✓ Gain Confidence
✓ Commit to Success
✓ Expand to a Global Market
So, what is Artisan Business Lab?
Artisan Business Lab is a platform that offers a more direct way to accelerate growth by providing artisan businesses with self-paced courses, one-on-one coaching sessions with experts, webinars, networking events, and our semi-annual live training event known as the eMarket Readiness Program.
What's New
Registering to any of our 3 digital courses that offer details about developing an artisan brand, designing a successful product line, and marketing your artisan business. You will also become a member of a private Facebook group, focused on connecting with peers.
Grow your Product, Brand, and Marketing Strategy
Join one or join them all! Each course is packed with over $400 worth of content and includes downloadable workbooks, over 3 hours of video content, and an online community on Facebook.
Support that goes beyond the screen...
Because the conversation doesn’t end once each
course is completed.
Gain a like-minded community of peers through a private Facebook group
Connect with industry experts via live webinars and virtual office hours
Establish a thorough knowledge of the artisan industry and understand the technology that will help you succeed.
Meet your Instructors
Experts with over 55 years combined experience in the artisan sector, Annie Waterman, Mimi Robinson, and Stacey Edgar have worked in over 50 countries to grow artisan businesses through branding, product development, and marketing.
They understand the challenges of running and growing a business in the artisan sector because they have been there themselves.
Annie Waterman
Artisan Branding
Founder of AOW Handmade, Annie O. Waterman has accrued over 14 years of experience working within the global artisan sector. Annie helps her clients source socially responsible artisan products and cultivates mutually beneficial partnerships between buyers and artisans.
Annie offers support for artisan brands & wholesalers looking to move towards a direct to consumer model, who want to explore niche markets or need help developing creative content & marketing strategies.
Mimi Robinson
Artisan Product Development & Design
Mimi Robinson is a Creative Director, Author and award-winning designer. She has 25 years international expertise in product development, design and artisan mentoring. As a long-time consultant to Aid to Artisans, she has collaborated with artisan enterprises in over fifty countries. In addition, Mimi has designed and sourced successful private label collections for such companies as Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and Williams-Sonoma and Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. As an educator, she has been an adjunct professor at Rhode Island School of Design and California College of the Arts.
Stacey Edgar
Artisan Business Marketing
A passionate advocate for women and girls, Stacey spent 17 years leading Global Girlfriend, a fair trade company she founded as a way to provide economic security for women artisans in developing countries by creating a sustainable market for their handcrafted products. Global Girlfriend grew from a $2,000 personal investment into a multi-million dollar brand partnering with over 200 women-led artisan enterprises in over 30 countries with products selling through premier retailers including Whole Foods, Target, The Smithsonian, and over 1,500 independent retailers across the US and Canada as well as direct to consumer online.
She is an author and a social impact business consultant, as well as an Instructor at the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business in the Social Responsibility and Sustainability division.
What the Courses Cover
Save time and money by making sure you have the three key aspects that will make your artisan business successful: branding, products that sell, and marketing.
Artisan Branding
>Define how your Brand Looks, Feels, and Sounds
>Target your Audience
>Infuse your brand into every experience and interaction
>Develop your own brand book to guide you
Artisan Product Development & Design
>Inspiration & Concept Development
>The Design & Sampling Process
>Preparing for Market
Artisan Business Marketing
>Identify the RIGHT markets for your business
>Grow Strong Customer Relationships
>Put your Brand into Motion in the Market
Navigate the global market with confidence through these in-depth programs.
Register for Your Courses
When you sign up for one or more courses, will get access to the content right away, so you can start learning immediately. You will be invited as a member to a private Facebook Group with fellow peers, and have access to two live Q&A sessions with your mentor. Get started by clicking here.
Get Exclusive Access to our digital courses.
Participate in Artisan Branding, Artisan Marketing, and Artisan Product Development & Design courses at your own pace from wherever you are in the world through your computer. Plus you'll have the opportunity to chat with your peers virtually and continue to learn from our staff while you work on your homework.
Benefit from long-lasting industry relationships.
Once the courses are completed and it's time to put your global plan into action, you won't be alone. The structure of Artisan Business Lab collective allows you to connect with industry experts and fellow artisan business owners, building relationships that are made to last.
It’s time to stop feeling
overwhelmed. It’s time to...
- Understand what your business approach is missing
- Tackle obstacles with confidence
- Meet and engage with fellow artisan businesses
- Learn how to navigate the ever-evolving global market
- Get first access to tools, guidance, and digital courses from the Aid to Artisans team of experts
Hear from Our Students
"I started a new company that sells artisan rattan homeware. My biggest challenge was how to start reaching out to clients and maintaining communication with them. I feel that having to reach out to clients one by one and also trying to promote through social media as I go has starting to feel overwhelming. There were so many outputs to control yet I had no marketing experience and was starting to lose control of what needs to be followed up.
After taking Artisan Business Marketing I learned about preplanning the way we reach out to our clients by making a content plan.
I also learned the difference of our target clients and how to approach each type of clients. Most of all I feel more organized and have an effective flow on my marketing actions." - Hanna Riyanto
"I did not have any idea on how to target international markets. The marketing strategy course helped me a lot get an idea on how to target my market.
I have created a strategic marketing and identified my target markets.
Stacey is an excellent instructor, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I LOVE her course! -Mialy Nirinasoa
"[My biggest challenge before taking Artisan Branding was] Understanding how to properly rebrand my company to attract our target market. (I was) anxious and unsure of what next steps to take.
(What changed after taking the course was) My understanding of artisan branding, other artisan brands in the space, what to look for in our photography, the importance of colors and fonts, etc.
This was an engaging and concise course full of useful information. Annie, the instructor, was fantastic and so knowledgeable."
-Caleigh Hernandez
Get All 3 Courses!
$747 for all 3 courses:
Artisan Branding/ Artisan Product Development & Design / Artisan Business Marketing
Design your brand brand book, create a product development plan, and build and implement your marketing strategy in just 6 weeks
Access 3 courses, Artisan Branding, Artisan Product Development & Design, and Artisan Marketing.
Packed with over $1200 of content, this bundle includes:
> 3 Course Workbooks
> Over 10 hours of video learning with industry experts
> Online course community on Facebook
> Lifetime access of course content
Limited Time Bonus! For a limited time only when you join the courses by November 8th, you'll also get access to 6 live question and answer sessions, or two per course. These Q&A sessions will not be offered again, so register now to access this incredible bonus!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I purchase just one course instead of all 3?
Yes! All three courses are available to purchase individually.
When does registration close?
Registration will remain open, and you can access these courses at anytime, however you will only gain access to the limited time bonus of Live Q&A sessions when you register by November 8th.
How long will I have access to the courses?
You will have LIFETIME access to the courses and content.
How do I join the live webinars with instructors?
We will email you a Zoom link with dates and times for each of the live question and answer sessions with instructors once you purchase your courses.
When will the live webinars with instructors be?
Artisan Branding Q&A with Annie Waterman
> November 15th
> November 19th
Artisan Product Development Q&A with Mimi Robinson
> November 22nd
> November 29th
Artisan Business Marketing Q&A with Stacey Edgar
> December 14th
> December 17th
Can I get a refund if I'm unhappy with my purchase?
We offer a risk-free 30 day, money back guarantee if you don't believe you got value from these courses. Simply email [email protected] within 30 days of your purchase and show us you have watched all the videos and completed all of the course work and we will refund your purchase.
Download our Free DIY Product Photography Guide
Our DIY Product Photography Guide will give you the essential elements to get great lifestyle product photos AND product photos on white.
Photo Credit: Lauren Barkume, Aid to Artisan Mexico, Annie Waterman