Elevate advising, community ‘cheerleading’ propels The Arts Creative forward
When longtime art teacher Katie Ross got the idea to start The Arts Creative in Bloomington, she had great ideas for classes, insights for connecting with students and building community. Finding capital, developing marketing, and business finances were not her strengths.
“That’s been a little bit of a learning curve for me, so I’ve been taking full advantage of everything I can,” said Katie. “I’ve got a lot of support from Elevate Hennepin.”
Katie worked with several advisors, including NextStage and AM & Associates, for support organizing her thoughts and developing a solid business plan. She worked with JLLB Media to develop a successful marketing strategy and see through the eyes of her consumers. She worked with Clear Talk Accounting to develop a solid financial management plan. And she worked with Springboard for the Arts to learn from other entrepreneurs with an art background and raise funds for one of her art camps.
She also joined CEO Start to bring all her insights together into a robust business strategy that she pitched to fellow entrepreneurs and her community in Bloomington.
“What can I say,” said Katie. “I really, really appreciate the support and resources from Elevate.”
Watch her story and how the “cheerleading” helped keep her moving forward when building her business got hard.
Show all resources
Get connected to professional resources, tools, and guidance from business experts.
Schedule a consultation
Meet one-on-one with a Business Navigator to assess your best next step.
Real businesses, real stories.
Stinson Services smooths the roofing-industry rollercoaster in HR Next
Stinson Services was growing, but HR challenges were too. So, Ryan Stinson joined HR Next to take on those challenges and develop a HR strategy to smooth out the seasonal volatility and strengthen the company culture for the long term.
Advisor Tashie George offers support and connection
Tashie George has built several successful businesses and now she's guiding small business owners and idea-stage entrepreneurs on how to avoid the many roadblocks she faced as the lead advisor with IFRI-TRYV, a nonprofit small-business support organization.
Related upcoming events
Insurance basics for small businesses
Are you a small business owner looking for the right insurance coverage? Join this workshop where we will help you understand the different types of insurance coverage available and which ones are best suited for your specific business needs.
Launch Minnesota value proposition design webinar
The University of Minnesota MIN-Corps program is proud to work with Launch Minnesota, an initiative of MN-DEED, to help early-stage technology entrepreneurs translate their innovations to a fundable, high-growth ventures.
The micro-grants for micro-food manufacturing program (micro-grants program)
The objective of the Micro-Grants Program is to bolster the financial capability of emerging businesses that are owned by underrepresented entrepreneurs in Minnesota who demonstrate systemic barriers to equitable participation in this sector.