Tag: competition

Competing Effectively

Competing effectively involves understanding your competitive advantage in relation to rivals in the marketplace. In other words: You’re creative – but so are they! In one of my business development workshops for creative entrepreneurs, there were artists, musicians, advertising professionals etc; by coincidence there happened to be three designers in the room. It was interesting …

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Five Forces of Competition

When I advise clients and ask about competition, their first answers are about immediate competitors in their industry; other companies offering broadly similar products or services in the same market place. This is valid of course, and we need to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of such competitors using techniques such as Charting the …

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Create Your Own Business Formula

Don’t write a business plan until you have read this article! The article in English is reproduced in full below. It can also be downloaded as a PDF document in English and ten other languages. Creativity and Business Some people regard creativity and business as being like oil and water – they just don’t mix. …

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Your Competitive Advantage

What’s your Competitive Advantage? Knowing what you can excel at in relation to competitors – and then building your business strategy around that focus – is probably the most important element of any successful business strategy. If you are competing in a market place by offering the same thing as many other rivals, then you …

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Raise your Prices!

Thanks to Leslie Burns for highlighting an article in the MIT Sloan Management Review about pricing. All of the issues it raises about pricing strategies and pricing mistakes are relevant to the creative industries, whether you are selling products or services, even though the examples are from big manufacturing firms. I think some of the …

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How to make business enemies

Here’s a great way to make business enemies, ie how to multiply the number of commercial competitors you’re up against – if you really want to! (OK, maybe the word ‘enemies’ is a bit strong.) Many early stage businesses that haven’t yet found their specialist niche sometimes offer a very wide range of creative services …

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Design, Pricing and Profitability

Here’s a fascinating article in Wired magazine about the graphic design of restaurant menus. And here’s another menu analysed in terms of design and pricing. These are essential reading not only for graphic designers but for anyone in the creative industries interested in marketing and pricing. So that’s everyone then. Amongst other things it includes …

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Think inside the box

I’m often asked what I believe the year ahead holds for creative industries, and this is often followed by a second question – what can be done to remain strong in the tough economic climate we are experiencing? It may sound rather absurd, but my advice is to think inside the box during hard times. …

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Why you should help your competitors…

Creative Times. October 2005 Sometimes your creative competitors can be ideal collaborators. By imaginatively combining co-operation and competition we can create ‘Co-opetition’. More about Co-opetition

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T-Shirts and Suits. The Book

by David Parrish First published November 2005 by Merseyside ACMEReprinted November 2006 with new foreword by Shaun Woodward MP, Minister for Creative Industries.ISBN 9780953825448. Paperback £15.00 (UK) The book provides both inspiration and practical advice for all those involved in running or setting up a creative business. David Parrish draws on his own experience of …

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