The Happier, Healthier Creative Business Canvas @ Geelong Design Week
There's a myriad of tips, tools and tactics for creative business owners to self-diagnose and analyse business challenges.
Problem is, until now, there's not been a roadmap to organise or rationalise what process or tool to use, when, and why.
Nor have there been proven leadership pathways – a framework demonstrating a logical, coherent leadership program that get results.
As part of Geelong Design Week, we're offering a 3 hour workshop introducing a method to improve leadership skills in owners and senior staff.
How to manage and lead a for-purpose creative businesses
The purpose of this masterclass is to transform the way business owners think about management and effective leadership. It’s about understanding the mindset needed to build a robust, sustainable, for-purpose business.
We’re introducing a practical tool that can be used to develop leadership skills, and provide solutions to common challenges. It’s evidence-based: the science combines the best of academic business literature and with the most practical human centred design tools.
The HHCB canvas is a roadmap to practical, robust leadership.
What you’ll learn
Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to use the Happier, Healthier Creative Business canvas to lead a sustainable, for-purpose creative business. And it doesn’t matter the size or model of your creative business: the canvas is adaptable.
- For solo-businesses the canvas offers another opinion, and poses questions you may not have considered
- For small businesses it helps align management team thinking and gives clarity
- For mid-sized agencies, it reduces staff turnover and improves team culture.
The Canvas is holistic, it’s not just about the business principles like costing and pricing, it considers people and their behaviour. And it’s not just a set of questions: it can be used to interrogate and answer issues such as:
How to evaluate an issue. How to pause to reflect and take stock of where you are.
How to analyse. Robust thinking; what to consider: what works and why.
The importance of alignment. Being clear about your pillars and positioning
Implementation. The canvas is not about theory, it’s about identifying how to make it work.
Execution the ‘doing’ of the solution. Navigating the change and envisioning the future.
And finally how to prove. How to measure the impact of your decision.
This event is part of Geelong Design Week 2024, an initiative of Geelong UNESCO City of Design and the City of Greater Geelong
What you will leave with
Participants will leave with a clear understanding value of the Happier, Healthier Creative Business canvas in leading a sustainable, for purpose, creative business.
Rather than theory, we’ll demonstrate how the canvas can be used by exploring three typical studio/agency scenarios – challenges we know are common to all creative businesses.
- I think I need another designer. Can I afford it?
- The studio is busy but profits are down. How do I work out why?
- I have an under performing designer. How do I manage this?
We’ll use the canvas to research and address issues like these and share tools to help map out a resolution.
We’ll also share benchmarks to show how your peers have managed the issue and where you sit in areas such as costing, pricing, service offerings and productivity. And everyone will leave with a digital copy of the canvas and supporting documentation.
This is a unique package – watch a YouTube video about the canvas
The canvas was developed by Carol Mackay and Greg Branson of the Design Business Council, and Andy Wright, CEO of Streamtime.
This is a unique package of practical knowledge, lived experience and data-driven evidence.
DBC has the business experience, ongoing research and knowledge from working with and mentoring Australian creative businesses. This, coupled with Streamtime’s data and metrics and wrapped in Andy’s understanding and passion for improving the mental health of creatives makes it unique.
This is evidence-based knowledge. The knowledge embedded into the canvas is learnings taken directly from working with Australian creative business owners.
The Happier, Healthier Creative Business canvas combines the research of academia with the practicalities of the Australian design industry.