Do you make custom jewelry, decorative home items, or other handmade products for sale or gift giving? do you want to build an online store for your crafts?
Join Jess Curtis of J-Bird Digital Designs for KEC and The Maker City’s Expert E-Commerce course, a practical five-part series designed to help entrepreneurs and makers build confidence in selling online. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your current online business, this course offers actionable steps and insights to help you grow.
The program fee is $150 for 5, three-hour classes.
Applications will open on Monday, May 12th, 2025
What You’ll Learn
- Laying the Groundwork: Identify your target customer, develop your brand, and position your products (photos and videos) effectively.
- Visual Storytelling: Learn how to create engaging photos and videos to showcase your products effectively, while also considering user experience to ensure a seamless online journey from click to checkout.
- Pricing & Logistics: (Guest Speaker TBA): Explore strategies for pricing, shipping, and streamlining your operations.
- Optimizing Your Online Presence: Discover ways to drive traffic to your website, improve SEO, and choose the right E-commerce / POS platform.
- In-Person Website Audits: Kick off our final session with a live audit of each participant’s site where we review the website experience in person as a class and give feedback on potential improvements based on what we’ve learned so far.
With a blend of in-person and virtual sessions, this course offers a supportive environment to help you build and grow your E-commerce business with clarity and confidence.
Eligibility Requirements:
Have at least one handmade item ready to sell
Commit to attending classes
Live in or around Knoxville
Have a checking account and debit/credit card
Have regular access to a computer with an internet connection
Be at least 18 years of age
Summer 2025 Class:
Applications will open on May 12th, 2025 for the next Expert E-Commerce Class. The next class will take place in Summer 2025 – dates listed below.
Thursday, July 17th | 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Thursday, July 24th | 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Thursday, July 31st | 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Thursday, August 7th | 5:30 – 8:30PM
Thursday, August 14th | 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Meet our Instructor: Jess Curtis
INTERESTED IN TEACHING THE E-COMMERCE PROGRAM?
After leading several successful classes in Knoxville and surrounding areas, our goal is to train and empower new instructors to lead CEP classes in communities across Tennessee. If you’re an experienced online seller who’s a self-starter, comfortable speaking in front of a group, and interested in being trained to teach e-commerce classes in your community, apply today! Once selected, instructor trainees will participate in a teaching workshop. Trainees will be provided a small stipend for time + travel.
