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.

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.

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 Americas 50 most influential people in the hardwood lumber Industry.

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.

Are you a landowner in southeast Michigan with a hardwood forest facing the challenges of overgrowth? Join the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) in partnership with Forestry Management Services INC (FMS) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) for a one-day intensive course designed to empower you to make informed decisions about your valuable forest resource.

Learn tools and techniques to communicate the value of your work to potential customers.