Bring Your Idea. Build Your Business. Grow it here.
Have a skill to teach, a product to sell, or a business idea you’d like to test? Bluenose may be the place to start. Bluenose Gopher Public House is more than a place to gather. As a cooperative, we want to create opportunities for our member-owners to use the space to develop ideas, share their skills, reach new customers, and build small businesses.
You don’t need to own a storefront, rent a studio or invest in a permanent location to get started. You may simply need a place to teach a class, test a product, host a pop-up, or see whether there’s a market for something you’ve been wanting to try. That’s where the Bluenose Business Lab comes in.
WHAT COULD YOU DO AT BLUENOSE?
We’re interested in proposals that help members develop entrepreneurial ideas and create value for both the member and the cooperative.
Ideas could include:
(These are examples, not a complete list. If you have an idea that could work in our space, we want to hear about it.)
Paid workshops or classes
Creative and hands-on learning experiences
Product demonstrations, launches or pop-up sales
Small-business education and skill-sharing
Photography, art, craft or other creative services
Food related experiences that fit our kitchen and food safety limitations
Collaborative projects involving multiple members
Trial runs of a business idea, product or service
HOW IT WORKS
Start with an idea. Think about a skill you could teach, something you could sell, a service you could offer, or a business concept you’d like to test.
You don’t need a complete business plan. You do need a reasonably clear idea of what you want to do and how you want to accomplish it.
2. Submit a proposal. Complete the proposal checklist (follow the button below) and submit it to the board’s designated contact: info@bluenose.coop.
Allow at least four weeks for a straightforward workshop or small pop-up. Six weeks for a ticketed class, product launch or event requiring advanced registration. Eight to twelve weeks for larger projects, multiple partners, or activities requiring additional approvals or resources.
3. Work out the business arrangement. Before anything is advertised or money is collected, the organizer and Bluenose will agree in writing on the date, space, responsibilities, expenses, revenue arrangement, registration process and promotional support. Each proposal will be considered individually. Possible arrangements include a room-use fee, a share of ticket revenue, a fixed payment to Bluenose, or another mutually agreed model.
4. Get approval before making commitments. The board or its designated representative must approve the proposal and confirm the arrangement before you announce the activity as a Bluenose event, collect payments, or make commitments in Bluenose’s name.
5. Make it happen. Once approved, you take the lead on the agreed-upon business activity. Bluenose and the organizer will follow the responsibilities outlined in the written agreement.
Check out the business idea proposal checklist below.
MORE HELP FOR ENTREPRENEURS
In addition, Bluenose Gopher Public House is hosting a regularly-occuring Side Hustle Social!
You have an idea. Somebody else might have the answer. Maybe you make things. Maybe you have a side business. Maybe you’re freelancing, selling your skills, dreaming up a business idea or trying to figure out how to make a little extra money doing something you enjoy.
Maybe you’ve been Googling the same questions for six months and could use a real human to talk to. Let’s get those people in the same room.
Introducing the Side Hustle Social at Bluenose Gopher Public House - a casual gathering for makers, creatives, freelancers, small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs and anyone interested in turning an idea into something more.
We’ll share what we’re working on, learn practical things, trade ideas and make connections that might lead somewhere. No elevator pitches. No business suits. No requirement to have a business plan, a website, or your life together.
Just good people, useful conversations and the possibility that something interesting might come of it. Bring your idea. Bring your experience. Bring your questions. Find your people.
Follow the button below to our Facebook events page for dates and times.