There are plenty of business frameworks, techniques and theories available. The challenge is knowing which ones are useful — and how to adapt them to the particular circumstances of creative enterprises.
Over the years I’ve developed my own frameworks and techniques for working with creative entrepreneurs, as well as adapting established business ideas to make them more useful in the creative industries.
I don’t believe in following business formulas blindly. Different creative enterprises have different ambitions, strengths, opportunities and definitions of success. The most useful frameworks are therefore not instructions to be followed, but tools for thinking, making better decisions and designing a business on your own terms.
The resources below bring together some of the main ideas, frameworks and techniques I use in my books, training workshops and work with creative entrepreneurs and creative industries organisations around the world.
Creative Entrepreneurship Essentials
This is a starting point for exploring some of the fundamental ideas behind my approach to creative entrepreneurship.
It brings together ideas about defining success, combining creativity with business thinking, designing a creative enterprise around your own circumstances and ambitions, developing a Business Formula, strategic marketing, business growth and more.
Explore Creative Entrepreneurship Essentials
Strategic Planning Framework for Creative Enterprises
A practical seven-stage framework for developing a strategy for a creative enterprise.
It starts by defining success on your own terms, then looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise, changes and opportunities in the outside world, competitive advantage, target markets and the Business Formula. These elements are then brought together to develop a coherent business strategy.
The framework is designed to help creative entrepreneurs think strategically without assuming that every business should follow the same path or pursue conventional ideas of growth.
Explore the Strategic Planning Framework
Business Concepts, Techniques and Terms
A practical guide to business terminology, concepts, models and techniques that can be useful to creative entrepreneurs.
It includes established business ideas as well as some of my own concepts and techniques, with explanations designed to make them understandable and relevant to creative enterprises.
Use it as a reference when you encounter unfamiliar business terminology — or simply browse it for ideas and techniques that might be useful.
Explore Business Concepts, Techniques and Terms
Use what works for you
No framework or business technique provides all the answers.
The important thing is to understand the ideas, question their assumptions and use the parts that help you make better decisions. Creative entrepreneurs can be creative in the office as well as the studio — choosing, combining and adapting business techniques to build enterprises that work on their own terms.
For more practical material, including articles, videos, courses, toolkits and free downloads, explore Resources.