Nesta (the UK’s innovation foundation)

All participants of the CEP must:

• Be a creative business, working in the fashion industry
• Have an already established enterprise, or be in the later stages of developing an idea. This is typically a business no more than two years old, but can be a more established business wishing to pause and consider their model through the CEP lens
• Be willing to share their knowledge and experience with the group in an open, supportive peer lead learning environment
• Come prepared to work on their business/idea, to progress through the programme, considering peer feedback, to strengthen their proposition
• Be open to supporting your fellow participants in developing their idea through providing constructive feedback when appropriate
• Be available for the full duration of the programme

The Creative Enterprise Programme is a three-day practical workshop that equips creative entrepreneurs with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed. Expert facilitators, as well as local market specialists, will provide face-to-face support to help entrepreneurs explore business ideas, develop their business proposition, and create a business model that suits their hopes and motivations.

This interactive programme brings Nesta’s Creative Enterprise Toolkit to life, and uses a mixture of practical exercises and activities that have been designed specifically for the programme.

Through the three days, participants explore key ways to:

• understand the building blocks that describe and will shape their business opportunity
• identify and better understand customers, and explore how the business will function and grow
• visualise the main components of the business and bring together the key elements of a business plan

Programme objectives

The Creative Enterprise Programme builds on the Creative Enterprise Toolkit in a supportive peer-to-peer learning context. A Nesta workshop facilitator and creative business expert, who brings a wealth of experience, presents the content and offers participants advice and guidance for getting their products and services to market. Through interactive exercises and activities, participants will gain a better understanding of how to develop their business.

Programme outline

Day 1 You and Your Idea

Focuses on helping participants understand the building blocks that describe and shape their business opportunity:

• Explores Values, Vision and Mission
• Uses modelling to demonstrate what impact the business could have

Day 2 Your Customers

Encourages participants to identify and better understand customers and users. It focuses on exploring how the business will function and grow by:
Learning from other local creative entrepreneurs
Describing customer profiles and needs
Defining the business processes and the relationships needed to help them realise their business opportunity

Day 3

Visualise the main components of the business and to bring together the key elements of participants’ business plans through a first draft of the Business Model Canvas (BMC). It provides supports participants to:

• Understand the legal and financial considerations for running a business
• Evaluate the business and plan for the future
• Prototype a first draft of a business plan using the BMC

About the facilitators

The programme is led by creative business experts and skilled facilitators who specialise in design thinking, business and innovation. Alongside this expert, each workshop features live case studies from the region, where local entrepreneurs discuss their experience of running a creative enterprise in the local region, and guest experts who can highlight specific local issues – for example around tax or legal matters.

When: