Commercial Thinking for Museums?

Museums are under increasing financial pressure. Rising costs, uncertain public funding and changing visitor expectations mean that developing sustainable income has become an essential part of organisational resilience.

Yet commercial activity is often treated as something separate from the museum's purpose rather than an integral part of the visitor experience. Unrestricted income is a tool that can build organisational independence and create a more resilient and sustainable future.

My Commercial Review takes a different approach. Rather than focusing solely on sales or profitability, it explores how commercial thinking can strengthen audiences, reinforce an organisation's brand and generate income that supports long-term ambitions. It unlocks revenue in service of your values.

Self-generated income gives organisations greater freedom. Unlike grant funding, it can often be invested wherever it is needed most, whether that is caring for collections, developing new programmes, retaining staff or improving the visitor experience.

Every museum possesses distinctive assets that can generate income through its collections, expertise, local partnerships, reputation or sense of place. A Commercial Review identifies those opportunities and develops practical ways of turning them into sustainable revenue.

When commercial activity is fully integrated into the visitor experience, cafés, shops, events and digital services become more than income streams. They become reasons to visit, reasons to return and powerful ambassadors for your organisation.

Why does practical experience matter?

Before moving into museum leadership, I built my career in retail, managing stores, buying stock and creating customer-focused environments. That experience continues to shape the way I approach museums today.

Retail has evolved significantly over the past twenty-five years through advances in technology, consumer psychology and behavioural science. Understanding how people make decisions, engage with spaces and develop loyalty has transformed the visitor economy, and museums can benefit from many of these same principles.

Alongside this commercial background, I have spent more than twenty-five years leading museums, delivering organisational change and supporting professional development. During that time my experience has been invaluable. My strategies have multiplied income from retail, learning, fundraising and commercial activity, developed new revenue streams, and helped organisations strengthen both their audiences and their brands.

"Paul draws on his widespread experience in retail and across a diverse range of heritage projects to deliver clarity of thought and an innovative response “outside the box”. I always admire his thoughtful, measured, enthusiastic and inclusive approach to solving problems, which will be immensely useful to clients." Dr. Tim Caulton, retired Chair, Creswell Heritage Trust (Creswell Crags)

This combination of museum leadership and commercial experience allows me to offer practical advice that reflects the realities of the heritage sector while identifying opportunities that are often overlooked.

How can a Commercial Review support your organisation?

Every organisation is different, which is why each review is tailored to its circumstances, ambitions and audiences.

The review process begins with the visitor, asking how commercial services can better meet their needs while supporting the organisation's wider objectives. In some communities, the museum may be able to provide services that are no longer available locally. Elsewhere, improvements to cafés, retail or events may encourage visitors to stay longer, spend more and return more often.

The process is equally valuable for individual museums, museum services and sector support organisations working with groups of museums.

How does the process work?

A Commercial Review examines how commercial thinking is embedded throughout the visitor experience and identifies practical opportunities to strengthen both audience engagement and financial resilience.

The review considers:

• the visitor journey

• the relationship between commercial activity and organisational purpose

• opportunities for retail, catering, learning and events

• digital engagement and online income

• partnerships with local businesses and makers

• environmental sustainability

• opportunities to strengthen the organisation's brand

Rather than applying a standard formula, I work collaboratively to develop recommendations that reflect the organisation's ambitions, community and capacity. The process may include benchmarking, brand assessment, maker research, and stakeholder interviews.  

What outcomes should you expect?

A Commercial Review provides organisations with practical recommendations that can be implemented immediately or developed over time.

Typical outcomes include:

• greater financial resilience through stronger self-generated income

• improved alignment between commercial activity and organisational purpose

• an enhanced visitor experience

• new opportunities for retail, catering, events and digital income

• stronger organisational branding

• greater confidence when making commercial decisions

The aim is not simply to increase income, but to create commercial activity that supports your mission, strengthens relationships with audiences and contributes to long-term organisational sustainability.

Why does the review matter?

Museums continue to face rising costs, intense competition for funding and changing visitor behaviour. While grant funding remains essential, relying on it alone creates risk. Developing stronger self-generated income provides organisations with greater resilience and more freedom to invest in their priorities.

Every organisation serves a different community. Successful commercial activity reflects local audiences, builds on organisational strengths and creates distinctive experiences that encourage people to visit, return and recommend the museum to others.

Working together

Every museum has opportunities to strengthen its commercial resilience, but those opportunities are rarely the same from one organisation to another.

Whether you are an individual museum, part of a museum service or a sector support organisation supporting multiple museums, I can adapt my focus and provide an independent review that identifies practical opportunities for sustainable income while remaining true to your mission and audiences.

The review is designed to be accessible to organisations of different sizes and budgets, and I am always happy to discuss how it can be adapted to meet your objectives.

If you would like to explore how a Commercial Review could support your organisation or the museums you work with, I would be delighted to arrange an informal conversation.

Paul Baker