Helena Fruscio

The Creative Economy: Not-Sole-For-Profits-Proprietors

Posted by Helena Fruscio, May 17, 2011 1 comment


Helena Fruscio

Helena Fruscio

We can all see the business models changing – for-profits with a social mission, nonprofits with a business models that include historically “for-profit” ventures, and sole proprietors, small business owners, and entrepreneurs devising new plans, products, and businesses at a breakneck speed.

In Berkshire County, a rural community with a population of about 120,000 in western Massachusetts, we have started a movement that encompasses and supports the needs of this swiftly changing business dynamic.

It starts with the acknowledgment of the new businesses dynamic and then working to shift the focus on the core and driving values of the emerging field: Creativity. 

In Berkshire County, we explore these connections through Berkshire Creative Economy Council (Berkshire Creative). The mission of Berkshire Creative is to stimulate new job growth and economic opportunity in the region by sparking innovative collaborations between artists, designers, cultural institutions, and businesses.

We define our work as a movement: “A movement that came into being at the intersection of art, innovation, design, and creation. It’s a big concept to grasp all at once, encompassing the collaboration between disparate groups in a dynamic new direction that is uniquely Berkshire. One line sums it up better than anything else: Creativity Means Business in the Berkshires.”

Berkshire Creative serves the community of Berkshire-based individuals and businesses, ranging from museums, historic homes, performing art centers, and theater companies to designers, architects, artists, technology companies, and manufacturers who each contribute to the distinctly creative and innovative nature of the region.

Creativity is at the core of the businesses and organizations within this sector. The Berkshire Creative Economy Report defines those we serve as, “The enterprises and people involved in the production and distribution of goods and services in which aesthetic, intellectual, and emotional engagement of the consumer give the product value in the marketplace.”

The driving values of the creative workers and businesses we serve are inherently different from many other industry clusters. What propels those we serve to chose to their respective fields is not purely financial, but a passion for their creative product and/or service. For many of these businesses and organizations, the generation and promotion of their product or service is their priority. They want to find better ways of making a living off of what they love to do, and we exist to help them do that. This unique value set gives a distinct slant to the purposes of connecting, networking, customer relations, product development, and even incorporating.

In some ways, by lumping together these organizations and focusing on the core value of creativity, we are able to acknowledge the fact that a company’s incorporation doesn’t really matter. With this sector it seems contrary to progress to keep old divisions within the sector intact as we move forward to develop strength as a single industry.

We can and should recognize the different business needs of a nonprofit, a for-profit, and a sole proprietor, but our power is in numbers and in speaking with one voice. Not to mention that it continually amazes me what happens when you get a group of creative people into one room. You can almost feel the sparks flying and you never know what is going to evolve.

To keep the creative leadership separate because of their incorporation status just does not make sense in the new economy.

What do you think?

1 responses for The Creative Economy: Not-Sole-For-Profits-Proprietors

Comments

July 05, 2011 at 7:04 pm

After publishing this excellent post on my blog over a month ago, by chance I find myself here reading it again. The only think that makes me sad is the fact that I don't return to find it loaded with comments! I would like to know more about Berkshire Creative and heap tons of praise on Helena for her part in starting such a wonderful movement! Thank you!

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