Sometimes you have to say ‘no’. Seemingly good opportunities occur frequently yet not all can be accommodated in the prevailing measure of resources. Well balanced management practice should give you both an intuitive and rational grasp of the business. Allowing you to identify which projects or initiatives can or should be undertaken, without undue demand on time and finance. For the creative entrepreneur this is the key management aim, learn to become good at it.

Fig. 1: Business management pie chart, Stefan Kahn

Ongoing business management tasks (a shortlist):

17% Sales – taking orders, processing, inbound banking
10% Purchasing – supply of services, cost of goods, inventory purchases, capital purchases
14% Production – planning orders, quality, outsource suppliers, inventory control
25% Marketing – visual communications, catalogues, website, generating leads, advertising, researching customers, building databases, campaigns, exhibitions
7% Finance – everyday banking, everyday credit, medium-term credit, long-term credit, project finance, debtor financing, shareholders, investors
11% Accounting – everyday debtors & creditors, monthly books, BAS, company returns, tax returns, compliance
5% Planning – what comes next? (everything)
7% Logistics – shipping cartons, packing process, shipping costs, customs, freight companies
5% Design / R&D – (everything)

Stefan Kahn is a designer and creative entrepreneur based in Sydney and the founder and director of Compact Desk. Beginning his career in graphics he has designed for theatre, furniture, interiors, products, architectural and environmental graphics. He has been a planner and manager on large scale projects from Sydney Olympics to the Malaysian capital’s signage system. His work has been acquired by permanent design collections in Australia and has been exhibited many times in Japan, Korea and USA. He has developed new materials and process innovations and holds intellectual property internationally. He has built three creative-lead enterprises in areas of consultancy, furniture and product design. His current enterprise makes 65 products in Australia, and exports 90% to around 80 retailers in USA, Canada, Japan, Spain and New Zealand.

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