Page 30 - MICROHUB Handbook - ENGLISH

INTRODUCTION

As an artisan and creative, if you want to make a living, or at least a

regular, reliable side income from your craft, you need to take your
artisanship beyond being just a hobby. You need to structure your craft
activities as a business with a well thought, planned and continuous

model of interaction. Such interaction relates to potential customers,
various suppliers and collaborators, and other key stakeholders, like for

example, licensing and tax authorities, finance providers, etc.

In order to clarify your offering and business model, the latter being the
specific manner in which you structure and conduct your craft

operations, it is very important that you write it down in a formal way.
Hence, that you create your business plan.

You might now question the need for this, given how volatile and fast
changing the current market environment is. The answer to such

concern is that whilst your business plan could indeed need revision
soon after being finalised, without one you would be conducting your
craft business without any reference point, like going into a forest

without a compass. Moreover, while preparing it, you will get new ideas
as new information and knowledge is acquired. Thirdly, besides

providing yourself with a clear roadmap for conducting your business,
such a plan is also useful and needed for sharing and presenting your
business vision, goals, approach and expected results, to others that you

may need support from. For example, employees, collaborators, and
finance providers.

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