Page 81 - UPthEM_Program_Final_December 2020

UPthEM – Upskilling Pathways for Employability
№ 2019-1-BG01-KA204-062299

These are the general skills, which support the overall activity of a small enterprise or business.
They are important and Creative Thinking can help you overcome any mental blocks or
obstacles you might have in relation to them.

• Negotiation skills
• Influencing skills
• Communication skills
Now let’s look at the business skills in more detail. These are the most fundamental skills that
are needed.

Marketing & Sales

Most craftspeople, artist makers and SMEs encounter challenges in these areas and it is always
good for any small enterprise to look for new markets and opportunities to continue to grow
and expand and Creative Thinking can help in many ways.

• Enable the craftsperson to look beyond the boundaries of the current market
• Challenge the usual methods of marketing
• Discover new creative ways of getting products and services to the local, national
and global markets.
Product Development

Many artist makers get locked into a particular product and over time, especially if that
particular item is popular, find it difficult to move beyond it. They face challenges in terms of
how to develop their product or how to develop a range of products, which are perhaps
complimentary to each other. Sometimes it is difficult to change some basic elements for
example, how can the packaging be enhanced or how can technology be used or incorporated
in the product.

Business development

The primary objective of any craft business is to generate business through the products that
they produce. Creative Thinking can help to develop and enhance a business by looking at, for
example:

• New market opportunities.
• Use of the internet for business
• Expanding a product range
• Re-thinking the production processes
• Using new design technology
Management of Resources

By shifting the perspective of working with specific materials and resources and applying
Creative Thinking to re-inventing what is already used, a craftsperson, for example, can open
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The European Commission support for the production of this publication [document] does not constitute an endorsement of the contents
which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.