Brave Arts Creative Studio

Brave Arts Creative Studio LLC is a creative arts studio located in Dixon, Illinois. The business was founded by Nora Reuter, an artist and educator with more than 20 years of experience working with youth and families. Nora envisioned a welcoming, community-centered studio that offers accessible, hands-on creative experiences for children, families, and individuals, filling a clear gap in the local market for affordable and engaging arts programming.

Challenge: Nora first connected with the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Sauk Valley Community College while exploring how to turn her creative vision into a viable business. At the time, she was navigating multiple startup challenges simultaneously: refining a business plan, deciding between financing options, forming an LLC, securing a physical space, and ensuring compliance with Illinois sales tax requirements—particularly for both in-person and e-commerce sales through Shopify. Nora worked closely with Justin Bergman, Certified Business Development Advisor and Director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Sauk Valley Community College, who provided one-on-one advising throughout the startup process.

How the Illinois SBDC Helped: The Illinois SBDC at Sauk Valley Community College provided comprehensive startup assistance tailored to Nora’s situation. Advising support included refining her business plan using LivePlan, strengthening marketing and financial assumptions, and overall start-up planning. Justin also guided Nora through forming her LLC, obtaining an FEIN, completing the Illinois REG-1 registration, and understanding the various complexities of running a new business. In addition, the SBDC assisted Nora with access to capital. Ongoing advising also addressed operational needs such as sales tax compliance and setting up Software-as-a-Service tools to help manage the business.

Results: With the support of the Illinois SBDC, Brave Arts Creative Studio LLC successfully launched as a new business. Nora secured space through the Dixon Chamber incubator, completed her soft opening on Shop Small Saturday. Brave Arts Creative Studio LLC is now operating and serving the Dixon community, with plans to continue expanding classes, events, and partnerships that support youth and families. Reflecting on her experience, Nora credits the Illinois SBDC at Sauk Valley Community College for helping her break a complex startup process into manageable steps and for providing practical, steady guidance during a pivotal transition.

Learn more: Visit Brave Arts Creative Studio at braveartscreativestudio.com or at their location at 115 S. Hennepin Ave in Dixon.