How long have you been running your creative business? For me its been a little over a year and one thing I have learned this far is that it will not always be rosey and there will be high points and low points.

Unfortunately one of the biggest low points for any creative business is to find out your products have been copied and are being sold elsewhere at a lower price. As unfortunate as it is, everything that you create can be copied somehow.

If you are copied, it is likely the biggest culprit will be a mass merchandise company who can make similar items on a large scale for just a fraction of the price. It is sad to say their latest victim is often found at a trade fair and they may even place an order with you to receive samples. But, independent designers can do exactly the same thing but perhaps for a different reason: envy.

As I've said, virtually anything you make can be open for copying, But there are steps to take to help lessen the blow: Have your work protected with either a copyright, patent or trademark. But if you have been copied it might be wise to seek legal advice with regard to any action you can take.

The other aspect of having your work copied is emotion. Knowing that something you have spent weeks working on have been copied is extremely upsetting. But you need to stay confident in your work and your abilities because keeping the emotion bottled up could stop your creativity flowing.

If you are copied, as awful as it may be, keep one thought in mind: "I was one step ahead of the crowd and always will be" and those who copied you will just get left behind!

Coming next time on April 16th: Where are all the sales?