Her friends were asking if that was her who started that Bushwick blog. Katja Bartholmess- tall, blond and brand new to Bushwick- had to laugh. Though an avid reader of Bushwick Daily, she was working on something else. She was (very successfully) growing the beauty branding business she’d started in her hometown of Berlin, and was also up to things new and exciting–she was starting her new content marketing company focused on today’s woman, Gimme Gorgeous.
You’ve guessed correctly that the other confusing blond, as it turns out (not only to our mutual friends but also to Facebook’s facial recognition algorithm)- was me, the editor & founder of Bushwick Daily. And so when Facebook started to regularly tag the other blond in each other’s photos, Katja and I decided to finally meet in person.
And boy, was that first rendezvous awesome! My heart was pounding with excitement and inspiration as I left Molasses Books that day. Katja and I were an instant friend crush, and moreover, we both found a person we had so much in common with! And I’m not only talking about the blond bangs! Both running our own businesses, we had so much to talk about. We were bitching, bragging, comparing notes, offering each other (often surprising) insights from the other industry, and we were sharing each others’ ambition and enthusiasm. We never really stopped doing this. One day last June, standing atop Katja’s roof, we decided to take things a bit further. We came up with the idea of an open forum for Bushwick entrepreneurs. With monthly happy hours and quarterly workshops, under the motto: “Do good and do well,” we co-founded Bushwick Entrepreneurs Club as a space where entrepreneurs can “exchange notes,” form collaborations and friendship across the industries, get excited about their businesses (again and again) and together, create a better, economically sustainable Bushwick.
Over the summer, we brought together a respectable membership base of entrepreneurs from all sorts of industries. This fall, we’ve teamed up with Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce because we’ve learned that there is plenty of help for small business owners out there, you just have to know where to look. Making use of their vast resources, we have invited the president of Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Carlo A. Scissura, and his team to talk to Bushwick Entrepreneurs Club tonight on the following topics:
New “Made in Brooklyn” certificate that’ll boost your biz
How to hire & fire without getting into trouble
How to get part of your employees’ health insurance refunded!
How to receive free business consulting, legal support, and classes at Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
The space for tonight’s workshop has been generously provided by Livestream Public, an exciting recent addition to the neighborhood located on 195 Morgan Avenue, between Meadow & Stagg (former 3rd Ward). Livestream Public has also sponsored an open beer bar (8-8.30PM). Tonight’s event is free to everyone who RSVPs here.
Already have plans for tonight? Worry not, because Livestream will be doing what they do best, that is live streaming the event in the player below. The recording of the workshop will be also available after the workshop, so you can watch it whenever you want.
Bushwick Entrepreneurs Club Workshop with Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce; Monday, September 29, 2014 at 8-10PM at Livestream Public, 195 Morgan Ave. $Free with RSVP.
