What is an Experience-Share workshop? Well, it’s about everyone’s Why. I set up the Chatty Curator (as Art2Public in 2010) because I didn’t feel the professional space around me represented me entirely, so now I’m making it a goal to set up a professional community space where people can share their experiences and journeys walking their paths. Each workshop will include a 30-45mins session with experienced professionals presenting a focus topic, followed by a panellist Q&A and attendee “soap box”.
In the 14th Jan Experience-Share workshop, we’ll focus on personal branding for small businesses, LGBTQIA+ and allies. There’s a lot of good information about effective brand strategies out there, but have you ever felt frustrated because many talked in such glandular ways that you can’t relate? Let’s bring it back to our local small-medium operations* space.
Who is it for?
I designed this workshop with people’s small-medium operations in mind; telling your story help differentiates you from more prominent players (usually with deeper pockets) in most fields. Alternatively, if you’re a supporter of small-medium ops who wants to make new connections while learning something new, please join us too! Some content might’ve been written with the LGBT community in mind, but most of the workshop is compatible with the general public interested in the small-medium business space.
What is it about?
The workshop consists of 2 halves: a learning segment and an Experience-Share segment. The learning segment will provide an overview of components when planning/packaging your brand, practical steps for those with a smaller pool of resources, and tools to learn about your audience/customers. All attendees are encouraged to submit an open question or a 1-minute account of their experience working on their brand during the Experience-Share segment. The workshop leaders will then share and facilitate responses alongside the attendees who wish to share or respond – like branding; this workshop is a 2-way street!
Agenda:
- Personal branding for smaller/local operations. (20mins)
- Small business and mental health (15mins, with guest speaker Shaun Williams)
- Useful tools to plan your brand and understand your audience. (15mins)
- Experience Share (Q&A and attendee stories, 45mins)
If any of these sounds like you, join us!
- Small-medium operations creating or refreshing a brand.
- People planning, starting or refreshing a side hustle.
- Anyone starting something new (a project, an idea or a resume) and seeking ways to guide their creative and communication decisions.
- Supporters of local businesses and/or LGBT communities that want to learn about the people behind the scenes
This workshop is not a sit-and-listen occasion. Attendees’ participation is crucial – we’re about sharing experiences and creating a safe space; what you share doesn’t have to be perfect, and we understand that entrepreneurship is complex. Through this workshop, I’d like to jumpstart a community of conversation and space to learn from one another, and no question is too silly; being candid and mindful is the key.
WHAT TO EXPECT?
Your workshop leader is Arthur Chan. Arthur commenced his career in 2003 and worked in marketing in a number of industries in Sydney, e.g. events, art and culture, local councils and consumer products. In 2010, he started freelancing with consulting makers to improve their event and online marketing strategies; as referrals grew, he created the moniker “The Chatty Curator” and expanded his service scope to help small businesses and organisations in NSW. In 2020-21, he self-volunteered to create content to build a meaningful and supportive community during business inactivity; in 2023, he is rebooting The Chatty Curator as a community platform that combines business knowledge, events, and networking; with a curated online and in-person space that builds around people that do or care about small operations and side hustles and want to #GetChatty about their local businesses.
Guest leader: Lucas Merlo, PhD, a mentor, researcher, teacher, founder and venture capital advisor. With previous experience at RMIT & University of Canberra, years as an education facilitator and over a decade spent building and launching businesses, Lucas brings a unique approach to the table, combining academic prudence with disruptive business and management techniques. His students and mentees have gone on to build rewarding careers within STEM, edtech, sports management, fintech and more. In his recorded segment, he will take you through (and demystify) essential customer knowledge tools, e.g. Jobs-to-be-done Canvas, PESTLE Analysis, SWOT Analysis and Customer Problem Statement Builder.
I’m excited to share that Shaun Williams (Director & cofounder of Bent Couch Counselling) will join me on the 14/1 Experience-Share workshop test to present a special segment about the importance of looking after your mental health when in small business, alongside my personal branding segment.
We’re combining these topics because the online space is curated – it’s a small part of one’s life, not the whole. As a marketer, I encourage small businesses, etc. to develop their personal brand actively, but the time and energy required can cause issues with one’s mental well-being. By discussing these topics in combination, we can all take away some ideas to find the balance that’s specifically you.
For more information about Shaun and his work, please take a look at https://linktr.ee/bentcouch
How we got here?
This Chatty Curator workshop is proudly supported by NewLedge®. NewLedge® understands that science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health are some of the backbones of our new knowledge economy; founder Lucas Merlo built the platform to host short, practical and industry-relevant training programs – they understand many owners, operators, and managers have time constraints and need to make implementations quickly.
This collaboration aims to enhance learning experiences and help small-medium LGBT operations to hit the ground running with marketing and managerial capabilities. With your feedback, we can improve and customise over time. We conducted deep research and drew from years of experience, but building a safe community to converse and learn from each other is the key to standing the test of time. Join us to take our first step!
