t the galleries where we will have our first shows. Now that we have a clear idea of top-notch galleries, let’s find some emerging galleries that could be a possible match in the foreseeable future. Try to find galleries that work similarly compared to the mega-galleries but are, of course, a bit smaller. A great place to find these galleries is the artguide by Artforum. You can simply select one of the numerous art cities they present closest to you, see what’s on, and start gallery hopping.

You will be amazed at how inspiring it is to see the works of fellow artists who are starting to make a name for themselves. Learn with your eyes. Please pay attention to how they distinguish themselves. How do they create recognizability from artwork to artwork within the exhibition—or from exhibition to exhibition?

At this point, you can connect with the gallery directors, but I would advise you not to. Or at least, do not say you are an artist, not yet. First and foremost, arguably, you and your work are not ready to be tested by the critical eyes of a gallery director, even though you might think so—and with these solicitations, you only have one shot.

Secondly, gallery directors are being bombarded daily by artists who introduce them, begging for collaboration or an exhibition, which is very tiring and even annoying for the gallery director. As soon as you say you are an artist, the gallery director will feel you are there not for the art but for your benefit, asking them to invest in you—which is not polite to do on a first meeting. So, be interested in the gallery first, and maybe one day, when you are ready and on the initiative of the gallery director, you can start to talk about your artistic activities with greater chances for success.

Other great places to get to know art and the field of artists today is at art fairs, lectures, art festivals, and events—think of the Venice Biennale, Art Basel, and so on. Visiting the ‘primary’ art world does indeed require some effort when it comes to traveling, making time, and being able to pay for the trip, but experiencing the art world firsthand and getting to know its subtleties makes the difference in the end when it comes to your personal development, understanding, and future career steps, so it can not be ignored.

Step 4: Develop Your Oeuvre — Create A Coherent Body of Work

Now we arrive at step four; we come at a crucial point in the artist’s career where the work becomes mature and forms an oeuvre—meaning: a coherent body of work marked by a clear vision, visual recognizability, and an ongoing and intriguing development.

After a period of experimentation (step one), having a great frame of reference as a foundation to create your own vision and identity as an artist (step two), and being inspired by art today (step three), we arrive at the point where everything starts to come together, slowly, but surely. You have discovered a medium you feel comfortable with, and you have a vision with clear goals that you aim to achieve within your work. It is time to polish, fine-tune, and professionalize this artistic production and create the artworks you will call part of your oeuvre for infinity.

Consistency is key in art. A vital exercise to obtain a coherent body of work and a steady development that makes sense is to write down an artist statement in which you discuss your vision, objectives, philosophy, methodology, and technique. All the ingredients from the previous steps will result in an utmost personal synthesis of who you are as an artist, what your art is, and discusses. This artist statement or vision will be your compass to guide your development, guaranteeing continuity even though you will continue to experiment, develop, and improve.

This artist statement is not a text to send to galleries or put on your artist’s website. It is a personal tool and a compass for consistent and coherent self-development. Now we have established what defines you as an artist; it is time to do it radically. Discover how you can push your vision further and further in your artistic practice. By doing so, you will be able to distinguish yourself and become more recognizable.

Because let’s speak plainly, being an artist is arguably one of the most fun jobs. As a result, the art world is oversaturated with thousands of artists—more than galleries, collectors, and curators are looking for. So you must stand out, whether you are a self-taught artist or have a Ph.D. in the arts. Be consistent. Be personal. Be recognizable. Stand out. Stay true to yourself and your vision.

The importance of this consistency is often a topic of consternation. Galleries and collectors do not appreciate radical shifts in an artist’s development because all of a sudden, it seems like to artist they invested time or money in is suddenly doing something else entirely. However, this does not mean you must do the same thing repeatedly.

On the contrary, if you do not develop, your oeuvre will become stale and boring, and you will be disregarded as a one-trick pony. So here we encounter one of those subtleties in the art world we have discussed in our previous step; the play of balance between consistency and change—or rather, developing. The thing is, as long as you stay consistent or true to your initial vision—or your vision and focus change coherently over the years—then variety is always a good thing. Let’s explain this tricky topic with an example.

Luc Tuymans is one of the most important and consistent painters of his generation—yet, he is able to switch from painting holocaust scenes to a Micky Mouse mural, a still life, to depicting numbers. First and foremost, his vision remains the same throughout all these pictures. He examines the image theory in relation to painting, encompassing simulacra, the flood of images, history, and moral complexity. But what connects these various topics visually are his characteristic nervous brushstrokes and muted palette, creating consistency and recognizability yet enabling the Belgian artist to take any subject, motif, or topic.

Numerous other artists are very versatile while remaining consistent. Think of Tracey Emin, who goes from installation to sculpture to figurative painting in a coherent manner using autobiographical elements and controversy as a foundation of her vision and artistic production. Or think of artists who dedicate their life to specific motifs and make them theirs, and examine them in numerous different ways, such as the polka dots and pumpkins of Yayoi Kusama or the cages, spiders, and spirals of Louise Bourgeois. And please pay attention to how these motifs are not random, but direct products of their vision and story.

Some artists can dedicate their entire life doing the same thing, purifying a single idea or technique—think of Mark Rothko or Carmen Herrera. And others even have a vision in which radical changes are part of their vision—creating consistency by the lack of it. Think of Maurizio Cattelan and Ryan Gander‘s intentional no-style style. Or what about Gerhard Richter, whose painterly oeuvre is marked by a never-ending quest for the possibilities of painting, ranging from photorealism to pure abstraction, minimal conceptual figuration, to hard-edge paintings?

Once again, the subtlety of these visions and the play of balance between consistency and development proves the importance of our previous steps. So try to understand the oeuvre of other artists in order to understand how you can create your own. Great starting points are a specific vision, philosophy, technique, or set of motifs.

Please write down your vision and pursue it radically in the studio. At this point, start to professionalize your studio practice. Use high-quality materials and finish every single artwork with the most excellent care. Every single work you create from here is to stay forever. The experiments become finished products, ready to be shown to the world. Time to start participating in the art world.

Step 5: Prepare Your Overall Artist Profile

In order to participate in the art world, we need to ensure that everything is correct, professional, and in line with the expected behavior of a serious artist—especially when being a self-taught artist. In this step, we will take care of every single aspect that you need to take care of to make sure your profile as an artist is appealing and professional.

By doing so, when the time comes to a collector or gallery director is interested in our work, they will see that everything is done the right way, increasing not only your credibility as a serious artist tremendously but also your chances to make things happen and making your career in the art world happen. I believe this is where a tremendous percentage of artists—self-taught or trained artists—fail and fall off the wagon, even when there is clear talent and potential.

So let’s go ahead and present an overview of what you need to take care of. But please note, try to stick with only the things we mention here. The way you present yourself as an artist online and to the world is all about being concise, formal, professional, and even a bit elusive. Anything else you would do that is not on this list can risk your credibility as an artist. So, how do we prepare our overall profile as an artist?

1. Documenting your art

First and foremost, we need professional images of our artwork. Photograph your images professionally. Have high-resolution files of your works cropped out, and possibly also a few installation or studio views of your works as objects in a room. Please note, do not simulate your works with apps in galleries or interiors. Clear up your living room or studio, rent a space, or take the opportunity when you have an exhibition to take high-end pictures. This will increase your credibility strongly. Document your artwork, writing down all metadata—meaning, title, year, medium, and dimensions. Create a catalog with what you have available to use for your future clients and galleries.

2. Artist resume

Up next, we will have to create an artist’s resume. It consists of all factual information and functions as a guide for galleries, collectors, and curators to know where you are at this moment in your career.

Your artist should include the year and country you were born, where you are based, training and education, relevant professional experience, your exhibition history, selected publications, press, awards, collections, and residencies. For a self-taught artist, I recommend you not to include being self-taught in your artist resume. Only write your education and training if applicable or relevant; otherwise, you can leave it blank.

Use this structure and look at the artist resumes of established artists or gallery websites. Follow the same form, structure, and professional approach. Don’t worry if you have little to write down on your artist resume. It will be our mission in the next step to improve and supplement the resume year by year. There is no shame in having just a few or even zero exhibitions so far; we all started somewhere. In fact, we have dedicated a complete article on how you can set up your artist resume with little to no experience.

3. Artist website

Your artist website is your online business card and portfolio. Once again, your artist’s website will need to communicate professionalism. As a result, you must go for a minimal and, above all, high-end design characteristic of the art world. Less is more. Use the websites of high-end established and emerging artists as an example. You should have a minimal homepage, a page with selected works showing only your very best works, a page with your artist’s resume and possibly a biographic text written in the third person or by an art critic, and a contact page. Anything else, such as a blog, a webshop, merchandise, et cetera, is an unnecessary risk to take. Trust us; the interested collector will email you for pricing and availability of your work. So no need to show prices online or have a webshop—but this is a different discussion for a different article.

4. Social media

When it comes to social media, once again, the most important thing is not to overdo it. Our general rule of thumb is to focus on the most powerful social media platform for artists today—Instagram. You would be surprised how many gallery directors and collectors find and contact new artists via Instagram. You can build a following online, which increases your credibility once more. YouTube is also a powerful platform, but for now, it is still somewhat frowned upon for artists to ‘vlog’ in the traditional art world, even though all significant art organizations are active on YouTube. Still, for now, I advise you to focus 100% on Instagram and remain professional with your posts.

Step 6: Make A Career Organically & Think Long-Term

At this point, you are all set. You have experimented and educated yourself, getting to know the subtleties and expected behavior in the art world that makes the difference, resulting in a mature and coherent body of artwork that is documented and accessible online via your website and social media. Now, it is time to make things happen!

We already mentioned Instagram as a great place to get discovered; however, there is more you can do to make a career as an artist. However, before we dive into the specific actions you can take, let’s discuss what you should avoid.

Aggressive self-promotion is hugely frowned upon. In the art world, you can not force things. So don’t go overboard on over-promoting yourself actively—don’t cold call galleries, magazines, collectors, and institutions. Do not approach your art as a commercial product to sell, promoting it with ads, flyers, discounts, and so on. Remain professional and never impose yourself as an artist on others. Instead, try to make a career organically, thinking long-term, by leaving breadcrumbs in the art world that eventually will make the galleries, collectors, and magazines come to you.

Participate in the art world, visiting exhibitions and galleries as discussed in step three—network organically by discussing art based on genuine interest instead of self-interest. Connect with other artists and be involved in the art scene where you want to prosper.

Even if you are an introvert and not a master in networking, you can actively increase your chances of making a career in the art world by searching for opportunities in the art world. Think of open calls for exhibitions, art residencies, art contests, grants, a project-based open call for art in the public space, and so on. A great place to find these opportunities is via the platform Artenda.net to stay posted on the most exciting art opportunities for you.

It all comes down to being around and being well-prepared as an artist. Trust the process. When the art is good, your overall artist profile has been set up correctly, and you haven’t been imposing yourself as an artist but are involved naturally and organically, people will stumble across your work. And when they see your profile as an artist is appealing and professional, they will contact you—whether you are self-taught or not.

This is where the ball starts to roll. One exhibition—be it via an open call, a gallery invitation, or with fellow artists—will lead to another. If you would like to know more how you can take your career to the next step and go full-time as a self-taught artist, feel free to read our article 20 Ways Artists Earn Money next.

Which Mobile Food Business Is Right for You?

Art of designing a food truck II

There are many different types of mobile food businesses, so it is important to choose one that is right for you and your interests. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
• Food truck: Food trucks are a great option for entrepreneurs who want to be their own boss and have the flexibility to set their own hours and work schedule. They can also be a relatively affordable way to start a food business, as you can often find used trucks for sale at a fraction of the cost of a new one.
• Food cart: Food carts are another popular option for mobile food businesses. They are smaller and more portable than food trucks, which makes them ideal for setting up shop in smaller areas or at events. Food carts can also be a more affordable option than food trucks, as they require less space and equipment.
• Food trailer: Food trailers are a hybrid of food trucks and food carts. They are larger than food carts, but smaller than food trucks, which makes them a good option for businesses that need more space to cook and prepare food. Food trailers can also be more expensive than food carts, but they offer more flexibility and features.
• Kiosk: Food kiosks are a good option for businesses that want to set up shop in indoor locations, such as malls, stadiums, or airports. They are small and self-contained, which makes them easy to operate and maintain. Food kiosks can also be a more affordable option than other types of mobile food businesses.

No matter what type of mobile food business you choose, it is important to do your research and create a business plan. This will help you to identify your target market, develop a marketing strategy, and track your financial performance.
Here are some additional tips for starting a successful mobile food business:
• Choose a location that is popular with your target market.
• Make sure your food is delicious and affordable.
• Promote your business through social media and other marketing channels.
• Provide excellent customer service.
• Stay up-to-date on food safety regulations.
With hard work and dedication, you can start a successful mobile food business that will provide you with a great source of income and satisfaction.

Choosing the right mobile food business depends on various factors such as your interests, skills, budget, target market, and location. Here are a few popular options to consider:

Food Truck: A food truck offers a versatile platform to serve a wide range of food options. It requires a larger initial investment and permits for parking and operation in specific areas. Food trucks are ideal for serving meals on-the-go and can cater to different events and locations.

Food Cart: Food carts are smaller than food trucks and typically offer a limited menu or specialty food items. They are more affordable to start and have greater flexibility in terms of location. Food carts are popular in crowded areas such as city centers, parks, and tourist attractions.

Concession Trailer: Concession trailers are mobile units that can be attached to a vehicle and towed to different locations. They offer more space than food carts but less than food trucks. Concession trailers are suitable for events, festivals, and fairs, and can serve a variety of food and beverages.

Pop-Up Stand: A pop-up stand is a temporary setup that can be easily assembled and disassembled. It allows you to set up in different locations, such as farmers’ markets, street fairs, or outside established businesses. Pop-up stands are cost-effective and provide an opportunity to test the market before investing in a larger venture.

Catering Service: If you enjoy providing food for events and parties, a catering service might be the right choice. Catering services can range from small-scale operations to large-scale event catering. It requires good organizational skills, a well-equipped kitchen, and the ability to deliver food to different locations.

Consider your personal preferences, the market demand in your area, and the resources you have available when choosing the right mobile food business for you. Conduct market research, create a business plan, and carefully evaluate the costs and logistics involved before making a decision.

Mobile food businesses come in various styles and sizes to serve a variety of purposes. It is important to consider their differentiating characteristics before choosing your primary food transport vehicle.

These are the main characteristics to review when deciding between a food truck vs food trailer or a food cart vs food truck:

1. Mobile Kitchen Size
   The size of your mobile kitchen will determine where you can park and what types of events you can attend.
   • Food Trailer – the largest in size, ranging from 8-53 feet long and 7-8 1/2 feet wide
   • Food Truck – usually ranges from 10-26 feet long and 7 feet wide
   • Food Cart – smallest in size, ranging 4-7 feet long and 2-6 feet wide
2. Kitchen Space and Storage Capacity
   The size of your interior kitchen space can have an impact on what you can bring with you and your staff size.
   • Food Trailer – large enough for full-sized restaurant equipment, cleaning supplies, and full cooking staff
   • Food Truck – reduced size may call for more dependence on countertop cooking equipment, space-saving storage solutions, and a staff of 1-3 cooks
   • Food Cart – limited space may call for very few small appliances and warmers and a staff of 1-2 employees
3. Mobile Kitchen Price
   Start to shape your budget by knowing what a mobile kitchen may cost you before you invest.
   • Food Trailer – ~$30,000-$50,000
   • Food Truck – ~$50,000 – $250,000
   • Food Cart – ~$5,000 – $20,000
4. Vehicle Mobility
   The way a mobile kitchen navigates can help determine which events and locations they best cater to.
   • Food Trailer – Needs to be towed from place to place, may be too large for certain parking locations
   • Food Truck – vehicle and kitchen in one, can be driven from place to place
   • Food Cart – Needs to be pushed by hand, attached to a bicycle, or towed from main kitchen to serving location
5. Mobile Kitchen Location and Event Type
   The type of locations and events a mobile kitchen is designed for can help you choose the right one for your business model.
   • Food Trailer – large events, seasonal fairs, wedding and concert venues
   • Food Truck – city street, fairs and carnivals, block parties, parks
   • Food Cart – city sidewalks, amusement parks, boardwalks
6. Mobile Kitchen Menu Capabilities
   The size and selections of your menu can be directly impacted by the size of your mobile kitchen
   • Food Trailer – can have a full menu, multi-course menu
   • Food Truck – narrowed to a few items that follow a similar theme or cuisine type
   • Food Cart – limited to one or two specialty items and some snacks
7. Purpose
   Choose a mobile kitchen that best helps you reach your target demographic.
   • Food Trailer – long-term parking, multi-day events
   • Food Truck – stop-and-go location hopping
   • Food Cart – foot traffic and walking distance coverage of a location
   The vehicle type you choose can ultimately impact your entire food truck business plan, so it is important to consider these factors early in the process. Ultimately, the best vehicle for your brand will come down to your goals and budget.

Food Truck
Food trucks are one of the most popular mobile food vehicles in the United States. If you’re considering starting a food truck, check out some of the pros and cons before your buy.

What Is a Food Truck?
A food truck is the combination of a motor vehicle and a kitchen. Food trucks are typically 16 feet long and 7 feet wide but can range in size from 10-26 feet long. This versatile vehicle is designed for street parking to serve pedestrians that may be passing by. Food is prepared and cooked in the vehicle and sold to individual customers from the window on the side of the truck.

Pros
Here are some benefits of choosing a food truck for your business over a food trailer or food cart:
• Kitchen does not need to be towed, making it extremely mobile and easy to take from one location to the next more lucrative location
• Single unit means you don’t need a separate transport vehicle
• Vehicle size easily fits down most city streets and in most parking spaces, providing a simple driving experience
• Compact size means fewer appliances to clean than a standard kitchen
• Mobility makes it perfect for stop-and-go services and provides access to spots all across town
• Versatility of the space allows for a flexible menu and menu experimentation
• Since food trucks are extremely popular, they have excellent resale value
Cons
Depending on your business model, there may be some downsides to choosing a food truck instead of a food trailer or food cart:
• Automotive troubles mean your whole business stops until the issue is fixed
• Highest upfront cost compared to other mobile food vehicles, usually $100,000 to $200,000
• Maintenance and upgrades can prove to be expensive if needed
• A lot of paperwork, licensing, and permits are required, including zoning permits, health permits, signage permits, alarm permits, etc.
• Limited kitchen space means a limited menu and staff
• Only available in a limited number of size options
• Built-in power generator can take up precious kitchen space
• The more miles put on the truck, the more it depreciates in value
To find out more information on purchasing a food truck, check out our how to buy a food truck buying guide.

Food Trailer
If you’re looking for more space, a food trailer may be the right option for you. Keep reading to learn about the specifications, pros, and cons of food trailers to determine which mobile food vehicle is the best for your business.

What Is a Food Trailer?
A food trailer is a mobile kitchen that you hitch onto a vehicle to tow from one location to the next. Kitchen trailers can vary greatly in size, ranging anywhere from 8-53 feet long and 7-8 1/2 feet wide. These ever-customizable vehicles are designed to cater to large crowds during multi-hour or even multi-day events like weddings and state fairs.

Pros
The following are some benefits of choosing a food trailer over a food truck or food cart:
• Kitchen can be towed by any vehicle, so business does not need to stop for vehicle maintenance
• Since the kitchen trailer and transport vehicle are not connected, the trailer can be dropped off at an event and the vehicle can be used to run errands during the event
• Generally less expensive than food trucks, and up to 1 1/2 feet wider for more space
• Large size allows food business to cater large venues
• Large internal blueprint provides ample space for full-sized equipment, ingredient storage, disposables, and cleaning supplies
• Full kitchen means you can offer a multi-course menu, have a full staff, and serve several customers at once
• Varying sizes allows you to find a food trailer in your budget and customized to your needs and specifications
• Can be used as a secondary kitchen to expand on the space of an existing building or used as a primary kitchen during renovations/disaster relief
• Mileage is not logged on the trailer, so you can continuously take it from location to location without worrying about depreciation in value caused by an increase in mileage
Cons
There are some downsides associated with concession trailers that are important to consider before making your purchase:
• An external vehicle with a hitch is required to move the trailer, the vehicle also needs to be powerful enough to tow the trailer
• Large size can make it difficult or impossible to maneuver down certain streets and can limit the number of parking locations available
• Before moving the food trailer, it will need to be packed up and hitched back up to the transport vehicle
• An external generator may be needed depending on the specifications of your trailer
If you’re looking to cater wedding venues with your mobile food business or establish a booth at your local state fair, a concession trailer may be the right choice to expand your business beyond a brick-and-mortar location.

Food Cart
If you’re just starting your food business or looking to target more foot traffic with your seasoned specialties, a food cart may be a great way to reach the most customers in your area. Learn more about the pros and cons of selecting a food cart for your business model by reading on.

What Is a Food Cart?
A food cart is a compact mobile kitchen that can either be pushed by hand or towed with a car or bicycle. Food carts range in size from 4-7 feet long and 2-6 feet wide. The food server will generally serve from behind the cart since they are typically not enclosed structures. Most food carts only have one piece of cooking equipment and a warmer to hold food at temperature. Food carts are designed to attract foot traffic from nearby walking paths to serve an individual customer at a time.

Pros
Explore the following benefits of a food cart to help you make your mobile food vehicle decision:
• Highly affordable option for new business owners to get into the mobile food scene
• Compact size is perfect for busy sidewalks to target specific walking paths during lunch rushes in major cities
• Mobility allows you to bring food options to locations where large brick-and-mortar cannot go, such as parks, fairs, boardwalks
• Does not need to be hitched to be transported, meaning that you can quickly readjust your location to target a more lucrative spot
• Can help create a close relationship with locals because carts provide eye-level customer service
• Space-saving size allows for simple and safe storage overnight and during off-seasons
• Comes with a reputation of a niche menu, allowing your cart to be known for its signature selections in the neighborhood
Cons
The compact size of a food cart can also come with some drawbacks for your business.

• Lack of full-sized kitchen equipment limits the menu selections you are able to serve
• Limited storage space does not allow for the storage of many ingredients, to-go containers, or cleaning supplies
• Mobility of the carts is fully dependent on your own foot power, additional vehicle or bicycle may be needed to transport it further
• Stigma associated with the lack of cleanliness of food carts can keep potential customers away

A food cart can be a great vehicle to help you start a farmers market stand or serve refreshing summer treats on your local boardwalk.

Source: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/3356/mobile-kitchens-compared.html