Accidental
Entrepreneurs
Club
CREATING, YOUR WAY.
(Formerly known as the "Reluctant Entrepreneurs Club".)
Join our mailing list to get more info on upcoming workshops and meetings!
The Accidental Entrepreneurs Club is for anyone who never aspired to be their own boss, but found themselves running a small business anyway. In the wake of the global pandemic in 2020 that shut down large sectors of arts employment, many skilled arts professionals found themselves starting small businesses to survive. The only catch was, most of us did it virtually overnight without time to create a long-term business plan or to learn the new skill sets that we were suddenly responsible for.
Marketing. Finance. Contracts. Branding. The list goes on.
That’s where AEC comes in. Born from a thousand frustrated conversations between actual reluctant entrepreneurs, we aim to bridge the gap between the talent & skills that artists already have and the business acumen needed to successfully build businesses. Creating a community with a foundation of meet-ups and workshops, AEC is helping artists become (slightly) less accidental entrepreneurs.
The Accidental Entrepreneurs Club is a collaboration between Artists Resource Mobilization, the Apparel Industry Board, Inc. and Smartistry.
TBA
"Elevator Pitch" Workshop
Joins us for the Accidental Entrepreneurs Club!
If you require accommodations to attend, please contact the organizers and we will endeavor to make our space more inclusive for you.
Get informed!
Join the email list!
Want to make sure you get notified for any upcoming meetings and news? Make sure to sign up for the Reluctant Entrepreneurs Club email list.
Catch our Previous Meetings on YouTube!
Work is Worthy
Guest Experts and Speakers at REC meetings are given an honorarium, which is paid for by your donations. It is currently set at $60 per speaker (per meeting), based on a 3.5 hour estimated time commitment.
Honor
the Land
REC organizers live in the Chicagoland area, the traditional homeland of the Council of the Three Fires (often known as the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples).
We honor the heritage of this unceded land, as well as the many cultures that now share this space.
Invitation to Inclusivity
We would like to ask everyone, in our conversations today and going forward, to look for ways we can create equitable opportunities, as well as safe, sustainable working practices for All.
We strive to create a space that is welcoming to all abilities, gender identities, sexualities, racial identities, and ages. Please be mindful of your language and assumptions when attending an REC space.
Resources for All
All REC meetings will be recorded, and should be made available on YouTube one month later. HOWEVER, as we respect our audiences' privacy, the published video will be edited to only show the Host, Producer, and Guest, as well as the answers (without giving personal details of audience members).