Are you an artisan or craftperson who has a great business offline but have not been able to translate that success online?  Maybe you’re selling on platforms like Facebook but not taking advantage of the full value of a thriving marketplace?   If you’re interested in creating or expanding your online presence or even if you want to learn if selling online is right for you, please join us at the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe on July 10th for an Information Session on the IDRS Indigenous Makers Etsy Cohort.

The IDRS Acorn Project and the Nest Artisan Guild are partnering to launch a unique program for Native artists and makers to help them expand their market and make more income by selling on the Etsy platform. The cohort will be led by IDRS Acorn Project staff, Lynn Wilson and MaryBeth Timothy – two Native makers who have experienced tremendous success and business growth selling their products online.

Makers selected for the three-month program will be provided with many unique benefits to help them launch a successful business on Etsy and showcase each maker as a participant in the Etsy Uplift Makers initiative; a program created by Etsy which aims to bring more economic opportunities to creative entrepreneurs in underrepresented communities. Benefits include one-on-one assistance setting up a store, graphic design, copywriting, training, grant funding for photography/supplies, social media promotions through Nest and the IDRS Acorn Project as well as the Uplift Makers page of the Etsy website.

For even more information about the cohort program, please click here.

The Information Session will take place on Monday, July 10th at 5:30 pm.  This workshop will take place in-community at the Wadsworth Community Center, 551 8th Street in Wadsworth, Nevada.  To register please click on the “Going” button below and fill in your information.

All Native artisans, craftpersons, entrepreneurs and community members are welcome.  If you know of anybody that would be interested or could benefit from this Informational Session, please share it with them!  A flyer is below.

For more information, please contact the community host, Della John, Economic Development Committee, at 775-576-0594 or at momjohn22@gmail.com.  You can also reach out to Lynn Wilson, Microenterprise Development Specialist at the IDRS Acorn Project, at lynn@idrsinc.org.

About your presenters:

Lynn Wilson (Cherokee) serves as the Microenterprise Development Specialist for the IDRS Acorn Project. She has championed small businesses and entrepreneurs for 16 years working with tribal communities across Indian Country. Lynn’s work has focused on entrepreneurial training, business counseling, economic and demographic and social research related to economic development. For nine years she taught part-time for the School of Business and Technology at Rogers State University and she most recently joined the staff at IAIA teaching Advanced Entrepreneurship under the Business and Entrepreneurship certificate program. Lynn received her M.B.A and Professional Certification in Entrepreneurship from Cameron University and is a certified market research specialist through the National Center for Economic Gardening. She lives in Claremore, OK with her husband Clint (also a citizen of Cherokee Nation) and their two sons, Chandler and Quinton.

MaryBeth Timothy is an award-winning Cherokee artist.  MaryBeth and her husband operate MoonHawk Art LLC, an art business located in Muskogee Oklahoma which specializes in Native American and wildlife art.

MaryBeth creates new original art and through sublimation printing, offers her and her husband’s images on a variety of items, such as ceramic decorative tiles, coffee mugs,  cuff bracelets and t-shirts.  While MaryBeth primarily sells through venues such as gift shops and art markets, she has been able to expand and reach a worldwide market through her Esty store.

Here is a link to a flier for this webinar for distribution within your community.

This workshop is being funded in part by the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, the USDA Rural Development, and the US Small Business Administration.