Vogue Furniture Presentation
As a family run company, Vogue Furniture is led by strong ideals that have remained at our core for forty years and this entrepreneurial spirit continues to resonate through the culture of the organization. We are committed to working together to complete projects that are high in detail and precision, and deliver woodwork that is unparalleled in our industry.
Funding & Grant Writing
Learn how to think creatively about diversifying your funding streams by exploring different models for generating value, resources, and revenue. On the most basic level, capital can be anything that has value and helps in the production of other goods. Explore traditional, new, and hybrid funding models.
Northern Staircase Presentation
Northern Staircase Company is approaching its 30th year as the premier custom stair builder in Southeast and Northwest Michigan. Our designs and builds have won countless awards over many years. We are always looking for hardworking and passionate people to learn our craft and help keep this unique niche tradecraft flourishing. We design and build everything from period traditional stairs to contemporary works of art.
Promotions & Business Plan Essentials
Craft persuasive messaging and create a strategy for how you will get the word out about your work, events, and news. Learn how to prepare a simple business plan, in arts-friendly language, to help you organize all the various aspects of your artistic practice and make informed business decisions.
Rustbelt Presentation
The Rustbelt team is a tight-knit group of creative, hard-working, loyal, and innovative individuals. We are proud of the talent we have on our team today and are always looking for more team players to join our family. Rustbelt is proud to offer our full-time employees excellent medical, dental, and vision insurance, a generous PTO and paid holiday schedule, and a 401 (k) plan with an employer match. Our team is our biggest asset, and the health and happiness of our people are of utmost importance.
Engaging Customers & Selling Your Work
Learn tools and techniques to communicate the value of your work to potential customers.
Legal Considerations
Obtain general information about your intellectual property, contract basics, and structuring your artistic business. Learn the the difference between a copyright, trademark, trade secret, and moral rights, and how they affect your work. Learn the elements and importance of contracts, and what to include in a contract depending on the purpose. Learn how to structure your business when considering different liabilities, tax responsibilities, levels of control, and legal protections.
Pricing & Record Keeping
Figuring out your pricing can be overwhelming and emotionally charged. Before you set prices on your products, ask yourself what you want to earn from your artistic business. Regardless of your income target, it’s important to your business planning to know how much you’re spending. Knowing what it costs to produce your work can give you a foundation for setting prices. Learn how to calculate your costs using indirect and direct costs to determine overhead. Make your own equation to meet your goals taking into account consistency, competitiveness and profitability. Learn about the psychological aspects of pricing, and how that affects perceived value.
Portfolio Kit, Marketing, & Building a Woodworker Website
Learn how to build your portfolio as a woodworker and how to market to your target audience. As part of this course, SBWI student Joshua Lutz will be doing a demonstration on building a woodworker website using SquareSpace. Learn how to set up a domain name. Bring your laptop and build along with him. Be sure to have a few images of your work, and some wording like your bio or artist statement.
Comprehensive Lumber Grading with Bob Vogel
Join us at the SBWI for an exclusive one-day Lumber Grading course led by industry veteran Bob Vogel, former CEO of Hardwoods of Michigan. In 2010, Bob was named as one of North America’s 50 most influential people in the hardwood lumber Industry.
Career Planning & Time Management
Where do you want to be both artistically and professionally? Learn how to define your values, identify key choices, and develop a plan to achieve your career goals. Discover analytical and tool-based approaches to manage your time. These tools will help you tackle hurdles related to efficiency, flexibility, and structure to help you reach your artistic goals.