The Create & Thrive Podcast

By Jess Van DenBusiness Entrepreneurship

The Create & Thrive Podcast episodes

September 09, 2020How to Undertake a Successful Re-brand with Aliya Hutchison of Soap Cult [241]
When do you know it’s the right time to make a big change in your business?
For Aliya Hutchison of Soap Cult, it was when she saw unboxing videos of her soaps – and found herself cringing at the mismatched, DIY branding just pouring out of boxes.
It was then she decided it was time for a complete overhaul – and that she needed professional help to craft something cohesive and timeless that represented her values and was attractive to her target market.
I invited Aliya to come on the show, because I’ve been following her rebranding journey – and how successful it has been in just the few short months since relaunching.
In this episode we dive deep into branding – what is it, how do you figure it out, when should you get help – and how to make sure you’re working with the right person – and the difference a strong, cohesive brand can make to the success of your business.
You can listen to this episode below, or on your fave podcasting app!
Brand your CraftDoes your handmade business have a strong brand identity?
Or are you just treating your creations like commodities – trying to compete on price, and failing to stand out in a crowded marketplace?
Creating a strong, unique brand identity is fundamentally important if you want to make your business stand out from the others in your niche.
FIND OUT MORE
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.</
1 hr 1 min
September 03, 20207 Ways you’re Sabotaging the Success of your Etsy Shop [240]
I see so many Etsy sellers make the same mistakes over and over – which end up sabotaging their potential success.
In the 12 years since I started my own Etsy shop, I’ve worked with thousands of other makers, helping them to find success on this platform.
Today, I wanted to cover 7 mistakes I see people making that end up killing any hope they have for a thriving, profitable Etsy shop.
Some of these are obvious – but some may surprise you!
You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube!
Want to Open an Etsy shop?
Join me this October 2020 for Set Up Shop – my 30-day intensive course that will teach you all you need to know to set up an online shop for your handmade goods, and get it right – first time.
Over 1,000 makers have used the Set Up Shop system to open their Etsy shops!
FIND OUT MORE
Watch on YouTube…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Highlights from this episode:

Your photos aren’t up to scratch – so people just don’t ‘see’ them in search, and therefore don’t click through to your shop.
You’re underpricing – therefore people will perceive your work as low-value, and you risk burning yourself out.
You’re trying to compete on price, rather than brand/product – there will ALWAYS be people on Etsy – and elsewhere – who are selling cheaper and more expensive than you. You CANNOT price based on what others are doing – you have to do the maths and ensure you’re charging what YOU need to charge in order to be successful. Yes, do look at what the market average is… but don’t be afraid to do your own thing with pricing.
You’re not using the right keywords – therefore you won’t show up in the searches of people who want to buy what you’re selling!
You’re not covering your shipping costs (postage + packaging) – which will cut into your profits.
You’re still treating your craft as a hobby, rather than a business – you need to think about your customers and make sure you’re making what they want, and treating them right.
You’re keeping it a secret – you need to shout it from the rooftops! Don’t be shy or ashamed of your work – tell your friends, family, and anyone who will listen! If you’re proud enough of your work to offer it to the world for sale, you should be proud enough to share it with those who know and love you.
23 min
August 26, 2020Tracy Matthews’s Jewellery Journey [239]
How do you sustain a successful jewellery design business over decades – and through 2 major global financial crises?
My friend, and guest today – Tracy Matthews – is a jewellery designer, entrepreneur, mentor to creative visionaries and the host of the top-rated, Thrive By Design Podcast.
Her passion is helping people tap into their unique creative brilliance factor to make more money and impact. She’s been featured in InStyle, Elle, Us Weekly, Real Simple, Martha Stewart Weddings, Entrepreneur, and the Today Show and interviewed on various media outlets including Yahoo Finance, American Fashion Podcast, EOFire, SoMoney and Creative Live.
As the Chief Visionary Officer of Flourish & Thrive Academy, she helps other jewellery brands launch, grow and scale profitable jewellery businesses. Over the years, she’s inspired creative thinkers to use their innate gifts to grow their businesses.
At Creatives Rule the World, she helps creative visionaries of entrepreneurial companies to spend more time in their creative zone of genius which results in more inspired teams, increased profitability and a lot more fun in business.
In this episode, Tracy shares how she got started in jewellery design back in the 90s, and how she’s evolved her business over time in response to personal and global changes to keep it strong and profitable.
You can listen to this episode below, or on your fave podcasting app!
Join me for live monthly workshops - online!Each month I host a live, work-while-you’re-there, workshop for makers in business.
These workshops are on all aspects of handmade business – and are also available to re-watch after the workshop has completed.
These are available exclusively to members of the Thriver Circle.
FIND OUT MORE
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Highlights from this episode:
Tracy first studied jewellery making during college and after she graduated started a wholesale jewellery business that was stocked in over 350 stores internationally.
In the wake of the global financial crisis, Tracy closed her wholesale business and pivoted in a new direction.
She then opened a new direct-to-customer jewellery business which now pays her more money than when she ran her wholesale business.
Tracy has used her business experiences to establish the Flourish & Thrive Academy to help new jewellery designers and makers.
“Sales techniques and relationship building are timeless qualities and it is something that will work for any kind of business model for the long haul” {Tracy}
Tracy used networking, referrals and a sales representative to make connections for her wholesale work.
It is much easier to connect with buyers now than when Tracy started her wholesale business in the late 1990s.
“You have to expect that if you’re paying the $15,000 dollars to be in one of these prominent shows that your first couple of times showing there is a good chance you may or may not make your money back and view this as a marketing expense not a sales expense” {Tracy}
As her wholesale business grew, Tracy’s team grew and her production was outsourced.
As the creative business owner, you will need to decide what degree of “hand-on” for each of your products feel right when considering whether to outsource. Reflect on if you want to be personally involved in every step or if there are aspects you are comfortable with others completing.
“There’s a cap if you are doing everything yourself. There’s a natural ceiling to what you can achieve because there are only so many hours in the day and only so much time you have” {Jess}
Etsy can be a good starting space for new makers but it is essential to set up your own website.
“You have a business and Etsy happens to be one of the platforms you sell on” {Jess}
Tracy recommends Shopify for setting up an e-commerce site.
When setting up or reinvigorating your site, investigate the features and sales process of shops that you like to buy from and mirror the best elements.
“We know that an about page on a website with a really strong brand story is one of the best conversion tools for people to get to the next step” {Tracy}
Have a consistent and recognisable look to your product images.
“People buy from people. They are not just buying products” {Tracy}
Include social proof on your website to build trust and sell your product including press, reviews and testimonials.
A strong mailing list is a valuable tool during these COVID-19 times. Invest time to build this up.
56 min
August 19, 2020I quit social media for a month (here’s how, and what happened…) [238]
Do you ever want to just remove social media from your life?
Does it feel like it takes up too much of your time or energy – and do you find yourself getting stressed out by it?
Whether it’s for personal or business use, sometimes it can be refreshing (not to mention relaxing!) to take a break from using social media.
I’ve done shorter social media sabbaticals before – but this is the first time I’ve gone off social media for a whole month.
In this video/podcast I discuss why I did it; how I planned for it (so that I didn’t tank my businesses in the process) and the outcome!
You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube!
Watch on YouTube…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Highlights from this episode:
1. Preparation – make sure you don’t just disappear – you need to prepare yourself, and your audience, for your absence.
Implementation – ensure you have removed any temptation/ways to access social media, and have other activities in place to do when the urge strikes.
Outcome – I loved it! But this wasn’t my first social media sabbatical – just the longest. If it’s your first time, start small.
26 min
August 12, 2020How to use video & Pinterest to grow your Biz with Naa Ardua Flohic [237]
Naa Ardua Flohic has embraced the use of video as part of her business.
She creates videos to help her customers & she runs Facebook live videos – she’s also using YouTube as part of her business strategy!
Today she shares how – and why – video has become such a part of her business strategy. We also dive into talking about one of her other business passions – Pinterest – and how she uses it to drive traffic to her website and Etsy shop.
You can listen to this episode below, or on your fave podcasting app!
Join me for live monthly workshops - online!Each month I host a live, work-while-you’re-there, workshop for makers in business.
These workshops are on all aspects of handmade business – and are also available to re-watch after the workshop has completed.
These are available exclusively to members of the Thriver Circle.
FIND OUT MORE
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Highlights from this episode:
Inspired by the lack of superhero representation for her son, Naa Ardua specialises in multicultural digital drawings and illustrations.
Jess and Naa Ardua are both part of this year’s cohort of Etsy U.
Naa Ardua is a huge fan of video and uses it to reply to customer enquiries. The response from customers has been overwhelmingly positive.
Naa Ardua and Jess have both used Loom to make videos. Loom can screen capture, record audio and video.
Videos can make explaining technical information and providing support to customers simple.
“You send instructions with your products but people don’t like to read so much” {Naa Ardua}
“Use your photos as much as possible to tell customers really important information even if it means putting a picture with words on it that explains something.” {Jess}
Naa Ardua and Jess both support a simple tech set up for videos. They use their phones for shorter videos and for longer videos use their webcams and an external microphone.
For times when natural lighting is hard to come by Naa Ardua uses a small ring light and Jess uses a lighting box. You don’t need a lot of technology to start making videos.
Naa Ardua was super nervous the first time she recorded a live video on Facebook and worried about what could happen.
“The more you make the easier it gets. You stop getting self-conscious in front of the camera and it just feels more natural” {Naa Ardua}
If you are really worried about videos try making pre-recorded videos first where you can do several takes or edit.
To stream her videos to You Tube and Facebook at the same time, Naa Ardua uses StreamYard.
Naa Ardua dedicates time to building her Pinterest account and it acts as a significant driver to her blog, courses and Etsy store.
Be consistent with pinning on Pinterest to build momentum. Focus on good quality, vertical images.
Naa Ardua breaks down her larger jobs into smaller tasks and puts reminders in her phone to complete them. She also uses post-it notes on a dry erase calendar board to help allocate time for tasks.
The State of Handmade survey results show 80% of makers in their first year made less than $1000.
The first few years of setting up a business is a large learning curve and consistent work will pay off over time.
Check out Naa Ardua’s work at Paper Flo Design.
52 min
August 05, 20205 Reasons you Should Use Pinterest to Promote your Handmade Business [236]
Are you using Pinterest to grow your handmade business?
If not, (or, if you’ve been slacking off – looking in the mirror here!) then it’s time to revisit why Pinterest is SUCH a great, effective tool to use.
Today, I’m going to outline 5 reasons why you should consider making Pinterest a key part of your handmade biz marketing strategy.
Also! This month over in the Thriver Circle, I’m releasing a workshop all about Pinterest – how to get started, and the key things you need to know in order to succeed on the platform in 2020 as a handmade business owner.
Moreover, in September, I’ll be running the #PinterestChallenge! This is a challenge I’ve run once a year for a number of years now inside the Circle – it’s basically a challenge to spend 10 minutes a day for the whole month working on Pinterest – with a whole community doing the same!
So if you’d like to get a handle on Pinterest, don’t miss it – come on over and join us in the Circle before the end of August so you have a chance to take the workshop before the #PinterestChallenge kicks off September 1st!
You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube!
Watch on YouTube…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Highlights from this episode:
SEO – Pinterest gets lumped together with social media, but it’s more of a search engine. People search on there for things they want – often for things they want to buy – especially around events, and things like house decor design.
Longevity – drives traffic forever, versus the very short-term reach of social media posts. I still get traffic from pins from many years ago!
Visual advantage – as a maker of physical items, you already have lots of content for pinterest! Just upload your lovely photos.
Low-effort – You’ve already got the content (photos, description and keywords) – you just need to add and organise it. No writing big captions. No having to engage with your followers. Simply upload and you’re done!
Hate social media? If you don’t enjoy social media, then Pinterest is an essential tool in your marketing arsenal. I personally don’t spend more than ½ hour per month on the social media channels for my jewellery business – 99% of my sales come from SEO and Pinterest – with some from my mailing list when I send out an email, too. While I think you should have a presence – you do not need to be active on social media to run a successful handmade business!
14 min
June 29, 2020Self-Awareness, Creativity, & Self-Worth with Erica Ando [235]
Putting our creations out into the world always comes with a frisson of tension – especially when we closely connect our self-worth to our work.
My guest today – Erica Ando – and I have a frank discussion about this in today’s episode.
Erica has a background in sculpture and textile design, and now works with other artists to help them grow their careers.
We talk about developing self-awareness; why you need to de-couple your sense of worth from your work; how to cope with negative feedback; and the power of boredom.
You can listen to this episode below, or on your fave podcasting app!
Join me for live monthly workshops - online!Each month I host a live, work-while-you’re-there, workshop for makers in business.
These workshops are on all aspects of handmade business – and are also available to re-watch after the workshop has completed.
These are available exclusively to members of the Thriver Circle.
FIND OUT MORE
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Highlights from this episode:
After studying sculpture, Erica worked in a variety of positions in arts in fashion then started her own business as a textile designer. She found she was spending more time on business tasks than on the making.
“If you turn your hobby into your business then you need a new hobby” {Jess}
Jess discusses some of the results State of Handmade survey from The Business of Making team including that makers are spending around 50/50 between making products and business and administration work.
Develop your self-awareness. Have breaks, rest and care for yourself when needed to keep your work sustainable.
“You have to be vulnerable when you’re creating, don’t you? You’re tapping into your own self to bring something into being in the world and that’s scary” {Jess}
The longer you spend in business the more you will be able to detect which negative comments and feedback are a legitimate criticism and which are the author’s personal problem.
In creative and handmade fields, it can be very difficult to separate yourself from your work after pouring so much time and energy into a piece.
“Other people’s opinions about my work don’t define me, my work doesn’t define me. My work is part of who I am.” {Erica}
Jess and Erica share anecdotes about the buzz of unexpectedly seeing someone wearing one of their pieces out in the community.
It’s normal to fixate on a negative comment or piece of feedback no matter how many positive ones you have received. If you detect this cycle happening, try going back and reading positive comments and feedback to help reset your balance.
Erica recommends getting problems out of your head by writing them down on paper to free up your focus.
Mindfulness meditation provides opportunities to observe and process your thoughts without distraction.
“Being bored is amazing. It’s probably something we need to do more as creative people.” {Erica}
Jess and Erica discuss the value of habits and systems and both recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear.
“Work is never finished. You are never going to be done. Ever.” {Jess}
Visit Erica’s website here.
1 hr 1 min
June 24, 2020What is an ideal customer, and why does knowing who they are matter? [234]
How can you sell if you don’t know who you’re selling to?
All the marketing and advertising in the world won’t help your handmade business grow if you’re talking to the wrong people.
So – who are the right people? They are your ideal customer (or customers…) – and in this episode, I outline exactly what an ideal customer is, and why figuring out yours matters.
Now, I haven’t gone into detail about how to figure these things out, or how to help your ideal customers find you – I will be covering these topics in an upcoming live workshop in the Thriver Circle! (If you miss it live, the recording will be available.)
You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube!
Watch on YouTube…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Highlights from this episode:
Your ideal customer is the person who you would most like to work with/have buy from you!
You can choose your ideal customer based on this.
You choose who you do business with (yes, you can even say no to the wrong people – in fact, you should!).
You can theorise on who they are and/or uncover who they are via your past sales.
You can have more than one ideal customer – you just can’t have one that is at odds with the others (use my 3 ideal customer examples for Epheriell).
You can keep their definition more vague, or you can choose to create an ideal customer avatar which humanises them – this can be an imaginary person, or based on a past customer who exemplifies the sort of person you’d like to be in business with.
Your ideal customer CAN CHANGE over time if your business changes!
Your ideal customer is NOT everyone. If you try to serve everyone, you’ll end up serving no-one. Your ideal customer is more likely to buy from you if they recognise themselves in your marketing and branding – if they don’t, they’ll likely go elsewhere.
14 min
June 11, 2020Beci Orpin’s Multi-faceted Art Career [233]
Commercial artist, author, creative director, maker, gallery artist… these are just a few of the monikers we can apply to my guest today – Beci Orpin.
I was lucky enough to meet Beci at the BrisStyle Create + Connect Conference earlier this year. I loved her story, and her perspective of art and business, so I invited her to come on the show.
Beci has worked as a commercial artist for organisations such as Uniqlo, Officeworks, Stella Artois, and many more. She also creates books, art shows, workshops, and much more – keeping her busy and thriving with a bunch of different projects going on at once.
She believes in the power of hard work and deadlines, and we talk about how she balances all of this alongside being married to a fellow creative & business owner, and raising two kids, in today’s episode.
You can listen to this episode below, or on your fave podcasting app!
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Highlights from this episode:
Beci works in illustration, design, art and craft. She studied textiles design and started freelance work in the fashion field after graduating. She then moved into illustration and started working with an agency for commercial design.
Beci has worked on campaigns for lots of different companies including the, Uniqlo, Officeworks, Smiling Minds and more.
If you are interested in pursuing commercial design, you do not need an agent.
Multiple income streams provide variety of work but also stability of income as different projects ebb and flow.
“I just like to do all kinds of things. I feel like it’s the busy-ness but it’s also the variation. It’s what keeps me inspired and keeps me going” {Beci}
“I always wanted to be a commercial artist. I would much rather be commercial than non-commercial. I really love working for clients. I really love making work that other people like and is useful for other people. And if you can make money off it? Unreal.” {Beci}
Beci ensures that she has a good balance of work for herself and commercial work to keep her creativity nourished.
“I do want my work to be accessible to a lot of people.” {Beci}
Beci uses routine and lists to help structure her work time and create the right mind set for her work.
“You can set yourself deadlines” {Beci}
Not having deadlines can make work completion challenging for some creatives.
Beci asks clients for deadlines when working on projects and creates them for her own work to ensure projects are completed.
42 min
June 04, 20205 Things to Avoid when Taking Handmade Product Photos [232]
I’ve made aaaaalllll the product photography mistakes – and today I’m sharing 5 whoppers you need to avoid in your own handmade product photography.
Yep, I did all of these in the beginning – and they are all really good ways to destroy the quality of your photo.
Bad photos = no sales.
It’s imperitive that you work hard to create stellar photos of your work if you want to sell successfully online.
The good news is that if you realise you’re making these mistakes – you can fix them! And it will make a world of difference to your success as a maker in business.
You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube!
Watch on YouTube…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Listen to this episode…
Highlights from this episode:
Avoid blurry photos – make sure your depth of field is set so the whole product is in focus. And if your hands shake, use anti-shake or a tripod with a remote.
Don’t use a flash! Use natural light, or filtered, white light.
Make sure your background is clean and pristine. It’s really offputting to see a product photo with dirt or dust or hair on or around the item. This is especially important when photographing small items.
Don’t over-style the image – your product should be the star of the show!
Upload it straight from your camera! You need to edit your photos for brightness, highlights, contrast etc. You want them to ‘pop’.
P.S. Want to improve your product photos? I’ve got 2 resources for you.
The Steps to Improve your Product Photography workshop inside the Thriver Circle (my membership community for makers), and the Create & Thrive Guide to Product Photography, an ebook written by a professional photographer.
15 min

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