Have you ever dreamed of selling your handmade creations at the top craft markets/shows/fairs in your country?
Today, I’m chatting with Mona from River Timber Designs, who has built her business up by doing just that!
After starting on the local artisan market circuit, she has focussed on getting her work into the big (and profitable!) markets around Australia – and today she talks about why it’s a great fit for her business, and how you, too, can get your work into these markets!
See her work here: River Timber Designs
Take my Markets 101 workshop inside the Thriver Circle.
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Highlights of this Episode…
Mona makes homewares and jewellery from the burls of trees and uses the live edges and resin to make colourful reflections of nature.After working in corporate, Mona developed RSI in both arms, and while on sick leave she decided to start her own business. Mona and her partner had a fallen tree in their backyard which they had milled, and this ignited her interest in creating things from timber.AAfter learning of resin work from a friend and doing some research, Mona’s first pieces were timber and resin pendants as this allowed her to learn what worked and what didn’t, but on a small scale.Still having the workplace injury, starting out with jewellery was a more sensible option as a piece could be completed in a relatively short time.Mona now makes lamps and is the only artist in Australia making this type of piece. At big markets, these lamps are what catches the eye of shoppers and encourages them to look at Mona’s stall.What works best for Mona as a full time maker is attending the large design shows / markets that run for 2-3 days, and she travels all across Australia to attend. Markets comprise 80-85% of Mona’s income, with the remainder coming from her website, and a small amount of social media interaction.Jess queried the transporting of Mona’s products for the design shows given the weight of some of them. Mona explained that she drives with her products to the various cities, except for Melbourne when she flies and does not take her heavier pieces to show.‘…When I do shows, I’m very intentional…I’m pricing myself. It’s my time, cost of the product, the materials. And where I find my customers is at these trade shows, at these markets, where people understand it’s handmade. {Mona}
‘Understanding yourself is a really important part of being a successful business owner, understanding what sort of structure of business will suit you and help you maintain that long term.’ {Jess}
