Overview

This 10 session programme offered by Train Shetland, starting in September, is designed to help creative people explore and develop their ideas for starting either commercial or social businesses.  The programme includes a mix of informal presentations, one to one tuition and group exercises, with additional input from creative entrepreneurs practicing in Shetland.  Whatever your business ambitions and whatever you plan to develop, the programme should enable you to channel your creativity to develop a realistic and workable plan for starting and managing your own business.

Content

  • Preparing to trade: Clarifying your values, identifying your strengths, developing your weaknesses and choosing the best path for you.
  • Marketing: The research and the preparation of marketing strategies.
  • Developing your product: Making it ready to meet the needs of your target market.
  • The value chain: Putting it all together from sourcing raw material suppliers through to getting the goods to those target markets.
  • The financials: Looking at costings, cash flows and credit.
  • External investment: Creating a comprehensive workable plan that could be used to attract suitable investors.
  • Developing the networks to make it happen.

Benefits

This course will enable you to test your ideas in a safe environment and help you to create a realistic plan for business, harnessing your creative talents and taking your high quality product to the market.

You will be working with other practitioners, creating and exploring new ideas and expanding your networks of contacts in the business and creative sectors.

Who should attend

The course is aimed at creative professionals in any design discipline e.g. textile, fashion, graphics, fine art or other new small businesses with original, well designed products or services to develop.

Price

There is no charge for this course as it is funded through the Business Gateway programme.

Times

9.30am – 12.30pm for lectures / 2 – 4pm speakers and related activities

Dates

  • 15, 22 & 29 September 2010
  • 06 & 27 October 2010
  • 03, 10, 17 & 24 November 2010
  • 1 December 2010

Contact