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A practical pragmatic learning by doing business course Supporting artisans to develop their ideas and skills into commercially viable businesses Dr Gordon Hamme in partnership with Birmingham Assay Office
Dr Gordon Hamme in partnership with Birmingham Assay Office
Contents Author profile 2 Introduction 7 Chapter One Entrepreneurship Enterprise Motivation 13 Chapter Two Marketing Publicity 21 Chapter Three Digital Marketing 35 Chapter Four The Legal Structure of Your Business 51 Chapter Five Intellectual Property Protection 63 Chapter Six Financing Your Enterprise 73 Chapter Seven Case Studies 93 So What Next 101 Further reading 103 Financial to do list 106 Worksheets 108 1
Silver fruit bowl by Juliette Bigley at the Inspired Exhibition 2015 6
Introduction This book explains how to do what you need to do and then not have to worry about it 7
What does this book cover Chapter 1 sets the scene for how you look at your business and how you should approach it Entrepreneurship or Enterprise By asking this question you can save yourself a great deal of time and energy Are you seeking new markets which is an entrepreneurial approach Or are you creating an enterprise which will promote your unique work Chapters 2 and 3 focus on the marketing sales and digital social media which should be at the centre of your business These chapters outline your options so that you can think carefully about how you will market your company then use the simple systems this book offers in order to sell your product Chapter 4 covers the legal structure and framework of your business It lays out all the options you have around being a sole trader partnership or limited company and it documents your most important obligations Chapter 5 explains the detail of registering and defending your intellectual property rights You need to understand how to formally record your designs and products so that you can prove they are yours and can protect them from people who might try to copy your work Chapter 6 discusses the finances of your business and the elements you need to master These include creating a portfolio of jobs to keep the money coming in handling sales and purchases bookkeeping banking getting support and raising extra funding Chapter 7 completes the book with three case studies of successful and inspirational artisans Finally I include a short summary of what to do next and a list of useful books as well as two worksheets and a month by month financial to do list Silver enamel Beaker by Kyosun Jung Silver Beaker by Malcolm Appleby enamelled by Jane Short Art it Up Silver Beaker by Lasse Baehring 10 Silver Salt Pepper by Adam Veevers
Where for you now You ve probably spent several years getting to the stage of launching a business How does this book help and how should you best use it Read the book through once to get the feel of it Then take each chapter and complete the suggested follow up exercises purely from your point of view Keep your answers short and simple and don t worry about what if By the time you ve completed the exercises you should have created a complete set of notes which are personal to you Then you can make a clear straightforward plan Do you need to be entrepreneurial in your outlook Often not But you do need to consider what type of enterprise you will run and what your motivations are Is there a market for your work This is the trial and error bit Show your products to friends and family they ll love it whatever it looks like Then show your products to someone you don t know if they offer to buy you ve got a winner How do you want to present yourself and your craft What professional personality do you want your customers to associate with you You might say you re just a small business and not a brand But if you haven t devised a brand for yourself your public will devise it for you What is your marketing approach Look at the websites of makers you admire What shows did they do last year which galleries stock their work should you follow in their footsteps You might like to contact these organisations too Have your CV ready along with high quality images of your work Build a really simple website to tell people where your products are stocked and where you will be exhibiting Talk relentlessly about your venture And always be positive when talking to everyone What systems for making outsourcing and dealing with your legal obligations and finances do you need to organise A bank account a book keeping system an accountant if needed You could delegate some of these systems particularly the ones not critical to the final product Once you have settled these issues you can turn your attention to the important bits earning a living being creative and enjoying yourself And please please please try to get on with it Small trial and error steps are the way forward 11
Set of drawers by Ed Wild burr chestnut sycamore 3 000 year old bog oak handles and detailing 12
Motivatio Chapter 1 Entrepreneurship Enterprise Motivation Though entrepreneurship and enterprise are not exclusive of each other identifying which matters to you and how they matter will help you manage your business and your life successfully 13
Silver display by Colette Bishop 20
Marketing Publicity g arketin Chapter 2 The most successful craft sellers focus on building ongoing relationships with buyers who purchase portfolios of objects or who often collect work from a favourite maker 21
Columbian door knocker 34
Chapter 3 g l Di ita Digital Marketing Digital media is the fastest growing means of modern communication we artisans too should use it to publicise and promote our business ventures 35
50
egal structur Chapter 4 The Legal Structure of Your Business As your business grows and develops be flexible about the structure according to your situation and your business needs 51
Enamelled Snake Box No 1 by Phil Barnes 62
Chapter 5 ec Intellectual Property Protection When you design a piece of work that specification the appearance of the item its shape texture colour contours decoration and materials used is yours from the outset your intellectual property 63
Silver vases by Thalen Thalen Inspired Exhibition 2016 72
Financing Chapter 6 Financing Your Enterprise look at the product or service you are offering is it competitive in the marketplace This is why you are aiming to become an artist because Picasso didn t charge by the hour 73
Left to right Miriam Hanid and Tony Bedford inspect an engraving by Malcolm Appleby at the Grand Tully Symposium 92
Chapter 7 Case Studies Make a clear staightforward plan Then turn your attention to the important bits earning a living being creative and enjoying yourself 93
Silver Fish Dish engraved and enamelled by Phil Barnes 100
So What Next When you re on the wrong bus get off So be prepared to swallow your pride and move on 101
This is a simple but not simplistic practical guide for craftspeople on the essentials of surviving in business The author understands both craft and business his approach demystifies starting and building a craft enterprise Professor Julius Weinberg Former Vice Chancellor Kingston University PUBLISHING
