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Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts  Volume 5, Issue 1 
http://artivate.org  pp. 25-33 
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Copyright © 2016, the authors   
 

TOWARD AN ADAPTED BUSINESS MODELING METHOD TO IMPROVE 
ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS AMONG ART STUDENTS  
Stephan Brandenburg, Tim Roosen, Mettina Veenstra  
Saxion University of Applied Sciences 

Abstract 

This paper describes an initial qualitative exploration of an adapted business modeling 
method for entrepreneurship educational purposes in the Art & Technology program at Saxion 
University of Applied Sciences. This adapted method builds on the qualities of existing methods 
and adds specific elements to improve essential entrepreneurial skills. Using qualitative expert 
interviews and student panel discussions the six most essential entrepreneurial skills for Art & 
Technology students are determined. Subsequently, a selection of business modeling methods is 
evaluated on the extent to which they contribute to mastering these skills.  

Introduction 
The Netherlands has set 2020 as their target year to become the most creative economy in 

Europe. A leading innovative economy requires an ecosystem of creative talent with a seamless 
transition between the professional field of business and its source, the education system. 
Especially in art and design related education, entrepreneurship is key to this transition, since 
creative professionals often operate independently or in small and agile companies (Rutten, 
Amerika, Arets, Eggenkamp and Rietbergen, 2015). This requires courses to facilitate the 
development of entrepreneurial skills among their students, from recognizing opportunities and 
possibilities to marketing and validation. 
 This paper focuses on the development of entrepreneurial skills in the creative 
technologies domain, specifically in the Art & Technology program of the Creative Media & 
Game Technologies course at the Saxion University. Creative technologies is a new domain in 
the Dutch education system, in which several existing courses are merged and adapted to create a 
more seamless transition to a leading creative economy. The Art & Technology program in the 
course Creative Media & Game Technologies is centered on art, technology and human sciences. 
In the program, artistic qualities are applied to design innovate solutions for complex challenges 
in society. An entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial skills are both viewed as core 
competences of the program. Graduates of Art & Technology are expected to start their own 
innovative companies or to start working as creative freelancers (Heeroma, Copier, Olde 
Hampsink, and De Serière, 2014). 

Business modeling tools in the Art & Technology program 

Several business modeling tools are currently used in the Art & Technology program to 
facilitate the development of entrepreneurial skills: Business Model Generation (Osterwalder and 
Pigneur, 2010), The Lean Startup (Ries, 2011) and Creating Robust Business Models (Haaker, 
2012). These tools are embedded in project-based learning modules using active learning 
techniques to optimize the learning effects (Bonwell and Eison, 1991). 



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 Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur is a popular tool 
in both the professional field and entrepreneurship education (Rutten et al., 2015). The key 
element in this method is the Business Model Canvas: a shared language for describing, 
visualizing, assessing and changing business models. In addition, the tool provides examples of 
recurring types of business models, called patterns, and design techniques for business modeling: 
customer insights, ideation, visual thinking, prototyping, storytelling and scenarios (Osterwalder 
and Pigneur, 2010). 

 
Figure 1. The Business Model Canvas (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010, p. 44). 
 
 The Lean Startup by Eric Ries is a tool to shorten product development cycles by 
applying an iterative design loop called “Build-Measure-Learn.” Building a minimum viable 
product for real world experimentation avoids the need for large investments and expensive 
failures. Responses from early users can be measured using actionable metrics that accurately 
reflect the key drivers of the business. Validated learning informs the entrepreneur when to pivot 
or persevere, to take the next iteration into a new direction or continue down the chosen path 
(Ries, 2011). 

 
Figure 2. The Build-Measure-Learn loop (Ries, 2011, p. 75). 
  
 In addition to the existing tools already mentioned, a simplified tool was developed in the 
research project “The Future Now.” Saxion University of Applied Sciences was one of the key 
partners in the project, which explored how media companies can anticipate fast changing 
(cross)media technologies and social trends in order to secure their own business impact in the 
future (Van Vliet and Keuning, 2012). The resulting tool, Creating Robust Business Models, 
allows companies to create robust business models: business models that are viable in the long 
run. It uses the “STOF” business model language, which describes a business model using the 
four domains of service, technology, organization, and finance (Bouwman, De Vos, and Haaker, 



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2008). The key elements of Creating Robust Business Models are stress-testing and road-
mapping. Stress-testing systematically analyzes the quality of a business model through 
indicators from future scenarios or success factors. The resulting heat signature is a visual 
overview of the strength or weakness of each business model element. Road-mapping provides a 
visual overview of the intermediate steps and critical choices needed to implement a desired 
business model (Haaker, 2012). 
 

 
Figure 3. Example of a stress test heat signature (Haaker, 2012, p. 43).  

 
 



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Figure 4. Example of a roadmap (Haaker, 2012, p. 71). 

The skills context 
Several studies around the world (Daniel and Daniel, 2014; Nathan, 2011; Wood and 

Duffy, 2008) have explored which entrepreneurial characteristics and skills are needed to excel 
in the creative economy and should therefore be developed in art and design related education. In 
a recently conducted study in The Netherlands, for example, data was collected through 
education professionals from several Dutch educational institutions. A list containing seventeen 
suggested entrepreneurial characteristics and skills was presented to the participants, after which 
they were asked to assess the importance of each item on a scale of one to five (five being an 
essential characteristic or skill). An overview of the results can be viewed in figure 5 from 
Rutten et al. (2015, p. 68). 

 
Figure 5. Importance of entrepreneurial characteristics and skills in art and design related 
education. 
 

It is important to note that the ranking of the items presented in figure 5 is based on the 
views of education professionals who are not all directly involved in actual teaching and who are 
connected to various art and design related courses with different views on the role of 
entrepreneurship in art and design related education. In addition, the participating education 
professionals were asked to assess a preselected list containing seventeen items, leaving no room 
for possible alternative characteristics and skills not presented on the list. 

Qualitative Exploration 

Objective 
The goal of this research is to perform an initial qualitative exploration of to what extent 

the business modeling tools that are currently used in the Art & Technology program facilitate 



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the development of essential entrepreneurial skills for Art & Technology students. Since the 
ranking of the characteristics and skills presented in Figure 5 shows a cross-section of different 
views in Dutch art and design related education, a new set of specific essential entrepreneurial 
skills for the Art & Technology program will be defined. 
 The next section describes the methods used to determine this new set of skills. 
Subsequently the three business modeling tools described in the previous sections are evaluated 
based on their possible contribution to the development of these skills. 

Methods 

 To determine a specific set of essential entrepreneurial skills for Art & Technology 
students, qualitative interviews were conducted in March, 2015 with four education professionals 
connected to the course Creative Media & Game Technologies. All of the participants are 
experienced in working with a wide range of business modeling tools commonly used in the 
professional field. Their involvement in creative entrepreneurship education ranges from 
lecturing on business modeling to coaching students in starting their own businesses. The 
participants were asked to describe their experiences with entrepreneurial students and share 
their views on business modeling tools. In addition, the participants were asked to define typical 
characteristics of Art & Technology students, based on their teaching experiences with these 
students. All qualitative interviews were transcribed using audio recordings. Matching topics 
were labeled and categorized. Only topics that were unanimously mentioned by all the 
participants were marked as an essential entrepreneurial skill for Art & Technology students. 
 A focus group session with Art & Technology students was organized in April, 2015 to 
confirm the set of essential skills identified by the instructors. Participants were required to be 
recently graduated or in the final stage of the program to be able to evaluate the relevance of 
each skill based on their own experience. In addition, participants with an above average interest 
or involvement in entrepreneurship were recruited. A call to participate using social media 
groups connected to the program resulted in eight participants, ranging from students 
specializing in entrepreneurship to recent graduates running their own businesses. During the 
session, each essential skill was presented and explained to the group, after which the skill was 
plenary discussed. First the participants were asked if they recognized the necessity of the 
specific skill and if they agreed with the definition. Subsequently the participants were asked to 
give examples from personal experience regarding the use or lack of the specific skill. The 
qualitative focus group session lasted one hour and was transcribed using an audio recording. 
Skills that were unanimously recognized as essential were marked as confirmed. 

Results 

Six specific entrepreneurial skills for Art & Technology students were unanimously 
mentioned in the interviews and confirmed in the focus group session: developing personal 
identity, determining professional value, diverging and converging, communicating visually, 
exchanging experiences, and validating ideas. Following are definitions for each, based on the 
combined interpretations of the interviewed education professionals. 

Developing personal identity. It is important for students to have an understanding of 
their personal identity and a clear vision of their area of expertise. By making projects personal, 
students are more motivated and better able to deal with setbacks. In addition, insight into 



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personal qualities and weaknesses helps students to define direction in the fast changing 
professional creative field. The following statement from one of participating education 
professionals illustrates the importance of this skill: “When students know themselves well, they 
can develop a better vision with respect to their business” (personal communication, March 23, 
2015). 

Determining professional value. It is important for students to have knowledge of the 
professional creative field. Due to a lack of experience or a predominant internal drive to design, 
some students lack proper insight into their market value and position. This causes difficulties 
when setting up their business model and developing future scenarios for their business. The 
following statement from one of participating education professionals illustrates the importance 
of this skill: “Students do not so much have a wrong picture of running a business, but they 
simply have little insight in these matters” (personal communication, March 23, 2015). 

Diverging and converging. It is important for students to diverge and converge at the 
appropriate time. Some students seem afraid of making decisions during projects, causing them 
to diverge indefinitely and explore alternative options without making decisions. Other students 
tend to be too passionate about their project, causing them to explore no alternative options at all. 
The following statement from one of participating education professionals illustrates the 
importance of this skill: “Rather than diverge and then converge, some students just keep on 
diverging and fail to converge when needed” (personal communication, March 9, 2015). 

Communicating visually. It is important for students to have a clear and up-to-date 
overview of their concept and the underlying business model. A visual overview creates a 
common language and simplifies communication between the student and teachers, peers, end-
users or other stakeholders in the project. The following statement from one of participating 
education professionals illustrates the importance of this skill: “The market demands a more 
visual approach to information instead of a written business model” (personal communication, 
March 9, 2015). 

Exchanging experiences. It is important for students to cooperate in groups with other 
entrepreneurial students and share their ideas. Although each student has different personal 
aspirations, they all share the common goal of running a successful business. By exchanging 
ideas and experiences, either positive or negative, with like-minded peers, students gain valuable 
insights. The following statement from one of participating education professionals illustrates the 
importance of this skill: “Competence is developed by talking to other successful entrepreneurs” 
(personal communication, March 24, 2015). 

Validating ideas. It is important for students to validate their ideas as soon as possible 
and continue validating each iterative step throughout the entire design process. Students need to 
“get out of the building” (Blank and Dorf, 2012) to introduce their concepts to future end-users 
and gain valuable insights, even when this results in exposing themselves to negative feedback 
from these users. The following statement from one of participating education professionals 
illustrates the importance of this skill: “Students experience a barrier when it comes to testing 
their first ideas, because they want to make the first test a success. However, especially the 
mistakes provide valuable insights” (personal communication, March 24, 2015). 

 
Analysis 

The set of skills defined above can be linked to key elements of the Art & Technology 
program (Heeroma et al., 2014). All skills can be applied in project-based learning modules 
using active learning techniques. Development of the skill validating ideas stimulates a user-



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centered approach and an iterative process. Finally, development of the skills communicating 
visually and exchanging experiences enables students to work in multi-disciplinary teams. 
 The business modeling tools Business Model Generation, The Lean Startup and Creating 
Robust Business Models were evaluated based on their possible contribution to the development 
of the resulting set of skills. Sections related to one or more skills were marked in the official 
documentation of the business modeling tools. Subsequently the marked sections were assessed 
on their potential contribution to mastering the skill through application and reflection. An 
overview of the evaluation can be viewed in table one, followed by a more detailed description 
for each skill. 
 
 

 Business Model Generation The Lean Startup Creating Robust Business Models 

Developing personal identity - - - 

Determining professional value - - - 

Diverging and converging - Forcing specific direction Exploring multiple directions 

Communicating visually Clear communication - Clear communication 

Exchanging experiences  - - - 

Validating ideas Controlled environment Real world Controlled environment 

 
Table 1. Evaluation of the possible contributions of the business modeling tools to the 
development of entrepreneurial skills. 
 

Based on the key elements described in the introduction, the business modeling tools can 
contribute to the development of three of the resulting skills: diverging and converging, 
communicating visually and validating ideas. 

• The Lean Startup facilitates enforcement of a specific direction by building a minimum 
viable product as soon as possible and assessing when to pivot or persevere based on 
validated learning. On the other hand, Creating Robust Business Models facilitates 
exploring multiple directions by developing multiple future scenarios. 

• Business Model Generation facilitates clear communication by visualizing an overview 
of the entire business model. In addition, Creating Robust Business Models facilitates 
clear communication by visualizing overviews of the business model stress test and 
roadmap. 

• Business Model Generation facilitates testing in a controlled environment through 
various design techniques for business modeling. In addition, Creating Robust Business 
Models facilitates testing in a controlled environment through stress testing and road-
mapping. On the other hand, Lean Startup facilitates testing in the real world by 
launching a minimum viable product to end-users and making iterative improvements 
based on validated learning. 

 
A possible contribution of the business modeling tools to the skills developing personal 

identity, determining professional value and exchanging experiences is less evident. 



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• Although the business modeling tools mention that a clear vision is a precondition to 
successful entrepreneurship, the development of such a vision or the connection to the 
personal identity of the entrepreneur is unclear. 

• Although the business modeling tools provide various techniques to acquire knowledge 
for a specific entrepreneurial project, it is unclear how this specific knowledge can be 
translated to a more general understanding of the market value and position of the 
entrepreneur in the professional field. 

• Although the business modeling tools stimulate discussion with team members and end-
users, there is no clear mention of exchanging experiences with other entrepreneurs and 
sharing ideas. 

Process skills and personal skills 
The skills that can be facilitated by the business modeling tools (diverging and 

converging, communicating visually, and validating ideas) seem to be connected to the process 
of running a specific entrepreneurial project. The other skills (developing personal identity, 
determining professional value, and exchanging experiences) seem to be more connected to the 
personal development of the entrepreneur. Therefore the specific set of essential skills for Art & 
Technology students can be categorized into process skills and personal skills. Additional tools 
for entrepreneurship are needed to develop the personal skills. The importance of personal skills 
is underlined in the predominant view in Dutch art and design related education, which states 
that entrepreneurship is above all a matter of motivation, behavior and personal characteristics 
(Rutten et al., 2015). 

In Dutch art and design related education there are two opposing views regarding the role 
of entrepreneurial skills: entrepreneurial skills being disconnected from the creative professional 
opposed to entrepreneurial skills being an essential part of the creative professional. When 
entrepreneurial skills are viewed as being disconnected from the creative professional, existing 
business modeling tools can be used to develop these skills. However, when entrepreneurship is 
viewed as an essential part of the creative professional, as is the case for the Art & Technology 
program, the core of the creative profession changes and additional tools for entrepreneurship are 
needed (Rutten et al., 2015).  

Conclusion 

The development of six specific entrepreneurial skills for Art & Technology students, 
resulting from an initial qualitative exploration, can only be partly facilitated by the three 
business modeling tools that are currently used in the Art & Technology program at Saxion 
University of Applied Sciences. The skills that can be facilitated (diverging and converging, 
communicating visually and validating ideas) are categorized as process skills and the other 
skills (developing personal identity, determining professional value and exchanging experiences) 
as personal skills. The resulting business modeling tool for the Art & Technology program 
should combine key elements from the described business modeling tools with additional tools to 
develop the personal skills. These new learning tools should also be embedded in project-based 
learning modules. In the current Art & Technology program, students are coached periodically 
on their professional progress and personal development. Further research is needed regarding 
the embedding of such coaching or other learning tools in entrepreneurial projects. In addition, 



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more interviews and focus group sessions with education professionals and students are needed 
to validate the preliminary results of this study. 

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