A Creatives Guide to Business in Greater RVA: Come Curious, Leave Connected

Hosts: 1717 Collective, Business & Art Coalition (BAC), CultureWorks, Richmond Triangle Players, Shockoe Records, Silotek Solutions, Sound of Music, Women's Business Center (WBC) of Central Virginia.

Event Goals

• Understand the unique strengths and business needs of local creatives, artists, and cultural businesses.

• Connect creatives to free small business support resources, mentorship opportunities, and entrepreneur support organizations.

• Sustain creatives and culture businesses in RVA and the greater region by empowering them with knowledge and connections.

Why Attend?

• Learn entrepreneurial strategies from experienced professionals and creative peers.

• Connect with other creatives, artists, makers, cultural leaders, and organizations dedicated to helping you thrive.

• Share your ideas and challenges in a supportive environment, and leave with actionable leads.

• Learn about free tools, programs, and resources available to you

Inspiration:

Despite an abundance of entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) and free resources for small businesses, too many artists, creatives, and community members in the Greater Richmond region don’t know where to start—or even that these resources exist. Too often, creatives and culture makers launch their business alone, stuck in “side hustle” mode and fulfilling the “struggling artist” stereotype by bootstrapping their idea without support.

We want creatives to value and see themselves as entrepreneurs - especially in a region that is nationally recognized for its arts and culture scene and that generated $329.9 million in economic activity during 2022—$213.2 million in spending by arts and culture organizations and an additional $116.7 million in event-related expenditures by their audiences. That economic activity supported 6,742 jobs, provided $266.6 million in personal income to residents, and generated $82.7 million in tax revenue to local, state, and federal governments (Americans for the Arts|Arts & Economic Prosperity 6).

This event is part of a broader movement to increase pathways into the small business support ecosystem in Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, Richmond. We're here to make it easier for creatives and cultural businesses to find and connect with free support, value their product or talent, and grow their network of peers and mentors — so they can spend more time doing what they love and less time figuring it out on their own.

Questions to Heather at hlyne@1717collective.org

Who is the 1717 Collective?

The “1717 Collective” is a group of Richmond-based nonprofits who support small and independent businesses and founders. We have convened monthly at the 1717 Michael Wassmer Center for Innovation since February of 2023 to create more efficient referral process and become a better-informed group of practitioners.

Together, we believe it is possible to

• co-create solutions
• offer more visible, welcoming, and smooth resource navigation experiences to business owners at every stage in their journey and
• increase on-ramps and pathways to success and economic mobility – with special attention to communities who see chronic underinvestment locally and nationally.

“The essence of an entrepreneurial ecosystem is its people and the culture of trust and collaboration that allows them to interact successfully. An ecosystem that allows for the fast flow of talent, information, and resources helps entrepreneurs quickly find what they need at each stage of growth. As a result, the whole is greater than the sum of its separate parts. - Kauffman Foundation Playbook