The DAWN Free Creative Entrepreneurs Programme, on 19 September, 3 October & 10 October will provide women with a route map to business planning for the creative industries sector. The Programme is designed to help women develop new concepts in the creative industry space and plan out businesses under the guidance of some leading trainers in the entrepreneurship, strategy, branding and creative space. In addition there will be exceptional speakers from business, law and industry, all of whom will collectively provide expertise, advice and most importantly understanding to help you develop a fresh and innovative perspective for business.

The DAWN Entrepreneurship Programme has been successfully running for the last 2 years. This Programme will provide intensive workshops covering 7 business modules supported by select reading material, a networking event, and a mentoring session. The programme is designed for Dynamic Asian women who want to gain a fresh and innovative perspective to take their creative industries sector business to the next entrepreneurial stage.

Delegates would fall in one of these categories…

• Own a business in the Creative Industries sector and would like to rejuvenate and refocus it
• Work in an organisation and are looking to become an entrepreneur in Creative Industries
• Are finding an entrepreneurial route in the Creative Industries to rejoin the workforce

Delegates must preferably have at least 3-5 years' work experience, have a strong drive to succeed and be committed to the development of their business. Delegates will be selected for their capability and inclination to grow to the next level by enhancing their knowledge, skills, attributes and network. The programme will involve a series of exercises that will leave them refreshed and confident, giving them a grip of management issues they find daunting and a clear plan to transition to the next stage.

Content of the Programme

Session 1: Envisioning your business

The session covers the important area of discovering your passion and defining the big vision for your business whilst focusing on your strengths to perform at your best. This session injects the heart and soul into your business and provides you with a toolkit to tailor ideas and structures to help initiate your unique route plan.

Session 2: Dynamics of a successful business

This session will help you translate your vision into a picture of the key resources that drive the performance of your business. Your success is dependent upon your ability to build and maintain these resources into the future. The session will show you how to do this, with particular emphasis on probably the most important resource of all - your customers.

Session 3: Branding and marketing a growing business

This session deals with creating a brand that people don't just buy but buy into. We will discuss how a business's brand can create a passion that translates into a word-of-mouth buzz that serves to give the brand vibrancy and saliency that can go way beyond the norms of its size. In the second half we will help you develop a realistic marketing plan on a shoestring budget.

Session 4: Fuelling your business

Getting the most appropriate form of finance for your business can be daunting for entrepreneurs who are not finance experts. This session shows you how to plan financial needs and what is available so that you can see what might be most suitable for you.

Session 5: Role of Law in Business Relationships and Intellectual Property

This session will deal with creating relationships with all the stakeholders in your business in a way that adds substantially to your success. It will discuss how law makes a difference in creating balanced terms that show your commitment to your customers, shareholders, partners and employees.

The second half of the session will introduce intellectual property and the various rights that come under this generic heading and then concentrate on branding and trade mark law, giving a more detailed overview of how businesses can protect their brand. We will look at some relevant case studies.

Session 6: Leading & Managing your business

This session is designed to introduce you to key concepts and issues associated with leading and managing a business. It focuses on providing insights into your own leadership skills, motivations and experiences. It then explores how insight and knowledge can be translated into business-problem solving.

Session 7: Creating your unique route plan

The aim is to set your business agenda for the next 12 months. The session covers the unscientific process of applying strategy, innovation and change to a business. It is about evaluating what you know and who you are and integrating it to get where you want to be. It is an exercise in setting personal objectives, priorities and agenda based on one's unique skills and style along with business professionals and successful entrepreneurs.

This programme is sponsored by Creative London and hosted by the British Library for Asian women entrepreneurs. The programme is free for candidates successful in securing a place. Applicants are requested to submit a one page summary of their own CV and their business (which may be at concept stage or in its early years), to Vimmi Singh, Programme Director. Enquiries: Programme Director, Vimmi Singh on 07770 871 029 or 0207 272 4669 or email vimmi@mydawn.co.uk

Start Date & Time: September 19th, October 3rd and 10th ; 9:30am - 6 pm - Classroom sessions

Venue: The British Library Conference Centre, St Pancras, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB. Nearest Tubes: King's Cross, Euston.

ABOUT DAWN

DAWN is the leading voice of Asian women championing their concerns and aspirations and empowering them to transform their potential. Visit our website at www.mydawn.co.uk for further information.

CREATIVE LONDON

This strand of the LDA is an initiative commissioned by the Mayor in 2004 to help in promoting and developing the diversity and energy of the city's creative industries. It represents areas such as film, music, art, fashion, design and architecture. In attracting both public and private investment, Creative London builds on existing infrastructure and support to reflect the capital's burgeoning scene to create a dialogue with a regional, national and global audience.

By focusing on developing talent, gaining access to property, creating enterprise and promoting local and pan-London showcase projects, Creative London aims to be the voice to continually fire up the creative revolution and be a driving force to boost the city's creativity.

BRITISH LIBRARY

The British Library has a range of services for entrepreneurs and small businesses. These include the newly opened Business & Intellectual Property Centre at the Library's St Pancras headquarters in London. Users of the Centre will find a wealth of free information to help them write a marketing or business plan, including market research reports, industry journals and online databases.

Users can also find out how to protect their intellectual property by attending a free intellectual property searching workshop on patents, trademarks and registered designs.

The Library also hosts an Asian Business website, offering a range of information resources for British Asian entrepreneurs, as well as companies aiming to target the Asian community. For more information visit www.bl.uk/business.