Now in their fourth year of Lil’ Biz, Puces POP, the arts and crafts section of the ever-popular Montreal music festival POP, holds different events throughout the year. From their upcoming Holiday Puces POP fair to past Vintage POP fairs, Lil’ Biz is a seminar about making all your crafty ambitions into a real sustainable business.
To quote the brilliance of Steve Jobs, “the only way to do great work is to love what you do,” and in this same vine, Lil’Biz is a kick-ass series of seminars with a variety of speakers, each there to assist you in crafting yourself (pardon the pun) in your chosen niche.
“Lil’ Biz is a venue for business owners, creative people, artists and artisans all from different fields to come together and share their expertise and tools so that others can benefit and learn from them,” said Tessa Smith, director of Puces Pop. This year, the four speakers are interested in how to best create inter-community support systems whereby skills and knowledge are shared with all. The speakers change from event to event to offer diversity so that more local people have a platform to share their expertise.
Amber Goodwyn, founder of Lickety Split zine, will be speaking about her experiences with DIY printing and publishing, how to collaborate with other artists on projects and how to manage
people’s current experiences to further utilize the greater goal. Angie Johnson of Norwegian Wood, an online clothing and accessories boutique, will discuss the benefits of online self-promotion and how the Internet is a great tool when used effectively.
Myrite Rotstein, a local holistic health practitioner from The Tasty Life, will look at how our lives affect our businesses, and how those who freelance and are in creative fields can incorporate healthy diets into their lives. Lastly, Becky Emlaw, a partner at Arterie Boutique as well as co-founder of Citizen Vintage, will look at entrepreneurship from a female perspective, and help her peers by discussing important technical issues like applying for grants and making what you love into a livelihood.
The reason for holding Lil’ Biz is “that the organizers of POP found that as they continued to work with more and more artists, many were finding that the experience that each possessed never got passed on further than each respective person’s close circle of friends,” said Smith. Why keep all this talent and information locked away? The solution was to create a forum where this could be shared within the community. There is certainly a need for education. With more and more people deciding to work with what they love (as the economy does seem to be failing us all around), there comes the need to understand how best to employ the tools available.
Even if you have not started your business, Lil’ Biz lectures might help you get your feet off the ground, or inspire and motivate you to finally do it. For those with businesses already, the seminars will further your expertise with new innovations.
Lil’ Biz is taking place on Nov. 19 at noon at The Plant (185 Van Horne). Be sure to RSVP at [email protected] and check out Lil’Biz on Facebook for more information.
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