Overplanners are great at making stuff happen… but they can also be a bit too rigid, missing out on unexpected opportunities. They can also suffer from analysis paralysis – where nothing ever gets done because the plan isn’t perfect.

Underplanners are great at thinking on their feet, fitting work in around unexpected obstacles, and dreaming up creative schemes. But sometimes they can be too distracted and scatterbrained, and either take way longer than necessary to get stuff done… or just never get it done at all.

Both approaches have their pros and cons, and in this episode of the Create & Thrive Podcast I’ll be talking about overplanners and underplanners – and how you can try to negate the negative aspects of each planning approach.

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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.

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Overplanner

Pros:

Greater productivity

Time for self-care + less stress if it’s scheduled in

A plan for when things go wrong/ for where you want to go

Systems that reduce mental load/allow outsourcing

A feeling of being in control

Cons:

Analysis paralysis

Missing opportunities due to rigidity

Taking on too many responsibilities/other people’s problems

Sticking to something that’s not working longer than you should

Underplanner

Pros:

Going with the flow – spontaneity and flexibility

Focus on the now, rather than the ‘what ifs’

Freedom – to do what you want, when, and follow whims

Cons:

Lack of progress due to lack of focus

Not planning for when things go wrong/ lack of contingency plan

Stress due to overwhelm (putting out fires)

Some strategies

Build deliberate ‘white space’ into your calendar to allow for spontaneity + dealing with unexpected issues (don’t over-schedule yourself).

Reward yourself – make planning pleasant rather than painful.

Practice spontaneity – if you’re rigid, practice going with the flow.

Set a goal and a date to achieve it.

See a plan as a guideline, rather than a rulebook.

In this episode, my guest, Catherine Hildner from Kitty Meow Boutique, shares her journey to craft the business she’d dreamt of. 

We discuss her business journey, including her recent decision to invest in a coach, a photographer and a website developer to help her re-vamp her brand.

We also discuss the importance of working on your business instead of always working in your business – taking the time to look at the big picture.

And we discuss dealing with difficult customers – and ways you can prevent and manage difficult customer service situations.

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.

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Fast-forward a number of years later, and she’s developed a successful niche business making products out of laminated cotton.

One fascinting element of Jacinta’s business development has been the way she’s focussed on customer-driven product development. That is – listening to her community, and creating products that they want, rather than creating products and then finding a market for them.

We talk about the importance of listening to and learning from our customers, and how you can leverage that knowledge to give people what they’re looking for.

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.

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If you have a business that lends itself to cultivating customers who buy from you again and again, then I strongly suggest email marketing should be a vital part of your marketing strategy.

There are so many benefits to email marketing – not only do you get direct access to potential customers, but people are much more likely to buy from an email than they are to buy via social media. I’m not going to go into all the reasons why (as I cover this in the Intro to Mailing Lists Workshop over in the Thriver Circle) but here are a few quick numbers for you: 

 In short: email marketing works. 

But… what do you send to your subscribers?

In this episode I outline a whole raft of things you might like to send – and why.

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.

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For Aidan Mackinnon of Cut Throat Knives, PR has been, by far, the most successful marketing avenue.

In this episode, we discuss why this is, as well as chatting about various other lessons Aidan has learnt since he turned his knife-making hobby into a successful boutique business – with a couple of employees and a loyal customer base. 

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:

However – have you ever thought about your conversion rate?

Out of the traffic you get through your virtual door – how many of those potential customers become actual customers?

In today’s episode, I’m going to be sharing 8 possible reasons why your shop is struggling to convert those visitors into customers.

If you’ve ever asked yourself ‘I’m getting all these visitors, but no-one is buying… why?’ – then this episode is for you.

If you’ve never calculated your conversion rate before, there’s a handy formula further down – make sure to check out what YOUR conversion rate currently is – and see if it’s something you need to work on improving.

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.

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First – know your conversion rate. If you’re seeing less than 2 percent and your conversion ask isn’t significant, you’re likely facing a conversion problem

(Number of sales you get per month / number of visitors to your site per month) x 100 = your conversion rate as a percentage

The answer is ‘yes, absolutely’ and here to tell you exactly how to do it today’s guest, Chaitra Radhakrishna.

She is the founder of Pinkpot, a design and photography studio for creative handmade businesses.

She thrives on helping makers and product sellers grow their shop sales, revenue and impact through strategic, conversion-focused website design and product photography.

We had an in-depth discussion about all the apps, tricks, and outside-the-camera strategies to make sure you can create stellar product photos for your online shop with just your smartphone!

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:

The Create & Thrive Guide to Product Photography has been written for the beginner-to-intermediate product photographer.

Written by a professional photographer, specifically for makers with little photography experience, this e-book will teach you all you need to know to get started on your product photography journey.

Welcome to the Create & Thrive Podcast Summer Series, where I replay the highlights from the show in 2018.

If you’re a long-term listener, and you’re looking for fresh content – why not check out my NEW show – The Business of Making?

Also! In this ep I announce the return of my free mini-couse – Look Back Move Forward – which will be kicking off on January 1st!

Click here to find out more and sign up for this FREE mini-course!

Like – you’re not quite sure what to say to really explain how awesome your product actually is?

In this episode, you’ll learn a key tactic that will make your product descriptions SO much more powerful and persuasive – and it’s called the benefit statement.

My guest today is Shannon Bush, who has been working with businesses of all shapes and sizes for over 10 years, helping them overhaul their messaging and grow their reach.

In this episode, we talk about her concept of magnetic, or ‘lean in’ marketing – how to draw people to you rather than pushing them away with shouty marketing tactics – and we go in-depth on the process of crafting a benefit statement for your products and business.

So get your notebook ready, and prepare to create powerful product descriptions that will tap into the wants and needs of your ideal customer, and get you more sales!

(P.S. I totally used Shannon’s tactic to write that last sentence…)

Welcome to the Create & Thrive Podcast Summer Series, where I replay the highlights from the show in 2018.

If you’re a long-term listener, and you’re looking for fresh content – why not check out my NEW show – The Business of Making?

Also! In this ep I announce the return of my free mini-couse – Look Back Move Forward – which will be kicking off on January 1st!

Click here to find out more and sign up for this FREE mini-course!

If not, you’re in for a treat.

In this episode, I interview Emily about what it means to be the boss of your business and your life.

We cover a lot of juicy mindset topics, and we discuss Emily & Kathleen’s new book – Being Boss.

I loved talking with Emily, and I hope you get a lot out of this episode!

Welcome to the Create & Thrive Podcast Summer Series, where I replay the highlights from the show in 2018.

If you’re a long-term listener, and you’re looking for fresh content – why not check out my NEW show – The Business of Making?

Also! In this ep I announce the return of my free mini-couse – Look Back Move Forward – which will be kicking off on January 1st!

Click here to find out more and sign up for this FREE mini-course!

I invited today’s guest – Stacey Howard – on the show to share her business journey – because I’ve been watching her progress since she took my Set Up Shop course back in 2013.

Since then, she’s built a 6-figure handmade business – all while having and raising her 2 kids.

Stacey is a brilliant example of how hard work, dedication, and tenacity can pay off, and she has SO much wisdom to share with you today.

Enjoy this episode!