Creative Business Structure

1. Published by Helen Baxter, Mohawk Media, NZ under a Creative Commons, Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike (BY-NC-SA) License. You can share, remix and republish this work for non commercial use, as long as you give attribution and publish using the same CC license.

2. Branding & Identity

2.1. Research

2.1.1. Namechck.com

2.1.2. Online ID, Brand, Username, Tag

2.1.3. Check Search engines

2.1.3.1. Google

2.1.3.2. Bing

2.1.3.3. Dogpile

2.1.4. NZ

2.1.4.1. Check Companies House

2.1.5. AUS

2.1.5.1. ABN Lookup

2.1.6. Trademark?

2.1.6.1. Need to register Trademark in every territory

2.1.6.2. Own your Identity before someone else does

2.1.6.3. IP Australia

2.1.6.4. IPONZ

2.1.6.4.1. $100 + GST

2.1.7. Domain Names

2.1.7.1. AUS

2.1.7.1.1. auDA

2.1.7.2. NZ

2.1.7.2.1. Whois?

2.1.7.2.2. .co.nz - $30 p.a.

2.2. Grow a large digital footprint

2.2.1. Focus on one brand

2.2.2. Track your feedback

2.2.3. Manage your brand

2.3. Brands take to time to grow

2.3.1. Tagging & metadata

2.3.1.1. Tags & the Semantic Web

2.3.1.2. blogs, you tube, #twitter

2.3.2. Goodwill & reputation

2.3.2.1. The Whuffie Bank

2.3.3. Intangible assets

3. Participants

3.1. who are you?

3.2. why are you here?

3.3. what do you want to produce/acheive?

4. Helen Baxter

4.1. Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/helenbaxter

4.2. [email protected]

4.3. Been publishing online since 1994

4.4. Mohawk Media

4.4.1. Virtual World, Radio NZ

4.4.2. twitter.com/mohawkmedia

4.4.3. People In Your Neighbourhood

4.4.4. Digital NZ

4.4.5. Creative Commons NZ

4.4.6. twitter.com/theg33kshow

4.5. MsBehaviour

4.5.1. DJ / Creative ID

4.5.1.1. Twisted Radio

4.5.1.2. Blog

4.5.2. The MsBehaviour Files

4.5.3. twitter.com/msbehaviour

5. Space

5.1. Study from University of Minnesota

5.2. Ceiling height can affect the way we think

5.3. High ceilings are best for abstract blue sky thinking, and lower ceilings help with detailed, analytical thinking.

5.4. Learn in different places for maximum retention

5.5. Rework

5.5.1. Minimise interuptions

5.5.2. Minimise noise

5.5.3. Collaboration Rooms

5.6. Stand Up

5.6.1. Study by Research Partnership Steelcase International and the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich

5.6.2. 300 students observed in different layouts: (fixed, mobile, standing, sitting).

5.6.3. Both accuracy of thinking and idea innovation were higher when sitting down

5.7. Designing Your Optimal Creative Environment

5.7.1. Light

5.7.2. Noise

5.7.3. Design (formal/informal)

5.7.4. Temperature

5.7.5. Peers (solo/team)

5.7.6. Authority Figures (present/absent)

5.7.7. Mobility

5.7.8. Intake (eating/drinking)

5.7.9. Time of Day

6. Productivity

6.1. Increase monitor size to increase productivity

6.2. Lazily Productive

6.2.1. Maximum Results Minimum effort

6.2.2. 80/20 rule

6.3. Nothing is perfect

6.3.1. Launch early, always iterate

6.4. Avoid Interruptions

6.5. Say No

6.6. Work when is best for YOU!

6.7. Be clever with the time you have

6.8. Value your time

6.9. Design your time

6.10. Re-cycle, re-use re-mix

6.10.1. Things

6.10.2. Ideas

6.10.3. Research

6.11. Recommended reading:

6.11.1. Lifehacker.com

6.12. Time

6.12.1. Larks v Owls

6.12.1.1. Most creatives are owls

6.12.1.1.1. Quiet

6.12.1.1.2. No interruptions

6.12.1.1.3. Controllable light levels

6.12.1.1.4. Less distractions

6.12.1.2. Most managers are larks

6.12.1.2.1. Maker schedule v managers schedule

6.12.2. Plan for Flowtime

6.12.3. Never multi-task

6.12.4. Rescuetime

6.12.5. Planning the Freelancer workweek

7. Indie Attitude

7.1. Manage your own career

7.2. Own your own copyrights

7.3. Believe that artists should fear obscurity not piracy

7.4. Sell it ...

7.4.1. Keep largest %

7.4.2. Multiple formats

7.4.3. Multiple Income Streams

7.5. Think series or universe

7.5.1. Create a sustainable, profitable creative career

7.6. Serious about being creative

7.7. Tshirts & Suits

7.7.1. Free ebook

7.8. What's your motivation?

7.8.1. Drive, Daniel Pink

7.8.1.1. intrinsic rewards

7.8.1.2. Bonus schemes have negative effect on knowledge & creative workers

7.8.1.3. Same across all cultures

7.8.1.4. Manual - bonus

7.8.1.5. Cerebral - praise & profile

7.8.1.6. Give credit where it's due

7.8.2. profile

7.8.3. relationship/goodwill

7.8.4. income

8. Creative Structures

8.1. Limited company - no employees

8.1.1. WETA Model

8.1.1.1. Core permanent team

8.1.1.2. Networks of project based contracters

8.1.2. Even BBC now contracters

8.2. Mohawk Media

8.2.1. Cloud Based Collaboration tools

8.2.1.1. Converted after the Great Hard-drive Crash of 2004

8.2.2. Network of studios Wellington / Auckland

8.2.2.1. Often homebased

8.2.2.2. Some hotdesking

8.2.3. Manage projects not people

8.2.4. Produce the work, not the team

8.2.4.1. Assign

8.2.4.2. Discuss

8.2.4.3. Deliver

8.3. Telescopic in size

8.3.1. Work with freelancers

8.3.1.1. Offer mentoring, training & business support

8.3.1.2. No employees

8.3.1.3. No need to manage payroll, holiday, sickness, tax etc.

8.3.2. Build flexible, lean & agile teams

8.3.3. Outsource to local SMEs

8.3.4. Hire hotdesks in co-location premises if need to scale temporarily

8.3.4.1. Board room for meetings

8.3.4.2. Reception & admin services

8.3.4.3. No long term comitment

8.4. Results not time or task based

8.4.1. R.esults O.nly W.ork E.nvironments

8.4.2. No schedules

8.4.2.1. Clear deadlines

8.4.3. How when where done? Doesn't matter

8.4.3.1. PJs & Chardonnay?

8.4.3.2. No problem

8.4.3.3. As long as you deliver on time and at professional quality

8.4.4. Self direction

8.4.4.1. Productivity, engagement goes up

8.5. Creative process needs structure

8.5.1. You can herd cats

8.5.2. With the right tools

8.6. Know that happiness leads to success

8.6.1. Built business around creative flow time

8.6.2. Passion projects

8.6.3. Positive emotions expand peripheral vision

8.6.4. "Fun is the secret to the Virgin's Success" Richard Branson