Keir WhitakerUpcoming Events AboutWhat is Craft+Work? 2024 Patrons T & C's
CraftWork
An Intimate Event Series for Ecommerce, Digital, & Creative Professionals
Running your own business is rewarding but far from easy. The highs are high, and the lows make you question why on earth you ever started in the first place. The entrepreneurial journey can feel hard and lonely — that's where Craft+Work comes in.
Craft+Work is an intimate (only 50 participants per edition) event series that brings together freelancers, soloists, founders and small business owners to share experiences, learn from each other and prove that there is no right way to build and grow an ecommerce, digital, or creative business.
- Upcoming Events
- What is Craft+Work?
- What Happens at Craft+Work?
- Who is it For?
- Why Attend Craft+Work?
- Themes
- 2024 Patrons
- Testimonials
- Participate at Craft+Work?
- Your Host
Upcoming 2024 Events
Our full-day international program will take in London, NYC & Toronto. Our UK Evening Sessions series will kick-off in October and will visit Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Cardiff and Exeter. Why not join us at one of the following events?
CraftWork
London
Friday 31st May 2024
9am‐5pm @ citizenM, Tower Hill
Tickets: £189 +VAT
CraftWork
New York City
Monday 16th September 2024
9am‐5pm @ WorkHouse NYC
Tickets: $259 USD
CraftWork
Toronto
Friday 20th September 2024
9am‐6pm @ The Drake Hotel
Tickets: $299 CAD
If you are interested in helping host a Craft+Work event please get in touch and let's talk.
What is CraftWork?
Craft+Work is an opportunity to hear other entrepreneur's stories, gain insights, and discuss the challenges you face with a group of like-minded people.
The London 2023 Craft+Work Cohort
Attendance is capped at 50 people, which results in an intimate, friendly, and safe space to dig into things together. If you enjoy meeting new people, learning from your peers, and want to build a better business, then Craft+Work is for you.
London 2023 Review
50 people, 6 inspiring presentations, and 100's of insights. Find out what happened at Craft+Work: London 2023.
Read the Report →Whether you're new to your role, a seasoned pro, or are thinking about taking the leap, Craft+Work is a supportive and engaging environment for individuals to learn, get inspired, and meet new people who are striving to build better businesses.
What Happens at CraftWork?
Craft+Work comes in three flavours: evening sessions, full-day workshops, and occasional online get-togethers. Each event will feature some or all of the following elements:
Networking
Enjoy a pre or post event conversation, exchange a business card, or ink a deal with fellow attendees, all whilst enjoying some food and drink.
Guest Presentations
Short, focused, and personal insights from invited experts followed by a group Q & A session.
Hot Seats & Hot Topics
Your chance to come to the front, sit on a stool, and dig into a topic of your choosing with your host.
Conversation Stations
Small group discussions centred around two or three key questions. A great opportunity to meet new people and gain new perspectives.
Group Discussions
We'll dig into the topics that are affecting your business and professional development and see where it takes us.
Community Notices
Your opportunity to share your products and services or find experts to help you take your business to the next level.
As we grow and develop the series, we'll iterate based on what works and what doesn't.
Who is it For?
Craft+Work is open to anyone interested in building and growing a business. That said, you'll get more from the event if you own, run, or work in an ecommerce, digital or creative business or identify with one or more of the following:
Ecommerce Business
Maybe you operate an agency that designs, builds, and optimises online stores, or perhaps you're a Shopify app developer or an expert in CRO. You do great work, but it's a crowded market, and you want to learn how others differentiate, stand out, and make an impact.
Digital Business
Perhaps you run a SaaS business or sell your courses, products and services online. Either way, your clients and customers come through the ether, and you're always looking for ways to improve your processes, generate leads, and find efficiencies through people and technology.
Creative Business
Your creativity supports other businesses. Whether you sling killer copy, make the logo bigger or provide strategic expert support, you work on projects for clients. You want to understand how other businesses market, pitch, propose and build long-term client relationships.
Freelancer
You love doing the work but probably don't enjoy the other aspects of doing your own thing. You wonder how other freelancers fill the pipeline and stay motivated. It's time to find out.
Soloist
You love doing the work but probably don't enjoy the other aspects of doing your own thing. You wonder how other freelancers fill the pipeline and stay motivated. It's time to find out.
Consultant
You're in the business of selling your knowledge and expertise to help other businesses grow and develop. You're always looking for new ideas, opportunities, and ways to improve.
Founder
You founded and run your own creative or tech-based business full-time. Most likely, you're doing all the things (and more) and using contractors or building a team to deliver the work. You're keen to learn from other founders.
Small Business Owner
You've built a business and run it with a small team of leaders and individual contributors. You used to be over everything, but today, you're focused on learning how others scaled and built a strong team culture.
Future Entrepreneur
You're currently working for someone else but are seriously considering taking the leap to start your own thing. You're keen to learn more about what it takes to build a successful business.
Not sure if you fit the bill then why not get in touch and let's find out.
Why Attend?
Need convincing? Here are three compelling reasons to close the laptop, pocket your phone, and get out and join us at a Craft+Work event:
Make New Connections
Our events are a great way to meet like-minded entrepreneurs, industry experts, and potential collaborators for your next big idea.
Get Insights & New Perspectives
Gain interesting insights and fresh perspectives that will help you make better-informed decisions to drive your business.
Move Forward
Leave with a head full of fresh ideas, strategies, and tactics that will shift your business into a new gear.
Not sure if it's for you? Why not get in touch and let's find out.
Themes
Events will be curated around highly relevant themes to anyone running or considering starting an ecommerce, digital or creative business. We'll likely cover many of the following areas but may venture into unknown territories, but that's part of the fun.
Branding
How can we leverage the power of branding to differentiate our businesses and leave a lasting impression on our clients and customers?
Clients & Customers
What strategies can we use to attract, retain and delight our clients and customers?
Leadership
How can we become better leaders and help nurture creativity, foster innovation, and guide our teams to unprecedented success?
Marketing
How do we make sense of competing marketing strategies and tactics to produce campaigns that really resonate with our clients and customers?
Positioning
How do we position our businesses to gain a competitive edge and connect with our ideal clients and customers?
Pricing
From double your rate Fridays to goldilocks pricing and beyond. There are so many ways to price your products and services, but what really works? Let's find out together.
Remote Work
Is remote work a threat to team culture, is it a fad, will we prosper or suffer from a lack of in-person connections? Remote work appears to be here to stay so how do we make it work?
Team Building
How can we empower teams to drive creativity, collaborate effectively, and create impactful and profitable work?
Technology
How do we leverage advances in technology like AI to help, not hinder, our businesses?
If you've got a hot topic you'd like to dicuss Get in touch and let us know.
2024 Patrons
Craft+Work events are made possible by the generous support of our Patrons.
global Patron
Accelerate your growth with AI-driven customer service! Convert more leads, provide stellar support, and supercharge your revenue.
tidio.com →
global Patron
We develop the most advanced store pickup, delivery and shipping tools for Shopify.
zapiet.com →
global Patron
Discover the power of 24/7 customer support tailored exclusively for Shopify app developers.
thesupportheroes.com →
global Patron
The fastest way to build and run web apps. Gadget is a full-stack, serverless JavaScript platform for web app developers who want to build faster and maintain less.
gadget.dev →
global Patron
Spend less time managing your Shopify app business and more time growing it.
heymantle.com →
If you're in the business of enabling soloists, founders and entrepreneurs to build better ecommerce, digital or creative businesses, then Craft+Work is for you. Working with us is a great way to put your product, service or brand in front of an entrepreneurial audience looking to grow and develop.
Patron Prospectus
In 2024, we're hitting the road and will be hosting events in the UK, USA, and Canada. We'd love you to be a part of it.
If you'd like to learn more about our mission, please get in touch and let's chat.
Testimonials
Here's what previous attendees had to say about their experience at Craft+Work.
Steve JonesCo-Founder at Union Works
The variety of topics covered was what most impressed me. Hearing stories about success, failure, and pivoting is always a winner for me.
Jenny McMillenProduct Manager at Eight
I really enjoyed being in a room with people at the top of their game and listening to aspirational stories from skilled people in our industry.
Ian RabbidgeFounder at Alvio
Keir brought together a great mix of people who opened up about their experiences, their successes, and the challenges they face running their businesses.
Tom LockeFounder at Noughts and Ones
I found it really valuable to connect with a mix of people I did and didn't know, including people I'd met on LinkedIn but had not had the chance to meet.
Kendra FutcherCopywriter at Writing+Thinking
I loved speaking about storytelling at Craft+Work. Small group, no slide decks, short off-the-cuff talks and lots of interaction. Perfectly pitched.
Rosie HawkinsFounder at RedHawk Events
With a cap of 50 people, Keir beautifully cultivated a community of creativity, vulnerability and education that was a privilege to be a part of.
Hear what Gian Maria, Ian, Kendra, Krissie and Rosie thought about the inaugural full-day event that took place in London in June 2023.
Participate
Would you like to share your ideas, insights, and story with a group of like-minded an ecommerce, digital and creative professionals? If so, we'd love to hear from you.
Rosie Hawkins at London 2023 Craft+Work Cohort
Presentations at Craft+Work are a maximum of 20 minutes and are slide free. Stand, sit on a stool, pace about, use notes if you want to — it's not about how "polished" your presentation is but about the insight and experience you bring to the group.
What Are We Looking For?
Craft+Work is all about sharing our own, well, craft and work jouneys. We want to hear what's worked for you, what hasn't gone well, and things you see and do differently to the rest of the industry.
Previous talks and conversations focused on the agency landscape, product management, storytelling, pivoting from services to products and transitioning into leadership. Everyone has insight and something to say — what's your story?
Interested?
If you would like to participate please get in touch and let's have a conversation.
Your Host
Craft+Work is run and hosted by Keir Whitaker — a UK-based marketing consultant, coach and advisor who specialises in helping Shopify-focused businesses stand out from the crowd, build their authority, and attract new customers through clear messaging, impactful content, and high-value events.
Keir (left) hosting Craft+Work London 2023
He started Craft+Work as a reaction to the hundreds of articles, online courses, and podcasts that prescribe a formula for success — the ones that say "you too can have it all for a one time fee of $1,999 plus tax".
Craft+Work is about embracing the messy, learning from our peers, and realising that "doing our thing, our way" is just as valid as any business framework.
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About This Site
This is the web site of Keir Whitaker — I'm a UK-based marketing consultant, coach and advisor and founder of event series Craft+Work.
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