Five Essential Reads for Creative Business Owners

recommended by Daisy Reynolds

As a creative business owner, life can be hectic and overwhelming. More than likely, you began your creative business because of your talent and passion, however, running any business takes a lot more than just talent. To continue to grow and thrive, you need to think outside of the box, implement fresh ideas and really understand the ‘business side’ of your creative business. This collection of books will offer expert advice and top tips to ensure your mindset stays strong and your passion and drive continues to soar, to ensure your creative business reaches its full potential.

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    Design & Grow: The six - step method to reach your creative business potential, grow profits and get
    by Artemis Doupa

    Those who started businesses to follow their own ambitions often find themselves buried under admin and paperwork, trapped in their dream. Creative entrepreneur, profit guide and adventurous marketer, Artemis Doupa is on a mission to disrupt this cycle. Artemis’ new book 'Design & Grow', details her signature six-step STORMS method to help creatives make money whilst also claiming back precious design time. Aimed at owners of established design businesses employing between three and twenty people, 'Design & Grow' is based on Artemis’ own journey as an entrepreneur, designer, creative and mother who couldn’t bear to give up any of it. Through 'Design & Grow', Artemis explores how to invest in winning teams, set up lasting business systems and build the right mindset as a creative entrepreneur. The book also covers marketing products and how to tweak a business to become more mindful and sustainable. Readers will gain clarity and understanding on where their energy and focus should be for company success, eliminating time and effort spent in the wrong places.

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    The Creative Entrepreneur
    by Isa Maria Seminega

    If you're an artist, crafter, maker, or designer, 'The Creative Entrepreneur' is the book you need to turn your passion into profit. Guiding you from the seeds of your idea to the launch of your business, this one-stop guide provides you with the encouragement and expertise you need to take action and steadily grow your business with intention. It's easier than ever to start your own business, but you may feel overwhelmed and unsure of the right steps to move your business forward. 'The Creative Entrepreneur' sets you on the right path, taking the stress out of business planning, and offering actionable, straightforward advice that you can refer back to again and again.

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    The Creative Business Handbook: Follow Your Passions and Be Your Own Boss
    by Alicia Puig, Ekaterina Popova & Leila Simon Hayes

    Offering veteran insight and friendly, actionable advice from two self-made women who have helmed four successful creative businesses, this practical guide to becoming a creative entrepreneur will speak to anyone wanting to make art, be their own boss, and not have to work a second job to make ends meet. Figuring out how to make a living from your creative work poses unique challenges and obstacles. From choosing the right business model to building a brand, from managing your time to scaling up your production-starting your own creative business often means doing it all yourself. Enter 'The Creative Business Handbook' by Alicia Puig and Ekaterina Popova. With its conversational tone and accessible advice, this handbook lays an essential foundation for anyone wanting to earn a living with their art-no fancy business degree required! In addition to nuts-and-bolts advice based on the authors' real-life experiences, each chapter of the book includes an interview with a creative entrepreneur from a different background and craft, and ends with action steps that will help keep you on track. Written by creative business owners for creative business owners, this is the perfect book for anyone with a vision who is ready to hit the ground running.

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    Wild Thinking: 25 Unconventional Ideas to Grow Your Brand and Your Business
    by Nick Liddell & Richard Buchanan

    The most successful businesses in the world are singular in their goals, yet they express them in many different and creative ways, allowing them to own a space that's distinctly theirs. This book provides access to previously untold stories of how brand leaders at some of the most interesting global businesses solve their biggest challenges. Including interviews with Google, Ocado, McLaren, Comic Relief, V&A, National Trust, Dropbox and more, each chapter of Wild Thinking explores a different question about life and work, ending with a single-minded point of view to help you consider your business from a new perspective. It's hard to keep up and stand out in constantly growing and changing markets. 'Wild Thinking' will provide readers with the confidence to run their business differently, through unique access to thinking from the most original organisations in business today.

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    Creative Strategy and the Business of Design
    by Douglas Davis

    This book offers the business skills every creative needs! Remaining relevant as a creative professional takes more than creativity - you need to understand the language of business. The problem is that design school doesn't teach the strategic language that is now essential to getting your job done. 'Creative Strategy and the Business of Design' fills that void and teaches left-brain business skills to right-brain creative thinkers. Inside, you'll learn about the business objectives and marketing decisions that drive your creative work. The curtain's been pulled away as marketing-speak and business jargon are translated into tools to help you; understand client requests from a business perspective, build a strategic framework to inspire visual concepts, increase your relevance in an evolving industry, redesign your portfolio to showcase strategic thinking and win new accounts and grow existing relationships.

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