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How to Start a Creative Business: The Jargon-Free Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs Kindle Edition

by Doug Richard (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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A guide to starting and sustaining creativity-based businesses—from culinary to crafting to film to fashion and beyond.

Many “creative types” don’t think they’re cut out for business—but Doug Richard, founder of School for Creative Startups, believes entrepreneurs are made, not born. In this user-friendly guide he shows how artists, chefs, designers, musicians, and others can turn their hobbies and passions into sustainable lifestyle businesses.

Based on a unique ten-question formula, the book provides comprehensive start-up business advice in jargon-free style, brought to life with real-life case studies from a range of creative start-ups—and online resources that help you to develop your own business goals and plans.

“This book helps debunk the myth that creative people and business don’t mix.” —James Boardwell, cofounder, Folksy
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    162 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    David & Charles
  5. Publication date
    April 21, 2013
  6. File size
    5291 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Doug Richard is a UK based Californian serial entrepreneur and angel investor. Richard came to public prominence as a result of the BBC TV programme Dragons' Den, where he appeared as a 'dragon', or investor in the first two series. He subsequently became known for the Richard Report, the Entrepreneur's Manifesto and several other initiatives directed at improving UK support for startups and small businesses. He is regularly invited to appear on business initiatives and economic development pieces with some frequency on the BBC and financial news networks. Doug has received a host of honours and awards during his career and was the first American to receive The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion. Amongst others, he became a fellow of the RSA and received an Honorary Doctorate of the University of Essex for his contribution to entrepreneurship education. In 2008 Doug started School for Startups through which he has educated nearly 20,000 startups on the skills required to be successful. In 2010 Doug started School for Creative Startups with the sole remit of teaching creative people how to turn their creative hobbies into sustainable lifestyle businesses.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BTIE8Z0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ David & Charles; Illustrated edition (April 21, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 21, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5291 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 162 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

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Doug Richard

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
48 global ratings
Not visually friendly
1 Star
Not visually friendly
My score above is only for the format of the book not the content. My daughters bought me this book as a gift. I was quite excited to get it and read it. Unfortunately I have difficulty reading really light print. I opened this up and tried to read this and can't.. The font is so light that for someone who is visually limited it is unreadable. I see that it's on kindle unlimited and I will try it on there but I like to have a physical book for this type of book. I want to be able to easily refer back to specific items that catch my eye and that I want to try. So I'm very disappointed in physical format of the book.
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Top reviews from the United States

Camilo
5.0 out of 5 stars The questions are amazing
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2016
Verified Purchase
Great and useful book. free of jargon and straight to the point.

The questions are amazing to do a quick diagnostic the business
One person found this helpful
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D. Cooper
4.0 out of 5 stars A Book I Will Use...
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
Well written and organized in a logical order for me. I found the information to be understandable because as the sub-title proclaims, "jargon free", no big Lawyer speak :-)
One person found this helpful
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sheri
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
Excellent book. Easy read, very comprehensive and writer seems to understand the mindset of the creative type person who would read this type of book.
2 people found this helpful
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Book Dragon
1.0 out of 5 stars Not visually friendly
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024
My score above is only for the format of the book not the content. My daughters bought me this book as a gift. I was quite excited to get it and read it. Unfortunately I have difficulty reading really light print. I opened this up and tried to read this and can't.. The font is so light that for someone who is visually limited it is unreadable. I see that it's on kindle unlimited and I will try it on there but I like to have a physical book for this type of book. I want to be able to easily refer back to specific items that catch my eye and that I want to try. So I'm very disappointed in physical format of the book.
Customer image
Book Dragon
1.0 out of 5 stars Not visually friendly
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024
My score above is only for the format of the book not the content. My daughters bought me this book as a gift. I was quite excited to get it and read it. Unfortunately I have difficulty reading really light print. I opened this up and tried to read this and can't.. The font is so light that for someone who is visually limited it is unreadable. I see that it's on kindle unlimited and I will try it on there but I like to have a physical book for this type of book. I want to be able to easily refer back to specific items that catch my eye and that I want to try. So I'm very disappointed in physical format of the book.
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nikkali
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2016
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Great Book!
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John Chancellor
5.0 out of 5 stars For a Better Start, Start Here
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2013
Starting a business can be quite frightening. The failure rate is extremely high for new ventures. For the creative types, business terms and concepts seem like a foreign language. On top of that, there are countless friends and family offering conflicting advice - much of it often incorrect.

If you are the creative type and want to start your own business, the most important thing to do is to start on a firm foundation. Understand the basic business principles necessary for to start and run a profitable business. This is where Doug Richard, author of How to Start a Creative Business, provides a very valuable resource.

Mr. Richard runs the School for Creative Startups in the UK. The school provides training for creative types interested in learning basic business principles so they can successfully start and operate a business. The content of the book is based on the principles taught in the school.

Mr. Richard covers ten steps that are found in the start up of any business. These steps are key to starting on a firm foundation. They involve getting very clear about the proposition - what is your product or service. Is there a market need for what you are offering? Is the market too thin and/or too widely dispersed? What is the competition? He also covers the distribution channels, the pricing models, identifying your key partners and your assets. Finally he covers the key competency necessary for success.

There are two chapters that are outstanding in that they cover topics that most new businesses get wrong. The first is what I call proof of concept - making sure there is a need for your product/service. As Mr. Richard points out, friends and family cannot possibly give you unbiased feedback. You must do proper reserach - get out and ask potential prospects and validate the market. The other chapter that I found really outstanding was on pricing. Most new business owners think they can compete on price. They incorrectly think that offering a lower price will give them a good pricing strategy. The exact opposite is true. You need to offer a premium product/service and at a premium price. This is outstanding advice and is contrary to what most new owners think. These two concepts are critical to the success of most new businesses.

There is a chapter devoted to each question. The format is to discuss the business theory so you have a good understanding of the principle. He then gives a short third party story as an example of the theory. Then there is the most important part of each chapter - Get Your Hands Dirty - this is where Mr. Richard gives you a specific to-do exercise covering what has been discussed. Each chapter ends with "Now you Know" and "What You've Accomplished".

Like many other disciplines, business has a lot of terminology that seems foreign to outsiders. So scattered throughout the book are "Jargon Busting" bubbles. These are commonly used business terms - like burn rate/run rate, TAM, and purchase order financing. These terms are explained in plain English. BTW, TAM is not the Scottish hat but means Total Available Market.

For American readers, since the book was written primarily for the UK market, you will find the British spelling for some words differs from the American spelling. Also you might come across some unique British terms - bespoke is one and it simply means custom made.

The book is targeted to the creative entrepreneur but the principles apply to anyone starting a new business. The book is well written and easy to read. But the real value is in doing the exercises. If you work through each set of "Get Your Hands Dirty" exercises, you will have a great foundation for starting your business on a strong footing. You will have a much better chance of having a successful business.

Spend some time reading this book and doing the exercises - it will pay huge dividends.

I was provided a review copy of this book.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars fotonico
Reviewed in Italy on July 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
libro fantastico che illustra un metodo per partire con delle solide basi, indicato a tutti i neofiti che vogliono lanciarsi nel fantastico mondo del business, utile anche in altri ambiti, consigliato
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars awesome
Reviewed in France on January 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
ce livre est juste magnifique, il est écrit simplement et en même temps il est tellement instructif, a conseiller pour tout ceux qui s'intéressent a la création de start-up ou qui ont des idees pleins la tête ! Bonne lecture
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Sophia
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for Creative Types
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2013
Verified Purchase
I came across this title whilst on Doug's website looking for a business planning template. Before purchasing I read as many reviews as I could both for and against. I knew that the book would help me cut my way through my creative business. My high rating for this book reflects the impact it has had on my understanding of my position to my work and the bigger picture. I've found that you can not expect to cut through this book in one sitting, personally it has taken time for me to assimilate the information and apply it until something clicks and I get my Ah-ha moment which then allows me to push on through to the next chapter.

I like the straight talking layout of the content, and the real life often very familiar brands used as examples are very useful. This book is for anyone in a creative business especially a maker of things, to cut through the noise and use the practical advice as a guide for how to go from good to great. I would be lost without this book it has confirmed things I already knew, like the importance of your story, and highlighted many facts I totally overlooked. I wish I had known about it much sooner. Doug Richard gives you the authority to take action in your business.
6 people found this helpful
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Lily
4.0 out of 5 stars she was pleased with It as gave her lots of advice and ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 21, 2015
Verified Purchase
Christmas gift for my daughter who does graphic design. she was pleased with It as gave her lots of advice and was easy to understand unlike other books that give complicated advice
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ironfire
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect tool to compliment all creative startups
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 2, 2013
Verified Purchase
After recently completing Dougs 2012/13 School for Creative Startups course I was so excited to learn about his book. Although the course covered everything and more, having 'How to Start a Creative Business' would have been an invaluable tool to compliment the course. After jamming my copy of the book with notes taken during the course it is now my Bible.

Well laid out and full of useful advice this is the ideal tool to compliment any budding entrepreneur looking to start their own business, this book is the kickstart you'll need. Most valuable are Dougs 10 Questions, by working through each one you'll be able refine and define your business. This is the perfect book for anyone with a creative idea or business, whether you're just at the ideas stage or in the early development of you creative business. Written in the same manner and voice that Doug teaches, it's easy to understand, straight-forward and no nonsense.
17 people found this helpful
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