{"id":7373,"date":"2014-08-10T18:00:25","date_gmt":"2014-08-11T00:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/?p=7373"},"modified":"2014-08-04T13:27:21","modified_gmt":"2014-08-04T19:27:21","slug":"wesst-and-etsy-partner-to-help-craftspeople-become-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/articles\/general-business-advice\/wesst-and-etsy-partner-to-help-craftspeople-become-entrepreneurs\/","title":{"rendered":"WESST and Etsy Partner to Help Craftspeople Become Entrepreneurs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_5254\" style=\"width: 190px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5254\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5254\" src=\"http:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Julianna-Silva.jpg\" alt=\"By Julianna Silva, Albuquerque Regional Manager, WESST\" width=\"180\" height=\"182\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5254\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By Julianna Silva, Regional Manager, WESST<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Etsy, the leading online craft marketplace, established its Craft Entrepreneurship Program last year to make it easier for artists, craftspeople and other microentrepreneurs \u2014 especially those in underserved communities \u2014 to sell their products and services directly to consumers.<br \/>\nThat program is coming to New Mexico in September, thanks to a partnership with WESST, a private nonprofit economic development organization that provides business training, consulting and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/glossary\/loan\/\">loans<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0small businesses in New Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>The Craft Entrepreneurship Program is a five-week series of classes in which artistically talented low-income adults learn the basics of business so they can set up online venues that enable them to reach new markets. <!--more-->Classes will be taught by successful online craft sellers who coach and support participants through every aspect of setting up their online shops alongside WESST trainers who work with small businesses every day.<\/p>\n<p>Using Etsy as a learning lab, teachers share best practices on topics that impact new sellers most \u2014 including time management, branding, pricing, shipping and photography \u2014 to help them earn supplemental income through their craft business.<\/p>\n<p>To minimize startup costs, students will be able to list 20 items for sale on Etsy.com at no cost.<\/p>\n<p>To be eligible for the program, applicants must:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have at least one handmade craft item ready to sell and an idea for a related line of products.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Commit to attending six weekday classes \u2014 about 12 hours total \u2014 at WESST in Albuquerque.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Have never made any sales on Etsy.com, though applicants with an existing store on the site are allowed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Have a credit card and checking account to allow sales transactions to be made.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Have consistent access to a computer with an internet connection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Workshops begin Sept. 2 at the WESST Enterprise Center in Albuquerque, 609 Broadway Blvd. N.E.<\/p>\n<p>Space is limited and applications are being accepted now. For more information, visit WESST\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wesst.org\/etsy-craft-entrepreneurship\/\">Craft Entrepreneurship page<\/a> or go to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wesst.org\/craft-entrepreneurship-application\/\">Craft Entrepreneurship online application.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Tech-based platforms like Etsy have low barriers to entry for microbusinesses and provide opportunities for creative individuals to earn supplemental income. Research from the Aspen Institute demonstrates that those who \u201cpatch\u201d their household income through microenterprises report \u201csignificantly higher earned income from their combined wages\u201d and were more likely to move out of poverty.<\/p>\n<p>Etsy sellers represent an encouraging shift toward using manufacturing skills to generate supplemental income and flexible employment. The Etsy community \u2014 a global online network of independent artists and designers \u2014 has been pioneering a new model for economic prosperity.<\/p>\n<p>Etsy\u2019s Craft Entrepreneurship Program complements WESST\u2019s commitment to cultivating entrepreneurship and creating a pathway out of poverty for its clients, especially low-income women and minorities, by helping them achieve financial autonomy through sustained self-employment. WESST is the only New Mexico organization that offers long-term, comprehensive training, technical assistance and loans specifically targeted to underemployed or low-income women and minorities, though its clients represent all demographics in the state.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about WESST, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wesst.org\/\">www.wesst.org<\/a> or call 1.800.GOWESST.<\/p>\n<p>Download <a href=\"http:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/358_WESST-and-Etsy-Partner-to-Help-Craftspeople-Become-Entrepreneurs.pdf\">358_WESST and Etsy Partner to Help Craftspeople Become Entrepreneurs<\/a>\u00a0PDF<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Etsy, the leading online craft marketplace, established its Craft Entrepreneurship Program last year to make it easier for artists, craftspeople and other microentrepreneurs \u2014 especially those in underserved communities \u2014 to sell their products and services directly to consumers. That &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/articles\/general-business-advice\/wesst-and-etsy-partner-to-help-craftspeople-become-entrepreneurs\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7373"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7373"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7375,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7373\/revisions\/7375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}