The Create & Thrive Podcast

For Katherine DaSilva, that point came not too long ago. Since then, she’s been running her business – The Handmaker’s Bag – full-time.

In this episode we discuss how she made the decision to quit; the challenges of convincing family and friends that what she’s doing is a ‘real business’; some of the challenges that come along with having a boss telling you what to do – to being solely in charge of your time; the joys and freedom that comes from making the leap to be your own boss.

Katherine is a member of the Thriver Circle – my private community for makers. Huge thanks to all the members of the Circle – without them, this podcast wouldn’t exist!

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:

Do you find yourself wasting time because you don’t know what to focus on next?

Do you over or underestimate the time tasks will take, and continually push things off your list to ‘get to later’?

Do you feel like you’re on an endless treadmill – never moving forward, but sometimes even falling off the end?

I know how that feels – and over the last 10 years, I’ve designed a planning system and organised to-do list that keeps me on task and – more importantly – sane.

In this episode I outline my own day-to-day planning system, and share 6 tactics you can use to organise your epic to-do list into something that will help you move forward and feel accomplished at the end of the day/week.

This is a premium episode, available only to members of the Thriver Circle.

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:

SuzAnne was a combat medic in the US Army, and after a tour in the Middle East, returned home with a severe case of PTSD.

I’ve known SuzAnne online for a few years now, but when I finally learnt the details of her story, I knew I wanted to bring her on the show to talk about her experience, and how finding a craft literally saved her life.

This is an incredibly moving episode – SuzAnne is an open book and we dive deep into her experiences over the years since her tour of duty.

I want to thank SuzAnne for sharing her experience with us – and sharing her journey towards healing. 

P.S. the Thriver Circle – my membership community & educational hub for makers – is open to new members right now – from June 13 to June 16 2019. Click here to find out more about how the Circle can help you grow your handmade biz… faster.

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:

Fast-forward to 2019, and she now has a full-time, growing ceramics business! She listened to the show from the start, and used it as a ‘roadmap to success’.

I was so excited to chat to someone like Catie who has actually used this podcast to find success in her handmade business – and she has a fabulous story to share!

Not only has she managed to grow a thriving business – she’s done it all while having babies, building a house, moving studios… not to mention dealing with a broken kiln right when she had a big order to produce!

Catie is a trained artist who chose to focus on ceramics as her canvas – though she’s done other artwork, too – including a large public piece in her hometown of Fargo.

You’ll love this interview with Catie – she’s super down-to-earth, open and honest about the struggles of crafting a handmade business… don’t miss this one!

P.S. Exciting news – the Thriver Circle – my membership community & educational hub for makers – is opening to NEW members next week! Click here to find out more about how the Circle can help you grow your handmade biz… faster.

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:

People make a split-second decision about your business the moment they see your branding – whether that’s your website, instagram feed, business card, market stall… any touchpoint they have with your business.

Are you sending the right message?

Are you engaging and enticing your ideal customers with your branding? Or are you making one of many branding blunders that will turn them away?

In this episode, I talk to my friend and branding expert Julie Gibbons about all things branding. We discuss:

Brand Your Craft – the self-study e-course that Julie wrote for Create & Thrive – has had a full update!

BYC 2.0 is now available – with completely updated guidance, new recommended software, and updated tutorials.

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:

The #PinterestChallenge is happening again in June in the Thriver Circle, so I have recorded a podcast episode to help you get set up for success!

If you are new to Pinterest, this episode will help you set up all the important elements of your account. If you’re not new, it will be a great refresher!

This is a premium episode, available only to members of the Thriver Circle.

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:

Jill started on Etsy in 2009, and today, she not only sells online, she also has her own store in downtown Kansas City. With over 35,000 sales in her Etsy shop alone, Jill’s business is incredibly successful – and all based on selling something – scent – that people can’t even smell until they’ve bought the product. Jill formulates all her perfumes, and even today, it’s just her and one assistant running the whole business.

So – how has she grown such a successful business? I believe it’s been via the power of her branding and storytelling – and the fact that she’s remained true to herself, even when she was surrounded with doubters.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of being true to you in your business, and the way Jill’s business has naturally grown to where it is today.

If you would like to hear a beautiful and peaceful approach to running a handmade business, don’t miss this one.

{This is a replay of a classic show from the archives}

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:

My guest today – Meg Sutton of Belle & Union – has an interesting business trajectory.

She was working full-time, doing wedding invitations on the side… and then decided she wanted to launch her own business.

Instead of just opening an online shop, she worked for a full year behind the scenes, then launched her business at a major trade show in the USA.

It was a big success, and her business grew from there – to moving from strictly wholesale to also selling online – to now, where she has been running her own brick & mortar shop in San Antonio, Texas.

In this episode, we discuss her journey, and the realities of owning a b&m business – the ups and the downs.

If you’ve ever dreamt of opening your own shop (and let’s be honest – who hasn’t?!) don’t miss this episode.

Listen below…

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:

There are oodles of reasons this may be. Life happens.

But one of the most common reasons is a lack of commitment and focus.

If you don’t commit to carving out the time to do your work – and then actually doing it – you simply won’t move forward.

Obligation, procrastination, lack of confidence – all of these things can get in the way of us actually doing the work. Goodness knows I’ve been there myself too many times to count.

But the people who succeed… they’re the ones that show up, consistently – for years – and just do the work.

Over, and over, and over again.

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:

How often do you ask yourself this question?

How often do you feel stuck and overwhelmed, and like you can’t move forward?

Often, we get stuck because we’re in analysis paralysis – there are no good options, or too many good options – and we just don’t know which way to go, or what to choose.

In this episode I share 9 strategies you can use to make the right decision – no matter how big or small – so you can move forward in your biz.

This is a premium episode, available only to members of the Thriver Circle.

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: