Elliat Rich with Alexi Freeman participating in the Springboard Entrepreneurship program for designers
in Melbourne in 2008.

What was your activity?

I attended the Springbaord Entrepreneurial program, which was the first of it’s kind in Australia. Established by the Australian Design Unit, the program responded to a perceived lack of business awareness and expertise in the Australia’s Small Entrepreneurial Design Businesses (SEDB).

The program’s four sessions ran over three months, allowing the participants to apply, test-out and question the previous sessions topics via online chat sessions with the programs mentors.

Over 80 Australians SEDB’s were involved in the program, which was offered in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Did the activity meet your objectives? 

Through the program I hoped to receive one on one advice from leading professionals, gain access to design specific support and information, allow for networking opportunities with other design practitioners and provide time to focus on long-term goals within an event that presents different options and their associated challenges and opportunities.

I believe that the event exceeded my expectations by providing and introducing me to concepts of business practice that I was not aware of and demonstrated the complexity involved in running a small business. The program also provided tools to negotiate new business methods and offered resources (online and hand-outs) to further inform and guide the process.

How did the activity add to your development as an artist?

I believe that as a result of my participation I have a much more in-depth understanding of running a small entrepreneurial design businesses.

I now recognize that there needs to be more ‘business activity’ to compliment the ‘design activity’ and many issues that I used to conveniently dismiss as irrelevant I now see as valuable and in some cases paramount to achieving a successful, financially stable long-term design business. I now have a much more concrete business goal to aim for, an understanding of the tools I need to get there and a group of peers and industry experts to draw on for advice and guidance.