Shaping Your Own Path to Self-Employment

You’ve already completed your first projects, issued invoices, or earned money from your work, but can’t quite make a living from it yet?

The six-month mentoring program at Campus Foundery OWL helps you clarify your positioning and how to market your services, and develop a sustainable business model from your first projects.

It runs from November 2026 to April 2027, with a free “workation” in Detmold from November 12–13, 2026.

Goals of the Mentoring Program

• Developing a self-employment path that fits who you are
• Shape the framework of your self-employment
• Learn alongside other self-employed professionals
• Make a living from your creative self-employment

You’ve come to the right place if:

•  you’re self-employed or a freelancer in the cultural and creative industries, have already
  gained some initial experience, and want to take the next step.
• you’re a service-oriented self-employed professional.
• you want to launch your self-employment as part of the mentoring program.

Important: Regular in-person sessions in Detmold are a mandatory part of the program.

What does the program offer you?

The right people by your side.
Through one-on-one mentoring, you’ll work with an experienced self-employed professional from the creative scene to address your individual challenges and plan your next steps.

Greater clarity for your business model.
In workshops and business coaching sessions, you’ll explore your target audience, positioning, marketing, pricing, and the financial and organizational fundamentals.

You won’t have to figure everything out on your own.
Through peer-to-peer sessions, you’ll meet other self-employed individuals, share experiences, and collaboratively develop solutions to common challenges of self-employment.

A network that helps you move forward.
Through events and community activities, you’ll gain access to the Lippe creative scene, funding organizations, networks, and other relevant stakeholders.

How do I apply?

Applications are submitted via our online form and are open to individuals who are already self-employed or working as freelancers and have secured their first assignments, projects, or clients.

You don’t need a finished business plan or to be fully established as a self-employed person. For us, it’s much more important to understand who you are, what you’re already doing, and what next step you’d like to take with your self-employment.

In the application form, we’d like to learn five things about you:

1. You and your motivation
Who are you? What sets you apart? Why do you want to further develop your self-employment, and what experience do you already have?

2. Your offering
What need do you address with your work, and what services do you offer your clients?

3. Your target audience
Who do you currently work for, and which clients would you like to reach more effectively in the future?

4. Your business model
How do you currently earn money through your work, and how do you plan to grow your self-employment financially?

5. Your Current Situation: 
What assignments, projects, and experiences have you already gained? Where do you stand today, and in which areas would you like to make progress through the program?

It’s not about having a perfect answer to everything just yet. We’re interested in an honest look at your current self-employment, where you stand now, and the next steps you’d like to take. You can submit your application directly via the application link.

Here’s how you can join

October 08, 3 p.m. // Join the online Q&A session to get all the information you need about your application. No advance registration is required. Of course, you can also reach us by email at any time: @th-owl.de

by Oct. 14, 2026 // Submit your application: Let’s get started!

November 3, 2026 // Pitch your idea to a jury (5 minutes) and find out if you’ve made the cut!

Any questions?

You can reach us by email at any time: gruenden@th-owl.de