The creative industries are currently at the forefront of British government policy. With the sector contributing greatly to the economy, emphasis has been placed upon its regenerative capabilities (visit www.culture.gov.uk). The sector relies heavily upon small medium enterprises (SME’s) which are usually created, developed and managed by an emerging breed of cultural entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs are at the forefront of the sector and are setting a new standard for creative working.

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Moses Whyte runs a social enterprise in Walsall. When I asked him if he considered himself to be a cultural entrepreneur, he looked at me quizzically and said perhaps he was. Then laughing, he said anybody could be anything they wanted to be and as long as it didn’t mean paying more taxes then perhaps indeed he was a cultural entrepreneur.

When I embarked on writing this blog entry, I myself was somewhat uncertain as to whether Moses Whyte and his enterprise, the Trelawny Overseas Relief Association UK Ltd. (TORA), fitted into the category of cultural entrepreneur. The confusion came because TORA is essentially a social enterprise. There is no question about its entrepreneurial factor, but the question arose in my mind, can its specific activities of community outreach and involvement be classified as cultural as in the term cultural industries. After carefully unpacking the definition of culture, I decided that it did indeed fit the category.

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So you fancy yourself as an entrepreneur?  Do you have what it takes?  

So what is an entrepreneur? It is said that an entrepreneur ‘can look at something and see an opportunity where you or I would just see an everyday thing’¹ they gain inspiration everywhere, from their own experience, their own needs, and from others. A ‘successful entrepreneurship is basically a successful commercial application of an innovation’², but what personality traits do they possess? Is there a common theme for such traits and do these differ between ‘cultural’ and other entrepreneurs?           

To look at these clearly and produce a rough guide of helpful points several case studies will be used, including Richard Branson and Sarah Doukas (founder of Storm modelling agency) among others. How did these iconic entrepreneurs start out, what encouraged them to achieve and can anyone really do it?          

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1. Professor Gray cited in R. Bridge ‘How I Made It’ 2005, pg 5 [↩]
2. Professor Gray cited in R. Bridge ‘How I Made It’ 2005,pg 5 [↩]

What is an Entrepreneur? What is a Cultural Entrepreneur? Am I an Entrepreneur or could I be considered a Cultural Entrepreneur? Well let’s start with just the entrepreneur as oppose to the cultural entrepreneur. The dictionary definition of an entrepreneur is a person who organises and manages any enterprise, esp. a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk. So then what is a cultural entrepreneur, what makes a cultural entrepreneur different from a ‘normal’ entrepreneur?

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 In order to look at what defines a cultural entrepreneur we need to first take a look at what we might consider are the attributes of entrepreneurs in the business world.  

It is difficult to be definitive of the particular characteristics that mark out an entrepreneur. Obvious examples of entrepreneurs will spring to mind; Richard Branson, James Dyson, Anita Roddick. They have a well-defined PR and self-promotion skills that make them very visible. But what makes them, and other less well-known individuals, achieve the high levels of success and wealth. We will see that they do have certain traits and all entrepreneurs will possess some of these to a greater or lesser degree. One of their traits is that they recognise their strengths and have considerable self-confidence but also are aware of the skills that they may be short of and ensure that they acquire those skills from elsewhere. They are driven people, having clear goals and the ability to plan to achieve. They may have a brilliant idea themselves, find one or have one presented to them. Their talent is then to act as the catalyst in turning the idea into a successful venture.  

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Through using a particular example, this blog entry shall address the issues of what makes a cultural entrepreneur and what characteristics define one. 

 Emma Pook and Adjamiba Clubwear. 

Adjamiba Clubwear celebrated its 3^rd birthday as a business last December, and reflected on how much the business has developed over the short time it has been up and running. The business offers “Made to Measure & Custom Made Cyber Clubwear, Cyberwear, Ravewear, Dancewear, Accessories and Fluffy Legwarmers”. Emma Pook, the Managing Director and Designer, started off working by herself and now employs three people for manufacturing and production, has a loyal voluntary promotions and web team, and works with models, photographers and club dance troupes to expand the brand.Emma is not the stereo-typical hard-nosed ruthless business woman however…here’s what some of her clients have said about her: 

“She puts her customers first and is always accommodating, she involves customers in her business and is friendly and approachable yet always professional”- Kirsty

“She has compassion and the personal touch” – Annie

“She cares about her customers, and she always goes out of her way to warn people of busy times” – Chrissy

It is clear from these comments that Emma is very friendly in business and customer-focused. But does this make her entrepreneurial? Let’s see…   

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An introduction to “Entrepreneurship” 

In business there is a difference between someone that manages the business and someone that can lead it (Lee, 2006:81), and a leader with a visionary outlook is seen to encompass an “Entrepreneurial flair.”

So what exactly is the meaning of the word “entrepreneur” and what can be described as “entrepreneurship?”

Like many definitions there is not one fixed term; David Rae (2007) describes an entrepreneur as a person who acts in an enterprising way, identifying and creating opportunities through business ventures (3-5). Viewing entrepreneurship as the “subject” of entrepreneurs, “encompassing both the academic knowledge and practical skills used to be an entrepreneur. John Legge and Kevin Hindle (2004), discuss an entrepreneur as one who is an enterprise creator and agent of change, a builder of teams and organisations providing leadership (15). While David Kirby (2003) author of “Entrepreneurship,” describes the term as those who are visionaries seeing opportunities and taking action.

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Entrepreneurial Characteristics
There are many characteristics of an entrepreneur that bring together common factors helping to make them successful but there are no hard and fast rules to describe who an entrepreneur may be.

They come in many different shapes and sizes. No two entrepreneurs seem to be the same so that it is very difficult to pin down exactly who is an entrepreneur. Some are extroverts and some are introverts, some have a family history of entrepreneurs whilst others do not, some start with poverty when others begin with wealth, some are young and some are old, some are men and some are women. (Bolton & Thompson)

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Cultural Entrepreneurship Introduction

‘Cultural entrepreneurs’ have made significant contributions to not only the creative and cultural sector but in the main also to the current vitality and health of the
UK’s economic growth, thus gaining an increased amount of recognition in recent years (Wilson and Stokes 2002:37). Not only do ‘cultural entrepreneurs’  according to Leadbeater and Oakley assist in new job creation and the promotion of  social cohesion they provide a new model of creative production which has been made possible through advances in technology mainly concerning the internet and the use of I.T. (Wilson  and Stokes 2002:37). This sounds great but we need to grasp the concept of a cultural entrepreneur, therefore we must first understand the term entrepreneurship. 

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