Artistic & Professional Development

Business SmARTs: Financial Literacy 101

Date	February 10 - March 10, 2026
Time	6:00PM

Strengthen the business side of your creative practice

Business smARTs: Financial Literacy 101 is a 5-week virtual workshop series facilitated by Ayesha Madden that offers Black artists the opportunity to delve into key aspects of financial literacy. Every week, participants will receive comprehensive guidance and activies on core financial principles, budgeting and saving strategies, taxation standards, investing principles and more.

Workshop Series Breakdown

Week One: February 10th Financial Foundations for Artists	Establish a financial mindset, introduce core financial principles, and understand how financial literacy directly supports your creative freedom and sustainability
Week Two: February 17th Setting up a savings plan aligned with financial goals	Define meaningful financial goals and create a realistic savings plan that works with fluctuating income.
Week Three: February 24th Understanding Canadian tax obligations for artists	Demystify taxes for artists and receive a practical guidance on filing, tracking expenses, and staying compliant, facilitated by Lorraine Telesford
Week Four: March 3rd Understanding investment options	Understand investing in a simple, approachable way and help artists see investing as accessible and aligned with their values and goals.
Week Five: March 10th Pitch session on business plan	Articulate your creative business ideas clearly and confidently while applying financial concepts learned throughout the series.

About the Facilitator

Ayesha Madden

Founder, Beyond the Block
Ayesha Madden is a licensed financial professional and the visionary behind
Beyond the Block, an organization dedicated to dismantling financial barriers
and fostering generational wealth. What began as a personal mission to serve
high-priority neighborhoods evolved into a broader movement when Ayesha
realized that financial literacy is the key to true creative and personal freedom.
Through Beyond the Block, Ayesha provides high-impact workshops and
personalized consultations designed to empower individuals with the tools they
need to navigate the financial landscape with confidence. Her work is rooted in
the belief that financial education is a fundamental right, not a privilege.
When she isn’t helping clients secure their futures, Ayesha remains deeply
invested in her community by mentoring youth in high-priority neighborhoods. A
creative at heart, she spends her spare time sewing wedding dresses and can
frequently be found performing “sold-out” concerts from the driver’s seat of her
car.

Week 3 Guest Facilitator

Lorraine Telesford

Lorraine Telesford is a visionary C-suite executive and financial strategist with over 30 years of experience as a corporate controller and CFO. As CEO & Chief Solutions Architect of On Track Accounting Solutions Inc., she provides fractional CFO services backed by her bookkeeping business, On Track Bookkeeping Services.

Lorraine and her network offer comprehensive solutions to deliver what those building today’s vibrant economy need: from strategic planning and cash flow optimization to capital raising and payroll integration. Beyond OTAS & OTBS, Lorraine elevates corporate performance as a Client Onboarding Specialist and Fractional CFO at Tandem Innovation Group, serves as a ProAdvisor Council Member at Intuit Canada, and consults with ProSapient. She also spearheads course development for programs such as CEED and Foodpreneur Lab x Coralus and imparts her expertise in course development at recognized community colleges in Ontario, while her volunteer leadership as President of the Afro-Caribbean Business Network, Treasurer at STAC Hamilton, and Perpetual Fund Committee Member at Coralus (formerly SheEO) underscores her commitment to building community and entrepreneurship. For fun, Lorraine loves playing golf and tennis, and is a former motorcycle racer!