This year, the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts released the results of the first West Virginia Creative Entrepreneur Study to assess the status and needs of the business owners that make up the state’s creative economy.
More than 500 creative entrepreneurs participated in the study, citing training addressing marketing and technology, business strategy, and finance as being barriers to the growth of their businesses. The foundation’s team has developed Accelerate Your Growth: A Creative Entrepreneur Speaker Series to directly address these needs.
Thirteen sessions featuring nine experts based in locations across the United States, from New York to Florida, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, are set to take place. All events will be available for free to West Virginia creatives due to a generous grant from the Benedum Foundation, and events will take place online to ensure accessibility for the greatest number of people.
“We know that the creative sector of our economy makes up 4.3% of GDP nationally, which is a larger percentage than agriculture and tourism. There is great potential to be found in the artists and creative business owners who reside in West Virginia. Planning training around topics that have been directly communicated to us by the entrepreneurs themselves is an ideal method to drive the growth of businesses,” says foundation Executive Director Alissa Novoselick.
SCHEDULE
Complete details and information on how to sign up may be found at tamarackfoundation.org/speakerseries.
Bridge the Gap: Bring Your Marketing into the New Century
Plotting Your (Low-fuss) Plan for Digital Marketing
with Carling McManus and Jennifer Susman of 84 Agency (Charleston, WV)
Wednesday, August 17, 12 – 1 pm
How to Build a WordPress Website for Artists
with Shaun Dover of MESH Design and Development (Charleston, WV)
Wednesday, August 24, 12 – 1 pm
How to Build a Shopify e-Commerce Website for Artists
with Josh Dodd of MESH Design and Development (Charleston, WV)
Wednesday, September 7, 12 – 1 pm
Social Media: How to Be Everywhere All the Time
with artist Brad Stevenson and host Matthew Deleget (Pittsburgh, PA and Brooklyn, NY)
co-presented with Creative Capital Professional Development Program
Wednesday, September 14, 7 – 8:30 pm
Drive Opportunity: Find, Speak & Sell to Your Audience
Find Your Voice: Create Your Unique Business and Find Customers That Will Love to Buy From You
with Marketing Escape Artist and creative coach Rob Fortier (New York, NY)
Thursday, October 6, 12 – 1 pm
Open Q&A: Thursday, October 13, 12 – 12:30 pm
How to Price Your Work Profitably
with Carolyn Edlund of the Arts Business Institute (Rotonda West, Florida)
Thursday, October 27, 12 – 1 pm
Selling Success: How to Prepare for Fairs, Festivals and Trade Shows
with Marketing Escape Artist and creative coach Rob Fortier (New York, NY)
Tuesday, November 8, 12 – 1 pm
Open Q&A: Tuesday, November 15, 12 – 12:30 pm
How to Approach and Engage with the Gatekeepers of the Art World
with artist Sharon Louden and host Matthew Deleget (New York, NY + Minneapolis, MN and Brooklyn, NY)
co-presented with Creative Capital Professional Development Program
4-part series: Mondays, November 21, 28; December 5, 12, 7 – 8:30 pm
Pricing for Fine Artists
with Carolyn Edlund of the Arts Business Institute (Rotonda West, Florida)
Thursday, December 8, 12 – 1 pm
