1. 1
THE CREATIVE
ENTREPRENEUR
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
FOR
ARTISTS AND
CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS
Provided by:
CidaCo, The Creativity and Innovation Company
Munro House, Leeds LS9 8AG
E: Dawn@cida.org T: +44 (0) 113 373 1754
www.cidaco.org

2. 2
The Creative Entrepreneur
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3. 3
Contents:
Who We Are.......................................................................................................................................4
Programme Building Blocks for Each Topic .......................................................................................5
The Work of Art
For aspirant and new creative practitioners and entrepreneurs ......................................................6
Create-Innovate-Achieve
For creative practitioners and entrepreneurs in business for three years or more..........................8
Grow Your Business
For creative practitioners and entrepreneurs of five years or more...............................................10
Creative Renewal
For creative practitioners and entrepreneurs in business for over 15 years ..................................12
Leadership and Management for Creative Organisations.............................................................13
Mentoring for Established and Emerging Leaders……………………………………………………………………12
New Skills for Growing Creative Organisations........................................................................14
Key Tutor Profiles.............................................................................................................................16

4. 4
Who We Are
'CIDACo's work is outstanding' (Singapore Workforce Development Agency).
CidaCo is the trading name for Creative Industries Development Agency which was founded in 2000 by
Anamaria Wills, an award-winning leader and producer with over 30 years’ experience in some of the UK’s
leading cultural institutions. CidaCo collaborates with clients to develop creative and innovative solutions
to achieve sustainable growth. From our Yorkshire base and bolstered by a strategic alliance with Silicon
Valley innovation specialists EDG, we take a global approach to inspire our UK and international clients to
tackle challenges with new thinking and different perspectives. A unique mix of creativity, innovation and
entrepreneurialism is the backbone of our work with over 600 organisations in 34 countries and regions to
date including Brazil, Singapore, China, Zimbabwe, Europe and the Caribbean. Our clients cross both the
arts and business sectors and range from those with roots in Yorkshire like Phoenix Dance Theatre to
governments and global brands like Schweppes (South Africa). Visit www.cidaco.org for more information.

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PROGRAMME BUILDING BLOCKS FOR EACH TOPIC
THEORETICAL
UNDERPINNING
CREATIVE
PRACTICE
REAL LIFE
CASE STUDIES
EMBEDDINGTHELEARNING
-ActionLearningSets
-Mentoring
BUSINESS
RIGOUR

6. 6
The Work of Art
For aspirant and new creative practitioners and entrepreneurs
Modules Topics No of
Days
Module one:
Building Blocks
Mission, Vision, Values
Understanding what you bring to your practice, what
drives you and what characteristics you need to be
successful as an independent arts practitioner
1 day
Module two:
Introduction to Marketing
Key Principles of Marketing: An introduction to the
principles of Marketing, where we lay the foundations for
good thinking and planning, particularly focused on
customer sensitivity and the building of those crucial
relationships essential in 21st century marketing. The
need to understand the fundamental principles remains
essential before starting to apply any of the contemporary
and new tools for reaching customers and achieving sales.
1 day
Module three:
Introduction to Finance
Costing and Pricing; Managing Money; plus HMRC/
employment status
Costing and pricing are two of the most vexed questions
facing creative entrepreneurs. This module gives you the
tools to understand how these are calculated and set; and
importantly how rigours of financial management can be
seen as a useful tool rather than a tedious or intimidating
discipline. Cash flow is like oxygen – without it, your
business will die. Learn how to manage this vital tool for
your survival and success
1 day
“CidaCo helped unlock aspects of business that I felt too intimidated
by. With humour, wit, and friendly demeanour, they also provided
the encouragement to carry on, to be the best we could be, and they
genuinely wanted us all to succeed. They make business easy for
creatives, and they unlock creativity for the business minded”
Amy Evans, Owner of Tiger Tea Illustration

7. 7
The Work of Art
For aspirant and new creative practitioners and entrepreneurs
Module four:
Introduction to Legal & IP
Issues
You don’t have to be a lawyer to know how important legal
issues are going to be to your creative business: you need
to know what legal status will best suit your business, from
sole trader to social enterprise, from limited company to
limited liability partnership; as an owner/manager, you
need to know what your legal responsibilities are, and/or
those of your Board, even if they’re unpaid; and, critically,
you need to have a working understanding of Intellectual
Property Rights because they will affect your business and,
potentially, your ability to earn
1 day
Module five:
How to Develop Effective
Projects
The market place for your work is both demanding and
challenging. Competition is all around you and customers
can be so fickle. The demand for new ideas is never-
ending. And generating new ideas is what you are good at
– you are a creative entrepreneur. But how do you make
an effective business from those ideas? How do you know
which ideas ‘have legs’? How do you finance the
development? And what are the consequences of success?
What does it mean for your business, and for you?
1 day
Module six:
Writing Proposals / Who
Do You Know / Final
Catch-up and Action Plan
The competition for funding intensifies as money becomes
more scarce. How do you make your proposals stand out?
This section helps you apply the principles of writing
successful proposals and takes a look at who you need to
know – and be known by – to increase your opportunities
for success
1 day
“This is a wonderful course tailored
specifically for creative entrepreneurs
like myself, who have a passion for
creating great art. The quality of the
sessions are outstanding and the
support I have received from CidaCo has
been invaluable to the development of
my career both personally and for the
new dance company I am currently
establishing. I look forward to a
sustainable future alongside them.”
Rachel Jean Birch,
Choreographer/Dancer,
FRESH Event Co-ordinator, Newcastle

8. 8
Create-Innovate-Achieve
For creative practitioners and entrepreneurs in business for three years or more
Modules Topics No of
Days
Module one:
The Creative
Entrepreneur
Attributes for Success:
The introductory module, ‘The Creative Entrepreneur’,
uniquely designed by Cida Co to identify the ten key
attributes of a successful creative entrepreneur, helps you to
identify your own strengths and weaknesses as you run your
organisation or freelance practice.
This leads into a review of your “business model” and a
health check against your Mission, Vision and Values
1 day
Module two:
Reaching Your Customer,
Knowing Your
Competition
As technology reduces the cost of effective marketing,
focusing on niche markets and direct relationships, so this
discipline becomes more accessible to individual micro
businesses. For freelance and small businesses, exploitation
of the new social media tools to maintain your presence,
manage your reputation and engage your customers is no
longer expensive but makes demands in terms of your time.
Understanding how to maximise the opportunities while
managing your investment of time and energy is critical.
1 day
Module three:
Legal and Governance;
Intellectual Property
An introduction to legal and governance issues associated
with setting up a company, in terms of legal status, company
registration etc. This Master class also introduces
participants to the principles of Intellectual Property Rights.
IPR is a fundamental issue which most creative
entrepreneurs acknowledge but few have seriously
attempted to get to grips with – with creative and media
specialist Keith Arrowsmith, we will persuade our
participants of the absolute necessity of engaging with this
topic for their own potential benefit.
1 day
Module four:
All Money Is Not the
Same
Access to Finance is probably one of the most difficult
challenges facing creative businesses. This module covers
the 3Fs (Families, Friends and Fools), Understanding Equity
and Debt Finance; public and private sector funding
initiatives and how to access them
1 day

9. 9
Module five:
Project Management
Making things happen – most creative businesses are
creating new ideas, new processes, new products and
services. This module shows how a systematic approach to
project management, pulling together negotiating and
managing the resources of time, money, people, locations
and equipment, can help ensure the meeting of deadlines on
time and on budget
1 day
Module six:
Working with People
People are critical to every business. In a business start up,
where the entrepreneur is the key influencer, success will be
directly affected by the ability to recruit the right people
who bring both technical competence and a willingness to
commit to the vision for the business, and then to lead the
team. This will be paramount to develop traction in the
market.
1 day
“CidaCo's training and coaching gave us real insight into how to make our vision a reality. The business
development tools they shared were simple yet eye-opening and we were able to apply them
immediately in a period of major organisational transition and growth. We gained confidence to be
imaginative in developing solutions that were right for us as a small cultural organisation with a unique
mission. The principles we have learned are now embedded into our organisation's working practices.
This Course is one of the best decisions I have ever made, it’s made a huge difference already.
I am more than happy for you to quote me. I think it's amazing what skills and opportunity this course
provides.”
Nichola McIntosh, Creative Director of hArt Factory, Middlesbrough

10. 10
Grow Your Business
For creative practitioners and entrepreneurs of ten years or more
Modules Topics No of
Days
Module one:
Where Am I Now and
Where Do I Want to Be;
Creative Jamming /Ideas
Generation
Definitions of Success; Exploring Ideas: The ‘creative
jamming’ part of the process, where everyone is encouraged
to take risks and come up with ideas for addressing the key
issues facing the group – no idea is ‘wrong’, building of
prototypes, visualisation techniques, putting ideas to the
test, are all encouraged
1 day
Module two:
Introduction to
Innovation Process I
CO-STAR
Select the Best: How do you distinguish between an idea
that is important and an idea that is ‘merely interesting’?
What makes that difference? What gives you the foresight
to know when to walk away from your favourite concept?
Are you adding to existing value, creating new value,
reducing or eliminating costs?
1 day
Module three:
Innovation Process II
RIIS; Risk Assessment and Mitigation; The Pitch
Mobilise for Results: Who needs to be on the team to
ensure the solution’s success? Consider the eco-system in
which you work – look beyond the walls of your own
organisation. What is your ‘unfair’ competitive advantage?
What significant advantage does your solution offer over the
competition? What results will be achieved from your
solution – specifically, what are the quantifiable benefits to
your customer and your organisation? What are the
intangible benefits for all key stakeholders?
1 day

11. 11
Grow Your Business
For creative practitioners and entrepreneurs of ten years or more
Module four:
Business modelling and
strategy development
Strategic Planning: Participants are helped to review their
business model in the light of their ever changing external
environment. They acquire key tools for developing
strategies to manage change in terms of organisational
goals, culture, structure and relationships, both internal and
external, that may arise from changing business models.
1 day
Module five:
Collaborative Leadership
An examination of Leadership styles: becoming an effective
role model, coach and mentor; Leadership and values: the
power of personal example; Leadership and change
1 day
Module six: Action
Planning: Sustaining and
Managing Success
Keeping it all together : focus on client service: making your
client teams even more effective; Business development:
the prerequisites for successful cross-selling
1 day
“Just want to say thank you so much for the 6 sessions of the CIDA Creative Business Course. I think it is
great that a course so relevant has been put on for small creative businesses like myself. All of the
sessions were really relevant and interesting and I particularly enjoyed the first day and seeing the
journey taken in my thinking and planning until the final afternoon. Seeing others on the course I really
felt that you were able to give some very woolley ideas at the beginning definite clarity by the final
session. I enjoyed the speed and the way you presented, it was clear without being patronising and you
were able to pitch to all levels very successfully as well as generally caring about people’s business
ideas. I look forward to taking forwards my plan.” Jenny Roberts, Adorn Hats

12. 12
Creative Renewal
For creative practitioners and entrepreneurs in business for over 15 years
Creative
Renewal
An intense 48 hour facilitated retreat, in very small groups (maximum
6 people), to enable experienced practitioners to look at where they
are and where they want to be.
Guided by a highly experienced and sensitive facilitator,
practitioner/entrepreneurs are given the chance to stand back and
assess their own creativity, their work, their achievements and
ambitions.
2 days –
optional as
residential

13. 13
Leadership and Management for Creative Organisations
Modules Topics No of Days
Vision and Values
Building the team, sharing
the vision
Setting the foundation of leadership, vision and values are
the first responsibility of the leader. With these, s/he sets
the culture of the organisation
The capacity to identify the necessary skills and behaviours
in a successful team is essential alongside recruiting that
team and securing their buy-in to the overall vision
1 day
Leading creatives,
managing talent
Collaboration and
innovation
Working with creative talent brings its own very particular
challenges. Mixing them with colleagues who work in more
traditional fields can give rise to other difficulties. Creating
the context in which others can make the right decisions is a
defining test for an effective leader
1 day
Managing change Creating continuous customer value and innovation brings
challenges to an organisation as it requires a process of
continuous change. Leaders are one of the three key drivers
for change: as such, they need to be stewards of the
development process, commit needed resources and
support, authorise changes, and model new actions
1 day
Networks and
negotiations
and
Staying ahead
Creative organisations cannot exist as an island, divorced
from the world around them. The leader needs to know
how to manage relationships with governments, funders to
customers and competitors, and to keep aware of changes in
both the creative and the business environments
1 day
Mentoring for Established Creative Leaders
For Chief Executives and
Senor Managers
One-to-one sessions giving an established leader the opportunity to think about
their own practice, their leadership style(s) and their goals in safe space with a
creative mentor highly experienced in working with senior executives. These
sessions provide senior staff with a rare chance for exploration and reflection on
their approach to achieving their own goals as well as those of the organisation.
Coaching and Mentoring for Emerging Creative Leaders
For aspirant and emerging
leaders
One-to-one sessions for young and ambitious leaders, whether employed or
working freelance, helping them to reflect in safe space on current achievements
and to explore the opportunities and challenges for the future

14. 14
Stand-alone modules : New Skills for Growing Creative Organisations
Blue Sky Thinking
or Essential
Planning
A planning workshop, using highly visual, engaging and creative
techniques which creative people enjoy, and which demystify the
notion of strategic planning so that creatives are more willing to
adopt them.
Too many creative entrepreneurs remain in a state of working in,
rather than on, the business. This is in part because they enjoy the
actual process of creative content production but also because so
many are sole traders and micros, and therefore have difficulty
setting aside thinking and planning time
The problem is short term decision making, lost opportunities and
sometimes critical disasters which are not foreseen.
Using a technique known as STEP(TM)
, participants assess the future
trends
1 day
Cloud, Sky or
Confusion?
.
Cloud computing represents a huge business opportunity for most
small to medium sized enterprises.
A programme designed to help creative business better understand
what Cloud applications are, how they can improve their business and
finally, helping creative entrepreneurs adopt the right applications for
their business circumstance and market place.
The notion of ‘Enterprise 2.0’ aims to ensure businesses can assess
what Cloud applications can best fit their business to bring fast
business benefits such as cost reduction, relationship building,
financial management and new market development
2 days

15. 15
Stand-alone modules : New Skills for Growing Creative Organisations
Innovation is Not
An Option!
With restricted access to investment, a more competitive landscape
and a world where technology and creative business trends are
changing daily, most creative businesses are increasingly struggling to
innovate at a fast enough pace.
A workshop programme that help creative enterprises generate more
and better ideas, build increased ‘exceptional’ value in those ideas
and then finally execute successful deployment for optimum financial
return.
2 days
All Money is not
the Same
With traditional routes of funding closing down, creative
entrepreneurs are now having to explore unknown territory and
develop new skills, new business models, to secure finance from a
range of different and new providers
A workshop looking at the different kinds of finance. Starting with
bootstrapping and the three Fs (Family, Friends and Fools) and
moving through debt finance, purchase order financing, business
angels and equity investment through to some of the newest Govt
backed funding opportunities including Seed Enterprise Investment
Scheme (SEIS), Seedrs (crowd financing) and the Investment and
Contract Readiness Fund, this workshop gives creative entrepreneurs
a whole new look at securing finance for their business and proves
the world does not end when the Arts Council cuts funding!
2 days
How To Make
Friends and
Acquire Brand
Equity
.
Brand Equity, both personal, organisational and product, have never
been so important in strengthening the marketing impact of
businesses.
A programme that help creative entrepreneurs and business owners
improve their understanding of brand development, examine their
intangible brand assets and then align these with consistent
marketing messages via both on-line and off line communications
tools. Multi-channel communications, digital platforms, cloud
computing and self-publishing means that aligning one’s brand with
one’s sales targets and key marketing messages is an increasingly
complex task. Too often, random, amateur attempts at the use of
social media or blogging can do more damage than good
2 days

16. 16
Stand-alone modules : New Skills for Growing Creative Organisations
(New Programmes Launched Autumn 2013)
Redefining Your
Business Model
In a world of business model innovation exemplified by Apple, Skype
and Grameen Bank amongst others, we need to challenge and
transform our existing models and systematically invent, design and
implement new ones. This workshop introduces you to the
Osterwalder Business Model Canvas, now used the world over, to
help you lead the redesign of your own organisation’s business
model.
1 day
Developing Your
Sales and Income
Generation
Strategies
Times are tough; money is tight and funding almost disappearing.
Creative organizations should be selective and strategic about how
they can realistically create additional income streams. Make sure
your organisation’s culture doesn’t gets in the way of making sound
business decisions and undertaking four critical tasks:
 Taking the type of risk that will grow the business.
 Relinquishing control of everything to allow the organization to
be agile and flexible.
 Becoming customer-focused.
 Pricing more aggressively to experience longevity and
sustainability.
1 day
How to Create a
Great Brand for
Your Organisation
Brands can be very powerful influencing tools, but only once they
have been established – and it can take time to build up the
necessary trust. When a customer has made up their mind it's often
very hard to persuade them to think differently. There are two core
elements to a strong brand – emotional value and practical value. Get
these two right and your brand will quickly grow.
1 day
Jamming,
Rehearsing,
Performing –
the Disciplines of
Innovation
Creativity is the generation of new ideas; innovation is the
exploitation of good ideas, and the disciplines of the creative process
are integral to a systematised innovation process, CO*STAR, that
transforms new ideas into effective new services/products. Learn to
apply the CO*STAR process in your own organisation, creating ideas,
selecting the best and making them a reality.
1 day
Trusts,
Foundations and
Social Investment
With the disappearance of much public sector funding, organisations
are turning to trusts and foundations as new sources of support.
They, in turn, are turning from grants to investment. Social
investment is the provision and use of finance to generate social and
financial returns. It can take a variety of forms, from the provision of
loans to direct equity investment. Social returns are improved
outcomes for society such as a reduction in re-offending or an
improvement in public health. Financial returns imply that there
must be some expectation on the part of the social investor that they
will be able to get their money back in the future with a return
1 day

17. 17
Stand-alone modules : New Skills for Growing Creative Organisations
(New Programmes Launched Autumn 2013)
Strategy Tools for
Management
This workshop introduces you to a common-sense, systematic
approach to strategy development Strategy development is the
process of collecting, interpreting, generating, and evaluating data
and ideas to shape organizational sustainability and competitive
advantages. To be successful means knowing how to use your talent
and resources to best advantage, and it's very difficult to "win" if you
don't have this game plan in place.
1 day
How to Create
Your Personal
Brand
to Strengthen
Your Organisation
A brand is not your logo or ID system. It's a gut feeling people have
about you. When two or more people have the same feeling, you
have a brand. People buy people and it’s your personal brand that
tells them what they get when they buy into you – and that’s
incredibly important in business today. But how good are you at
communicating your personal brand to others?
1 day
Investment
Readiness
Any organisation seeking investment needs to consolidate and
professionalise its business practices, governance structures and
management team. It also needs to undertake thorough financial
modelling and detailed market research in order to produce credible
business plans that will stand-up to investor scrutiny. This workshop
provides a practical guide and support for organisations preparing for
investment.
1 day
Cloud, Apps and
Collaborations
The major trends of continued digitisation throughout the sector,
fragmentation of audiences, changing user behaviours, convergence
and ‘disintermediation’ – or cutting out the middleman – have all
contributed to the emergence of a digital landscape of increased
complexity. These trends are disrupting established value chains
while at the same time providing considerable potential for growth.
Linked to potential funding opportunities via the Technology Strategy
Board, this workshop makes technological literacy accessible and
stimulating!
1 day

18. 18
Key Tutor Profiles
Anamaria Wills
Chief Executive, CidaCo
Martini TMA National Award for Outstanding Contribution to
Theatrical Life for:
“Daring artistic innovation, internationally as well as in the
community and its region; for providing a dance theatre for
Britain; and for setting an example in management of theatre”
Anamaria Wills is an award winning entrepreneur who specialises in creativity, innovation, and
entrepreneurship. She works extensively in organisational development, strategic planning, and
marketing. She founded Cida Co in January 2000 and has since supported the development of hundreds of
highly successful enterprises both in the UK and overseas. Internationally, she is currently working with
transnational partnerships aimed at strengthening entrepreneurship and innovation in Europe and in
Africa, and led on Cida Co’s major creative sector skills’ development programme for the Singapore
Workforce Development Agency, described by them as a ‘world class piece of work’.
She has worked with the British Council for more than eleven years, partnering and supporting their work
with entrepreneurs in Colombia, India, Albania, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Most recently, she has helped to
devise and deliver their Creative Enterprise programme across Sub Saharan Africa, working in Nigeria,
Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania. She was recently been invited to participate as an Expert Independent
Advisor to the Federal Government of Germany on the development of their Creative Industries sector.
She is a charismatic speaker and facilitator, and in high demand as a keynote speaker at conferences
around the world including the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference, the European Culture
Forum, the First Political Dialogue on Creative Industries in both Nigeria and Zimbabwe, and the 2013
Music Industry Conference in Trinidad. More recently, she has been speaking to packed houses in Europe
and in Africa with her public lectures on Creativity and Innovation in Business.
“I will remember your lesson on the difference between creativity and innovation for the rest of my life -
You are a complete inspiration”
Alison Taft, writer

19. 19
Keith Evans
Managing Director, CidaCo
Keith Evans is a specialist in workforce development, business planning, export, financial
management/investment, commercialisation and innovation process. He has mentored over 200
entrepreneurs and business leaders, helping them successfully exploit new product opportunities, develop
new business models and increase productivity through new systems development.
He joined CidaCo in 2001 and has played a key role in the rapid growth and establishment of the
organisation, coordinating the early business development areas of IT, Financial Planning, Project
Management, Human Resources and New Business Development. He has worked in over 20 countries and
has advised senior officials within the UK government and European Commission on knowledge transfer
partnerships, service sector innovation and growth strategies for the creative economy.
He was a founding member of the European Interest Group for Creativity in Innovation’ (EICI) and the
European Creative Business Network (ECBN). He has also worked with the European Commission in
developing long term and sustainable strategies that support the attainment of the Lisbon Goals, through
the growth and expansion of the wider European Creative and Cultural Industries Sector.
He is an effective and engaging public speaker, and has contributed significantly in Europe to the
recognition of innovation as a key driver for economic prosperity in all sectors.
“I found Keith full of great insights in to how creative businesses work and I found that he had a rare gift
for working with artists. His kind and patient examination in getting to the heart of major stumbling
blocks was a complete eye opener to me.”
Gillian Tyler, illustrator