A biT OF NesTA

A few weeks ago when NESTA was mentioned I didn't really know what people were talking about! Now I am beginning to understand what they're all about and how they can benefit me. In our current design in the market module, we are working through the NESTA toolkit a creating a hypothetical creative business idea. Eventually we will write a business plan for our idea, culminating all of our new found business knowledge. In the first few sessions already we have thought of an idea, written a mission statement, done work sheets on our values to help us define our goals, thought about our branding, what our business will enhance and replace and imagined our future and fake evidence. 

Initially when thinking and talking about 'what we wanted to be when we grow up', I found it a bit daunting and didn't want to commit. When asked what I wanted to do, I replied 'get a job doing something textile related' but I think I was missing the point. For this project we have to think BIG, imaging an ideal scenario and  then work on how to get there. I decided in an ideal world I would like to have a textile range that spanned fashion and interiors, perhaps have several shops or concessions and make myself a brand. My big inspiration is Cath Kidston, she has done exactly this and become extremely successful in the process. 

Working through the NESTA books has given me some food for thought about setting up a business or even creating a product. A couple of points that i found interesting are

• You're not the centre of your idea, your customers are.
• You don't need to do everything yourself. Build partnerships and alliances.
• Customers have to want what your offering
• You have to continuously innovate to compete and survive.

At the moment I still feel a little overwhelmed by the prospect of setting up my own business. The worksheets, although informative and thought provoking are still  quite confusing and I am realising the amount of work and planning involved. I believe strongly that after a few more work sheets it'll just click and I'll be well on my way.

Watch this space for more NESTA updates!