Crafting Business Open Call – Ireland

The Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest together with the Design & Crafts Council Ireland presents “Crafting Business”, a programme for makers who want to start and grow their business.

The Crafting Business programme aims to enrich promising creative entrepreneurs with a business approach through dynamic, interactive and hands-on workshops with guidance from a variety of experts. The programme has been specially developed for makers who want to learn more about entrepreneurship and who could use some fresh input, develop their entrepreneurial toolkit and grow their network.

At the end of the programme, consisting of 8 workshops between Feb and April 2022, you will have developed key entrepreneurial skills, gained valuable knowledge to enable you to develop a concrete plan of action and you will have grown your network.

Crafting Business is part of the larger partnership Crafting Europe; this project brings together nine organizations from eight European countries that are committed to ensuring the survival and further development of the crafts for future generations.

To take part in the Crafting Business programme please, APPLY HERE

KEY DATES & PROGRAMME OUTLINE

APPLICATION CALL, SHORTLISTING & INTERVIEWS

5^th January 2022: Call open for applications for Crafting Business programme

7^th February 2022: Deadline for Applications (this is a competitive programme with limited capacity. A shortlisting process will take place)

9^th & 10^th Feb 2022: Interviews for Shortlisted Candidates (online – short discussion with candidate)

10^th Feb 2022: Outcomes shared with candidates.

17^th Feb 2022: Induction (online)

PROGRAMME OUTLINE

All workshops will take place online, however we might meet in person should an opportunity arise where we do so safely and within Covid protocols.

17th February 2022 Workshop 1: Induction

The team will kick off with an induction day – you will have an opportunity to meet the other participants, get to know each other and discuss what your needs and expectations of the programme.

24th February 2022 Workshop 2: Business Visioning & Modelling

The team will work with you on developing a vision for your business, the starting point of your company and the basis of the business plan. By means of the “Business Model Canvas ” you will develop a clear plan throughout the workshop series. With this approach, you quickly see the relationship between your business activities and your earnings model as well as having a clear value proposition that will help you communicate to your customers, understand the competition and therefore better strategize to enable sustainability and growth.    

3rd March 2022 Workshop 3: Finance  

Learn about the world of finance; creating a healthy cash flow, financial management, costs, prices and obtaining (startup) financing and developing a financial strategy.

10th March 2022 Workshop 4: Marketing, Access to Market, Market Research

Understanding your customers, your market, your competition is critical. Learn how to communicate your value to your customers and key stakeholders and leverage the best route to market for your products. Understand the strategic aspects of communication and PR that will enable you to best reach your customers.

24th March 2022 Workshop 5: Access to Funding, Grants & Supports   

Learn about the opportunities for public and private funding and support and what makes a great application and pitch.

31st March 2022 Workshop 6: Product Development   

Who are you making your products for? How does the user relate to your product? Are you going for utility, to make a social contribution or for beauty? Look at your work from a different perspective.

 7th April 2022 Workshop 7: Scaling Enterprise & Production Options   

Learn about scaling, production possibilities, access to international events, grow your global network, reach a global audience and more.

28th April 2022 Workshop 8: Demo Day & Reflection  

Everyone will have an opportunity to present their updated business pitch to the group and receive feedback on their ideas. This is a further opportunity to learn from each other and get feedback

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN.

Interviews will take place on 9^th & 10^th Feb 2022 via an online call.

Note: You must have access to a device that enables you to use Zoom. You will need to have your camera on for the workshops and have a working microphone also.

For more information, you can look at the Crafting Business Ireland Application Guidance

For additional queries contact the team at Gillian.Barry@TUS.ie or Jodie.Gilpin@TUS.ie