greetings NxLevelers

welcome past, present and future NxLevelers. you've found your way to the blue13satellite - a blog created for a growing creative community in denver and beyond interested in creative enterprise.

my name is matthew colella, creative director at blue13creative and one of the fortunate creatives who received a scholarship from the denver small business development center and colorado creative industries to attend the inaugural 2010 NxLevel Business Education course for Creative Entrepreneurs. designed specifically for people like you and i, NxLevel is a 10-week crash course in business plan development and strategic planning for creative professionals looking to take their talents, for lack of a better term, to the next level.

are you considering enrolling in the class? not sure if it's for you? here's a few things i learned... NxLevel is perfect for the freelance writer/photographer/designer who's tired of working for someone else and wants to start their own company. it's for the budding/established/veteran artist who wants to develop their talents into a primary income source. and it's for any creative entrepreneur who wants to transform their creative skills and passions into a viable business model.

one of the conditions of my scholarship was an agreement to blog through the class. (i'm a professional writer and editor with years of experience in several creative industries including print media, radio, film, television and the arts.) so choosing me for the role of class crier recorder was a natural fit, i suppose. each week i posted a little write-up detailing the topics, lessons and guest speakers (and goodies they often brought to class -- hello free cupcakes!) we heard in class.

so take a moment to click around the satellite's posts tagged 'NxLevel' if you're interested in getting a feel for what the course is like. i recommend starting with week #1 and working your way back, but whatever. you're creative; you'll figure it out. these blog entries don't nearly do the class and its vast amounts of information justice but you can definitely get a feel for what kind of education is offered.

and, if you care to stick around and read some of the other things our creative peers are doing in the mile high city, that would be great, too.

thanks for reading -- and good luck on your creative journey.

-mc

NxLevel: week 10

well, the end is upon us. yes, the conclusion to the NxLevel business education course for creative entrepreneurs is here - and our last guest speaker was matt hessler, co-founder of the denver-based clothing company elc mens.

a cool, rugged line of men's threads, elc mens is a product of two colorado guys with their sights set on ruffling feathers on the national men's fashion scene... especially on the country's coasts where colorado is more synonymous with skiing and beef than hip masculine apparel. hessler says he and his tattoo artist partner patrick king have planted some seeds in retail outlets in both NYC and LA all while tapping a uniquely colorado feel with the brand's designs and marketing.

now, many of the hurdles hessler and king face while trying to launch a successful national clothing line may be unique to their industry and goals, but there are some lessons that any creative entrepreneur can learn from listening to the elc story.

hessler says choosing the right suppliers was key to building the elc foundation. "what do your suppliers say about your company?" he says. depending on who you're doing business with, hessler stresses vetting your suppliers to learn about their attributes and the materials they use. what are their projections of current and near-term volumes? where are your suppliers located and how does your industry perceive them?

NxLevel: week 9

week number nine in this 10-week journey of ours... and, like most things in life, our trusted leaders have saved the best for last. i mean, surely this group of creative entrepreneurs has been looking forward to "understanding budgets and financials" since registering for the class, right? um, probably not.

i don't intend to speak for everyone in the class, but by nature we creatives are too busy being... well, creative to be bothered with the minutiae of whether something makes FINANCIAL sense. i mean, if the universe is going to provide me with everything i need, what’s the point of worrying about whether or not i can actually afford to do it? ha! hopefully the bank will understand when i come knocking for start-up capital. ;)

not to make light of some sound philosophical perspective, because i truly believe we ARE given everything we need to succeed. but in the world of finance, an existential reliance on positive thought doesn't always produce as profitable results as we're hoping for. lucky for our class, however, we had a number-crunching pro come shed some light on how to use detailed budgets to our benefit.

presenting at this week’s NxLevel class was EKS&H's senior accountant rebecca mcfadden who came to help us see the assets, liabilities and equity of our respective companies through the highly-focused lens of a balance sheet and to present our (theoretical) revenue and expense activities through an equally-specific income statement. ugh.

NxLevel: week 8

to social media or not to social media? that was the question of the night in this week's installment of the NxLevel business education for creative entrepreneurs class. on hand to help us budding artrepreneurs answer this emerging media question was deb robison of rudymedia.

president of the mile high social media club, robison uses her expertise in various emerging media trends to help businesses build community around their products and services. "building your business is all about community," she says. "the stronger your community, the more effective your work."

for starters, robison says that companies unfamiliar with new media technologies come to her with one simple question regarding whether to participate in social media: do i have to? her answer is a definitive, "maybe."  she says she usually advises these types of clients to answer that question for themselves by starting internally. ask yourself, and by extension your company/organization, what do you love doing?

exploring the answer to this fundamental question can lead you to others in the social media world that share your passions - and these are the places to start building a supportive community. interacting with people bound by common interests can help a business owner or entrepreneur develop a strategy to intertwine work with this community of peers and potential clients/customers. and, more importantly, this time becomes an opportunity to "listen, learn and share" from the folks you'll meet.

NxLevel: week 7

i think this week's NxLevel class represents the epitome of why there is such a thing as a business class for creative entrepreneurs to begin with... sometimes the topics we discuss in class remind me 1) why creative artistry was a natural path for me and, 2) why we creative-types often aren't naturally gifted in the art of business, respectfully.

i mean, we create artistic works and people are supposed to be interested. right? and if they buy? even better! apparently, that's not exactly how it works in the realm of enterprise. those MBA hotshots say there should actually be someone who WANTS to buy what you're selling before you decide to go into business for yourself. i'm like... wha???

welcome, dear satellite readers (all three of you), to the fascinating world of market analysis and customer research.

NxLevel: week 6

many a wise man (and probably woman) once sang, "money don't get everything it's true. but what it don't get, i can't use."  and as altruistic as one can be, especially since our NxLevel class just finished up a session on green business, an operation simply can't be very socially-responsible if it doesn't have enough money to keep the lights on.

i suppose if you can't pay the electricity bill you could tell your clients and customers you're just being environmentally friendly, but at some point you'll have to face the music: businesses need coin to sing and dance.

as with many continuing education courses, some of the material you learn is - depending on your perspective - a no-brainer. so in terms of a mini-business degree-like education via NxLevel, spending less than you make, practicing exemplary customer service and following through on your promises fall into this category. however, one of the most valuable lessons we've learned to date is that just because the financial situation of your respective start-up may look rather bleak, there are options that can help a small business secure enough funds to postpone failure for another year. ha! i kid, i kid...

NxLevel: week 5

one major difference between a creative enterprise and a business that doesn't produce anything artistic or unique lies in the value of its original ideas. creative material is known as intellectual property (IP), and according to the guest speakers at this week's NxLevel class, isn't something to be considered lightly.

intellectual property, that which is created in the mind of someone or a group of people, is still property. and just as people whose homes have been broken into and had their possessions stolen feel violated, people whose intellectual property has been taken feel no less violated. with technology making it increasingly easier to share (and steal) information, the new economy of IP is forcing entrepreneurs to rethink their property rights.

what kinds of things (i.e. ideas) do people have a right to call their property? to what kind of compensation are they entitled if someone takes that property? these questions are not easily answered. luckily we had the expertise of steve replin and dave ratner of replin, rhoades & roper to discuss the importance of protecting creative ideas and assembling the right team of experts to achieve our business goals.

replin's firm specializes in intellectual property legislation and law for the creative arts. and, as he explained in class on tuesday night, the importance of using the right attorney for creative law is akin to selecting the appropriate doctor for a patient's specific injury. for example, you wouldn't go to podiatrist for a broken arm, so why would you go to a divorce lawyer for intellectual property protection. makes sense to me.

NxLevel: week 4

understandably, one of the core reasons for offering a business class to creatives is to afford them with an education they may have yet to receive. being a creative-type serves well for coming up with new ideas, but the process of turning a good idea into a viable revenue generator takes a different skill set altogether. our instructor often refers to the left brain/right brain paradigm in this regard.

you can have the greatest business ideas in the world, but if you lack the knowledge and/or experience of developing and executing those plans, chances are no one will ever get to see your genius. so i'm told.

i believe one of the best ways to help people realize they can accomplish their goals (in business or in life) is to show them examples of others who were once in a similar situation and are now making their ideas work. make those examples unique and artistic and successful and all of a sudden you've got a room full of creatives believing that they're simply one business plan away from living the life they've envisioned for so long...

i don't mean to speak for the others in our class, but the fourth week in NxLevel was the best session we've had so far thanks to two guest speakers: fancy tiger's matthew brown and bobbi walker of walker fine arts.

NxLevel: week 3

if you've ever visited blue13creative.com, or seen some of the messages on our soon-to-be released quantum t-shirts, you'd know that i'm into eastern philosophy. a rittle perspective does a body good. :)

a few enlightened jewels that i hold dear (i.e. compassion, moderation and humility) are pillars of taoist philosophy and my personal ideology. and as much as i dislike using such intangible principles with regards to industry, there are some tangible associations between a refined mindset and a successful creative enterprise.

this week at NxLevel, we explored the concept of a customer-driven philosophy and the importance of a positive customer experience. one infallible method for ensuring that customers have a pleasant experience is for business owners and leaders to create a sense of loyalty between company and client. like confucius say, "the scholar does not consider gold and jade to be precious treasures, but loyalty and good faith."

true, the theoretical scholar may be less motivated to make money than the proverbial starving artist turned entrepreneur, but the relation between the two is legitimate. we've seen what can happen when enterprise abandons a sense of customer appreciation (we're collectively looking at you, wall street). so one could argue that if a business, particularly one in the creative sector (assuming we're the ones accustomed to living without the precious gold and jade) were to make bottom lines less critical and focus more on creating loyal relationships, then increased sales and profits and happy times would manifest more readily.

NxLevel: week 2

i love libraries. the majority of the legwork done for blue13's development was conducted happily seated inside several front-range libraries. at the time, i didn't have an office and my home situation was less-than ideal for serious business decisions like which photo of myself should i use for the website.

i have library cards in denver, jefferson county, fort collins, loveland and greeley. thankfully, i'm not a cat guy.

tuesday we had the pleasure of listening to Dixie Malone, denver public library's outreach librarian. with a refreshing no-nonsense approach, this former information and research specialist is an ideal local resource for creative entrepreneurs facing the thrills of market research and competitive strategery.

for starters, Malone introduced us to a project initiated by the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) entitled "Cultural Visioning 2028." our community leaders are helping to shape the future of denver by studying its current and projected demographics and cultural trends in art and business. there's a great video available on denvergov.org that explains these studies and how they'll contribute to our city's cultural relevance throughout the next 20 years. the video shows how various entities within our community are dedicated to artistic entrepreneurs and the importance of local creative enterprise. take a few minutes to check it out.

NxLevel: week 1

so it's been several years since i've been in a formal classroom setting. but i'm truly jazzed about the potential that this class has to offer. in my mind, blue13 has always been a way to simply demonstrate my randomly-acquired talents and fulfill randomly-acquired freelance jobs. once i actually started getting work and creating new ideas for business leads the company started to grow despite my efforts to ignore it. ha!

now that i've realized blue13 is my future (at least immediately), it's all or nothing. do something at half-speed and you'll likely get half-speed results. botched metaphors aside, tuesday night was our first class and i was excited to get started.

there's about 20 students in the class, each with personal visions of taking their creative ideas and turning them into successful business models. when asked why we enrolled, several common reasons compelled my fellow entrepreneurs to take the course: monetizing our creativity, following through on business plans, realizing our potential and overcoming market and personal obstacles.

along with a couple other writers in attendence, our class is filled with videographers, graphic and interior and fashion designers, ceramics and glass artists, marketing and life coaches and someone with a super rad idea for a yoga cafe. i'm so looking forward to networking with these creatives.

off to a good start

a couple weeks ago, i stumbled across a really cool opportunity being offered through the city's Create Denver project and the Denver Metro Small Business Development Center (SBDC). the program is an intensive business education course called NxLevel with this particular session tailored toward creative entrepreneurs like myself.

for those unaware, Create Denver is an initiative of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) that "seeks to strengthen the health and vitality of Denver by supporting the growth and development of creative enterprises" in film, music, art, fashion and other artisitc endeavors. it's an amazing program involving many brilliant people who promote various advocacy initiatives and policy recommendations to the local powers-that-be on behalf of our creative community. good stuff, indeed.

the NxLeveL for Creative Entrepreneurs and Business Start-Ups is a 10-session, 30-hour course that addresses questions an entrepreneur needs to answer before starting a business venture. during the course, students will learn the skills to develop a business plan to test the feasibility of their business concepts.

despite not having a formal launch (yet), blue13 has been conducting business for several months. but my degree is in communications, so i figured some formal business education would do a wayward writer/artist some good. i read that Create Denver and the SBDC were offering scholarships to the program and i figured i had nothing to lose by applying for the assistance. well...