Abstract
This study investigates the entrepreneurial trajectories of designer-entrepreneurs in Taiwan’s cultural and creative markets through a design research–based mixed methods approach. Framing entrepreneurship as a design process—an iterative practice of framing, making, and reflecting—the research constructs and validates a Seven-Stage Entrepreneurship Model grounded in quantitative and qualitative evidence. Data from 226 survey responses and 18 in-depth interviews reveal seven empirically derived stages: Seed, Trial, Product Development, Brand Formation, Operational Scale-up, Maturity, and Innovation & Transformation. Findings show that nearly 70% of designer-entrepreneurs remain in early stages, constrained by limited mentorship, funding, and regulatory access. Comparative analysis with the UK, Japan, and South Korea highlights Taiwan’s structural gap in early-stage empowerment and mentorship The study advances design research by extending design process theory to cultural entrepreneurship, operationalizing research through design as model-building, and integrating design reasoning with policy inquiry. Practically, it proposes a modular, stage-based support system co-governed by curators and public agencies. The research demonstrates how design research can act as an intermediary between creative practice and policy design, transforming empirical insights into actionable frameworks for cultural entrepreneurship governance.
Keywords
Design research; Cultural entrepreneurship; Creative industries; Design process; Policy design; Taiwan
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.321
Citation
Chen, P., Hsiao, Y.,and Tsai, C.(2025) The Seven Stages of Entrepreneurship: Analysing Branding Pathways and Resource Needs of Designers in Taiwan's Cultural and Creative Markets, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.321
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 10 - Design Practices & Impacts
The Seven Stages of Entrepreneurship: Analysing Branding Pathways and Resource Needs of Designers in Taiwan's Cultural and Creative Markets
This study investigates the entrepreneurial trajectories of designer-entrepreneurs in Taiwan’s cultural and creative markets through a design research–based mixed methods approach. Framing entrepreneurship as a design process—an iterative practice of framing, making, and reflecting—the research constructs and validates a Seven-Stage Entrepreneurship Model grounded in quantitative and qualitative evidence. Data from 226 survey responses and 18 in-depth interviews reveal seven empirically derived stages: Seed, Trial, Product Development, Brand Formation, Operational Scale-up, Maturity, and Innovation & Transformation. Findings show that nearly 70% of designer-entrepreneurs remain in early stages, constrained by limited mentorship, funding, and regulatory access. Comparative analysis with the UK, Japan, and South Korea highlights Taiwan’s structural gap in early-stage empowerment and mentorship The study advances design research by extending design process theory to cultural entrepreneurship, operationalizing research through design as model-building, and integrating design reasoning with policy inquiry. Practically, it proposes a modular, stage-based support system co-governed by curators and public agencies. The research demonstrates how design research can act as an intermediary between creative practice and policy design, transforming empirical insights into actionable frameworks for cultural entrepreneurship governance.