Plus, UP/Start, Thriving + Stiiicker.
| Not rendering correctly? View this email as a web page here. | April 10, 2023 |
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| | | | Creative entrepreneurs need support, too People in some circles tend to associate the words "creative" or "creativity" with ease, but let me be clear: creative entrepreneurship doesn't come naturally. As someone who founded a now-defunct social enterprise called Brwntek, I can attest to the fact that it deserves just as much support as traditional entrepreneurship. Brwntek aimed to offer learning, networking and career development opportunities for Baltimore-born or -raised creatives, with a special emphasis on women and people of color. I wanted to create programs that could provide individualized coaching, access to freelance gigs and workshops to help creatives monetize and market skills, but I needed support to make those ideas a reality.
Unfortunately, the lack of resources and infrastructure is the number one reason why social enterprises fail, according to the World Economic Forum: Only 38.3% of them survive less than one year. Despite seeking mentorship and looking for existing programs, I wanted to create something that did not already exist in the ecosystem. To this day, I still receive calls from creatives in Baltimore who struggle to connect with opportunities that can provide good money, housing and support for their ideas. Just last night, I spoke with someone who had to flee to LA due to a lack of comfort and understanding of opportunities that exist for creatives here.
Many people believe that business entrepreneurs take risks and start something from scratch, while creative entrepreneurs focus on using their creativity to create value within existing businesses. However, creativity doesn't just fuel established companies. Creative enterprises deserve personalized support, such as places that will amplify the stories of founders who have more creative missions or programs. For example, the Baltimore Creatives Acceleration Network (BCAN) or the MICA UP/Start Venture competition, which we highlight in more detail in coverage below. — Technical.ly reporter Alanah Nichole Davis (alanah@technical.ly) Editor's note: Below, you'll also see Baltimore creatives featured in the latest story of our nationally reaching Thriving series. |
| | | | | | By Five Baltimore residents on fighting endemic racism, crime and dysfunction to create a blueprint for the next generation. Read more » By The recent Howard University alum and Innovators of Progress cohort member offers advice for other young entrepreneurs on how to handle the entrepreneurial path. Read more » By Where you live, what industry you’re in, what you do and your company’s culture will dictate a wide variation in your experience with remote work. Read more » By Check out these opportunities with upcoming application deadlines for programming by Betamore, Chase Bank, GoDaddy and Morgan State University, to name a few. Read more » | Featured Jobs The Portfolio and Resource Management Specialist is responsible for the resource allocation and analysis of the portfolio of strategic IT initiatives, working collaboratively across the organization...Find out more » Bring your strong software engineering and cloud skills to our team and utilize current technologies as you deploy microservices to the cloud. Work directly with our business and learn...Find out more » Bring your strong software engineering and cloud skills to our team and utilize current technologies as you deploy microservices to the cloud. Work directly with our business and learn...Find out more » |
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