The Business Of Creativity - Top Tips From 5 Creative Mavens

Lauded creative entrepreneurs share thier advice for mastering the business of creativity.

Creativity is serious business. For proof of this, we need not look further than the Heavy Chef learning platform. Since launching a year and some months ago, we’ve featured some of the most respected entrepreneurs, both here in South Africa and globally, and come to realise that creativity is indeed the golden thread that ties everything together.

By listening to the stories of our featured Heavy Chefs, ever so different and yet so similar, we’ve come to see that creativity and money are not mutually exclusive. That the cliches of the starving artist and the colourless suit are a thing of the past, if ever they were true.?That creatives can, in fact, make really impressive business owners. And, most interestingly, that succeeding as an entrepreneur requires the very traits that are prevalent in creatives - curiosity and the ability to take risks and think outside the box, to name a few.

We asked five entrepreneurs, all at the top of the game in their fields, to speak on the value of creativity, in business and in life, and to share their advice for entrepreneurs who want to succeed at building businesses with heart and purpose.

Riyadh 'YoungstaCPT Roberts' On Creativity And Identity

Riyadh 'YoungstaCPT' Roberts is a South African rapper, songwriter and entrepreneur. Riyadh is known for incorporating details of his Cape Town roots in his music and is often cited as "one of the most outspoken South African emcees of this generation." He's the founder of the Y-Gen clothing brand and movement, with which he showcases the culture and diversity of coloured people in Cape Town.

Zolani Mahola On What She Does When In A Creative Rut

Zolani Mahola is a South African storyteller, singer, actress and inspirational speaker. Mahola cofounded pan-African multi-cultural supergroup Freshlyground, one of Africa’s most acclaimed and successful bands, and has performed with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba.?Zolani is a holder of the?coveted Fleur Du Cap Award.

John Vlismas On The Value Of Creativity In Business

John Vlismas has over 25 years of comedic experience under his belt. An entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for creativity and impact, his ability to make people laugh has enabled him to build a career that is not limited to his comedy but is driven by a need to learn and share his learnings. He is the founding partner of OGO Productions.

Lerato Maleswena Shares Her Top Creative Tools For Entrepreneurs

Passionate about finding and nurturing creative talent, Lerato Maleswena is a creative consultant, entrepreneur and publicist. As the Director of 20 Across, she thrives on connecting people through collaborations and innovations that promote, support and expand the creative industry, and ultimately, enhance people’s lives.

Nkanyezi Masango On Building More Creative Teams

Nkanyezi Masango is the Executive Creative Director at The King James Group. One of few Black executives in the South African creative landscape, Nkanyezi has made it his mission to empower more young creatives from disadvantaged communities through his initiative Blackboard, which aims to introduce creativity as a career to underrepresented youth.

Hope you found their insights and words of wisdom as invigorating as we did, and that it inspires you to go out there and build the most impressive creative business you possibly can. If you have any comments or further questions for our Heavy Chefs, drop them in the comment section below :)