For those of you who know me, and for those of you who do not (yet), it is not a secret how passionate and determined I have been throughout my professional career in the arts to help artists not only survive but make a difference with the talents they have. And yet, I cannot say often enough, it is...

Stephanie Sack changed prices at Vive La Femme from high-end to "cheap and chic," which "completely saved the business," she says. Photo: Erik UngerBy: Christina Le Beau November 09, 2009 Written By: Christina Le Beau  Crain’s Chicago Business, November 09, 2009 The “new...

Happy 10th anniversary SEA! The SEA conference is coming right up and if you have never attended you need to! Come learn more about how to turn your artistic passion into a living from other successful artists. What The Conference Offers In addition to keynote presentations, topic specific sessions...

Could microfinance make it in America and could it be of help to artists starting small business? Written By BARBARA KIVIAT, published in Time Magazine Emily Medina isn’t running a pyramid scheme, despite what people often think. As the petite 26-year-old works her way through some of New York...

Have all of you noticed the amount of press The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship has already received?  Our first press release continues to be picked up on blogs and news feeds! This is so exciting for us! The most recent shout out came from  ENTmind– a blog devoted to Entrepreneurs helping...

Following my last posting on the fiscal health of theatres, my fellow ETA blogger Jim Hart contacted me with some provocative questions. I thought I’d address two of them – and forgive me, Jim, for paraphrasing slightly: 1. Can we teach our aspiring theatre artists to avoid the traditional path of...

As you may recall from a previous posting, I’ve been doing some research on the fiscal health of nonprofit arts organizations, specifically theatres. Prior research indicated that one could look at several factors (revenue diversification, operating margins, administrative expenses, and access to equity)...

If you crave celebrity, this post is for you. It is no surprise when I say that our country is obsessed with celebrity. Celebrity sells and celebrity images are pumped out to the point of exhaustion. I think that most young artists, if honest with themselves, would admit to having celebrity lust. They,...

“Would you trade four hours for $100,000?”  That’s a question I recently asked a class of musicians.  Most raised their hand.  A few wanted to know what they’d have to do.  “Nothing hard or illegal,” I assured.  Then the ante was upped.  “What about for a million dollars?”  Suddenly...

In our present day economy, our US greenbacks are no longer based in precious metal. Rather, they are based in what we say they are. Such is the advantage of being a super power.  Though that is likely to change with time… Money is a Symbol of Energy. Paper money. Is it not just an agreed upon symbol? I...

Money. Money. Money. We simply can’t live with out it, and we wouldn’t want to either. Money is simply in every fiber and fabric of our lives. It is that basic and deep to us as human beings. It’s something we need to survive. Think about the things that only money can buy—a better education...

Are you ready to learn how to dance your way through a land mine field for your best entrepreneurial idea? Or perhaps you need a better one to be willing to try…. Remember my friends from my post An Entrepreneurial Lesson and a Little Bit of Magic? Well, they seem to have fox trotted right past...

First, a big thanks to fellow ETA blogger David Cutler for featuring Fifth House Ensemble in his new book, the Savvy Musician, advance copies of which are available on his website prior to the full release in November. If you’ve been reading his posts, you know that David brings an incredible energy...

Musicians? Artists? Dancers? Actors? Film Makers? This post, 7 Ways Potters Can Use Blogs, that appeared today on Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship, will FILL YOU UP with ideas! Thank you Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship GCCE for adding us as a link to your blog! What a terrific...

In September of 2010 The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship will open at 3020 N Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. As an independent but collaborative effort with Jim Hart’s Austin Conservatory of Professional Arts, IAE will be devoted to the development of the artist as entrepreneur. Lead by...

Today I drove into Chicago to meet two women who run and own a two-year-old-child- development center. For the purposes of this post, they and their business will remain nameless, but the jist of their story I will share because it holds a few really important entrepreneurial lessons…. and a little...

When it comes to insisting that all artists becoming more entrepreneurial, James Hart and I are kindred spirits. I cannot agree more with James statement that “We need to teach our students how to have vision. Imagine the cultural implications.” I met Jim last weekend at Columbia College’s...

In the last couple of weeks I have been trying to help a couple of small businesses establish their legal identity, understand why they need to, as well as find financing. Below are some great articles and resources for a variety of issues related to these topics. As for financing, while there is no...

A few days ago, one of the artists that I work with sent me a link to this video: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2a8TRSgzZY&hl=en&fs=1&] You know those tingles that you get when you realize something is true and you wish that it weren’t? I was getting those. By day I work...

Perhaps it’s the economy, but garden centers nationwide are finding themselves having trouble keeping vegetable plants on the shelf this season. Having started my journey with a few tomato, cucumber, and squash plants myself over the past couple of years, I was one of the many inspired to take my efforts...