Test your business idea with small steps: starting a quilt retreat

Want to host a quilting retreat? Take small steps to get it started. USDA photo by Bob Nichols
Uniontown, Washington , (population 300) has a strong base of arts, artisan and craft entrepreneurship. When I toured Uniontown, a woman spoke up who wants to start a quilt retreat, a place for people to come and quilt together. More than a local quilting bee, she’s imagining a full retreat space. She owns a historic home that was the site of an old convent in the 1890s. There’s an outbuilding that would be a great retreat location.
Uniontown, Washington, is home to the Artists at the Dahmen Barn, a shared arts and crafts gallery and studio space. The whole town has a strong cultural scene. Photo by Becky McCray.
The old way: Build it and expect them to come
The old way to get started would be to do all the costly renovations first. Then she can organize the first event all herself, and then market it to attract people. If no one or only a few people are ready to sign up, the failure is all on her. She didn’t market it well enough, she didn’t design it in the way that the market wanted or she just didn’t work hard enough.
New way: Idea Friendly
The Idea Friendly way is to build it together. Give as many people as possible a small but meaningful role in designing and creating the event, the space and the community. Here’s how to apply the Idea Friendly Method to her quilt retreat business idea.
Gather Your Crowd
Since she has connections with other quilters online, she could start with a virtual quilting event to gather people to her idea.
Could she start a virtual quilt project that gave more people a small but meaningful role?
Could she hold online sessions to gather people around the idea?
Each conversation with others will bring her new ideas and inspiration. It will draw more people to be part of the project.
If no one is interested, she’ll find out early, before all the expense and risk.
Build Connections
She could ask her newly-gathered crowd for ideas and for help finding the resources she needs.
Rather than buy enough quilting equipment for all the participants in future retreats, could she find connections to borrow equipment just for the first event?
Do some people want to play a part by helping with marketing, or travel arrangements?
Take Small Steps
Rather than wait to design and build the ultimate retreat space, she can start with these small virtual steps and community building. Then she can step up to hold a very small first test retreat, and keep building from there.
The Idea Friendly Method helps you test your ideas in tiny, temporary ways, often together with another business.
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