It’s a first-of-its-kind community experience and online learning programme to help you turn your creative talent into a brilliantly successful business. The go-to place where entrepreneurial creatives can find all the support, knowledge and connections they need to get their creative startup going and growing.
About us
Who we are
We are a first-of-its-kind online membership and community empowering creatives to build and grow brilliantly successful businesses.
Our why
Until now, the creative world didn’t have a unified go-to place for aspiring creative entrepreneurs
Without the right guidance, building a business can be scary and isolating. It’s hard to know where to start and so, countless creatives don’t. What a waste of talent and potential.
That’s why Creative Entrepreneurs isn’t just a membership – it’s a movement
We’re passionate about supporting every shape and size of business. From the proudly ‘keep it small’ to the next big thing. We connect you with today’s creative leaders and industry experts – so you can become tomorrow’s entrepreneurial success story.
What we do
For the wider community we offer free access to:
- More than 500 free curated resources for creative entrepreneurs to support them at every stage of their journey
- Regular, open to public, free-to-attend events featuring industry experts giving practical advice and answering questions on key topics every creative entrepreneur should know
- Regular industry updates, opinion pieces and informative articles published in our Journal
- A bi-weekly newsletter featuring curated information on industry news and events tailored to the needs of creative entrepreneurs
For our Members we have additionally a more in-depth, engaging offering around three pillars: Learning, Community and Benefits:
- Masterclass video tutorials with industry leaders worth over £5,000
- Exclusive How-To Guides with actionable advice on topics that vary from marketing to finances and leadership
- Deep-dive chats with high-profile creative founders through our signature event series Founder files
- Showcase via our Members Spotlight directory
- An ‘Accountability partner’ programme for peer-to-peer encouragement
- Discounts and perks to boost your business and wellbeing worth in total over £1,250
As seen in:
We are here
to empower you
with a rich online learning programme to support you at every stage, from setting up to scaling your business. New and exciting content arriving every month. Written and taught by experts, delighted to share their insights.
to inspire you
with news, views and juicy interviews. We’re not just for paying members. You can subscribe for FREE and access our knowledge bank, community events and buzzing journals. Keep up with the hottest who’s who – it may be you.
to connect you
with big-name founders, industry leaders, role models and mentors – all in one place. In this vibrant creative community, you’ll rub shoulders with the best in the business – consulting with experts and collaborating with peers.
What we’re not
- Creative
- Masters of the universe
- Tycoons
- Moguls
- Wheeler Dealers
- Speculators
- Big Shots
- Impressarios
- Show-Offs
- Fat Cats
- Top Dogs
- Entrepreneurs
Carolyn Dailey, CE Founder
Carolyn launched membership-based movement Creative Entrepreneurs at No. 10 Downing Street in 2016. Its mission is to empower creative people to transform their lives by turning their creative ideas into successful businesses. Previously, Carolyn spent over 20 years with entertainment leader Time Warner (now WarnerMedia), helping HBO, CNN, Warner Bros. and Time Inc. expand their reach in Europe.
She has been named by WIRED Magazine as one of the Top 10 Women Digital Powerbrokers, alongside Natalie Massenet and Martha Lane Fox, by Creative Review as one of the Top 50 Creative Leaders, and by BIMA as one of the Top 10 Entrepreneurs progressing the creative industries.
She has lectured and presented on creative entrepreneurship at institutions including No. 10 Downing Street, Central St Martins, Cambridge University, the V&A, the Serpentine Galleries, the Whitechapel Gallery, the Design Museum, London College of Communications, Ravensbourne University, D&AD, and the London Design Festival.
She appears regularly on Sky News commenting on creative entrepreneurship and brands.
Our Speakers
Matt ‘Mills’ Miller
Co-Founder, Ustwo
Roksanda Ilinčić
Founder, Roksanda
Charlotte Tilbury
Founder, Charlotte Tilbury Beatuy
Kevin Osborne
Founder, MeWe360
Nicolas Roope
Design Pioneer
Our Masterclass experts
Stephanie Melodia
Marketing fundamentals
Lucy Werner and Hadrien Chatelet
Personal branding
Eamon Chawke
Legal Basics
Erica Wolfe-Murray
Creating a unique business plan
Gillian Davis
Leadership for business growth
Lloyd Gunton
Finance Basics & Sources of Funding
Philiy Page
Building confidence for business success & harnessing growth mindset to drive business success
Will mercer
Buliding creative businesses that scale & the basics of fundraising
Nick Maynard
Scaling your creative business part 1: laying the foundations
Phil Askew
Finding your values, mission and vision
Daniel Johnson
Introduction to Growth Marketing
Our benefits partners
Timeline
Lightbulb moment
When our founder, Carolyn Dailey, first set out on her entrepreneurial journey, after being the MD of Time Warner International London, she soon found gaps in her knowledge — and a dearth of support and advice out there. Realising thousands of creatives were facing the same problem, she decided to do something about it.
Prototype launch at No. 10 Downing Street
The prototype of Creative Entrepreneurs was launched at No. 10 Downing Street, with the support of the British Prime Minister. The launch was hosted by Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy and brought together high profile creative founders as well as the ecosystem we want to build around aspiring creatives, including investors, educators, professional advisors, and cultural leaders.
Live events programme kick-off
After launching our website, there was great demand amongst our community to connect with each other. What they wanted most was inspiration from role models. So we launched the Founder Files, our in-conversation event series featuring high-profile creative founders our community could aspire to.
Design Museum partnership
In partnership with the Design Museum, we launched our flagship course series: Startup Essentials. We handpicked the industry’s leading experts to guide creatives through the early steps of their entrepreneurial journey and equip them with the basic essentials to get started.
Creative Entrepreneurs digital universe
The unprecedented events of 2020 galvanised us to fast-forward our future digital vision to NOW. Within a tight timeframe, we’ve transformed Creative Entrepreneurs into a first-of-its-kind, fully digital experience. Overnight, this also gave us global reach, so now we can support creatives everywhere.
FAQs
What is Creative Entrepreneurs?
Is it free?
Our doors are open to creatives everywhere. You have FREE access to in-depth knowledge, curated specifically for creative businesses; a virtual events programme to connect and inspire you; our juicy online journal with industry news, views and interviews.
If you want to deepen your knowledge and connections, become a member and get unlimited access to our rich online learning programme with original, made-for-creatives content you can’t find anywhere else.
What do members get that the wider community doesn’t?
As well as the free stuff we love to share with everyone, membership gets you:
- Masterclass video tutorials with industry leaders
- Exclusive in-depth How-To Guides
- ‘Accountability partners’ for peer-to-peer encouragement
- Deep-dive chats with high-profile creative founders
- 24/7 support in a vibrant, members-only Slack group
- Discounts and perks to boost your business and wellbeing
How do I become a member?
You can join at any time on our Membership page.
How much does membership cost?
Typically, membership costs just £30 a month – or £300 for an annual membership, saving you £60. Sign up now.
Who can join Creative Entrepreneurs?
Anybody and everybody. You don’t need to have started a business to join – though it will probably be more interesting if you’re at least thinking about it. And we don’t have a defined list of creative roles or company types, so if you feel like you’d fit in, you surely will.
We also welcome members from around the world, though at present, live, virtual events are generally scheduled for a UK/Europe audience.
How did you come to exist?
Until now, the creative world didn’t have a go-to place for aspiring entrepreneurs. Without the support of like-minded people as well as business experts who speak your language, it’s hard to know what’s right or wrong, or even what’s possible. Starting your own business can be scary and isolating and many creative people get disheartened.
Our founder, Carolyn Dailey, wrestled with this exact problem. After a 20-year career in film, TV and journalism, she set up a creative business herself but quickly learned how little she knew about the startup business side of things. Carolyn realised there must be thousands of people in the creative sector in her same position. So she decided to do something about it.
That’s why Creative Entrepreneurs isn’t just a membership – it’s a movement.
How can I share my knowledge, product or service with your community?
There are multiple opportunities to promote your brand to our audience of ambitious entrepreneurs, through member benefits, advertising, journal features, or even hosting your own virtual Q&A session or masterclass on a topic you’re expert in. Drop us an email at hello@creativeentrepreneurs.co to discuss this further.
Oh and please don’t join the community solely to self-promote, as this goes against our whole ethos and community rules.
I’d like to feature Creative Entrepreneurs on my website/blog, in my magazine/newspaper – who shall I talk to about this?
Fantastic. We’re keen to reach as wide an audience as possible and we’d be delighted for you to feature us. Please email hello@creativeentrepreneurs.co with details of your publication and we’ll be happy to provide you with further information, digital assets and whatever else might be helpful.
I have a problem, who can help me?
Email us at hello@creativeentrepreneurs.co and we’ll try to get back to you as quickly as possible.