Webinars

As our professional lives begin to return to a sense of normalcy, fresh opportunities for work and play arise. But how does one decide what to take and what to leave? When you work for yourself, it can be very difficult to make decisions about the direction your work will take; especially when you don't have anyone to bounce ideas off of or when people don't understand what it is you do (we're looking at you, Nan!).The Decision Tree is a simple process designed specifically for creative folks to help you figure out what you should say 'yes' to, and why. It can help make the decision-making process a little less painful and it ensures your decisions are always aligned with your fundamental purpose.  What’s Included?A 60-80 min webinar with our creative industries experts, plus lifetime access to additional resources and/or a special Dropbox folder containing more resources to support your learning.Who should sign up?Creative folks who struggle to make professional decisions and often feel conflicted about the choices they make.  Who's the host? Monica Davidson, director and doyenne of Creative Plus Business, Queen of purposeful decision-making, and unfortunate lover of shredded wheat. What's Creative Plus Business? We're a certified social enterprise dedicated […]

It's almost the end of the financial year, which means it's time to get your money stuff in order. It's not much fun, but a few simple tips and tricks (and a friendly face) can help. This FREE webinar will help you get organised in time for EOFY and take the terror out of tax. Creatives, you are not alone! We'll be looking at: + The key creative tax rulings you need to know;+ Are you a hobby or a business?+ How to work out your deductions;+ Easy tips and tricks for record-keeping;+ Cloud Accounting suggestions;+ Preparing for TAX (eugh!);+ Better financial habits for next year. What’s Included?A 60-80 min webinar with our creative industries experts, plus lifetime access to additional resources and/or a special Dropbox folder containing more resources to support your learning. Who should sign up?Creative industries professionals and business people from start-up to established (Australia only, sorry!). We also welcome creative freelancers, soloists, students, start-ups and curious hobbyists. Who's the host? Monica Davidson, director and doyenne of Creative Plus Business, teacher of tax and record keeping, lover of financial organisation and super fun at parties. What's Creative Plus Business? We're a certified social enterprise dedicated to educating creative people and […]

“BY FAILING TO PREPARE, YOU ARE PREPARING TO FAIL.” Benjamin Franklin summed it up best in the quote above.  A business or strategic plan is a summary and evaluation of an entrepreneurial idea – and it should be more than just a conciliation for bank managers and funding bodies. A useful plan can make the difference between creative business success and heading back to the drawing board. This webinar reframes the planning process specifically for creative practitioners, and helps participants create a plan that will actually help. Participants will dig into the deeper issues of:+ The planning process in general, and to make it useful both internally and externally;+ Choosing the right template, and adding an Action Plan;+ The four sections: admin, finances, marketing and goals;+ The Personal/Private and Professional Plans. Resources and templates will also be provided for a variety of both business and strategic plans, including the preferred options for the Australia Council and other kinds of financing.  What do I get?  All participants of this workshop also receive:+ Lifetime access to a dedicated BUSINESS PLANNING 101  Dropbox folder full of additional resources and workbooks to help continue the learning after the webinar is over;+ Access to additional free […]

HERE WE GO AGAIN - a FREE webinar to help creative professionals work through the steps to financial, business and creative survival in the redux of trying times 2021. Yeehaw! Just as we started creeping out of the house, the doors have slammed shut yet again. Most of us are feeling worse than last time - it's the shittiest Groundhog Day ever, and we're over it.  In this  FREE webinar our doyenne Monica  Davidson will share ideas collected from our team of creative business experts for making it through the next passage of time, as best you can. She'll also offer free resources and tools to help you along the way.  We'll talk about (and get your thoughts on):+ Getting your finances in order;+ Managing your mental health;+ Marketing to stay afloat;+ Making new work;+ Diversifying income streams;+ Staying connected, and more! What’s included? A 90 minute webinar that you can interact with, ask questions of the host, and access later if you want to watch the recording. You also get access to additional resources on our website  to support you during this shitty time. Who should sign up? Any creative and arts practitioners, freelancers, start-ups,  students and arts entrepreneurs from beginners to […]

Figuring out who your target market is can be a finicky business. The secret to any effective marketing campaign for a creative business is marketing personas. Creating these compelling caricatures that combine real data about your existing clients and market research can help guide your content creation, craft targeted marketing campaigns, and assist you in developing new products and services. In this free webinar, we'll explore:+ Why customer or buyer personas are so important+ Why you may need more than one+ A step-by-step guide to creating effective personas+ How to make your Personas useful everyday, and+ How they can help your business thrive. Creating Marketing Personas is tailored specifically to creative people who are (or want to be) self-employed, from students and start-ups to experienced freelancers and arts organisations. What do I get?All participants of this workshop also receive:+ Lifetime access to a dedicated dropbox folder full of additional resources and help;+ Free access to additional webinars that are permanently available to support this learning;+ A dedicated webpage full of links and resources to help them get ahead in their creative business. Who should enrol?This workshop is ideal for creative businesses, arts practitioners, freelancers and anyone struggling with the marketing […]

Sometimes it can seem near-impossible to figure out what your clients want, need, and desire.  Enter: Empathy Mapping.  It's a simple process that helps you understand the problem your client is experiencing and how to craft an effective solution that will delight them. Additionally, it helps you to develop a deep shared understanding and empathy for other people.In this free webinar, we'll explore:+ How you can use Empathy Mapping in your business+ The key steps and elements in an Empathy Map Canvas+ How to fill in your Empathy Map Canvas+ What to do *after* you've filled in your canvas to implement the learnings+ Tips for an effective Empathy Mapping session What’s Included?A 60-80 min webinar with our creative industries experts, plus lifetime access to additional resources and/or a special Dropbox folder containing more resources to support your learning. Who should sign up?Creative industries professionals and business people from start-up to established (Australia only, sorry!). We also welcome creative freelancers, soloists, students, start-ups and curious hobbyists. Who’s the host? Monica Davidson, director and doyenne of Creative Plus Business, Monica Davidson, director and doyenne of Creative Plus Business, empathy extraordinaire,  and lover of all things map related (it runs in the family - […]

When it comes to managing your anxiety around the uncertainty of the future and regulating your mood, it can be difficult to know where to begin. When you add running a business and pursuing your creative practice on top of this, things can get overwhelming!  We've teamed up with expert Sport and Performance Psychologist Chelsea Carpenter for Managing Uncertainty, a free conversation-style webinar with Monica Davidson. They'll discuss the challenges currently facing creatives and how to mitigate them, and share a bunch of simple, actionable strategies that you can implement into your day to reduce your anxiety and improve your wellbeing.  We'll also cover:+ How to recover when you're burnt out and exhausted+ How to keep going when things feel futile+ How to reconnect to your creativity in times of emotional distress As usual, you can expect a handful of supplementary resources to help support your mental health and wellbeing. Ideal for: Creative practitioners at all stages of practice who are struggling to keep all the juggling balls in the air and manage pandemic-related stress. Who’s hosting? Monica Davidson, director and doyenne of Creative Plus Business, will be joined by the fabulous Chelsea Carpenter, a registered Sport and Performance Psychologist who has a […]

As humans, we are hungry for connection and historically, this has come in the form of storytelling. Social Media provides a new and interesting way to share stories that are both a surefire way to humanise your brand and create deeper connections with your customers and clients. In this free webinar, we'll explore the different ways you can weave stories into your copy and how to ensure your tales are engaging to help you connect with your clients on a deeper level. We'll examine:+ The Power of Storytelling+ Telling Stories with Words and Images+ Using Video Effectively+ Choosing the Right Social Media Platform+ How to Stay Up To Date Social Media Storytelling for Creatives is tailored specifically to creative people who are (or want to be) self-employed, from students and start-ups to experienced freelancers and arts organisations. What do I get?All participants of this workshop also receive:+ Lifetime access to a dedicated dropbox folder full of additional resources and help;+ Free access to additional webinars that are permanently available to support this learning;+ A dedicated webpage full of links and resources to help them get ahead in their creative business. Who should enrol?This workshop is ideal for creative businesses, arts […]

As the pandemic continues and the creative industries are hit harder than ever, we speak to two successful creative businesses about how they have survived (and thrived!) during the current crisis. This free webinar hosts multidisclipinary creative Lillian Ahenkan (aka FlexMami) and filmmaker and musician Mac De Souza to discuss how they have managed and grown their businesses over the last 18 months.  They will join Creative Plus Business director Monica Davidson in a frank and insightful conversation to explore things like their biggest wins, challenges, worries, and advice to other creatives walking the same path.  Ideal for: Creative practitioners at all stages of practice who want to hear insights from slick creative professionals who have thrived in business throughout the pandemic.  Need more deets on our hosts with the most? Business advisor and creative industries expert Monica Davidson (director and doyenne of Creative Plus Business) is a writer and filmmaker by trade who learned how to run a successful creative business and now shares that knowledge with others. In her workshops Monica discusses her own experiences, and shares examples from the 900-plus people she has mentored through the process of starting and building their creative businesses. Ghanaian-Australian Lillian Ahenkan (aka Flex Mami) is a multidisciplinary millennial […]

The start of a new year is the perfect time to re-evaluate your goals - but how can you create a plan for your goals that's more effective than a few empty New Year's Resolutions? This FREE webinar helps you think about your goals, and then make a practical plan to actually implement them, using the super-exciting method we call The Goal Matrix (which makes it sounds much more scientific than it really is, but whatever). You'll get: + A guided tour of how to set goals, focussing on your 'insides';+ Templates to help you create your own matrix;+ The chance to Draw Along With Monica (grab your markers and paper!). Ideal for: Creative practitioners at all stages of practice who are struggling to keep all the juggling balls in the air and manage pandemic-related stress. Who’s hosting? Monica Davidson is an award-winning expert on the creative industries, who began her professional life as a freelance journalist and filmmaker. In 2014 Monica completed her Masters degree in Screen Arts and Business at AFTRS, and was appointed as the first NSW Creative Industries Business Advisor by the Department of Industry. Shortly after she founded the social enterprise Creative Plus Business, which is dedicated to educating creative […]

Branding is one of the most powerful assets your business has, but gone are the days of impersonal content and messaging. To build an engaged and loyal audience, you must humanise your brand. To put it simply, humanising your brand means being personable and relatable across your marketing messaging and cultivating memorable and meaningful connections with your target audience, rather than going for the hard sell. AKA, acting like a human. At the end of the day, people do business with brands they trust and the simplest way to do this is to communicate with your audience like they're right in front of you.In this conversation-style webinar, Marketing Manager Lillie Brown will be joined by Mia Fileman of Campaign Del Mar to explore ideas and strategies for small businesses and freelancers to humanise their marketing and craft a standout brand personality.What’s Included?A 90-minute webinar with our creative industries experts (which you can access later if you want), plus lifetime access to additional resources on our website containing more resources to support your learning. Who should sign up? Creative and arts practitioners, freelancers, start-ups,  students and arts entrepreneurs from beginners to established (International sign-ups welcome!). We also welcome curious hobbyists and people from outside the arts.  […]

Loads of arts and creative not-for-profit organisations are volunteer run and led, especially in the regions. This webinar is a practical panel discussion and a real-world look at a few volunteer NFPs and how they have grown in terms of funding, diversification of income, and management. We'll discuss the nitty gritty of how to: + Find and motivate volunteers;+ Diversify income and survive beyond funding;+ Build a succession plan for the future;+ Work with the board.We've teamed up with  C+B Advisor and NFP expert Andrew Gray, who also happens to be the Executive Director of South East Arts, as well as David Hewitt from Stonewave Taiko and Donna Ballard from Wingham Acoustic Music Festival. Ideal for: Anyone working with or for an arts and creative not-for-profit, and keen beans hoping to get one started. Who's hosting?Business advisor and creative industries expert Monica Davidson (director and doyenne of Creative Plus Business) is a writer and filmmaker by trade who learned how to run a successful creative business and now shares that knowledge with others. In her workshops Monica discusses her own experiences, and shares examples from the 900-plus people she has mentored through the process of starting and building their creative businesses. Andrew Gray has decades of experience in the […]