Episode 29: Art Startup Success with Liz Lidgett

Liz Lidgett, founder and CEO of Liz Lidgett Gallery + Design, recently spoke with Greater Des Moines Partnership Executive Director of Entrepreneurial Initiatives, Mike Colwell.

For the Love of Art

Growing up, Liz was “the art kid.” She took sketchbooks with wherever she went and loved taking classes at the Des Moines Art Center. As she went to college, her passion only grew as she earned art-related Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at out-of-state universities.

In 2010, Liz moved back to Greater Des Moines (DSM) from L.A. She was seeing monumental changes in DSM and wanted to move back to be part of the cultural shift taking place in our community.

The Start of an Idea

About a year into Liz’s job as a corporate curator, she started dreaming of being an entrepreneur. Her parents were entrepreneurs, so she knew it was only a matter of time before she took the leap into launching her own startup. Liz took the jump in 2012 and started a business to help corporations with their artwork. She leveraged her network and LinkedIn contacts, and had her first new client just two weeks into the start of her new business.  

An Art Company in DSM USA

After Liz’s business was underway, she had the opportunity to attend South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, to talk about starting an art company in DSM. While there, attendees questioned her business ideas in the Midwest. Liz proudly spoke about the growth of our community and creating a market that did not currently exist. Her passion for art in DSM continued to thrive and lead Liz to open a gallery. 

Rejecting Second Guessing

As a mother and entrepreneur, Liz admits to a lot of second guessing. She decided to reject these thoughts and focus on her family and her dreams. Liz puts passion into her work and sets a great example not only for her son but also for our community.

Small Business and Startup Stories DSM was a podcast previously produced by the Greater Des Moines Partnership. For more information on small businesses and startup resources, sign up for our Small Business Resources Newsletter, read DSM Success Stories or check out our blog posts.