Profiting from creative performance and business model over time. A case analysis in the Italian design industry

This study examines the business models of firms exhibiting creative performance that is inordinately high with respect to their economic and financial position. The study asks: why have some firms performed exceptionally well in terms of creativity, but not economically? To this end, a select review of the literature provides the basis for discussing the relation between business model and creative results, and a relevant case study serves to highlight some of the aspects addressed. The case study conducted involves an Italian designer firm, whose entrepreneur and management clearly perceive the large imbalance between the creative results and economic performance achieved. It is hypothesized that such discrepancy between creative and economic performance may depend on the firm’s business model, which either may have yet to fulfill its potential or may not change adequately to undergo further evolution. Creative performance seems to outstrip economic results in part because both entrepreneurs and management obtain direct benefits in terms of self-realization and the achievement of subjective cultural goals.