When you go to the Mission: Small Business℠ website now you get the friendly notice:
"Check back on or before
September 15th, 2012 to find out which small businesses will be able to
fund their growth with $250,000 grants from Chase and Living Social"
So we will bite our nails till then.....
Thanks to everyone that helped us get 294 votes!
In case you want to see, here's our application:
·
Tell us about your business; how successful is it and why is it
unique?
We are the only open access hot glass
studio in the Knoxville area. We offer classes in glassblowing, have open
studio days, perform public demonstrations and produce art to enrich our
community with donations to non profit institutions. We concentrate on combining
recycled materials with glass forming to create one of a kind glass art
sculpture.
·
How is your business involved with the community you serve?
We offer classes, have open studio
days, perform public demonstrations and create sculpture for donation to
benefit non profit institutions in our area.
·
What would a $250k grant mean to your business plan and how will you
utilize the funds to ensure long-term growth and stability?
We would take this money and transform
our hot glass shop into a solar business. This transformation would greatly
reduce our overhead costs, allow us to expand our facility and offer more
cultural enrichment for the community.
·
What types of challenges can you identify with your plan and how will
you overcome them?
The overall cost of going solar is too
much for most businesses to sustain without subsides or grants.
·
Describe the talent on your team and how they make your business
successful.
The owner Matt Salley is a talented
artist, always thinking about how to get art glass out to the people. Also, we
are very happy to have our artist in residence, Chris Szaton, on staff to help
with classes and to produce one of a kind upcycled art.
·
Additional relevant information you would like to share
Art is our life and we want to share it
with the world.
