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MODULE 1 - Making Sense of Business

This page contains details of the 2010 Tailored Support programme, which is now over. The 2011 Support programme will be announced at the beginning of 2011.

Making sense of business will show you how to work effectively as a design business and how to access key elements which will help your business grow. This module will provide you with the tools you need to progress as a design business and identify the best ways to make your business work.

Follow the links below to book your place.

Professional Advice Session
Alison Branagan
- Ways of Understanding Business

Alison’s session will aim to give you an overview of how your business could work. By working with three topics from the list below, you can select the key ingredients which will help inform your business strategy.

You will be required to select 3 key topics for discussion prior to your appointment from the list below:

1. Where are you now - regarding work, benefits, tax credits, finances, any debt, responsibilities, time, resources, etc.
2. Networks - online showcasing, contacts in the arts world/design industry, and role of professional bodies.
3. Making it work - how can you make money from your proposal, (i.e. research)? Other sources of income, e.g. part-time job.
4. Costing and Pricing - professional rates or fees/managing income steams, bespoke vs manufacturing.
5. Legal issues - IP, regulations, insurance, contracts, licensing, terms and conditions, etc.
6. Money matters - tax issues, business bank accounts, basic financial planning/ money management/ cash flow.

Professional Advice Session
Alison Coward - Networking and Collaboration to Further your Business

This session will teach how to use social media within your business to create and manage new opportunities, including: identifying your key skills and strengths and potential opportunities to utilise them; developing a strategy to expand your business networks and initiate collaborations; choosing the right social media for your business and using it effectively for networking and self-promotion; and managing collaborative projects effectively using online tools.

Networking Session
Sourcing Finance


This session offers you the tools and knowledge to make sourcing finance easier. By getting to know your way around the arts funding system, you are likely to be more successful when and if you decide to apply for financial support. The session will help you to identify what you might need from a funder. It will introduce the range of financial support sources, as well as information you will need for an application.