From NGOs to Music Studios: How business skills can boost the creative sector.
Francois Laurent Andre Diouf, aka FLA CarRapid is a young creative entrepreneur known for producing the original soundtacks of famous local TV series like “Maîtresse d’une homme marié” or “Adja”, “Golden” and “Pod & Marichou”.
While studying Business Administration, Political Sciences and International Relations, and working for some NGOs, he started a hip hop group (Carapid Music) with some friends Bako kale And Maya. In 2013, they were awarded the best revelation during the Rap Djolof award function. That was a turning point in their career as they started to gain more visibility.
After three years of gaining experience and recognition, FLA and his friends decided to buy the music label that used to sign them, Neegurap Music, following the former owner’s decision to sell it. Now with a new business model and a new strategy they were ready to conquer the creative industry! Today Neegurap Music Group is a registered company, with height services from: music production, audio mastering, sound track production, audio book, studio session, audiovisual production, and advertisement, to music on hold.
Despite his academic background and his previous experiences, he did not hesitate to apply to the Creative Enterprise Programme in December 2018 when the opportunity arose.
“I was motivated to know more about the creative industry sector, but also to improve my skills. I needed something more practical and related to my business goals. I knew that I was a creative entrepreneur, but the notion of creative industry was still unclear for me. I needed to learn more about it. ” FLA said during a recent interview with The British Council Arts project team.
During the three days training, FLA stood out from other participants with his motivation. Right at the beginning, he had a clear idea of what he expected from the training and didn’t shy away from asking questions to NESTA associates.
Following the Creative Enterprise Programme training he also applied and took part in a digital training organized by British Council to broaden his knowledge and sharpen his skills.
Both experiences had been incredibly valuable to him. Not only did he manage to improve his managerial skills, but he also learnt a lot of about digital tools that made a big impact in his work. Besides, with the implementation of those tools, the number of followers increased by 40% on social media, which was a beautiful surprise!
The business pitch learned during the training helped him to gain new partnerships and to be selected by Impact Hub Dakar, one of the most promising business Hub incubators in Dakar.
FLA uses the NESTA business canvas on a regular basis to evaluate new projects. He was also able to cascade his training to his collaborators and give them necessary support to perform their tasks.
With the increase in new business inquiries and upcoming projects he has recruited new employees to support the business orientation.
The Creative Enterprise Programme gave FLA a huge opportunity to improve his skills and to broaden his knowledge of the creative industry. Now FLA is ready to explore more opportunities and bring Neggu Rap to a higher level.