Biography

An award winning trainer, mentor and coach, specialising in Creative and Tech business start-ups.

I have successfully worked within the creative industries for over 25 years, setting up and running five companies, which generated annual combined turnover of over £1.7 million.

Publishing – Founder and Editor Citylights magazine Graphic Design – Founder and CEO of CL DesignFashion – Founder and CEO “Euphoria” womenswear Freelance Bridal wear designerFreelance Ceramicist

Drawing from my direct experience of starting up and running successful businesses, I delivered start-up business programmes for The Prince’s Trust and The Public, developed student advisor schemes for Universities, including Central St Martins (CSM). I am a professional coach, facilitator and trainer in Creative, Cultural and Tech Enterprise Development and Growth.

I am one of the main deliverers, contributors and developers for the internationally recognised ‘Nesta Creative Industries Toolkit’. Alongside this I developed the Train The Trainer programme for NESTA and The British Council, which takes international University lecturers, heads of development agencies, Cultural, Creative and Tech Hubs to enable them to deliver Creative Enterprise skills workshops. This has resulted in encouraging business start-up and growth, achieving economic sustainability in cultural, creative and tech sector communities worldwide.

I am a contributor and lead trainer for organisations including The School for Start-ups, Innovate UK, Ade Sampa, Sebrae development agencies in Brazil and over 30 Universities worldwide. I have been responsible for training academics to help them embed enterprise skills and training into the BA and MA curriculum, and for setting up a 60-space incubator/managed workspace for new businesses within the UK. This has resulted in helping them identify and further support spinout companies from funded projects.

I have advised companies including, Business Links, UK Development Agencies, Skillset, BBC Bristol and The Welsh Government. I am an Industry specialist Mentor for the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCEE). I have managed SICE (Social Inclusion to the creative economy), being a £1.5 million business start-up programme for creative industries and have delivered the creative business start-up programme for the School of Art and Design at Coventry University.

I am regularly invited to speak at conferences on Creative Entrepreneurship and the Creative and Tech Economy both in the UK and Abroad.

I am an experienced Mentor and Coach and have set-up mentoring programme for Incubator spaces, Creative Hubs, Universities, as well as mentoring and coaching individual business clients from across the creative, cultural and tech sectors.

Awards

I have been awarded an “Honorary Enterprise Fellowship” from Coventry University for my contribution in entrepreneurship and enterprise development.

Enterprise Educators Champion for National Council for Enterprise Educators (NCEE)

Non-Executive Positions

Untapped Me CIC – Member of the Non-Executive Advisory BoardBeScience STEM – Non-Executive Advisory Director

Testimonials

“One of the most inspiring people I have met. He fills the room with creative ideas”

"Percy's enigmatic character, coupled with his experience in creative business start-up, has made him a real personality and feature of our programmes. He quickly establishes a very robust and reciprocal relationship with learners, which I feel sure goes a long way towards

securing our high student retention levels. Percy is an asset to the organisation and has helped us expand and diversify the services and training we can offer by utilising his

expertise."

"Percy Emmett has the combination of skills, passion and knowledge of both business support and industry awareness to be able to deliver very high quality business support

provision. His ability to translate the language of business support in an engaging way for creative practitioners has been inspirational."

"Percy has bought knowledge, enthusiasm and a high degree of skill to his mentoring of the Makers and Shapers programme. He looked at the potential of each of the participants and

worked with them accordingly, always with the same sort of awareness about their potential and markets. Very inspiring."

“This course would be a mere shadow of itself if Percy wasn't involved. He constantly proved himself to be both professional and sincere - a tough call when dealing with issues

that are very important to people (and things that they have invested so much time, money and energy into). He went beyond the call of duty to really get to know our particular business in an effort to make sure that the advice and mentoring we received was as

applicable to us as possible. Percy was by far the biggest asset to the course, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him as a mentor."

“Percy Emmett's unique approach in business training has had an exceptional impact on how I approach and carry out my creative activities. As a result of his guidance I am now better equipped in business transactions, and more professional in my daily endeavours.”

Skills & Experience

Experienced in using a variety of recognised business modelling tools and techniques including, but not limited to:

Social Proposition canvasValue Proposition CanvasBusiness Model CanvasLean CanvasNesta Creative Tool Kit

Core Competencies:

Strategy Competitive advantageBusiness Model Engineering  Growth StrategyCustomer profiling  Customer segmentationVisioningOperational management

Innovation Incubators / AcceleratorsInnovation LabsCommercialisation of innovationIdeationIntellectual Property Exploitation

Human ResourcesTeam BuildingLeadership & ManagementPersonal and Professional DevelopmentDeveloping NetworksCreating and Managing relationshipsStakeholder Development Organisational & Change ManagementMentoringAdvice support One –One coachingCo-Coaching

ProductProduct Viability AnalysisProduct DevelopmentProduct roadmapManufacturing

Project ManagementDesigning & Managing Enterprise ProjectsWorkshop development and delivery

Business Support Organisational Business Development StrategyBusiness Modelling Organisational & Change ManagementMentoringAdvice supportOne –One coachingCo-CoachingPre-start business and financial planningGrowth action planningDistribution / Logistics

FinanceFinancial Modelling including pricing and costingsFundraisingVenture capitalInvestment readinessProject Budgeting

Instructional DesignExpert in setting up and running train the trainer programmesProgramme design and development

MarketingCompetitor AnalysisSocial Media MarketingRoute to market strategyPREditorials

Key Areas of Work

Universities • National & International Organisations • Entrepreneurs

Recent WorkI have collaborated with numerous Universities across the UK and worldwide. This includes setting up and delivering training courses for Students in the exploration of their creative business ideas, as well as their personal & professional development. I deliver on creative enterprise courses on BA and MA modules.  In addition, I work in partnership with Universities to develop strategies to embed Enterprise into their academic offering. This results in a Train the Trainer programme for Academics to access enterprise tools to utilise within their curriculum area.  This helped to identify spin-out businesses for Universities as investment opportunities.

Creative Enterprise & Practice – Swansea Met University Specialist Lecturer/trainer on MA Module in ‘Enterprise Theory and

Practice’ for MArts Digital Art, Marts Digital Film & TV, MMusTech Music Technology. Covering Business Modelling, Intellectual Property, Marketing and PR, Finance, Pricing, Legal Aspects, Pitching and Presentations and business registration. This included marking students work and sitting on the panel for final presentations.

Make Your Mark – London Assay Office Specialist panel member at ‘Make your Mark’ event at Goldsmiths’ Hall.

Providing practical information and advice, to encourage and enable students to move confidently forward in their chosen freelance/business career in precious metal related subjects.

Hothouse - Crafts Council.Financing for your Craft business.  A one day workshop for craft makers, key topics:

Understanding the relationship between cost, price, value and profit How price can be used to drive sales and achieve other business goals How to apply market, cost plus and value pricing How to forecast sales, outgoings and personal budgets

School for Startups Lead Trainer for a Train the Trainer programme for Enterprise Europe

Network (EEN) trainers. This involved co-creation of the curriculum and delivering high-level training and support to 100 EEN trainers through a series of workshops across the UK.

Lead Quality Control Assessor and verifier for trainers to deliver Tech business start-up methodology workshops.

Led online support through live monthly Q&A webinars for trainers as they started to deliver their programmes.

I was instrumental in designing and delivering a training programme as a catalyst for high growth technology companies across the UK. This programme was funded and in partnership with Innovate UK.

Young Creative Entrepreneurs Programme Developer, designer and facilitator of an international Co-Coaching programme

for the British Council. This programme was developed to connect global creative entrepreneurs in a co-coaching mentoring programme.  The programme paired up the entrepreneurs not only on skills and knowledge but also on personality and need.  The programme helped support them through growth change and management structures and helped them to develop the market in line with their next 5 year plan.  There are over 50 entrepreneurs taking part in the 6-month programme.

Coventry University Lead Contractor and deliverer for The Creative Enterprise Project, working in

partnership with ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Delivering a series of 1 & 2 day creative business start-up workshops across the West Midlands. Working with 400 creative entrepreneurs and creating 150 business start ups.

Train the Trainer programme (with Professor Mark Evans) developing and delivering a programme of work transferring knowledge and skills in enterprise training for Academics to help them embed enterprise skills & tools across the faculty and Coventry School of Art & Design.

For this work I was awarded an honorary Fellowship.

NESTA Advising, developing and lead trainer on their Enterprise Toolkit and Train the

Trainer programme, delivering enterprise skills to Academics throughout Universities in the UK.

Advising, developing and lead trainer on their Enterprise Toolkit and delivering training programmes for creative entrepreneurs in business set-up across the UK and worldwide.

I was Lead Trainer and trained an international pool of experts to deliver enterprise training for creative entrepreneurs in business and personal skills development as part of a collaboration with the British Council on their Global Creative Economy strategy.

Bangor University Created and delivered Train the Trainer programmes for Academics to embed

enterprise across their faculties. Training creative entrepreneurs in business skills covering all aspects of

business development and design, through a 4-day intensive programme. Training Academics to deliver a variety of Business Development tools with

partners in Belgium, Germany and Bangor North Wales. This was a two year programme with five cohorts.

Loughborough University Developed and ran an enterprise business training & mentoring programme at

The Studio, School of Art & Design to creative high achieving MA students developing their skills to get their industry-ready products and services into the open marketplace. In addition, mentoring them through the benefits of becoming a spin-out company in partnership with the University.

Devising and delivering Train the Trainer programmes for Academics to embed enterprise into their faculties.

Portsmouth University Into The Cell – setting up and delivering a start up training programme for a 125

creative entrepreneurs and mentoring and coaching advice to identify the 10 best that would go on to be incubated in The Cell Incubator for a year.

Offering support and guidance to 115 creative entrepreneurs to enable them to explore and potentially start up their businesses.

Supporting the embedding of enterprise skills and tools in the curriculum by way of developing and delivering a train the trainer programme to develop academic skills and knowledge in creative entrepreneurship.

Universities collaborated with to date embedding enterprise training: Pan African University of Nigeria American University Beirut University of Brazil British School of Art and Design Moscow American Uni Dubai Zayed Uni of Abu Dhabi Royal College of Arts Central St Martins London College of Communication University of the Arts London University of Wales Coventry University School of Art and Design Falmouth University University of Telford University of Cumbria Farnham School of Art and Design Birmingham City University University of Glamorgan School of Art and Design Newport University School of Art and Design Newcastle University Bangor University University West of England Newcastle University Swansea University Portsmouth University Loughborough University De Montfort University Cardiff University Swansea Met

National & International Organisations:

To date, I have set up and run business development programmes for creative entrepreneurs and SME’s. I set up and support creative businesses by providing bespoke training and mentoring programmes from conception to realisation on a global basis. I have worked in collaboration with NESTA and the British Council on an international programme; designing and setting up creative business start-up to both creative entrepreneurs, SME’s and Train the Trainer programmes, to transfer knowledge & skills and models of UK best practice to creative support organisations & Universities on an international basis.

NESTA (Accredited Trainer) I was a main contributor / developer and a recognised and accredited deliverer

of NESTA’s Creative Enterprise Toolkit.  I was NESTA’s lead international trainer for the train the trainer programme, working with Universities and other organisations in training staff members in the delivery of creative industry workshop training.

British Council & NESTA I delivered both Train the Trainer & Business Start-up programmes to

Universities, Creative Hubs and Enterprise support agencies across:o Lebanon,o Nigeria,o Russia,o Brazil,  o Albania,o Macedonia,o Vietnam,o United Arab Emirates.o Turkey,o Zimbabweo Kenyao Philippines  o Egypto Franceo Ugandao Peru

Collaborated and worked with a variety of stakeholder partnerships to deliver an enterprise strategy to encourage Creative Economy growth. Setting up and facilitating an international network of Creative Practitioners to encourage cross-cultural collaborations and international trade and mentoring programmes. Devising and delivering a peer to peer mentoring and training programmes for UK and international SME’s in partnership with, but not limited to:

UK: Business Links Chamber of Commerce UK Development Agencies Spike island BBC Welsh Government Skillset UK Skillset Media Academy Wales EM MEdia Creative Skills South West Goldsmiths Crafts Council Craft Central Tech Hub Arts Council England

Worldwide: Ade Sampa Rio Creativo Bebka Development Agency Swiss Content Cisco Meikles Foundation Tumbuka Foundation BerryTech Sebrae British Consulate Bilecik Development Agency Bursa Development Agency Saigon Hub Altcity ADC Academy

Projects Managed:

CAST (Inventorium) Bangor University – Designed and delivered a business change programme, Helping and highlighting to staff the importance and benefit of developing a non-grant reliant environment for the project (Inventorium) to become financially independent after it has completed its three-year funding cycle.

THE PUBLIC -– Commercial Development Manager - Managed and delivered a £1.5 million, 3 year creative business start-up

programme SICE (Social Inclusion to the Creative Economy). This included job creation of 12 FTE positions; the development and delivery of business skills training to creative start-up entrepreneurs across the Black Country and South Birmingham, and I led the PR and Marketing campaign.

Led on the setting up and project management of the funding, design, build and fit-out of an incubator site to house 60 creative industry entrepreneurs. This included managed workspace; hot-desking; flexible meeting rooms; administrative support, together with business support for the residents.

Line management of 2 members of staff with budgeting and reporting experience

As part of my role as Commercial Development Manager, I was tasked to set up the Public Community Radio Licence. This involved setting up and facilitating a focus group, I led on the tender bid, company structure and activity along with business planning and design, brand design and implementation. Overall responsibility for delivering the radio licence objectives, including partnership development and funding and staffing.  

Part of the Black Country Consortium Syndicate - a partnership network for business support agencies - collaborating on a consortium bid.

Co-management of the retail visitor experience, including shop, café, venue space and bar – how the space could be maximised as a multi-purpose space.

As part of this project I created an invaluable ‘toolkit' for start up businesses, plus an interactive CD Rom designed to cover all 13 creative industries.

THE PRINCES TRUST

I designed and ran a training programme for the Prince's Trust, aimed at setting up creative industries throughout the East Midlands. Funded by the Arts Council East Midlands and the East Midlands Regional Development Agency, this successful one-year programme was a national first for the Prince's Trust. Of the 55 businesses set up during the year, 85% are still trading - some of which Percy still mentors.

As part of this project, responsibilities included event management, marketing the project, commissioning of PR & Marketing Materials to promote the programme, Media Relations, Sharing Best Practice, leaving a legacy, sourcing continuation funding.

Innovation in approach was an integral part of this role. An example of success includes a project working in Glen Parva Young Offenders Institute, supporting offenders at pre-release stage to setting up their businesses and then working in collaboration with national resettlement teams to facilitate ongoing support on release. The project enabled me to gain valuable experience working with hard to reach communities, including offenders and ex-offenders. The project attracted high profile support, including the Lady Mayoress of Leicestershire, who attended one of the training sessions delivered in the prison. This helped break down barriers between the project participants and their perceived value as part of their home community.

ENVIRON – Retail Area Manager – In this role I was responsible for the operational management of a vegan vegetarian restaurant (the Ark), a retail outlet (the Ark Shop), and the Eco Home Environmental show home including budgeting, stock purchasing, staff management, health and safety, marketing, customer experience.

BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY– Set-up and delivered Nesta’s insightout enterprise development programme to over 500 creative entrepreneurs over 6 years.

CREATIVE ALLIANCE – Lead trainer and developer for Makers and Shapers programme a 12-week NVQ level 3 in creative business development results, 100% pass rate over 5 cohorts. ABC awarding body.

NEATH PORT TALBOT COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY 1 & 2 day business training seminars for “Centreprise” at NPT’s enterprise Hub Set-up and developing in collaboration with the college, Fat Head Media, a media training company that offers 6-month vocational training courses for students in the Web, Graphics & Audio Visual sectors to gain business skills while working on live briefs for clients.

TRINITY ST DAVID UNIVERSITY, CARMARTHEN Devised and delivering enterprise programmes for numerous 3rd year BA students across the University. Developing a training strategy for the enterprise officers within the University for internal delivery to ensure the programme’s sustainability at the university through being embedded in curriculum delivery.

FALMOUTH UNIVERSITY Devised and delivering 1-week intensive creative business start-up courses to final year BA students and 12 business award students. Setup and delivering one to one personal & professional coaching/mentoring programme for students to enable entrepreneurs to achieve their business goals .

Other Projects Delivered on: BCU: Lead trainer and Business Mentor - BSEEN Programme BCU: Lead trainer and Business Mentor - Interiors Lifestyle and Futures (ILF)

Programme NCEE– set up and lead trainer / Mentor on numerous creative industries

training programmes in universities across the UK for creative entrepreneurs NCEE – member of their Panel of Expert Mentors Flying start – Lead Trainer / Mentor on creative business programmes across

the UK Make it Happen – Written and delivered online Webinars / Mentoring in

business skills and sector specific topic sessions to creative start-up businesses across the UK

Kauffman Institute USA – UK Lead Trainer and mentor for the Global Entrepreneurs programme

ECCA – Lead developer and trainer for business start-up and mentoring programme with LCC

Creative Skills South West – Lead trainer and mentor on their business development programme for the creative industries

Skillset UK – delivering business start-up training and mentoring to creative entrepreneurs

Welsh Government – Lead trainer and developer of business start-up and mentoring programmes across Welsh Educational bodies

Spike Island Bristol – Lead Trainer, Mentor and developer of business start up to creative practitioners for the South West region

EM MEDIA – Lead trainer for Moving Image business training programme directed at writers, editors and directors for business skills development for producing independent short films.

Skillset Media Academy Wales – Lead UK trainer for Transformatlab international business start-up and training programme for international students (on-going)

BBC Bristol – Working with the Head of Finance and the Head of Commissioning delivering a strategy on where and who to redeploy within in departments whilst going through company restructure and staff redundancies.

Press and Interviews:

Creative business start up videos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm7AYnrdNMk&feature=share&list=PLMpjTW5t-wBYoqFJU17Gsi2gcBlhW6OFZ

Interview with Radikal Newspaper Turkey. http://www.radikal.com.tr/hayat/uzmanindan_yaratici_girisimcilik_tuyolari-1272941

Interview with Bebka development agency Turkey. http://www.bebka.org.tr/admin/datas/yayins/bebkahaber12sayi.pdf

Keynote speaker  “Entrepreneurship in Creative Industries” at the “Design Summit Event 2016”   held in Bursa Turkey in November 2016 as part of Bursa Innovation and Design Expo.

Contact Details

For further information please contact me on:percy.emmett@gmail.com07951 552 63901267 267 050