FINAL Business Plan

https://eastnorfolk-my.sharepoint.com/personal/55169_eastnorfolk_ac_uk/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7Baa53aa00-fca6-4ac5-98d5-09cd38148d62%7D&action=default&slrid=7908559f-202c-2000-a71a-fb31d55559e0&originalPath=aHR0cHM6Ly9lYXN0bm9yZm9say1teS5zaGFyZXBvaW50LmNvbS86cDovZy9wZXJzb25hbC81NTE2OV9lYXN0bm9yZm9sa19hY191ay9FUUNxVTZxbV9NVkttTlVKelRnVWpXSUItRFR4QjVvNkhRVVQzdThTUWpzS1lnP3J0aW1lPUFnUU9zSm4tMTBn&cid=b89c9506-0d61-4cba-9143-cddafe8a195f

PESTEL Analysis

Political Factors
My market has been hit heavily by government decisions in recent times, especially in the recent months as Brexit has been the reason that the creative industry has taken such a damaging hit. Prior to Brexit, it had been growing five times faster than the rest of the UK economy. Brexit means that not British nationals would have a much tougher job in working for British production, lowering the workforce by nearly a third. 29% of Creative companies in Britain say that foreign people in their workforce have skills they haven’t found in British nationals too, further adding to the negative effect. Creative business make up 1/8th of all UK businesses, making it a sector worth funding, but it is feared that funding will continue to fall after Brexit.

Economic Factors
Funding is something that the creative  sector in the UK is short on as it’s being squeezed in many schools across the country, according to almost 1200 schools, who say as a result they’re having to cut down on lesson time, with 1 in every 10 schools relying on voluntary donations from parents to keep the arts going. This has lead to only 53.5% of students taking a creative subject according to the BBC in 2016. Back in 2016 it was said that from then TIL 2020 the government would have to spend £400 million on the creative industry, which hasn’t happened. There are worries that if money isn’t injected in to the creative arts soon, the next wave of great actors and actresses could be lost. As a freelancing drama tutor I wouldn’t have to rely on funding from a third party as I would be making my own money and I’d get to keep it and use it to reinvest in to my business as I choose. However, the lack of funding means less roles are available which makes it harder for me to find roles for my students. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42862996

Social Factors
East Anglia is the hardest place in the UK to get in to the creative industry as there are minimal TV opportunities, limited essentially to Norwich, and theatre opportunities are limited mainly to small scale theatres in local towns, again excluding Norwich. The biggest stage in Norfolk is the Theatre Royal in Norwich with a capacity of 1308, which doesn’t rival anything like London’s big stages. Latitude and Sundown festivals do take place in the East of England, and year-round they tend to be the most popular events in the region, meaning that music makes up a lot of the creative sector in East Anglia. The lack of drama opportunities will affect my business as part of my job includes finding auditions and parts for my students, and being in this area mean that it would be a lot more challenging to do this.

Technological Factors
The creative industry needs technology to thrive and that is something that is happening as in the past we have gone from having black and white TV with no audio, then with audio, and then colour tv which has been constantly evolving with the development of High definition and Ultra High Definition, so technology is advancing well in the industry. TV and theatre shows always need special fx whether it be live or in post-production, so pyro-technics for example are constantly evolving and becoming more impressive by the year, meaning shows are becoming more impressive too. The creative industry isn’t totally reliant on technology as some shows are very minimalistic and need just a stage and actors, so it isn’t in need o technology constantly improving. Technology in the sector isn’t an issue for me and my business as I’m running a small-scale drama tutor business, and I don’t need too much technology to run my business at all.

Environmental Factors
As my business is being a drama tutor I wouldn’t have to worry about any environmental factors in particular as the only time I would be contributing to the environment is when I’m travelling, and thus there isn’t a point where environmental factors particularly come in to my business. It’s a similar story for the sector as a whole, although when there’s a big show on then a lot of people would be travelling in to see it which would raise the carbon footprint, but that’s not something that the industry would be able to change.

Legal Factors
There are a few legal factors that affect my business as well as the creative sector as a whole. For a child to perform in a show, they have to have a licence to perform, which has to be sorted by the organiser of the event, and for me as a tutor, it’s something that I can help with too. For me, I would have to have a DBS Check completed on me so parents and potential customers can look in to my past. I also have to follow safeguarding rules to a similar degree. GDPR is also something I particularly have to follow as I would be taking recordings of auditions for students to send off to theatre companies and universities, but these would have to be stored and so I would have to make sure that they’re securely stored and that the student can have access to see their tapes whenever they like. Copyrights laws have to be abided by too especially in music as a lot of songs sound similar and musicians/songwriters end up having to pay royalties to other people.

VoiceThread Business Plan Presentation FINAL

https://voicethread.com/myvoice/thread/14538326

Business Plan PowerPoint

https://eastnorfolk-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/55169_eastnorfolk_ac_uk/EURG08Bwp1tGlMBC34R3hsgB5Cf6SgTBA8onpjwHzyNjbQ?e=4%3a3d8m2K&at=9

VoiceThread Business Plan

https://voicethread.com/myvoice/thread/14328256

Income Spreadsheet

Legal Frameworks

Being an acting tutor I would have to do research on a lot of laws that I’d have to abide by in order to protect my business. I would be using my home as a location for tutoring and I would likely be doing lessons online too, and these lessons could be with students of many different ages which could mean that people who are underage would be having lessons with me, meaning I would have to have safeguarding for example sorted so I can actually stage my lessons.

For any adult student I may have to complete a DBS check to make sure that they’re safe to teach. A DBS check is where someone who doesn’t know you or has just met or come across you can check your criminal record if they want peace of mind as to whether they think they or someone else is safe around you. There are four different checks; usually people will only request a basic check, although in healthcare and childcare situations, a more detailed check could be requested. As some of my students would likely be underage, my lessons with them would be classed as childcare and therefore parents may want to carry out a more detailed check on me to find out about any past convictions I may or may not have and decide from there if they want their child to be tutored by me. https://www.gov.uk/dbs-check-applicant-criminal-record

Similar to DBS checks in some way, I would also have to pay attention to safeguarding in order to ensure the safety of all students at my home should lessons be there. To safeguard students in my house I would have to ensure I have removed or at list taken in to account all ways students could be harmed, for example I could carry out risk assessments for each student in order to make sure they’re safe. I’m accountable for the safety of anyone who enters my home and therefore if a student were to get hurt it’d be down to me and therefore my fault. Another thing that would be useful here is first aid training as if someone got hurt and they needed medical help right away, I could then give it to them. I would also have to keep them under constant supervision to ensure further nothing happens to them. https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-checklist/  https://www.anncrafttrust.org/resources/six-principles-adult-safeguarding/

If a child wants to go on and be an actor/performer, they have to have certain licencing before they can actually be allowed to legally perform to avoid exploitation for example. If the child is going to take part in a play, film, concert etc. that an audience is paying to see, they will need to have a licence that the organiser of the event would have to apply for. Also, if the child’s parents can’t be there they will need to have a chaperone approved for them by the council, this chaperone can be anyone who has already been approved or asked for approval from the council. Children under 16 don’t pay national insurance and are not entitled to minimum wage, this starts for 16-17 year olds and gets higher as the age of the person goes up. https://www.gov.uk/child-employment/performance-licences-for-children https://www.gov.uk/child-employment/paying

Cultural Policy

The creative industries are part of a complex business environment which is policed by regulatory frameworks which facilitate artistic creation, cultural diversity, and business activities in the culture sector. Due to the digital industries, the cultural and creative sectors are undergoing rapid change, leading to governments increasingly identifying a need to continuously assess the sectors to ensure that regulatory frameworks are still fit for purpose. The rapid changes that the sector is undergoing makes it hard for people in the creative sector as there isn’t any consistency in the frameworks and due to the funding constantly being changed, most of the time cut, for my enterprise I may have to watch my finances, although being a freelancer I perhaps wouldn’t have to worry too much as I’d generally be funding myself.

Due to the increase in digital technology, we’re gaining more ways of streaming music and sharing videos, therefore meaning we have to keep reviewing property rights as it’s getting increasingly likely for lines to get blurred and so we need to ensure that artist’s works are protected and they’re receiving the right revenue for their work whilst also ensuring it can be widely accessed. The development of the internet over the last 20 years has meant audiences and the market are vastly increasing, meaning policies are having to be adapted for trading, taxation, and even the establishment and operation of businesses. Me being a tutor means that I wouldn’t have to worry about the revenue situation as there’s nothing about my revenue I’d be receiving from the internet, although videos of auditions from my students would be surfacing online and thus these videos would have to abide by these laws.

The European Commission serves a variety of functions in the assessment of the regulatory framework, including the management of projects, the commissioning of studies and reports, and ensuring coordination with Member States to apply best practices.

The commission has commenced a number of activities in an effort to take major steps towards reforming the regulatory environment. They have done the following:

·         The directive on orphan works, meaning they work with not one clear owner of something for example a song, they’ll work with all relevant parties.

·         The directive on collective rights management, i.e. organisations that manage the rights of multiple parties when they all believe they should have rights to copyrighted work.

·         The directive extending the term of protection for performers and sound recordings to 70 years ;

·         The Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled;

·         The Beijing treaty on audio-visual performances ;

·         The General Block Exemption Regulation on state aid, which provides conditions for Member States to give state aid to culture and heritage conservation the audio-visual sector, without having to go to the commission about it first.

Overall I wouldn’t have to particularly worry too much about these rules as being a drama tutor is more about using your own techniques to help make someone better at what they want to do and therefore wouldn’t be breaching any rules in that department. However, one thing I would have to think about is the pieces that I’d use to aid the student in their learning, as I would have to get scripts but I would need permission to use them and therefore I’d need to search for scripts that have been put online or in books that are free to use, or I’d need to specifically ask a playwright for permission to use their piece.

Businesses analysed

https://www.superprof.co.uk/lessons/acting/united-kingdom/

SWOT Analysis

Strengths:

What do you do better than anyone else?

I’ve had my fair share of acting and drama teachers over the years and I haven’t been pleased with some of the teaching, of which for me has been inconsistent over the years as I have had teachers dipping in and out over the year, and I think that this has shaped the way I’d tutor someone, and although these would likely be weekly sessions I’d make sure I could carry out each session, and make sure that the way I tutor stays the same as well to increase the chance of student progression.

What unique or lowest-cost resources can you draw upon that others can’t?

I don’t need to buy too many resources as almost if not all the resources I’ll need are things that I would likely have anyway for example a car or a house to travel to them or host the student for tutoring, as these things are necessities in life and I’d therefore likely already have these things.

What do people in your market see as strengths?

Those in my market like to mainly see results, as these sessions will likely only contain two people and therefore people will want to see the students getting somewhere, for example getting involved with tv, film and theatre whether it be acting or behind the scenes, so ability to get students in to the business or/and in to high places is a big strength. People also want to see me as someone that the students will grow fond of as having a good relationship with your students is going to massively help out.

Weaknesses:

What could you improve?

I think I could improve the confidence in my abilities as I never really believe that I am good enough to do something like this, but I know that if I believe I have the ability then I know I can do it.

What should you avoid?

I should avoid limiting myself to one group of people as no matter what sort of age you are you can have a dream, and therefore even if it’s very likely nothing will come of it, some people who are perhaps quite old would still like to take acting lessons just to be closer to the business.

What are things users might see as weaknesses?

On websites where tutors are advertised the ones with the best ratings and reviews are put at the top, so if you’re on a low page or low down in the list then you would perhaps be seen as someone with not much ability which would definitely be seen as a weakness.

Opportunities:
Do people have a need?
People come to me to be taught how to act so their basic need when coming to me is to learn, but also they may be doing this for the confidence to go further in the industry.

Do people prefer something else?

People may like to try and teach themselves as going to an acting tutor isn’t cheap and they could just watch YouTube videos if they want to try cheaply, so some people wouldn’t want to pay and wouldn’t have the patience to go through the journey with an acting tutor like me.

Are there any changes in technology?

Social media is constantly evolving and that could change how my enterprise is run as I would be offering video calls for these sessions and so something like this sort of advancement in technology could help me out.

Are there changes in government policy?

Funding for the creative arts has dramatically gone down so this is a big change as we are having to work harder to make a living and find opportunities, which makes my life hard as I’ll be trying to get opportunities for students too.

Threats:

What challenges do you face?

There are quite a lot of tutors that do the same thing as me and we’re all advertised in the same place so it’s very competitive, and the learning behaviours of students could very well pose an issue as some may be very misbehaving which could make lessons hard.

What are your competitors doing?

As we’re all acting tutors we’re all doing the same thing as there aren’t many ways you can vary our profession, so we’re all offering very similar services just at different prices.

Is changing technology making things difficult?

Definitely not as the more technology advances the more ways we have to teach and communicate with our students, so things are definitely getting easier.

Is there an issue with finances?

Definitely due to government funding and as a new tutor I have to charge a very low rate and get good reviews before I can start to charge more money.

Website

https://lewisbarratt2.wixsite.com/website

Statements

Mission statement:

“Restore the belief that anyone can make it on to the big stage”

I think that this would be a great mission statement as in recent times it has seemed like the creative industry has been a very lucrative one and that if you’re going to make it as part of the creative industry you have to have the natural talent, and this shows my commitment in to knocking down the stigma that you can’t train to be good, some people are naturally brilliant actors, but if you try and you put effort in you can be up there with the best in the world. I used the saying “the big stage” instead of “the big screen” as the big stage is more inclusive to more of the creative industry, as it could include tv/film acting and stage/theatre acting, so I think that this mission statement works well for my creative enterprise.

Jaz: It’s uhhhhhhh, it’s motivational init, it gives people motivation to do what they want or to like reach for their goals.

JP: Yehhh it shows people that you really care about getting people to see what’s possible and that they could really better themselves by chasing their goal, which really is within their reach. The first logo is great, the gold and black work very well and it suits the creative enterprise. The second logo is decent, simple and shows what you can do when you haven’t got much to work with, but as a result it doesn’t look as good as it could, like someone inexperienced has made it. Third logo is like poorly executed but could be good if polished and a lot neater. Colour scheme may have to change as red and yellow is a lil bit childish and as they’re not who you’re really aiming for, the colour scheme would likely have to change.

Vision statement:

“A host of new actors to carry the baton further”

I wasn’t too sure on my vision statement but I think this one is okay as it relates to my mission statement in saying that I want to see a wave of new actors take over from the iconic actors we know and love today, and they’ll eventually become iconic actors themselves and the next generation will see these actors and their journey, and they’ll believe themselves that they can make a successful career out of it too.

Jaz: I don’t think it’s rubbish, I think you’re telling the truth there cuz they’re gonna be one day the next bunch of really famous actors.

JP: You’re showing you care about the future of this industry and you want it to be in safe hands, and you’re going to try to play your part in securing the future of it. I think it could be improved slightly as it’s okay for a vision statement, but it could be worded differently.

Logos

Business Model

Portfolios Analysed

Cover Letters

https://www.theguardian.com/careers/covering-letter-examples - This link goes to three cover letters that are quite different in the style they’re written but prove that you don’t have to stick to one style. 

The first letter is a very formal one that focuses on showing that this person understands their own education and how they think it could help the company they’re applying to in a way that is to the point, covering all the necessary bases. However, this feels like the sort of cover letter we’ve read 1000 times before, saying that they got good grades, they think they’d be good, and this is why, and for a cover letter in the area that I’m looking at, as I’m in to drama and this letter seems too basic and boring to be used in this area, and so whilst I have no doubt it’s great for other areas, I wouldn’t personally write something like this for my chosen area

The second letter is perhaps even further from the sort of letter I would usually use, as this letter feels like what someone would write if they’re just looking for a job they aren’t too fussed about as they say how they pick up things easily, which is something I wrote on my letter when I applied for my current job which is not what I intend on doing for the rest of my life. They do mention their references and how glowing they are which is something the first letter didn’t do, and they ask for them to keep their CV for the future if this doesn’t work out which does show devotion. I feel there are positives with the second letter the first one doesn’t have and if the qualities of each are combined it would make an ideal cover letter

The third letter is much more something I’d say is my style, as it’s got an entirely different level of creativity the other two don’t, and especially for my chosen area, this would be much more ideal. It combines banter with a level of sophistication that works in a way that shows this person is clearly competent and is very interested in what they’re applying for, telling them that they are the solution for the job rather than asking for consideration, it shows a level of confidence which borders on arrogance but combines well to create a letter that will make the person considering them smile and make them remember the applicant. If I were to use a letter as an example it would likely be this one as I like making people smile and if I can do that through a letter before they’ve met me then I think we’d be off to a good start.

Creative CV