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The Nuts & Bolts of Running Your Business

Profes­sional Development Programing

Nuts Bolts for web

The Nuts & Bolts of Running Your Business is an ongoing series of professional development programs, both virtual and in-person, that offer insights, guidance, and professional practices through presentations, workshops, mentorships, and portfolio reviews. Each program is open to all levels of makers — from students to seasoned professionals in the field and have been designed to give you the information and tools you need to help develop/​advance your career and grow your business.


Current Programs

October 232024

Income Taxes for Artists & Self-Employed

What’s the differ­ence between a deduc­tion, a tax credit, and a busi­ness expense? Can I really write that off? How do I avoid a surprise tax bill as a self-employed person? Farrell Parker — owner of Artist Tax Prep — answers these ques­tions and more in our upcom­ing income tax workshop.


Past Programs

Business Strategies & Management

A guide to learn­ing the busi­ness aspect of your practice

Spring 2024 / 6 Sessions / April 10-May 15 / 7 – 8:30pm EDT

April 102024

The Elevator Pitch

What Sets You and Your Work Apart From Others and How to Talk About It

If you had two minutes to tell someone some­thing about you and your work, what would you say? Join us as we share lessons on how to talk about your­self as a maker, how to speak about your work, and how to create a great elevator pitch. 

April 172024

Behind the Scenes

Alternative Options to Selling Your Work

A realtor, inte­rior designer, gallerist, and busi­ness owner want YOU! We’ve invited four unique indi­vid­u­als from varying aspects of the field to talk with you about their insights and expe­ri­ences on alter­na­tive resources and options for selling your work. 

April 242024

The Art of Balance

Managing Your Creative Practice with Running a Business

Whether you’re just start­ing out or an estab­lished small busi­ness owner, it’s easy to feel over­whelmed by the sheer number of respon­si­bil­i­ties involved with manag­ing the logis­tics of running the busi­ness side of your prac­tice vs. actu­ally making your art. Learn how to best manage your time and set bound­aries when navi­gat­ing the compet­ing demands of running your business.

May 12024

Photographing Your Artwork

Camera, Phone, Lighting, and More!

How can a great photo­graph help sell your artwork? This presen­ta­tion is built to provide you with a compre­hen­sive step-by-step guide on how to best photo­graph the work you create. Aesthet­ics, light­ing, place­ment, and a variety of compo­si­tions will be discussed.

May 82024

Grant Writing 101

Finding and Writing the Best Grant for You and Your Practice

Does the prospect of writing a grant feel daunt­ing and over­whelm­ing? This presen­ta­tion aims to instill both confi­dence and the neces­sary tools to ease the process, making grant writing more acces­si­ble and user-friendly. 

May 152024

Pricing Your Artwork

Ways to Determine if You are Undervaluing or Overvaluing Your Work

Does pricing your work feel like a chal­leng­ing task or even a guess­ing game? What infor­ma­tion do you actu­ally need to include when calcu­lat­ing the cost of a piece? We will discuss a range of approaches, and by the end of this session, you’ll have a solid under­stand­ing of how to price your work effec­tively and maxi­mize your earnings.


Shop Talk with Abby Mechanic

A guide to building + maintaining a shop facility

Winter 2024 / 6 Sessions / February 7‑March 13 / 7 – 8:30pm

February 72024

Space Layout + Planning

Learn how to plan with the space you have for the shop you want!

This program is a great place to start envi­sion­ing build­ing a new shop from scratch or convert­ing an exist­ing space into a shop.

February 142024

Machines, Tools + Equipment

You have a space, now you need the tools to do the job!

Learn about research­ing and acquir­ing new or used machines/​tools. Once you have your shop space, outfit­ting it with equip­ment comes into play.

February 212024

Materials + Supplies

With a shop and equipment, now you need materials; let’s demystify the lumberyard!

Partic­i­pants will learn all about plan­ning + purchas­ing mate­ri­als, specifically wood.

February 282024

Health + Safety

Now you are using materials, so let’s discuss Health + Safety!

Learn how to prevent and respond to threats in a shop envi­ron­ment by being prepared and educated in essen­tial health + safety!

Special Guest: Missy Graff Ballone of @wellnessformakers

March 62024

Systems Management

Your shop is up and running, now let’s set up your systems!

Learn how to set up a Google Drive and Google Calen­dar and how to develop + utilize Google Sheets to keep track of inven­tory, order­ing, and budgeting.

March 132024

Personnel Management

Learn how to develop orga­ni­za­tion charts and job descrip­tions that align with the job at hand. This program will cover the hiring and onboard­ing process, using systems to create consis­tency and clarity. We will discuss person­nel manage­ment and how to develop a posi­tive shop culture.

The Furni­ture Society would like to thank the Schooner Foun­da­tion and The Bresler Foun­da­tion for support­ing this initia­tive. Without their support, the Nuts & Bolts profes­sional devel­op­ment program­ming and schol­ar­ships would not be possible!