Elevate advising, community ‘cheerleading’ propels The Arts Creative forward

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.