Business of Design speaker Q&A: Yehuda Raff

Tracy Lynn Chemaly on Business of Design and other things

Jessica Tennant  18 Jul 2016

New to the conference is 'Open Sessions', a platform for delegates to ask the BoD founders (Trevyn and Julian McGowan of The Guild Group, and Laurence Brick and Cathy O’Clery of 100% Design South Africa and Platform Creative Agency) as well as fellow delegates any questions they may have, and together overcome any barriers to growth and challenge new ways of doing business.

Yehuda Raff

I asked Yehuda Raff, founder and director of iPartners Africa, what he loves most about being in the ‘business of design’ and to let us in on what he’ll be sharing during his Cape Town session.

Why are you excited for Business of Design this year?
Cape Town continues to increase its force as a design capital through the progress of its key role players in the design sector. Business of Design is the opportunity to engage with the portion of the sector that is ready to shift their focus to the commercial aspect of design business. I get most excited by people building businesses, taking risks and backing themselves and their own talent.

Comment on the importance of events such as this that recognise the role design plays in (and the impact it can have on) various industries?
The world is changing, faster every day, requiring new solutions constantly. We have come to understand the role of and need for both analytical and design thinking; for the resolving of the many complex problems businesses, communities and individuals face. Events like this bring to the fore the requirement for a balance between commercial and design outcomes for success. They also highlight the multiple roles creative talents can begin to take across industries.

Business of Design speaker Q&A: Jeremy Stewart

Jessica Tennant  5 Oct 2017

What do you love most about being in the ‘business of design’?
While I am not a ‘designer’, I regard ‘going to work’ as my creative expression. I am in love with the process of creating something that didn’t exist before. I imagine those in the ‘business of design’ feel similalrly.

What is the title/subject of your talk and/or what are you going to be sharing?
I am sharing my experience of going through the EO Accelerator programme, which is all about scaling up a business. I am going to talk about a number of business principles, systems and ways of understanding a business so that it can grow. The goal is to contribute to the delegates understanding of the requirements for scale and to share some of the tools I was taught.

What’s the key takeout?

If you want to scale, you have to shift from ‘in’ to ‘on’ the business.

There actually are right and wrong turns on the journey and if you are at the stage where you want to significantly commercialise your offering, then best buckle up, read, learn, implement, unlearn, relearn, implement, repeat.