We're minding our business this fall, y'all. 🌱
On September 25, you can join us from 10 AM to 2 PM CT for a warm and welcoming online session, exploring e-commerce and digital brand storytelling for creative founders. Virtual networking and all the good vibes included.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Produced by Future Front Texas, this event will be hosted entirely online. You can come through for:
Three guided sessions exploring e-commerce and digital branding
Free access to business planning tools and other guides from Future Front Texas
Networking and breakout sessions to meet other creatives and small business owners
A warm and welcome online space to ask questions and get answers
THE SCHEDULE
10:00 AM — Join us for a warm welcome and a little bit of networking time led by FFTX and Group Work Creative founder Jane Hervey.
10:30 AM — To start the day, Sequoyah Johnson of The Coy Collection will chat with us about her growth of ceramic studio, how she grew her following to 29K+ in one year and where e-commerce fits in her business plan.
11:30 AM — BREAK
11:45 AM — Let’s get into the different ways we can approach e-commerce strategy. In this session, you’ll hear from e-commerce leaders on how they’ve grown their stores and how the decisions you make with your store have a direct relationship to your brand.
12:30 PM — LUNCH BREAK
1:00 PM — Time to work it all out. In this guided co-working session, you’ll unpack your own goals for your digital presence and name some of the work you need to do on your e-commerce store.
THE SPEAKERS
Sequoyah Johnson (she/her) is the Austin-based ceramicist behind The Coy Collection. Her work is a distinctive mix between sleek modern shapes with childhood iconography, and it’s that nostalgic design sensibility that’s drawn brands like Free People, West Elm, Madewell and Microsoft to the Coy Collection for collaborations. After receiving her BFA in Ceramics and Art education, Sequoyah taught K-middle school art for seven years. That playful sensibility translates directly into The Coy Collection, which launched in 2018. The Coy Collection offers a variety of ceramic wares that make you feel good—connecting functional artwork to self love and care. Our mission is to empower, inspire, and spark joy in everyday rituals. Each piece serves as a lil reminder that your body and home are worthy of smiles, love and warmth.
Jane Claire Hervey (she/her) is a creative producer, accidental nonprofit founder and recording artist, living and working in Austin, Texas. As a trained journalist, writer and self-identified nerd, she’s fascinated by the way we use words, photos, gatherings and the Internet to create culture. Her curiosities in those areas inform most of her projects today, which includes accidentally founding a nonprofit festival and learning club called Future Front Texas and producing within her studio, group work, to design communication strategies and experiences for clients. As an electronic musician, she pulls sonic and visual influences from the likes of Björk and Frank Ocean, her South Texas hometown, the Gulf Coast, cellulite and slow coffee in the morning. Since putting out her first four-track EP “Sour Grapefruit” in 2019, she has played South by Southwest (SXSW) and opened for the likes of OSHUN, Nomi Ruiz, Bunny Michael and more. She has professionally collaborated with a range of people and places—from grassroots orgs and independent artists to projects with Bumble, The Line Hotel, Red Bull and Dr Marten's. Her work has also been profiled in publications like Texas Monthly, ADWEEK and Forbes, as well as recognized in the City of Austin’s Women’s Hall of Fame.
Bre Cruickshank (she/her) is CEO and Founder of Radical Girl Gang, the online marketplace to shop emerging women-owned brands. She’s passionate about breaking down barriers for women entrepreneurs and building regenerative systems designed by women, for women.
Her background at Nike and Outdoor Voices has given her a keen awareness of how brands can be leveraged to ignite social change. Her own business is rooted in feminist principles and designed to disrupt power dynamics at scale. You can usually find her forgetting to drink enough water, going to therapy or smashing the patriarchy.
Jen Zeano (she/her) of Jen Zeano Designs will be joining us. Here’s a little more on JZD:
JZD is a lifestyle brand that builds community and celebrates cultura every day! We exist to empower you and remind you that your ancestors are always cheering you on!
JZD started in 2016 because we felt like we needed a reminder of our power. Our first successful product is the now iconic Pink Latina Power Tee. When that tee blew up we realized that so many of you felt the same same way. At that moment we decided to focus on creating products that made us feel represented and connected to our roots. We’ve grown and changed but at the core this brand is still on a mission to tell not only our story, but yours too.
HOW TO ATTEND
Tickets require a minimum $25 donation (free if you're a FFTX member).
When you RSVP, you have the option to donate an additional amount to our work. Every pledge made with your ticket will directly benefit the administration of our Creative Future of Texas Fund, a micro-grants program for emerging creatives and small business owners.
Set your own ticket price below.
MEET THE PRODUCERS, FUTURE FRONT TEXAS
Future Front Texas is a 501c3 nonprofit, homegrown in Austin, Texas. We started as a grassroots meet-up series called Boss Babes ATX (bbatx) in 2015. We are run by a four-person staff and a network of amazing volunteers, each committed to cultivating the spaces we want to see in the world.
Alongside our members, collaborators and partners, we nurture creativity, community-building and professional resilience in Texas. We make spaces where women and queer creatives, founders and leaders can grow together.
Currently, we produce The Front Festival and Market, a year-round learning club and conference, as well as multiple community-care initiatives. You’re invited to join us, of course. You can learn more about how it all works, our team and what we do: futurefronttexas.org
Our partners for Minding My Business include Nearby ATX, Shop LIT Live and Ampjar.
PREPARE YOUR VISIT TO MINDING MY BUSINESS:
ACCESSIBILITY — This event will be hosted entirely online and will require Wi-Fi and an electronic device (smart phone, laptop, smart pad or desktop computer) to attend. Closed captioning can be provided upon request.
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES — ASL interpreters can also be provided upon request. Si necesita traducción al español para participar en este evento, envíenos un correo electrónico a hello@futurefronttexas.org.
If you have a question about accessibility or anticipate needing assistance, shoot us a line at hello@futurefronttexas.org. We're happy to help and will get back to you. :)