Setting up workshop business

[Ohmygoddddd]

I wanted to post to thrash out ideas and hopefully gain some wisdom/insight!

I've recently been thinking about setting up a business which focusses on delivering art workshops and potentially making materials to sell, though I am less certain on this aspect.

I have a background in illustration and have been fortunate enough to have some success in this area and have illustrated and published some children's books. I would like to use this experience to deliver arts and crafts workshops for children and young people - I think to begin with I would like to focus on early years and then maybe move into older age groups/home ed groups. I have some lesson/workshop plans, some experience delivering one-off workshops. I also recently completed a course in web development, so I feel reasonably confident in setting up a simple website and developing branding for a business. I live in a large city and my local area has a decent amount of venues for me to approach to use for workshops and classes, as well as lots of local schools (state and private).

My biggest hurdles are that I currently can't drive and I don't have as extensive experience delivering lessons as I would like. I am thinking of applying to work as a TA for a while to build up some experience and give me time to start driving lessons. I realise these are fairly large hurdles but I want to stay positive, as I can definitely overcome them!

The art materials aspect I am currently fuzzy on - so far I am considering wrapping them up into workshop ideas, such as making paper one week and then using that paper to do a book binding lesson and then on to creating a drawing journal etc. Whether I can make materials to sell stand alone is a large question mark, but the prospect is intriguing.

I know I need to research thoroughly, liability insurance, DBS, tax payments etc. My longer term goal is to open a shopfront which sells professional art materials and has workshop space to rent and host groups, but that is a long way off and starting a business like this to establish a client network, goodwill and money seems the best route.

Does anyone have any experience in working in these areas and have any advice? I've been out of work for a couple of years with my children so I'm quite daunted and worried this is a little pie in the sky!

@Ohmygoddddd
You have some great experience and I think you are in a fairly good position to begin doing this - not quite sure what you are waiting for really!

To run workshops you will need a DBS check and insurance - look at Hiscox or Michael Morton. I would also advise a first-aid qualification. Plus you need a registration form that captures any relevant medical needs. Plus a plan/risk assessment for the venue e.g. what you would do in the event of an emergency.
Don't worry about a website in the first instance, just set up on a ticketing site like Eventbrite or Ticket Tailor.

What about offering a free pilot workshop in a low cost venue like a church hall or similar? But run it initially as a parent-and-child activity (parents must stay) so you don't have to worry about the supervision aspects. The feedback and learning you would get from this experience would be invaluable.

If you are connected to any community organisation such as a church, you may be able to run some pilot sessions under their umbrella as a volunteer - DBS checked by them and falling under their insurance.

The main thing is to test the market before you invest too much. Even just putting up a post in your local FB group and asking people if they would be interested in what you offer would be helpful information.