Etsy Partners With Build Institute, Launches Craft Entrepreneurship Program In Detroit

Detroit is known for our “Do It Yourself” route to renaissance, as well as a plethora of small businesses that have sprung up creating unique items from all corners of the city.

With that in mind, the well known craft site Etsy has partnered with Build Institute, a Detroit-based organization that helps entrepreneurs create successful businesses, as part of its Etsy Craft Entrepreneurship Program.

The program offers micro-business training for underemployed and low-income creative adults. Participants go through a five-week, 12-hour training program that teaches them the basics of starting and running an online business. Topics covered include accounting, pricing, marketing, and product photography.

The curriculum, developed by Etsy (which will become a publicly traded company this month), will be taught by a Detroit-area Etsy seller. Build Institute will pay for the curriculum and the teacher using funds from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

“Build Institute will be Etsy’s first partner in Detroit and is excited to bring this kind of creative, micro-entrepreneur training to the city,” said April Boyle, executive director of Build Institute.

The course costs $75 for Build Institute course graduates and $100 for the public. Classes will be held at the Ford Resource and Engagement Center, located at 2826 Bagley Ave, Detroit. The Etsy Craft Entrepreneurship Program starts April 10 and runs every Friday until May 8.

To register, visit http://buildinstitute.org/program/build-next/.