Richard - How to start a creative business: the Jargon-free guide for creative entrepreneurs

The Jargon-free Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs

DOUG RICHARD

This book is for anyone with a great idea for a creative business, whether at the ideas stage or in early development with a startup business. And startup means just that its just starting up. When I talk about creative business, what I mean is a product or a service in any of the creative industries such as art, design, literature, film, music, fashion, culinary arts, performing arts, digital or craft. If there is a creative component that is the foundation stone of your business, the teaching in this book will apply to you.

At School for Creative Startups, creative people are some of our very favourite people to work with, so much so in fact that I developed our programme specifically with their needs in mind. I realised that, for creative types in particular, their business knowledge sometimes lets them down and they often think the business bit isnt their bag or that their artistry will sell itself. Sometimes they just get distracted by the more creative stuff. Ive met a lot of people who have launched a business without learning the finance basics first and they have regretted it in the long run. Even some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world have got it wrong before getting it right and in speaking with them now, they often say they wish theyd known the kinds of things we teach when they were starting out.

Im here to give creative people the business tools, knowledge, confidence and inspiration to feel that they have it all; the gift of creativity and the business acumen to match it. Ive been rolling out our method of teaching through our school since 2008 and now its time to put it all in print.

This book will help you figure out whether your business idea can be tested, poked, stretched, intimately examined, flattened and reshaped, through a business lens. Before you take on any debt, before you go into hiding from your social life, do the work to make sure youre on the right track.

At the moment theres a lot of talk about entrepreneurship and a vision of the future where startups transform the economy and the world at large, which I believe will come true. There are stories of startups that have hit the stratosphere, ideas that have come to life and left us buzzing. Theres also a scary statistic that says the majority of young businesses will fail within the first three years. The purpose of this book is to increase the likelihood of your startups survival, sustainability and long term, its success.

I dont shy away from telling it like it is at School for Creative Startups and I want to give you as much honest advice as I can. Right off the bat, starting a business is an adventure, full of ups and downs. Sometimes it is lonely, isolating, utterly exhausting, frustrating and demoralising. Sometimes its thrilling, joyful and financially rewarding. Thats true for all entrepreneurs, even the experienced ones.

Surviving this process the first time is a bit like earning your entrepreneurial stripes. People who havent done it underestimate just how difficult it can be and how much trial and error it can take. Thats why, as a new founder, you should really only value advice from other people who have done what youre trying to do. People who have built a business from the ground up are your tribe. Only they know how incredibly painful and how utterly wonderful the journey can be.

There it is. Ive said it. Its a small part of the book, but a very big point. If youre ready to ride the rollercoaster, then lets get started.

This book isnt a skim-through-it book, its a take-a-breath-and-get-involved book. Ive made it as easy to read and use as I can, but youll get the most out of it if you take it on, chapter by chapter. If you read each chapter in order, and get your hands dirty with the activities, youll get the idea first and then apply what youve learned in practical ways to the real world.

By the time youve finished the last chapter, youll have the foundation of a very solid startup.

The format of the book is based on my ten question method. These ten questions are not equally weighted in the universe. There are some questions that are more important than others; those tend to be at the beginning. Each question gives you the answer that unlocks the following question. Youll start by answering Question One. Your answer to this question is the cornerstone for your entire enterprise. It is the monster question that brings to life all the others.

Youll find case studies at the end of each chapter to help expand on the methods Ive explained and show practical applications of each lesson. Ive invited some leading champions of industry and my network of contacts to tell their tales because I think people learn better from stories than from stats.

Doug Richard is a successful entrepreneur with three decades of business experience building, selling and investing in businesses of all shapes and sizes. He believes that entrepreneurs are made and not born and thrives on helping people make the leap and set up their own business.

Doug founded the original School for Startups in 2008, and through it nearly 20,000 people have learned the vital business skills they need to succeed in business. In 2010 he established School for Creative Startups, a tailor-made programme for creative people, low on jargon, packed with practical information and one-to-one support. Doug endeavours to make business education accessible, taking a wry, candid, practical, upbeat approach to a subject.

Doug is forever fine-tuning his methods and exploring new ways of engaging students to make the greatest impact. He plays an integral role in delivering curricula during boot camp and throughout the year. Additionally he regularly hosts one-to-one surgeries and advises students, chairs the School for Creative Startups Angel Society and often advises government on the best approaches to supporting British startups. You might, however, know him best from his two year stint as an angel investor on the BBCs Dragons Den.

You can follow Doug on Twitter @dougrichard

School for Creative Startups is an interactive course delivering all the business know-how that creative people need to build sustainable startups, without all the technical gibberish, pesky acronyms and theoretical rhetoric. Its just the stuff you need to know to grow your own successful startup, taught the way you like to learn it.

Whether youve got a growing kitchen-table business, hardcore hobby youd like to make money from or just a brilliant idea bubbling away, School for Creative Startups can help you learn the basic business skills and awesome shortcuts to get you and your business up and running. You can follow School for Creative Startups on Twitter @creatives4s and visit our website at www.schoolforcreativestartups.com