craft your commerce 2024 Workshops
The Entrepreneur's Toolkit
The Fall Craft Your Commerce Series centers around expanding revenue streams, growing your team and best practices for your web presence as a creative business.
All are welcome to participate, each workshop is virtual, recorded and shared with registered participants, workshops are $10 each or $60 for the All Access Pass which will get you into all 8 of the Fall Workshops!
Foundations for Creatives
with Deanna Lynch
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: Tuesdays, September 10 – October 15, 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Cost: $445 | Scholarships available
Join a cohort of aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to gain an aerial perspective of your vision and the comprehensive business skills necessary to help bring your visions into reality.
Makers Mixer
Location: In person at Torched AVL
1056 Haywood Rd., A
Asheville, NC 28806
Date: August 1, 2024
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
Join fellow artists and creatives from Western North Carolina for an informal, in-person gathering. This relaxed networking event kicks off with a brief introduction and presentation, offering a sneak peek into the upcoming Fall Craft Your Commerce workshop series. Enjoy an evening of socializing, light bites, and beverages. Meredith and Nora of Torched AVL will welcome us into their space with a small metals project for you to take home! Space is limited, please register only if you plan to be there!
FREE to attend – space is limited, please register ONLY if you plan to attend. Please cancel if you will be unable to attend.
The following courses are available as part of the All Access Pass: 8 courses for $60!
Broaden Your Business with Wholesale
with Nanette Asbury
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $10
Join Nanette Asbury for the “Broadening Your Business with Wholesale” workshop, where she draws from her extensive experience as an artist-owned wholesale business and gallery owner. Nanette will provide invaluable insights into evaluating products, assessing business readiness for retail partnerships, and developing long-term relationships with retailers. Key topics include understanding wholesale basics, creating effective pricing structures, and mastering strategic planning. Participants will learn about determining product costs, pricing competitively, and negotiating terms with retailers.
The workshop also emphasizes building professional product catalogs, utilizing online platforms, and preparing for trade shows. Nanette will share tips on setting minimum order quantities, refining products for profitability, and maintaining excellent customer communication.
Pricing Your Work
with Deanna Lynch
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: Thursday, August 22, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Cost: $10
This workshop will be led by Deanna Lynch an experienced accountant with proven formulas for pricing. We will take into account website fees, processing fees for POS systems, time spent on promotional materials (i.e. Instagram posting, Facebook posting, etc.), personal budgets to create a pricing structure that makes sense for the way you work. Pricing systems will be discussed in detail, how to create appropriate pricing for retail, wholesale and commissioned projects.
Essential PR Skills for the Independent Artist
with Hannah Kaminer
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: Tuesday, September 3, 2024
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $10| Scholarships available
Are you an independent artist looking to amplify your voice and connect with a wider audience? Join us for an empowering workshop with singer-songwriter and PR maven, Hannah Kaminer, designed to equip you with the essential public relations skills needed to elevate your career.
Having a strong PR strategy is just as important as creating great art. This workshop will provide you with practical tools and insider knowledge to effectively promote yourself, engage with the media, and build a loyal fanbase.
Optimizing Your Web Presence with LOAM Marketing
with Cami Leisk
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: Monday, September 9, 2024
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $10
This seminar will define the main pillars of a successful website, demystify SEO (search engine optimization), and explore best practices for setting up and maintaining a webshop. At the close of this segment, seminar participants will have a clearer understanding of their next steps towards a vibrant online presence, and the confidence to move forward with tips and tricks in their back pockets.
Product Photography Best Practices with LOAM Marketing
with Brady Connelly
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: Thursday, September 12, 2024
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $10
This workshop will focus on the components of successful promotional images and product photos. Whether participants have a DSLR camera or are using a smartphone, they will walk away with a strategy to optimize their photography set up in their own studios.
Retail and Booth Design: Creating Environments That Sell
with Krystal Sokolis
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $10
Discover secrets to designing compelling retail spaces and booths that captivate and engage customers. Perfect for retail professionals, designers, and business owners, this workshop covers essential design principles, optimizing customer flow, and effective visual merchandising. Learn the latest trends and innovations to create engaging environments that drive sales. Join us for an interactive session and gain the skills to elevate your retail or booth design to the next level.
How To Hire Your First Employee
with Jillian Wright
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Cost: $10
This is a class geared towards solo creatives who are doing it all on their own or with the help of contractors and are ready to build in more capacity by hiring their first employee.
Financing Your First Hire
with Deanna Lynch
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: Thursday, September 26, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Cost: $10
Hiring your first employee or contract worker is a big milestone for a small business or solo-preneur. In this workshop we will talk about all the financial considerations involved with hiring. We’ll cover how to determine when or if you can afford it and what types of additional costs to plan for. We’ll also learn about payroll taxes, employee benefits programs, outsourcing payroll and time tracking.
Scholarships
To apply for a scholarship for Foundations for Creatives please select ‘Yes, I would like to apply‘ in the scholarship application section. There are also limited scholarships available for Craft Your Commerce Series Pass. Please reach out to jamie@mountainbizworks.org for more details.
About Craft Your Commerce
Craft Your Commerce is a Mountain BizWorks entrepreneurial program designed to connect, elevate and advance creative and craft-centered companies through a series of business training workshops and classes designed by makers for makers.
Questions?
Contact Jamie Karolich, Craft Your Commerce Program Manager at jamie@mountainbizworks.org
Sponsors
Our Supporting Partners
This year’s Craft Your Commerce series would not be possible without the generous support from our partners and sponsors.
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