Week 9: Entrepreneurship – Core Characteristics, Ethics and Theory

Brief 3: Shop

This assignment explores the idea of the designer as author; as originator of artefacts driven by personal practice, entrepreneurial insight or social need. Case studies provide background to the many new ways designers practise what they preach, with a final outcome.

Weekly Learning Objectives

By the end of this week you should be able to:

• Research and analyse core characteristics, ethics and theory of entrepreneurship;
• Communicate, in your opinion, the key characteristics of an entrepreneur today;
• Discuss the pros and cons of how risk, failure and innovation is built into a model for business success, and what the impact of different cultural insights is in regard to opportunity and potential;
• Manage your independent learning effectively.

Week 9: Lecture – Entrepreneurship Case Studies

Lecture Introduction

This lecture is delivered by Neef of ustwo, and presents case studies of design studios discussing entrepreneurship and how they embrace the challenges of building their business.

We ask the questions:

• How would you highlight the core pillars of success for your business?
• How do you balance risk and planning, with future ambition?

Watch the lecture video below and take some time to explore the given materials. Make notes in your research journal, reflect upon these ideas and use them as a springboard into your own investigations. Use the Ideas Wall freely to discuss, ask questions and share ideas.

Enjoy the lecture.

The Panel

Neef Rehman ustwo Adventure (Links to an external site.), Adventure Lead

Sinx (John Sinclair) ustwo (Links to an external site.), Co-Founder

Robin Howie Fieldwork Facility (Links to an external site.), (Links to an external site.)Founder & Creative Director

Sophie Hawkins SHawkinsCo. (Links to an external site.), Founder

Robin Howie

Freelance outside of new studio after RCA.
Studio – steady start, have to win confidence from new clients.

Design Practice
Idealistic
Unwilling to specialised
Resourceful in terms of what to take on (due to recession at that time)

Course error
Design interactions – wanted this, but:
Communication art and design – that’s the course that graphic designers take

Felt like he belonged between the two.

With freelance work were you more flexible in idealisms?

Working under the guise of a studio compared to:
When money was tight then worked freelance to get payed.

Hard to juggle starting a studio with working freelance but got in with innovation consultancy called ‘Idea’ (?), a good training ground towards innovation projects, found more impactful work than just freelancing at a design studio.

Fieldwork Facility.

Referenced other peoples expectations of what ‘competitive advantages’ would be. Common understanding is that there’s some kind of niche which brings success. Some see the idea of doing one thing but doing it really well, wasn’t interested in these approaches. Fieldwork is about uncharted territory and their advantage is the ability to work with open-ended briefs, design for the unknown or projects which other studios could be struggling to deal with.

Operating the business:

Taking pride and detail orientated -vs- the need to provide a service and get paid?
As a graduate you learn a lot on-the-job and that comes from where you work, who’s your boss. Made a conscious decision not to have a job but to create his own job by spending time learning how to run a business in his own way – (I need to thrash-out what I would be, what is that job I need to make for myself?) –

Has feeling changed as the company developed?

Idealism has caught up with reality, year five was the threshold where the effort in being the kind of designer to be proud of meant the ability to take on bigger challenges. Years five to 10 – focussed more on how to run a business and looked for how can you configure a business where you do good work for clients but also explore your own ideas and interests too.

What was slowing things down in the beginning that you could have done with knowing?

Starting straight out of college meant no money so that effected how the studio operated. No cash means no security so you can’t take the risks you would like, affects how you carry on working as a studio culture. It all takes a back seat because you’re looking to secure the next project rather than creating your own opportunities.

Also, you haven’t accrued a careers-worth of networking (there lies a problem) so post-grad: ‘here’s my student projects and I’ve nobody to go and chat with’.

Where there any difficulties operationally which happened even after solving the issues of networking or cashflow?

Got good at finding opportunities and ‘getting in the door’ (needed), some realities of running a business weren’t there. Trouble with tax, not setting money aside. Learn as you go and learn the lessons.

Anything that went particularly well?

Proud of the output of work and being able to nurture client relationships when it’s just a small team. Despite ‘not having family money’ or a large network of potential clients he managed to create opportunities and a studio where the clients are self-selecting – no cold calling – people find their work interesting and so seek them out.

Have you had to learn client relationships as you’ve gone along?

It’s just being good to people and doing good work, it just falls into place then. Good emotional intelligence, knowing how to work with people from the outset.

Favourites?

Work a lot in the public realm, landmark projects are: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – encouraging children to find the way to a new playground and a playground installation. Re-imagine community engagement, collaborated with the NLA (New London Architecture), Southwark council – the Museum of Us, a participatory exhibition and campaign featuring local people.

What are the ethics of design and design practice, do you weave ethics into the business or do you just run it how it runs?

Not something they set out to do but is a reflection of what their ethics, how they like the studio to rum, personal ethics, etc.

Ethos: Design is a role of citizenship. Before being a designer, is a citizen of London, the UK, Europe, the World. CitizenSHIP is more interesting: it says it’s a more pro-active roll, you have to do something. ‘Design is a roll of citizenship’ means that you don’t have to try and save the world with each project but you should be leaving the world a slightly better place.

Sinx (John Sinclair)

On grad from CSM. Any theories for design and design practice?

Classic design student, taking on the big briefs, etc. all about the ideas. At CSM there’s wasn’t much technical teaching at the time you learnt that yourself. An awakening when you leave into an environment it’s: deliver for clients – ‘what do you mean I can’t do X,?’

Doing your own thing as a student -vs- doing things to answer someone else’s brief, often from a more business related POV. Worked at Big Animal (?) with some big client brands (Sony). At college you worked on a project for 2-4 weeks before presenting and then on to the next, at work there was a smaller project which lasted a year (?!), where’s the pace? The college version; come up with a ‘cool’ idea, where working something right through to it’s fruition or launch has lots of boring bits.

Starting usTwo did you try and reclaim any pace?

It was more about being naïve than claiming it back, it was how the needs from clients and businesses need to work together. Less about just the creativity, more about using that creativity in the business and client world. More learning than looking back.

Output for a client -vs- creative as a craft – since starting usTwo was that ever a big battle?

In the 15 years of usTwo ‘craft’ has always been around, with the front-end always very finished and how things should look good. More recently, the developments in software towards speed of production can grate against the feeling of craft opposed to sketches and working out. (More from digital sense) learning how to deliver work. More about how to make a project successful, how can it have the maximum impact and goals?

Change peoples views?
To make a process easier?

Craft is an element of that as well as all the other steps; technical steps, design, usability, UX, etc. Design isn’t the be-all and end-all, it’s a very important part but all the other parts of a business are too. A successful product isn’t just designed right, it’s the business, the financing, all the facets that need to be on track in order for a product to be successful. They all need to work together.

usTwo moved from just a design studio into being a successful technology company, growing into these new areas, how did you deal with any out-of-depth feeling?

Some of the early growth areas (technology), hiring the engineers, etc. was something a little familiar, developers and designers worked together more than they used to so felt like a developer and could talk their language so hiring developers felt natural. Hiring the strategists was something new. During their 15 years they’ve hired 10’s of different people to help steer the company into new areas, not just down to the owners any more. If you hire the right people they help you to progress into new areas.

If after 15 years the same founder is making all the decisions there could be something wrong and cause a problem in scaling the business (…).

In new areas, you hire people and soak up the learning and then you get to know how things run.

Be open listening, and looking for learning and new ideas, thoughts and people, then be open to those changes.

How big an impact did expanding internationally have on the viewpoint and ideas, once there were different studios around the world?

Never had these plans – grew into being entrepreneurs. Started wanting to work on great projects with a bunch of likeable people. It was a ‘nothing to lose’, have a go setup. Looked to people they knew rather than having a business plan, doesn’t think usTwo would be what it is if the slight naïvety hadn’t been there.

Wasn’t much planning, at the start it was hard to pay for things but there were companies they would never have worked for and still wouldn’t. Other than that they would do anything which came along just to survive. As you grow and more money comes in you can choose who to say no to, you can start steering the company into areas you want to be in. You need to be able to afford to choose who not to work for, or to work for charitable foundations, diverse hiring, etc. these things are really expensive. When your smaller and you have strong values, set goals to aim for to be able to implement those values: in x years we want to grow to x people, then we want to re-invest 10% of all money back into xy. It’s hard to do that right from day one, be pragmatic.

Sophie Hawkins – S Hawkins Co.

Studied at Falmouth

What’s your path to where you are now?

Fashion and Performance Sportswear in 2009 – Make Functional clothing for labourers.

Always wanted to run here own business, learnt the craft studying at Falmouth but had always enjoyed making things for friends. Quite a commercial course it prepared you to become a product developer, able to produce flat CAD drawings, mockups and sew prototypes as well as the final pieces. Sportswear element taught about future-fabrics, their technology and some history. The modules would always push you out of your comfort zone, all-round practical.

Graduated in 2011 – went to a graduate job as a marketing assistant, thought were that she knew how to design and make clothes but learning about a marketing role in a global company would be a good thing. From there went on to be a product developer until a family trauma caused her to re-evaluate.

Later, five years focus on re-teaching the skills learnt at Falmouth by making garments got things going again.

What were your goals and ethics for a design practice whist being a student?

Really ambitious, fuelled by the facilities available at Falmouth. Fascinated by tactility of fabrics and how they can be manipulated to do things they weren’t designed to do.

Was the ambition in mind translated to your own business or were there sacrifices along the way to make things commercially viable?

Processes used at college wouldn’t be economic to use on larger scales so what always rang true was the ‘eco’ approach couldn’t work the same. ‘Upcycling’ was then a focus, using fabrics which were to small in supply for larger companies then work with local factories to product the items.

How do you maintain the ‘eco-friendly’ ethos whilst growing your business?

Local manufacturers using natural resources have a high price so either support those companies and produce items which can be sold for larger amounts or hire extra hands to do the up cycling – that way is high in labour but lower in price.

No plans to scale up until absolutely necessary but will always only produce things in an eco and ethical way.

What was the motivation to move away from doing everything yourself?

Knowing that someone isn’t going to pay too much for a garment they want to wear everyday at work. Researched and found a small outlet in Bolton where things could be produced but was at the back of the queue because of low volumes. From there, went to Blackburn to a place with much clearer boundaries and so more trusted to deliver things as they should be, saving time and money.

Launched before marketing because there was enough demand in the close vicinity to get things going (close network). Had to ‘take the leap’ because there was a minimum order for the materials but there was no fast turnaround, pieces where timeless and not fast-fashion, the factory was set. Made the garments, got the photos and launched the brand. Then did the marketing.

Other critical business functions you’ve brought on?

Accounting – do as much as you can for as long as you can (I think that depends on your turnover, do the book-keeping for as long as you can but not the accounts. A good accountant could save you more money than they charge you do do that.).
Friend and partner in a photographer, used for all photoshoots, same for makeup artist and stylist (mutually beneficial, same principal as a collaboration on each project?).

Can call on this team and rely on them.

Get freelancers to do any graphics

Pattern cutters if things are busy.

Sample makers; if the designer also makes the samples it’s too tempting to keep making changes and wasting time, it’s better to hand it over to someone who’s not emotionally attached to the garment.

Haven’t looking to scaling the business or brining investors, why’s that?

Mainly not having time to execute a business plan and create an ‘official’ demand for the product. If an investor where to come in they would only be interested in sales, so that on top of the day-to-day stresses would have stopped things in their tracks in the first year. Something for further down the line.

Who it comes to selling, how do you align your sales pitch with your audience?

A lot of sales come from meeting people, also working as a freelance tailor and so meets a lot of people that way. People onset, etc.. Usually wearing one of the garments so people asked where from, so talk the right way to that person. Really ‘on-it’ saving email addresses and sending consistent emails to grow an audience from friends and followers on social media.

Will things be marketed in the same way if things got bigger?

Will always keep a part of personal life attached to the brand. Is important to be seen as still in touch and in charge and for the personal touch. Perhaps a leg of the company running under a different name?

A difference between saying ‘I’ or ‘we’, if you’re around people you like to work with it means that can speak for you as you trust them.

Notes and reflections

Fieldwork

• Look to create more impactful work
• Proud of the output of work
• Create opportunities
• Make good use of a small network
• You haven’t accrued a careers-worth of networking
• Being able to nurture client relationships

(Ethos: Design is a role of citizenship. Before being a designer, is a citizen of London, the UK, Europe, the World. CitizenSHIP is more interesting: it says it’s a more pro-active roll, you have to do something. ‘Design is a roll of citizenship’ means that you don’t have to try and save the world with each project but you should be leaving the world a slightly better place. – possible people like to hear these kinds of things from time to time, makes a company sound thoughtful and sincere).

usTwo

• Less about just the creativity, more about using that creativity in the business and client world.
• [Think] more about how to make a project successful, how can it have the maximum impact and goals? Change peoples views? To make a process easier?
• Be pragmatic
• In new areas, you hire people and soak up the learning
• If you hire the right people they help you to progress into new areas.
• Be open listening, and looking for learning and new ideas, thoughts and people, then be open to those changes.
• Set [real] goals to aim for

Hawkins

• If you’re around people you like to work with it means they can speak for you as you trust them.
• Too tempting to keep making changes and wasting time, it’s better to hand it over to someone who’s not emotionally attached.
• Sending consistent messages to grow an audience
• If an investor where to come in they would only be interested in sales – avoid just being interested in sales, the passion for the work fades away.
• Can call on this team and rely on them.

Overall

Networking is a point raises in all the interviews, the need to know people always comes across. Interest comes through meeting people and if nobody knows you, or that your company is there, then there won’t be a lot happening.

Another point mentioned is one of learning things as you go along. Nobody knows the perfect answer to running their own business and things are often learned the hard way, Robin Howie’s run-in with the tax man is a good example of this, but if you’re too busy just trying to earn a living then that becomes the important thing to do. Here again lies the benefit of a good network, people can advise you and point out things which you’ve either forgotten about or never knew, or are choosing to ignore (like the tax man). Networks aren’t just places for find work, they’re a good source of advice.

Creating your own opportunities – on starting a business it’s often assumed that your work will be in answer to a need from a customer, a customer which likely isn’t there yet… sitting waiting for customers to come along, waiting to be discovered, is a common mistake, people are usually used to being employed where work does come to you ‘all by itself’ (ie, the boss dishes out the work so you might not consider they have had to find that work).

Look for genuine ways to show yourself, relentless postings on social media doesn’t cover it. Narrow things down and find more efficient ways to do it, blanket coverage of your studio will fall on deaf ears, everything is the same, be consistent in how frequently you post, and also you need to be consistent in the quality of work that you post. If you can narrow things down for yourself, know what kind of work you want to do – figure it out – somehow. John Sinclair says to be pragmatic, being realistic can make things hard to admit.

I’m finding this module is a hard one, it’s the first one which feels out of some control. Past modules have always been about getting the right answer to a design brief, whether it’s set or self-initiated, it’s the same process and one I’m used to dealing with, I know if things are progressing in the right way. This one feels as though advice, opinions, methods and reasoning are all coming from all directions. One minute things make sense and the next they’re flying past a blank expression. I don’t just want to answer the tasks and move on to the next week without understanding the reason for the result – what’s the point in that?

I still need to bury myself in the theory behind this module but working at home is causing too many interruptions and breaking chains of thought.

Conclusion:

Of course you have to be good at what you do, but success needs a real big amount of luck, the work comes in getting to be in the right place at the right time for that amount of luck to fall your way.

Week 9: Resources

Read | Watch | Listen

Below is this week’s list of materials. For the full module resource list, please refer to the Course Hub. We encourage you to also carry out your own independent research into themes delivered. Do not forget to use the Ideas Wall to share new ideas and thoughts.

1. Entrepreneur Europe [online] https://www.entrepreneur.com/ (Links to an external site.) [Accessed May 2020].

2. Best magazines about work, creativity and entrepreneurship:

Lecture in Progress [online] https://lectureinprogress.com/ (Links to an external site.) [Accessed May 2020]

Courier [online] https://couriermedia.co/ (Links to an external site.) [Accessed May 2020]

Offscreen[online] https://www.offscreenmag.com/ (Links to an external site.) [Accessed May 2020]

A buzzword-free zone
We replace inflated success stories and click-baity tech jargon with unpolished human stories and thoughtful, earnest conversations.

Intern [online] https://intern-mag.com/ (Links to an external site.) [Accessed May 2020]

Backstage Talks [online] https://backstagetalks.com/ (Links to an external site.) [Accessed May 2020]

Artsy Magazine [online] https://www.artsymagazine.com/ (Links to an external site.) [Accessed May 2020]

Ethos [online] https://ethos-magazine.com/ (Links to an external site.) [Accessed May 2020]

3. Wired, Jessica Alter,(2013) Designers make great entrepreneurs, they just don’t know it yet (Links to an external site.) [online]. [Accessed 1 May 2019].

4. Frederick Harry Pitts https://www.frederickharrypitts.com/ (Links to an external site.)

5. Futures of Work https://futuresofwork.co.uk/

Week 9: Ideas Wall

To prepare yourself for the workshop challenge, please consider the following question:

In your opinion, what are the essential characteristics of the entrepreneur today?

Workshop Challenge

The Challenge

Being an entrepreneur today

Create an information graphic, or diagram, or animation that, for you, highlights the effective definition and process of a being a design entrepreneur today.

Upload your diagram to the Ideas Wall and discuss the pros and cons of how risk, failure and innovation is built into a model for business success;

What is the impact of different cultural insights with regard to opportunity and potential?

Concept

Reflection

More time – created a survey to determine sectors and keywords from a cross section of the design community.

Knowledge – only on the graduate and experienced diagram, in terms of design industry knowledge is assumed for the others and can be at the same level in each case