Local Program Gives Artists Tools for Business Success!

CLEVELAND, Aug. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Starting in September, the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) will present the ninth annual Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute, a six-week curriculum that will directly address the business issues faced daily by working artists.  The program provides artists with the fundamentals they need to start, grow and maintain a healthy business.

The Institute was founded by the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC) and COSE, and to date, the program has provided more than 600 visual, performing, literary, media and design arts professionals with the business skills they need to succeed.  Attendees in the program will meet weekly on Monday mornings in half-day sessions from September 17 through October 22. 

Curriculum topics include: creating an action/business plan; understanding consumers and market research; defining your product or service; protecting your intellectual property, building a marketing plan; and raising capital, among others.  Session formats are varied and include a mix of lectures, panels, group discussions and practical exercises. Participants are provided with a comprehensive resource book that includes support materials on each of the topic areas covered throughout the course.

"The Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute has been an incredible tool for local artists looking to turn their artistic passion into a business opportunity," says Matt Charboneau, COSE Arts Network Leader.  "This year we have put together an outstanding faculty of business practitioners, entrepreneurs and working artists who will make the experience impactful for attendees."

In addition to COSE and CPAC, other organizations supporting the program include the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Art, Dominion, the Cleveland Foundation, the George Gund Foundation, the Kulas Foundation, and the John P. Murphy Foundation.

Sessions in the program will be held at the COSE offices located at 1240 Huron Road East, Cleveland.  The cost for the entire six-week Institute is $100 for COSE members and $150 for non-members.  For more information and to register, go to www.cose.org/aei , or contact Matt Charboneau at (216) 592-2472 or [email protected].

About COSE
COSE is one of Ohio's largest small business support organizations, striving to help small businesses grow and maintain their independence. Comprised of more than 14,000 member companies, COSE has a long history of fighting for the rights of all small business owners, whether it's through group purchasing programs for health care, workers' compensation, or energy, advocating for specific changes in legislation or regulation to benefit small business, or providing a forum and resource for small businesses to connect with and learn from each other. (www.cose.org)

About COSE Arts Network
The COSE Arts Network offers benefits programs, business savings, professional development resources and networking events that address the specific needs of creative professional in arts-based businesses.  COSE understands the unique challenge of working creatively every day, while also dealing with the same financial, technical, legal and marketing concerns many other small businesses face.   The Arts Network looks to ease that burden for creative professionals so that they can focus on what they do best. (www.cosearts.org)

SOURCE Council of Smaller Enterprises