Indie Made Business: A Podcast for Creative Entrepreneurs and Handmade Business Owners

So much of our marketing is centered on posting on social media that sometimes tried and true methods of marketing are cast aside. If there's one thing we can convince you, one thing for you to get the most out of, it's building and maintaining and well-crafted email list. There are just so many advantages to having an effective email list for engaging with your audience and potential customers, and we're getting into it in this week's episode of the podcast.

Crafting an effective email list goes so far beyond just an excel spreadsheet that you send an email to with some marketing materials inside. Emails are one of the most effective ways to keep things close with your most engaged customers through things like coupons, informing them about sales or item availability from your site and others, it's so much easier to really get personal in an email. We have a wealth of great information for you this week, and if you can't tell, we're very passionate about this subject! So come join the conversation and be ready to take some notes.

Quotes:

"I think that we need to have a mindset shift around sending out emails. Think of the people on your email list as your friends who really want to be there." – Cheryl

"Another mindset shift is that it's not about vanity numbers. You can have a very small email list and have a lot of sales just from them because they're very specific." – Nicky

"As business owners, we have a completely different thought process than we do as customers. We know how we shop as customers, but then we don't apply that to our own customers. Sometimes as customers, we come from a mindset of: I don't want to be taken advantage of. If we understand that as business owners, we can really set ourselves up to provide a great experience and blow the socks off of our customers." – Cheryl

"Giving your customers things in your emails that can really benefit them is a good reason to get people on the list. You could have a cheat sheet sizing chart or lists of the best items to use. There are just different ways that can you make their life easier. How can you how can you give them something handy that they see value in? That's another way that you can get them on your email list." - Nicky

Key Points and takeaways:

- Give your customers a reason to sign up for your emails with some kind of benefit

- Emails are a great way to communicate personally with your most engaged audience

- Provide value in every communication

- Be consistent and make every email a welcome sight!

Have a subject you'd like us to cover or just want to comment about how much you love the podcast? We want to hear from you! You can like, subscribe, and leave us a 5-star rating everywhere you can download podcasts.

Come find us online - we would love to hear from you!

• Cheryl: Indie Dyed Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook
• Nicky: Avery Lane Creations on Instagram or Facebook
• For a Text Notification when new episodes drop, text "Makers Gonna Sell" to 603-928-7108
• Hypnotic Yarn on Instagram or Facebook
• Yarnable Subscription Box - Cheryl's Subscription Box
• ALC Yarns - Nicky's Yarn Shop
• Nicky's Maker's Momentum Inner Circle

Once you get to a certain point in your business, you're going to have to start thinking about using paid ads to reach a wider audience. Investing money into advertising is a big step, and you want to be able to get the most bang for your buck, but where do you even start to have a strategy that is going to win for you? If these questions and worries are rolling around in your head, we have just the episode for you this week! We're talking about what you'll want to consider before spending your hard-earned money, the types of ads you can use, and how to be intentional.

The whole purpose of running ads is to get people to view your products and really, because we're trying to sell those products. But a great ad is not something that's just trying to be a one and done, sell this one product and move on with your life. You're trying to create community, and so your ads are just to get them in the door. Once you have them at your website, or your social media, having a strategy beyond that is crucial to retaining the customers that showed up. There's so much to talk about on this subject, regarding the type of ads, the technology that's available to you, and more. So make sure you're taking notes because we're getting into it!

Quotes:

"When we first start out with ads, we jump in thinking that we just want to make a sale. So we set up an ad for a product and we just hope that it's going to entice someone who's never heard of our business before to click through to our website and make a purchase. We're disappointed when we don't see those results, or maybe we only see one sale. What we don't realize is that asking a cold audience who's never heard from you to see your ad and jump over to your website and give you their money, well, that's a really big ask. It takes several touchpoints like upwards of six or seven before someone becomes an actual paying customer." - Cheryl

"Make sure your ads aren't overselling what you're offering or you're making them jump through hoops. When people come to your store and have a positive experience, they're probably going to tell a friend or two, but if you let somebody have a negative experience, they will tell everybody. You don't want anybody to leave your platform or leave your page feeling salty, because they might spread this opinion of you that may or may not even be anywhere near accurate." – Nicky

"Increasing your ad spend slowly gives the algorithm enough time to adjust to new budget and optimize the delivery of your ad. Increasing it too quickly or by too much can do more harm than good. So a good rule of thumb is to scale your ad spend. It's kind of like scaling a business where you get the formula down first, you make sure everything's working the way it should, and then you scale and grow at a rate that fits your business model. It's the same with ads." -Cheryl

Key Points and takeaways:

- Make sure you have a strategy before investing money into an ad campaign

- Utilize all the analytics and technology that's available to you through platforms like Google or Facebook

- Know your audience, and know what step of the journey toward being a customer that they're on so you can properly target ads to them

Have a subject you'd like us to cover or just want to comment about how much you love the podcast? We want to hear from you! You can like, subscribe, and leave us a 5-star rating everywhere you can download podcasts.

Come find us online - we would love to hear from you!

• Cheryl: Indie Dyed Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook
• Nicky: Avery Lane Creations on Instagram or Facebook
• For a Text Notification when new episodes drop, text "Makers Gonna Sell" to 603-928-7108
• Hypnotic Yarn on Instagram or Facebook
• Yarnable Subscription Box - Cheryl's Subscription Box
• ALC Yarns - Nicky's Yarn Shop
• Nicky's Maker's Momentum Inner Circle

It's one of the biggest mysteries to entrepreneurs when they're first starting out: how do I build an effective social media community? We've all been there, creating content and sending out posts into the wild hoping beyond hope that someone will see it and give it a like. It can be disheartening when our posts don't get the likes you were hoping for, or the views you think it deserves. This is our topic this week: we're going to share with you what we've learned building our own social media audiences.

The biggest takeaway you'll want to absorb from this week's podcast is what REALLY matters in social media marketing. We can create content all day long, and gaining followers and likes is a quick way to feel like you're really accomplishing something, but take a step back and ask yourself what those followers and likes are doing for you? Engagement is the name of the game when you're trying to build an audience. Which is better: 10k followers and a few sales or 500 followers and every one of them is a customer and supporter of your brand? We go over the whole thing in our conversation, so grab a notebook and hopefully you'll learn a thing or two!

Quotes:

"I remember one time, I had to put a media kit together to be a potential influencer for a company. And I remember telling them that my Facebook following was small, but it was mighty. That was what my focus was when I first started: I wanted to build a community, and then it led to sales organically." – Nicky

"We're not out there to build an audience full of people who don't care about what we're doing. We want to make real connections with people who really want to be there" - Cheryl

"At the end of the day we're trying to make a living, and we're trying to feed our families, and so we do need to be strategic about why we're doing the things that we're doing, because we don't have time to be messing around. We need to go all in with the things that we are going to do, but make sure there's a purpose behind them." – Cheryl

"I wish I would have jumped on the reels train from the beginning, but I was in my head, and I was just like, no, I am not getting in front of the camera. But you know you can create reels where you're not even in it, so the next time you're making your product, just take a little video of just your hands or whatever. Once you try it a couple of times, you'll start to think maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be in front of the camera." - Nicky

Key Points and takeaways:

- Gaining followers is good, but building community is going to go a lot farther for you

- Don't be afraid to try different things to build that engagement

- Your community wants to see you! Doing lives, stories, and reels is critical to building engagement

Have a subject you'd like us to cover or just want to comment about how much you love the podcast? We want to hear from you! You can like, subscribe, and leave us a 5-star rating everywhere you can download podcasts.

Come find us online - we would love to hear from you!

• Cheryl: Indie Dyed Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook
• Nicky: Avery Lane Creations on Instagram or Facebook
• For a Text Notification when new episodes drop, text "Makers Gonna Sell" to 603-928-7108
• Hypnotic Yarn on Instagram or Facebook
• Yarnable Subscription Box - Cheryl's Subscription Box
• ALC Yarns - Nicky's Yarn Shop
• Nicky's Maker's Momentum Inner Circle

This week we're talking about something I'm sure we've all felt at one time or another. You've started your own business, you have a great idea or craft that you're ready to share with the world, but then the details on how to share or get your idea out there paralyze you. We want our content to be perfect and compare ourselves against other entrepreneurs who have been at it for a while, not realizing that nobody thinks their content is perfect, at least not the first time!

The truth is, we don't know what we don't know, and sometimes the only way we're going to figure things out is by putting ourselves out there, imperfections and all. We can't let our fears hold us back from even getting started! Sure, you might find that not everything works the way you wanted it, but it takes that trial and error that helps you refine your vision and create that community that is going to carry you forward into the future.

"Done is better than perfect. As you do tasks more and more, you'll build the skill sets you need, and one day you'll realize you've gotten good at it all, and now you can focus on leveling up a little bit more. But if you're just trying to come out the gate perfect at something, I'm not going to say you're not going to get it done, but you're just going to make it super hard." – Nicky

"If you spend so much time on making something perfect, just to find out it's not going to work, that can be disappointing and very frustrating. Sometimes we need to do the thing, put it out and see if it works, and if it doesn't, then we can pivot and change it. But if you've put months of work into something trying to make it perfect and become emotionally tied to it, then it can be very difficult to make those changes." – Cheryl

"I really feel the first step is just making that decision, I'm going to do this and I'm not going to let anything hold me back. I'm not going to let what I think I lack hold me back, and I'm just going to do it." – Nicky

"I challenge you this week to create something and put it out into the world before you feel ready. Even though it might not be perfect, create and release it. Don't just keep it to yourself." - Cheryl

Key Points and takeaways:

- Don't let a need for perfection be the enemy of your progress

- Your audience and community values your content and ideas, so just get it out there

- The only way you're going to improve is by doing the thing and putting yourself out there

Have a subject you'd like us to cover or just want to comment about how much you love the podcast? We want to hear from you! You can like, subscribe, and leave us a 5-star rating everywhere you can download podcasts.

Don't forget to share YOUR Needle Mover with us on Instagram by posting it to your Stories and tagging us, or shoot us a DM. Together, let's make a BIG impact in our businesses over the next 2 weeks!

Come find us on social media - we would love to hear from you!

• Cheryl: Indie Dyed Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook
• Nicky: Avery Lane Creations on Instagram or Facebook
• For a Text Notification when new episodes drop, text "Makers Gonna Sell" to 603-928-7108
• Hypnotic Yarn on Instagram or Facebook
• Yarnable Subscription Box

This week we're rolling up our sleeves and welcoming Erica from the Lopsided Crafter on to the podcast for a little up close and personal coaching. When you're first starting out, you might have more ideas for new products than you have space or money. So as a business owner, you have to be able to sell any product that you make. But how do you know that the ideas that you have, and the products that you create, are going to click with your audience? If you've been wondering how you're going to keep up with your audience's demands, we're here to give you advice on how to create your own demand with your most valuable talent: your own creativity!

Quote-worthy

"You need to build a business that you love. It doesn't matter how many customers love what you're putting out there if you hate doing it." – Cheryl

"At the end of the day, you just have to be true to yourself. When you're just like, 'This is me and this is what I like,' you are going to attract some just diehard fans, and your joy and your enthusiasm is going to attract more and more people." – Nicky

"There's really not a hard rule that says when you're starting out you should dye this much yarn or you should make this much productive at any given thing. It is about learning what you like, what your customers like, and what you're comfortable doing. Just try to be intentional, because I know if I could give myself advice for when I first started, I would say that you don't need to try all the things. Just stick with a couple of things that you really like." – Cheryl

Key Points and Takeaways:

• Your creativity is your most valuable asset
• Starting out you have limited space and funds, so use what you have effectively
• Listen to your audience's wants, but don't try to chase their approval

You can find Erica and the Lopsided Crafter and all of her beautiful dyed yarn at:

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheLopsidedCrafter?ref=shop_sugg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelopsidedcrafter/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theLopsidedCrafter

Have a subject you'd like us to cover or just want to comment about how much you love the podcast? We want to hear from you! You can like, subscribe, and leave us a 5-star rating everywhere you can download podcasts.

Don't forget to share YOUR Needle Mover with us on Instagram by posting it to your Stories and tagging us, or shoot us a DM. Together, let's make a BIG impact in our businesses over the next 2 weeks!

Come find us on social media - we would love to hear from you!

• Cheryl: Indie Dyed Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook
• Nicky: Avery Lane Creations on Instagram or Facebook
• For a Text Notification when new episodes drop, text "Makers Gonna Sell" to 603-928-7108
• Hypnotic Yarn on Instagram or Facebook
• Yarnable Subscription Box

In today's episode, we are sharing a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most important topics of creative entrepreneurship: MANAGING THE MONEY. So much of what we do as makers is DIY and scrappy, but don't neglect your money management! This week we are sharing some of our best tips about keeping track of dollars in and dollars out.

Don't forget to share YOUR Needle Mover with us on Instagram by posting it to your Stories and tagging us, or shoot us a DM. Together, let's make a BIG impact in our businesses over the next 2 weeks!

Come find us on social media - we would love to hear from you!

• Cheryl: Indie Dyed Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook
• Nicky: Avery Lane Creations on Instagram or Facebook
• For a Text Notification when new episodes drop, text "Makers Gonna Sell" to 603-928-7108
• Hypnotic Yarn on Instagram or Facebook
• Yarnable Subscription Box

Meeting self-set goals help grow your business. However, to set goals, you first need to define what your success looks like. The definition will vary from small business to small business and even change year to year. Defining what success looks like for your small business will help you, well…be successful!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• 2:35: Defining what success looks like for you
• 10:19: Your goals and definition will be individualized
• 16:06: Take actions to make yourself successful
• 19:49 Success takes sacrifices
• 29:46: I've defined my success. What should I do next?
• 41:09: Start growing your email list! (and what is the purpose of your email list?

...and so much more!

We promised to share these links with you in the show notes:

The Copy Cure by Marie Forleo

Needle Mover

• We're closing out every episode by declaring a Needle Mover in each of our businesses - learn more about what a Needle Mover is and what it isn't.
• 56:47: Community Call

Don't forget to share YOUR Needle Mover with us on Instagram by posting it to your Stories and tagging us, or shoot us a DM. Together, let's make a BIG impact in our businesses over the next 2 weeks!

Come find us on social media - we would love to hear from you!

• Cheryl: Indie Dyed Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook
• Nicky: Avery Lane Creations on Instagram or Facebook
• For a Text Notification when new episodes drop, text "Makers Gonna Sell" to 603-928-7108
• Hypnotic Yarn on Instagram or Facebook
• Yarnable Subscription Box

Episode 10 ALREADY? Say what?! We've covered a ton of awesome content in the first 10 episodes, so we decided to dive deeper on some of the bigger concepts so far. Make sure to find us on social media and let us know what YOU want to hear more of on the podcast!

Don't forget to share YOUR Needle Mover with us on Instagram by posting it to your Stories and tagging us, or shoot us a DM. Together, let's make a BIG impact in our businesses over the next 2 weeks!

Come find us on social media - we would love to hear from you!

1. Cheryl: Indie Dyed Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook
2. Hypnotic Yarn on Instagram or Facebook
3. Yarnable Subscription Box
4. Nicky: Avery Lane Creations on Instagram or Facebook
5. ALC Yarn Club
6. For a Text Notification from Cheryl when new episodes drop, text "Makers Gonna Sell" to 603-928-7108

Are you so busy working IN your business that there's no time left to work ON your business?

We've all said it, "There aren't enough hours in the day."

It really does feel that way when you're wearing all the hats in your creative business. And it can be downright impossible to embrace the visionary role that your business requires of you when you're bogged down with perpetual product making and never-ending to-do lists!

But guess what? We all get the same 24 hours each and every day. It's what you do with them that counts.

Imagine what it would feel like if you had an extra set of hands every now and then. Would it change your life if you could take a day off (or *gasp* go on vacation) all the while things are still getting done?

Hiring is a big step, and you might be thinking, "Yeah, that all sounds great, but I'm not even paying myself yet! How the heck am I going to hire someone?"

In today's episode we're going to walk you through getting the right type of help without breaking the bank, and why it might be the best thing you can do for your business.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• 1:00: Are you being pulled in too many directions?
• 5:54: The different shapes and sizes of hiring help.
• 28:26: Finding the right fit is sometimes trial and error.
• 32:30: Do you really need to spend money to make money?
• 40:59: Where do you find the help you need?

...and so much more!

Needle Mover

• We're closing out every episode by declaring a Needle Mover in each of our businesses. You learn more about what a Needle Mover is and what it isn't in episode 2 of the
• podcast.
• 49:01: Cheryl's Needle Mover
• 54:30: Nicky' Needle Mover

Don't forget to share YOUR Needle Mover with us on Instagram by posting it to your Stories and tagging us, or shoot us a DM. Together, let's make a BIG impact in our businesses over the next 2 weeks!

Come find us on social media - we would love to hear from you!

• Cheryl: Indie Dyed Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook
• Hypnotic Yarn on Instagram or Facebook
• Yarnable Subscription Box
• Nicky: Avery Lane Creations on Instagram or Facebook
• ALC Yarn Club
• For a Text Notification from Cheryl when new episodes drop, text "Makers Gonna Sell" to 603-928-7108

Receiving wholesale inquiries is SOOO exciting, but once the excitement wears off it can also be a little scary.

We've invited a special guest, Lorri Helberg of Arkansas Yarn Company, to sit down with us to discuss all things wholesale and to answer some questions like: Do I need a contract? How do I price wholesale? Is wholesale beneficial to my company?

Topics discussed in this episode:

• 1:42: Deep dive into wholesale pricing. What ratio is right for your business?
• 13:04: What's in a contract?
• 24:50: Terms and Conditions
• 34:03: How Arkansas Yarn Co stands out from other yarn shops/indie dyers
• 44:18 Lorri's Needle Mover

...and so much more!

You can find Lorri online at the following places:

• Website

• Instagram

• Facebook

• YouTube

Come find us on social media - we would love to hear from you!

• Nicky: Avery Lane Creations on Instagram or Facebook
• ALC Yarns
• ALC Yarn Club Waitlist
• Cheryl: Indie Dyed Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook
• Hypnotic Yarn on Instagram or Facebook
• Yarnable Subscription Box
• For a Text Notification from Cheryl when new episodes drop, text "Makers Gonna Sell" to 603-928-7108