CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
BUSINESS OF CREATING WORKSHOPS
Our series of creative entrepreneurship workshops provide tailored assistance for small businesses, artists, and nonprofit ventures. These include stand-alone workshops designed to meet you where you are in your venture. These workshops range in topics, focussing on pricing, marketing, and customer discovery. Additionally we offer access to our webinar video library, Roadmap Goal Setting Workshop, and Get Started Workshop. If you are interested in having Create Birmingham host a workshop with your network, please contact Madi Vordenbaum, Programs Specialist.
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CO.STARTERS
CO.STARTERS is an action-driven, collaborative process with a small and supportive group of like-minded people. Led by a facilitator who is an experienced entrepreneur, you’ll identify your assumptions about why and how your businesses will work and then talk to customers in order to validate your ideas. This approach enables you to rapidly uncover flaws in your concept and find viable models more quickly. You’ll leave the program with a deeper understanding of how to create a sustainable business, articulate your model, and repeat the process with your next great idea. Participants receive one-on-one time with the facilitators, support from Create Birmingham staff during and post-graduation, membership in the alumni network, and access to the CO.STARTERS Graduate Resources.
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CREATE CONSULTS
Geared towards entrepreneurs, artists, and nonprofits that have been in business for at least 12 months, this professional assistance program will provide $3,000 worth of consultations for local ventures with experts recruited by Create Birmingham. Every participant will have an initial intake meeting with a Create Birmingham staff member then walk staff through each building block of their business, allowing for self-discovery of potential weaknesses and knowledge areas that might need strengthening. This process will also better inform staff of how to create a customized firm-learning track with consultants who can be most beneficial.
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OMBE BUSINESS CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
The OMBE Business Certification Cohort Program is designed to equip minority business owners with the accountability and technical assistance needed to obtain their Office of Minority Business Enterprise Certification. Getting certified begins with gaining an understanding of the certification criteria and gathering the necessary information and documentation to complete the application.
This program provides 6 weeks of in-person accountability and support. Facilited by Autumn Sanders of Quire Consulting, each session meets Thursdays from 4:00 – 5:00 pm, but participants can expect to spend 2-3 hours a week working on the materials for this cohort. You will write things you know to be true about your venture, find the documents that already exist, and create new documents.
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OFFICE HOURS
Are you an artist, entrepreneur, or nonprofit looking to grow your resources, expand your network, launch a new project or enhance an existing one? Create Birmingham's Office Hours give you the opportunity for a 45-minute consultation with our staff. Whether you are an early stage, mid-career, or established, we are here to help answer your questions and offer actionable tips and practical advice in person.
Office Hours are offered every Thursday of the month. Appointments are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and must be made in advance. If you find yourself unable to attend, please notify us as quickly as possible so that we offer that time slot to someone else.
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SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCES
Building something great is hard work. There are so many questions about what you need, where to go, and how to do it. What's harder is that so much is entirely dependent on what kind of business you have. We've put together a one-stop shop for what you need to get going if you're a business operating in Birmingham City. You'll find some are industry specific, some are based on the city or county you are operating in. Some are required for everyone in the state. If you are a business operating outside of the City of Birmingham, you can follow the framework using your local municipality. Being an entrepreneur can be stressful. Don't let it be lonely.
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VIDEO LIBRARY
Our webinar library is designed to provide arts & culture organizations in Birmingham and across Alabama with insights, resources, and tools to grow effectively and sustainably. These conversations, with guest experts range in topics including marketing, strategic planning, fundraising, board development, finance and legal issues, and community collaboration. They are tailored to the needs of arts practitioners, with in-depth discussion about strategies, opportunities, and challenges in the sector.
This video library is free to access.
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* REVOLVING LOAN PROGRAM
The Revolving Loan Program is a traditional loan program created in partnership with The Welch Group Foundation and Sabre Finance, which will administer and track the loans. Its purpose is to serve as the small-town banker with a heart, a lender who knows the unique skills, abilities and passions that the aspiring or growing entrepreneur brings to the table. The loan can be an entry point to establishing credit worthiness and history for entrepreneurs whose business model is not of immediate interest to traditional lenders. It can be a source of gap funding that completes the jigsaw for a small launch. Loans from the program cannot be the sole source of capital to start a venture.
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