It’s Business Time

Lil’ Biz Seminar Schools Young Artists on Money Matters

Fringe ArtsDavid MacIntyre — Published November 15, 2011

Introduced in 2008, Lil’ Biz is a conference for independent artists and artisans to brush up on improving their small businesses. The conference is put on in various artist-run spaces throughout the city (though mostly in the Mile-End), and has been part of POP Montreal’s Puces POP Craft Fair since 2008.

“It came out as a way to take some of the people who are involved in the community already,” said Puces POP co-director Tessa Smith.“People who are involved in it [who] have become quite established or have been able to have success through their businesses are kind of reinvesting their skills back into the community and sharing what people have taken out of their experiences.

“People who are in different places in their business can use that, and hopefully grow and then come back and talk at Lil’ Biz in the future.”

Those attending the conference on Nov. 19 will get a chance to see presentations from Amber Goodwyn, found of Lickety Split smut zine, Angie Johnson, founder and designer for Norwegian Wood clothing, Myrite Rotstein, a holistic health coach, and Becky Emlaw, a co-owner of Arterie Boutique and co-founder of Citizen Vintage.

It’s a great opportunity for anyone who “wants to either bring their creative practice to the next level or pick up a couple of important skills. It’s also just general business-savvy stuff that applies to a lot of different fields,” Smith said.

“It’s really practical stuff, and it can be as basic as having to file your taxes as a freelancer.

“For students who are maybe involved in the liberal arts or other fields [and who aren’t] necessarily put in that institutional role, this kind of information […] isn’t necessarily readily available.

“It’s just the really practical, real-world experience from learning from your peers.”

Lil’ Biz / Nov. 19 / 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m / The Plant (185 Van Horne Ave.) / RSVP at puces@popmontreal.com