Business

It's a really poor show now that the concept of being an entrepreneur means having the ability and gall to exploit others.

I'm seeing more often that businesses use the outdated business model of requiring (demanding?) cash up front from up & coming businesses. When the fledgling business is an artist or designer who has already made a financial commitment to produce their works surely it would be far more sensible to give them at least a period of grace before requiring cash deposits/rent to stock their goods? Instead it seems they've got to work twice as hard to continue producing and to meet extra financial overheads, and to do extra marketing which you might have thought would have been part of their rental package.

Time to have a rethink about modern business operations I think! it's all about the handover of cash and getting nothing in return, that's not business, that's greed.

To clarify, what I'm particularly thinking of is shop units in malls who charge high rents. If the rents were used to pay for good marketing then that would be ok (say a team of photographer, stylist etc) to produce good commercial images, that would be an indirect payment from designer to team to provide good images to enhance their brand.

Also, I'm thinking of shop units on Edinburgh's Royal Mile which are just turned into yet more tacky tourist outlets to make a quick quid. How about they were turned into shops to show the real face of Scotland - it's innate talent for contemporary design with some traditional references, it's productivity and that's it's genuinely inspiring. Rent free for a period to let the new business establish which is far better than having a unit lie empty. How much more attractive and inspiring would that be for travellers from all round the world to see than another Wee Jock ginger cap?  Even if a loan system was in place rather than paying up front would make establishing a business more beneficial.  Start-ups I'm thinking of are more likely to not succeed because of heavy outlays at the point of launch, and time taken up with covering costs instead of concentrating on the productivity.  I believe the commitment to the business is demonstrated by years of college and financing the production of garments, music, jewellery etc so an initial financial outlay to secure premises should be waived for a grace period at lease.