What is a Cultural Entrepreneur Anyway?
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?
Cultural entrepreneurs are said to be the driving force behind the UK’s creative industries, they are also described as “The Independents” (Britain’s new cultural entrepreneurs) who Charles Leadbeater and Kate Oakley describe as the driving force behind jobs and growth in the future. They also are said to “provide one model of how work and production is likely to change in the future in other sectors”.
Leadbeater and Oakley also explains that “Cultural entrepreneurs believe in ‘small is beautiful. They generally run small, under-capitalised and quite fragile companies”. Ok that’s enough gobbledygook so what is a cultural entrepreneur? We still haven’t come to one single definition its’ got something to do with culture, entrepreneurship and the creative industries but still we have no definition. In a recent blog on cultural entrepreneurship one author stated that “entrepreneurs have to be either extremely risk-seeking, extremely lucky or extremely ignorant.”
(http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/kszenajch/entry/how_i_made/)
OK let’s make it easier Paul Smith, Bob Geldof, James Dyson, Anita Roddick, these are all names that we are fairly familiar with I hope and guess what? These people are all examples of cultural entrepreneurs. Are they a certain type of people? Do they have similar character traits and motivations? Well let’s start with one question at a time.
Are they are certain type of person?
Paul Smith is a contemporary fashion designer, having left school with no qualifications and no plans for his future. He found himself working as a gofer’ in a clothing warehouse in
Nottingham were his interest was identified and by the age of twenty he was managing a boutique for a friend. He was seizing opportunities without any money behind him and by 1970 he was running his own business. With a turnover of £300 million plus annually he is still the chief designer and takes responsibility for all wholesaling and retailing activities. (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/richlist/person/0,,37777,00.html)
Anita Roddick is the founder and CEO of Body Shop a British cosmetic company that is against products tested on animals and promotes fair trading within third world countries. Roddick grew up in an environment were recycling and looking after the environment that she lived in was paramount. Her mission for the Body Shop was to dedicate the business to the pursuit of environmental change, using the stores and products to help communicate human rights and environmental issues. (http://www.anitaroddick.com/aboutanita.php)
Bob Geldof started his early career going through an educational route, he started his early career as a music journalist and went on to become a musician in a rock band that hit international fame during the 70s he used his fame to then become a major spokesperson for charity appeals and organisations. His success with business ventures saw him owning a television production company and an online travel business. (http://www.bobgeldof.info/)
James Dyson is known as the inventor of the Dyson vacuum, Dyson went through an educational route in order to advance his career studying furniture and interior design. After becoming frustrated with his own vacuum cleaner continually losing suction he decided to create the bag less Dyson vacuum, Dyson went onto set up his own manufacturing company after failing to sell the invention to major manufacturers. The value of his business in 2005 was estimated at £1 billion with other wealth adding up to £50 million. (http://www.dyson.co.uk/about/story/)
Well we have a fashion designer, a cosmetic consultant, a musician and inventor, they all have different interests however they all have a passion for their interests and pursued this further. Paul Smith’s success seems to be due extremely lucky circumstances, Geldoff had a keen interest in the media sector however he has dabbled within his career and also has been extremely lucky to find himself in certain areas that have enhanced his entrepreneurial skills further. Roddick and Dyson had a passion for the products that they were creating and pursued this until their products were available to consumers. Most of them pursued the educational route that unintentionally resulted in cultural entrepreneurial success however Paul Smith had no clue about his future and were he would end up in life, this is trait that is usually seen as stereotypical for entrepreneurs although in many cases this is not always true….
…What is an Entrepreneur? What is a Cultural Entrepreneur? Can anyone be an Entrepreneur? Am I an entrepreneur or could I be considered a cultural entrepreneur? Have I answered these questions? By looking at examples of cultural entrepreneurs I have been able to look at the motivations and characteristics of what a cultural entrepreneur is in the hope that one day we will get a dictionary definition. I did find a near definition in Ong’s (2006:221) works who says that “Cultural entrepreneurs selectively deploy business management in combination with cultural forms in an individualistic, instrumental manner” I suppose that’s good enough. Can I then be a cultural entrepreneur am I Confident, Innovative, Persistent, Opportunistic, Self Motivated, combining business with culture well I like to think I am. Will you here the name Sharlene King amongst Paul Smith, Anita Roddick, Bob Geldoff and James Dyson I would like to think so. We will see! I suppose Only Time Will Tell…
Birmingham City University, blogs, case study, research, students | Sharlene King | Friday, February 29, 2008
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Thanks for the comments its’ been a long time since I’ve looked at this blog…it’s nice to see the support. I’m now working on a strategic marketing plan for my business mixing conventional marketing methods with creative entrepreneurial marketing methods. Not easy, however in order to be successful planning is essential, this is something that can be over looked by entrepreneurs as we have been known to do things on impulse…looking a David Parrish business guides is very helpful as it looks at the business of managing and marketing creativity inspired by conventional marketing methods.
Check it out: davidparrish.com (Tshirts and suits)
“Being a creative entrepreneur brings with it many challenges as well as rewards and there are many issues to be tackled in setting up, consolidating and growing a business in the creative sector.”
(David Parrish)
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