Create Appalachia’s Kingsport Center for Art & Technology, 225 W Center Street

Are you an artist or creator ready to transform your passion into a thriving small business? Unlock the door to entrepreneurial success with our illuminating workshop, “Small Business Resources for Creatives.” Designed exclusively for artists and creators, this course will equip you with the knowledge, tools, and a simple road map to navigate the small business landscape, harness available resources, and elevate your artistic pursuits into a sustainable and legally compliant small business.

Aundrea’s tow key learning objectives in this course:

1. Navigating Available Resources: Discover an extensive array of resources tailored to small business owners and entrepreneurs, which are equally valuable for artists and creators. From grants and funding opportunities to networking events and online platforms, learn how to leverage these resources strategically to elevate your business prospects and creative endeavors.

2. Legalizing Your Creative Venture: Navigate through the intricacies of business registration, licensing, intellectual property protection, and tax obligations specific to the creative industry.

If you’re ready to take the leap from creative passion to thriving business, “Small Business Resources for Creatives” is your roadmap to success. Join us to gain a comprehensive understanding of available resources, and legal considerations uniquely tailored to artists and creators. Empower yourself to turn your creative hobby into a legitimate, profitable, and sustainable enterprise.

Join us to learn from one of the region’s most respected small business experts!

DONATIONS ARE REQUESTED BUT NOT REQUIRED. We’re a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and we reinvest all money collected from fees and donations back into serving creatives in our region. The suggested donation for this class is $10-$20. Please donate what you feel you can afford, but if you can’t, we completely understand. Please join us anyhow!

AUNDREA Y. SALYER, Brenau University MBA, is currently the Senior Business Counselor of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) at East Tennessee State University Kingsport Affiliate Office, and Chief Business Development Officer of the Kingsport Office of Small Business Development & Entrepreneurship at the Kingsport Chamber. She has provided technical assistance to over 1,800 individuals or businesses during her nearly 17 years as a professional business consultant. Also during her time, she has helped others start more than 100 businesses, helped owners create more than 1,400 new jobs, and helped businesses access more than $47M.

Aundrea has earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), a national recognition that distinguishes qualified and dedicated practitioners in the economic development field and sets the standard of excellence within the profession. She is also the author of two books: Startup Savvy: Strategies for Optimizing Small Business Survival & Success — and Superwoman Smarts: Activating Leadership & Substance. Most recently, Aundrea completed the Cornell University Women in Entrepreneurship Certificate Program.

Create Appalachia strives to make the Appalachian Highlands a better place to live and work by supporting innovation and entrepreneurship centered around the arts and creativity. We work to sustain an environment that will generate new businesses, provide jobs in arts-based businesses, and highlight the important role that creativity plays in the region’s economic vitality.

The Arts@Work Series supports entrepreneurial and self-employed artists and makers who wish to develop their professional business skills. Topics include introductions to business strategy, marketing, communication and promotion, pricing, and client relations. The 2021-2022 Arts@Work series was curated to meet the particular needs of small creative businesses.

About KOSBE: In 2004, the Kingsport Chamber and City of Kingsport jointly formed the Kingsport Office of Small Business Development & Entrepreneurship (KOSBE), to specifically nurture, counsel and encourage the continued robust growth and development of startups and existing small businesses in Kingsport, Tennessee.

We’re very grateful to KOSBE and Aundrea for their sponsorship of this particular workshop.