I already sell a little. Is this still useful?

Very. Most of our students already make and sell something. The pathway is about earning what your work is worth: pricing, reaching customers beyond the bazaar, and building a brand that lasts.

What if I am not good with technology?

That is exactly what we teach, gently and from the beginning, using the phone you already carry. You will not be left behind.

Can I keep working while I study?

Yes. The pathway runs in evenings and at weekends specifically so that working women and mothers can take part.

Your craft is already good. Now make it a living.

In houses across Samarkand there are women whose embroidery, ceramics and baking are as fine as anything in the boutiques, sold, if they are sold at all, for a fraction of their worth. This pathway is for them. It runs in the evenings and at weekends, because we know you are already working, already caring for a family, already busy. Over roughly six months, we turn the skill in your hands into a business with your name on it.

What you will do, step by step

This is a real sequence, and you will finish each step with something to show.

Register a business, properly and cheaply, as an individual entrepreneur
Cost your work honestly, so your price defends itself and your profit is real
Photograph your products to a standard buyers trust, using the phone you already own
Build a shop, on Instagram, Telegram or an international marketplace
Reach customers abroad, and learn what they actually want to buy
Modernise a traditional design without betraying it, and pack an order so it survives the journey to Berlin

An Uzbek suzani: a large embroidered cloth worked in orange and crimson medallions on a cream ground, framed by dark blue vines. — A suzani from KerminaPhotograph by Unknown artisan, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

A hand-painted Uzbek lagan: a wide ceramic dish glazed in blue and white with a radiating floral pattern. — A hand-painted laganPhotograph by AIDEPCUL, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

What you will study

Module	Focus
Foundations of Artisan Entrepreneurship	Mindset, registration, business money vs personal money, micro-finance
Product Development for the Modern Market	Trend research, quality, photography, packaging
Branding and Digital Marketing	Your brand story, social selling, setting up an online shop
Sales and Distribution	Markets and fairs, wholesale to hotels and galleries, shipping
Financial Management and Growth	True costing, cash flow, simple accounts, scaling
Legal and Ethical Considerations	Intellectual property, contracts, fair trade, product safety

What you leave with

A live shop, open for business. A brand of your own. A costing sheet that tells you, at a glance, what you truly earn. And the beginnings of a customer list. Not a certificate to hang on the wall, though you will have that too, but a business in your hands, and guidance on the micro-loans and grants that can help it grow.

Artisan pathway: your questions

I already sell a little. Is this still useful?: Very. Most of our students already make and sell something. The pathway is about earning what your work is worth: pricing, reaching customers beyond the bazaar, and building a brand that lasts.
What if I am not good with technology?: That is exactly what we teach, gently and from the beginning, using the phone you already carry. You will not be left behind.
Can I keep working while I study?: Yes. The pathway runs in evenings and at weekends specifically so that working women and mothers can take part.

Women only
Approximately 6 months, evenings and weekends
Bring your existing craft
Finish with a live online shop
Opens March 2027

Apply for the artisan pathway