Entrepeneurial Ideas for Artists - Ideas from two MOOC courses and the book "One Simple Idea"

Entrepreneurial Ideas For Artists - Ideas from two MOOC courses and  "One Simple Idea" ( a book by Stephen Key)

ideas reviewed by "Surfer" Chris Garrah

  Creativity and Business Ideas For Artists - Free Courses and A Library Book That Could Help You

 

If you are an artist you definitely want to tap into your creative spirit.   In the MOOC course  Learning How to Learn   ( I took the free version of the course) the professors relate how Thomas Edison would hold ball bearings in his hand and when he was half asleep the ball bearings would drop from his hand .  In that state he would be able to jot down ideas that occurred to him.  Salvador Dali used a similar method. (also described in the course)

Businesses , successful ones - paint  a visual representation of a business - perfect for an artist with nine blocks (perfect for coloring different colors.!)  In the  free MOOC course I studied  Innovation for Entrepreneurs the professors describe a business model canvas ( artists like canvas!).   Really the course outlines all nine factors .  One factor - revenue streams - will be of interest to starving artists or those who want to add streams.  The course stresses that the business canvas is a living canvas so that once you become familiar with the canvas as it represents YOUR business model you can change it as new ideas come to you - or you think of your business in new ways.  But to really find new ways to make you different from all other artists study the video Blue Ocean Strategies - ways to make you completely different from other artists or other businesses!  Remember you can be completely unique!

So the above two courses are great courses for artists  The third idea I want to introduce are ideas from the book ."A Simple Idea" authored by Stephen Key



.  I highly recommend artists to skim through the chapters to get an idea about licensing.  In this book Stephen Key outlines all the steps needed to look at the marketplace , come up with a simple idea and sell the idea to businesses.  Why would you be interested as an artist?  Well the idea that resonated for me that might appeal to some artists is that he licensed an indoor basketball net with a backboard. Stephen Key licensed the idea of putting Michael Jordan's image on it. Yeah!.  So creative ways to put art or an image on something , a great technique.  This book by Stephen Key stresses balance in your life - so you should nott  put all your energy into selling your ideas to businesses at the expense of creating art.   If you ever watch the show Dragon's Den they talk about licensing.  But they don't describe the process of licensing.  But this book describes the process ... so here is something you will not see on Dragon's Den  - something that in theory can tirn YOU into a Dragon.  Licensing is a low cost alternative to a full patent.   The book  outlines an optimum time to  file a provisional patent for a few hundred dollars and then license it.  This can be another tool in the artist's toolbox.

Wrapping It all Up

Well fellow artists,  I pointed you in the direction of tuning up your business acumen and your creativity.  So if you want to fine tune your business model or the creativity of your art check out the book and courses .  And of course if you are not pursuing your art at all and you want to check out a solution for procrastination in Learning How to Learn - a course from Coursera.org.  I recommend taking  the free version of the course only because I like free things! Sharpening creativity, creating art without procrastinating and sharpening your art business by using a living changing business model canvas.  These are the key ideas here.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1) One Simple Idea  - Turn Your Dreams into a Licensing Goldmine While Letting Others Do the Work - a book by  author Stephen Key.
Look at author Stephen Key's profile on Twitter

2) Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects     A MOOC course from Coursera.org with Dr. Barbara Oakley & Dr. Terrence Stejnowski

 3).  Innovation for Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Marketplace ............A MOOC course also from Coursera.org

Review of a How to be an Entrepeneur Book "Driven" by Robert Herjavec reviewed by "Surfer Chris" Garrah

Review of "Driven - How to Succeed in Business and In Life" a book by Robert Herjavec

 

The Book - Why You Need to Read The Book If You Are Thinking Of Starting A Business

Robert Herjavec describes his life story starting with his arrival in Canada in an immigrant family and the financial struggles of the family.

I found the book to be instructional as an entrepreneurial book.  Robert Herjavec describes in more detail than many books the specific steps that he took to rise to a very successful businessman.  You really need to read the book to develop your own insights into the steps he took.

Key points in his success include  how he is able to get by with limited sleep and still function normally.  In the reference portion of this article I supply a book title as a reference that might contain more information on the ability for some people to sleep less.  In the book Mr. Herjavec emphasizes that an entrepeneur should have the ability to deal with crises as they arise and for new business owners many can arise.

 I was impressed with Mr Herjavec developing his own sales pitches that worked for him in the difficult area of collections early in his career.  Mr Herjavec's superior sales techniques and his self described ability to foresee years into the future products that will be in demand are other parts of his success. His superior sales ability allows Mr. Herjavec to recruit employees that excel in their fields.  The detail in the book is concrete with 50 principles outlined in 50 chapters.   Some books are merely motivational books but I think of this book as much more because it is an insider book of an entrepreneur that keys in on 50 areas that will help you as an entrepreneur.  Buy the book if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur or at the very least ... read it!  Mr. Herjavic gives many examples of how he worked very hard to be successful.  And how his beginnings in sales and customer-oriented jobs help him to read people and tailor pitches to those people.

As an aside there is no indication that Mr Herjavic procrastinates.  He is on top of things and does not shy away from difficult tasks such as the need to fire things.

I recommend the course "Learning How To Learn" which is offered by Coursera which will help you master procrastination and avoid putting off difficult tasks if you tend to procrastinate.  ( I was guilty of this before I recently took the course - changed my life!  You can take a free version of this Coursera course if you want.  This course offers a specific, effective technique on how to avoid procrastination.  It also explains in video form why people procrastinate.  Also in video form Dr. Barbara Oakley (in the Coursera course)  explains that you should "eat the frogs" in the morning - meaning handle difficult things in the morning.  Along with Mr. Herjavec's broad-based instructions on how to succeed as an entrepreneur , the Coursera course and your ability to thrive on limited sleep you might have a distinctive advantage over your sleep-headed competitors.

REFERENCES

Genetic Basis of Sleep and Sleep Disorders
authors Shaw P,Taft M, Thorpy M

"Learning How to Learn"  a course at Coursera.org with Professors Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowki

Driven - How to Succeed in Business and In Life - written by Robert Herjavec -co star of Dragons' Den