a cultural entrepreneur.
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 3rd 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…
What makes an entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurs can have many qualities, some of which could be that they are confident, hard-working, motivated, creative, ambitious, determined, innovative, curious, able to take risks and manage failure, and also good communicators and able to persuade others easily. However, “there is generally no accepted definition or model of what the entrepreneur is or does”1. The word itself can be placed into many different contexts and mean different things, whether we are referring to business entrepreneurs or personal entrepreneurial traits, for example. “Entrepreneurs perform a vital function in economic development” states Dhameja2, claiming that it is the combining and bringing together of productive factors that is entrepreneurial and is therefore carried out by the ‘entrepreneur’. A creative approach to problem solving also seems to be a widely recognised entrepreneurial trait, and being someone who is opportunistic and can identify needs. So, being friendly and customer-focused does not necessarily make Emma an entrepreneur, but the fact that she is approachable certainly enhances her ability to communicate and build a relationship with her clients. She solves any issues by using her personal qualities as strengths, informs clients and stands by her values of always being up-front and honest. This is creative as it is not necessarily the way other businesses may go about solving problems; it turns a potential concern that could cause the loss of customers into a relationship-building triumph. This, as mentioned by one of her fans, is what gives her the “personal touch”. Opportunism is also one of Emma’s strengths as she makes the most of the prospects that new digital technologies provide businesses with as she has efficient e-commerce and markets through the internet with an online community of fans. When discussing what each of us personally thought makes an entrepreneur in a recent class for the MA Media Enterprise Course we addressed the idea that to be an entrepreneur one must create something new. We came to the conclusion that this is not always the case, as sometimes entrepreneurship is updating or improving on something that already exists, creatively altering certain aspects or finding new markets for whatever the product or service may be. This is what Emma did with Adjamiba clubwear. Cyber clothing and club fashion already existed, but she found a need that was not being met and applied her skills to that. On her website she states that she was the first to offer the “made-to-measure and custom” service for clients. She felt that there was something lacking in the market and aimed to fill that gap. One of her business values is the “one size does not fit all” as the business aims to make clothes for people of all shapes and sizes, having realised that often larger women do not feel comfortable ordering or wearing cyber clothing.
What makes a Cultural Entrepreneur? To me, the term ‘cultural entrepreneur’ is placing the entrepreneur in question, as according to the traits and factors outlined above, into a specific context: cultural; an entrepreneur who works in creative or social sectors, the Cultural Industries. Culture can be defined in a broad anthropological sense as a “whole way of life”3, and indeed, cultural entrepreneurs are often thought of as those with ‘lifestyle’ businesses, that don’t necessarily have profit making as their main aim. Hesmondhalgh defines the cultural industries to be “those institutions that are most directly involved in the production of social meaning…activities the primary aim of which is to communicate to an audience, to create texts”4.Emma, therefore, is a cultural entrepreneur as she is designing clothes; producing texts that have meaning. The business also provides clothes for people to go night-clubbing in, a leisure pursuit that could be included as part of a youth culture or lifestyle.
How can an entrepreneurial approach be used?
Emma uses her personal entrepreneurial traits to improve her self-direction and problem solving. Self-direction is aided by her extremely hard-working nature, and quiet but sure inner motivation. In a brief (all she had time for) interview, Emma told me of how it is extremely rare that she has a break, with the business constantly busy. The fact that she is only taking two weeks maternity leave proves this! She also has a slight tendency to be a perfectionist and likes to produce at the highest quality, which is an entrepreneurial trait that can be used to implement tasks successfully and thoroughly.
Conclusion
I chose Emma as an example for this blog as I am personally very inspired by her. She is successful and still manages to maintain her morals and values when conducting her business. She has a fresh approach to undertaking work and communicating with clients that is reflected by her sincere customer loyalty. With the business moving to new, much larger premises this month, I will look forward to seeing how the business grows over the next three years.
- Barton Cunningham, J. & Lischeron, J. 1991: “Defining Entrepreneurship”. Journal of Small Business Management. January 1991: Volume 29:1 p45. [↩]
- Dhajema, S. K. 2004: Women Entrepreneurs. New Delhi, Deep & Deep Publications Pvt. Ltd. [↩]
- Williams, R. 1981: Culture. London, Fontana. [↩]
- Hesmondhalgh, D. 2007: The Cultural Industries.
London, Sage Publications. [↩]
Birmingham City University, case study, students | Laura Jackman | Friday, February 29, 2008
Emma has pulled through a difficult phase in her life thanks to a great deal of help from her husband Lee. We now have our daughter back, a great son in law (even though he supports Man Utd) an adorable grandson Adam and soon to be joined by another bundle of joy. We love them to bits and are very proud of them all. Mum & Dad X
my local dress maker makes the best dancewear in town. i love the colors and style.,;~
when selecting dancewear, i always select those dresses with lots of glitter and made out of silk,’,