Philadelphia, PA – With the support of Moore College of Art & Design’s entrepreneurship initiative ROI (Resources. Opportunities. Inspiration.), ten select alumni entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to develop and refine their business plans this fall in a new pilot program, collaborating with the Wharton Small Business Development Center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
This inaugural relationship between Moore and the Wharton SBDC provides for alumni to take part in a series of weekly workshops beginning October 9 under the guidance under the guidance of a longtime Wharton SBDC instructor who also received his MBA from the School, and receive valuable peer-to-peer feedback from business owners.
“Moore is proud of our longstanding commitment to inspiring careers for artists and designers, which will be made stronger by this collaboration,” said Moore President Cecelia Fitzgibbon. “Our business-owner graduates will benefit from the expert guidance that the Wharton Small Business Development Center provides to entrepreneurs across the region.”
“Our collaboration with Moore aligns well with Wharton SBDC’s mission to provide entrepreneurs with business expertise to help start, grow and sustain their businesses,” said Wharton SBDC Director Celeste Corrado. “Most recently, we have been focused on fine-tuning our business consulting programs to diminish barriers that often exist between disciplines. The collaboration with Moore is an exciting opportunity to combine the arts and business and Wharton SBDC’s start-up business expertise with Moore’s creative entrepreneurs.”
During the five workshop sessions, participating alumni will learn to craft a mission statement, draft sales projections, develop financial data and operation plans, and create an exit strategy.
Once the business plan is completed, the alumni entrepreneurs will submit their new plans to Moore’s Your Part-Time Controller LLC Business Plan Competition in Spring 2019 for a prize of $3,000, funds that will go toward achieving the goals of the business plan.
Participating businesses include a boutique videography studio, an atelier, a shoe designer, an eco-friendly apparel company, and a sign-painting and design shop. An estimated 30 percent of Moore alumni go on to start their own businesses or generate income from their creative output.
