CO.STARTERS to Help Local Entrepreneurs Start, Grow Their Business

Sevierville Commons Arts Council will soon offer CO.STARTERS, a nationally renowned platform that helps communities grow local business. The nine-week program equips aspiring entrepreneurs with the insights, relationships, and tools needed to turn business ideas into action. Unlike traditional platforms, CO.STARTERS applies the lean business modeling methods popular among high-growth startups to businesses of all kinds. This program is funded in part by a Creative Communities grant from Launch TN.

The CO.STARTERS program has been adopted by more than a dozen entrepreneurial organizations in cities around the country, including Phoenix; Cincinnati; Nashville; Lakeland; Fort Wayne; and Chattanooga.

In Sevierville, CO.STARTERS will be implemented and facilitated by Sevierville Commons Arts Council. The Sevierville Commons Arts Council is dedicated to providing a supportive environment for the preservation of the area’s cultural arts through professional development and community enrichment The nine-week CO.STARTERS program will kick off April 10, 2017.

CO.STARTERS came out of The Company Lab, a Chattanooga organization that offers programs and events to support local startups and innovators, acting as a catalyst for a healthy entrepreneurial community. This new program takes the lessons learned from working with thousands of local creative entrepreneurs and combines that knowledge with the lean business modeling methods used by high-growth startups. The CO.STARTERS model has been tested for years in Chattanooga, Cincinnati and Detroit, and it’s now helping other emerging startup communities across the nation.

CO.STARTERS was first developed to help artists navigate their business needs and become better connected within the community. The Sevierville Commons Arts Council hopes this program will assist not only artists, but any aspiring entrepreneur in Sevier County. Spaces for the workshop are limited. To apply or for more information, contact the program administrator, Laurel Kiewitt at 865-599-8402; or Andrea Wilson at 865-604-0577.