Tag: leadership workshop

Be your own kind of entrepreneur!

Business doesn’t have to be about being the biggest, fastest or strongest. Entrepreneurs don’t have to be short-sighted, aggressive and unfair. “Entrepreneurialism has nothing to do with hardwired personality traits.” This is what Robert Kelsey says in this article in the journal of the Royal Society of Arts. I agree totally. Unfortunately, the popular image …

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How to Pay the Rent

In this video, successful creative entrepreneur Sue explains to web designer Jon how to make sure he can pay his rent each month. http://www.xtranormal.com/site_media/players/jwplayer.swf [ Embed this and other videos in your own website from the T-Shirts and Suits channel on YouTube. ] She tells him how to pay the rent and explains how she …

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Raising Finance for Creative Projects by Crowdfunding

This Financial Times article reports on a new initiative to fund arts projects by crowd funding / crowd financing. The ‘We Fund’ website enables individuals to donate small amounts of money to arts related projects in return for credits, perks and other benefits. In return for pledges of amounts of cash between £1 GBP and …

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Features and Benefits: the “So What?!” test

If you are talking to a potential customer and they say (or maybe just think) “So What?!”, then the chances are you are talking about features, not benefits. It’s a trap we can all easily fall into. We are enthusiastic about our creative businesses and want to tell people about what we do and how …

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Time Management for Creative People

Time Management is an issue that comes up frequently when I’m advising creative businesses. It seems there’s always too much to do, and not enough time to do it. In my view, time management is both a strategic issue and an operational challenge. If we are unrealistic about what can be achieved with finite resources, …

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Free eBooks: T-Shirts and Suits

Download ‘T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity’ by David Parrish as free eBooks in a selection of formats The eBook of T-Shirts and Suits is available as the full-colour version of the book, in interactive PDF format. It is also available as a text only eBook for Kindle and smartphones. We …

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New economics of creativity

My keynote speech to film and TV producers in Finland (video below) referred to the changing business environment for creative enterprises. Consumers are now also creators and marketers; technology is advancing and becoming cheaper at the same time; global communication and distribution are easieir than ever before. These new realities bring both threats and opportunities. …

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Creative Industries Urban Regeneration

The creative industries have the potential to be a significant factor in economic growth in the UK and other countries. The potential to create jobs and wealth in the digital and creative sectors has been recognised by national governments and local authorities for some time. Creative Industries Urban Regeneration is seen by many local authorities …

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Creative Mischief

Thanks to Mark Beaumont, Creative Director at Dinosaur, for introducing me to this excellent book. Written by Dave Trott, it’s a series of anecdotes and thoughts about the world of advertising, drawn from his extensive experience as a creative in top agencies. Very thought provoking and inspiring. As I was reading it, I thought that …

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Business Models for Creative Enterprises – a Starting Point

A Facebook friend called Phil sent me a message asking for advice about creating an effective business model for his creative enterprise. I didn’t have much time – but I didn’t want to ignore it either – so I sent a quick answer. This is what I wrote: Here’s the starting point of a business …

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