Media release: Good business can be a laughing matter

Any comedian will tell you comedy can be hard work. Adelaide’s Ben Darsow found a novel way to make it a bit easier.

The up-and-coming stand-up comedian from Plympton honed both his business and his performance skills with support from Mission Australia’s New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS)* and started 2011 with a diary booked solid through to June.

“The program made it clear to me that developing as a performer and managing the business side of being a performer were very different tasks and reinforced the importance of focussing attention on both of them,” he said.

“It was a real transition phase. I moved from performing as a hobby for pocket money to being able to sustain a new mortgage and a suitable lifestyle solely off being a professional stand-up comedian.

“The mentoring and interaction with other fresh business owners really helped me with my marketing, admin and decision making about my professional direction and I feel worlds ahead of where I was 12 months ago.”

Immediately after completing the program Ben was able to quit his casual job and start a new work schedule that will include performances at this year’s Adelaide Fringe (his show, ‘No Such Thing as Normal,’ will be performed at Sugar nightclub on Rundle Streeet, Adelaide).

“Given the idea of the program is to help people progress past needing other sources of income that was uncannily fitting,” he said.

NEIS is funded by the Australian Government to help job seekers successfully set up their own small businesses. Participants receive payments for a year, are assigned a mentor and assisted to develop management skills and a business plan.

“It is one of the most successful labour market programs in Australia because it teaches people to avoid the pitfalls that cause so many new small businesses to fail in the first year,” said Mission Australia’s Warren Silverston.

“Most people don’t think of someone in the creative or performing arts when they think of successful small businesses but the arts add millions of dollars to the Australian economy every year and employ thousands of people.

“There’s no reason people with a creative gift like Ben’s can’t learn to turn their passion into a livelihood. NEIS’s role was to provide the support, guidance and expertise to assist them to make a go of it and channel their talent in a targeted and professional way.”

Reviews suggest Ben has the comedy skills to match his new business prowess. He’s been called “a genuinely funny bugger” (The Advertiser) and his material has been labelled as “hilarious and self deprecating; comedy gold” (Melbourne International Comedy Festival).

For more information, please contact Renae Sullivan at Rann Communication on (08) 8211 7771 or visit Ben’s website at www.bendarsow.com; or ring Ben on 0417 875 043.

*Mission Australia’s New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) is funded by the Australian Government to help job seekers set up their own successful small businesses. Around 900 people participate in NEIS through Mission Australia every year in every state and territory