The Create & Thrive Podcast

I can’t remember how I first stumbled across Annie Everingham – but when I saw her work, and read her story, I knew I had to have her on the show!

Annie runs an art + design business in Newcastle, Australia. She created beautiful abstract art, and she begin as a designer with a background in fashion, before demand encouraged her to also move into fine art.

 

 

I was impressed by her work, her brand, and the success she’s achieved at a relatively young age, so I wanted to find out how her business evolved – especially as she mixes fine art with design so well.

 

 

I hope you enjoy this episode – there are lots of gems of wisdom, and lots of down-to-earth reality about the challenges of growing a business – and plenty of laughs, too – we had a great time recording this!

 

 

 

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

* Annie’s partner is also her business partner and has a background in business which helps the business keep moving forward.

* Annie has faced some huge challenges to get her business where it is today and has had to make some big decisions about the direction she wanted to go – primarily, moving into the fine art world, and the balance between art and design in her business.

* ‘Self doubt and worrying about what might happen is deadly’ {Annie}

* Annie sells her work through some fantastic stores around Australia and online through her website.

* The next challenge for Annie is to expand the lifestyle and homewares side of the business.

* Annie tries to stick to a Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 type schedule, but she has experimented to find her own rhythm of work.

* Instagram has been one of the best marketing tools for Annie.

* ‘Be brave’ {Annie}

* You can find Annie on her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

 

Download or Listen to This Episode

(You can also subscribe to the podcast and listen to this episode on iTunes + Stitcher – just search ‘Create & Thrive’.)

Photos of Annie and her ‘Hello June’ Print via her website. Photo of Annie by Sophie Tyler Photography.

I can’t remember how I first stumbled across Annie Everingham – but when I saw her work, and read her [...]

Have you ever thought of being part of a collective space for makers?

In this episode I chat with Christina Douglas who has played a major role in the establishment of a maker’s collective store in Melbourne.

Christina outlines some of the pros and cons of such a venture and some things to look out for. We also discuss running craft workshops and kid’s craft parties, so if either of those ideas are something you’ve wanted to do, listen in to this one!

If you have ever wondered how collective stores work; if you have dreams of opening your own, or would like to be part of an existing space, this episode is for you.

 

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

* Christina purchased a vintage caravan in 2013 and her business ‘Our Little Caravan’ naturally emerged from there.

* The business recently entered a second phase and is now part of a collective store housing a few different businesses.

* So what are the pros?

* The initial cash outlay is shared.

* It is easier to fill a shop when many come together than it is on your own.

* Generally workload is shared among the creatives.

* It is a safe way to test out your products in the retail environment.

* A fantastic way to meet others and create a network.

* Workshops have also become part of Our Little Caravan.

* This happened naturally and they specialise in casual craft classes.

* ‘Teaching craft workshops on your speciality is a great thing’ {Jess}

* The Legalities:

* It is so important to have terms and conditions in place where all the little details can be outlined.

* Insurance needs to also be discussed and decisions made as to the structure of this.

* Promotion of the Collective:

* The promotion of Our Little Caravan has been somewhat organic. Facebook, word of mouth and Instagram have been the major players in the marketing plan.

* Lessons learned

* Choose a team of directors with different skill sets.

* Don’t skimp on location.

* Appoint a committee to decide what will be displayed in the store.

* Decide if it will be a working space for creatives or purely retail.

* You can find Our Little Caravan at the Website, Instagram or Facebook.

Download or Listen to This Episode

(You can also subscribe to the podcast and listen to this episode on iTunes + Stitcher – just search ‘Create & Thrive’.)

Have you ever thought of being part of a collective space for makers? In this episode I chat with Christina [...]

SEO can seem so daunting that we can easily pop it straight into the ‘too hard basket’.

However, search engine optimisation is really just the process of making sure you use the right words in the right places on your website so that people who want to find what you have to offer can – find you, that is.

In this episode I chat with Feuza Reis – An SEO strategist for small business and creative entrepreneurs.

Feuza breaks this process down for you into simple, actionable steps, so that you can conquer that feeling of overwhelm when it comes to SEO, and start applying the strategies she shares so you can get found, and grow your online business.

Love the show? You can show your support by:

* Leaving a review on the C&T FB page.

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* Donating a few dollars towards the costs of producing the pod.

* Joining the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

* Feuza was always interested in marketing while she was running her photography business.

* Her role as a SEO expert evolved naturally.

* So, what is SEO?

* SEO = Search Engine Optimisation.

* ‘There are things I can do in order for search engines to find me’ {Feuza}

* Think of the word optimisation as boost.

* What are keywords?

* One of the most important aspects of SEO is to get your keywords right.

* Keywords are what people type into a search engine.

* The best places to find effective keywords are the following:

* Google suggest

* LSIgraph.com

* answerthepublic.com

* Pinterest

* Some hot SEO tips:

* Remember that SEO is not just about being found, it is about conversion.

* An important thing to remember is that your website must be mobile friendly. This matters so much more now than it ever has.

* Don’t ever use the same description for the images, pages and products on your website.

* Search engines work using algorithms and ranking – listen to Feuzas great story on how they work!

* Visit smallseotools.com to ping your site. This tells search engines that you have made changes.

* Don’t get carried away and check your stats too often – SEO changes can take time.

* ‘Keep SEO in mind and keep it practical’ {Feuza}

* SEO and Pinterest

* Your pins and boards get indexed on google and show up in search results.

* Optimise your Pinterest profile and then optimise your board names and descriptions.

* Make sure you have sub-category boards for what you do.

* ‘Sprinkle your pins around in pinterest’ {Feuza}

* The average pin has a life span of three and a half months.

* Feuza offers a free email Image SEO course – to sign up click here.

* For her Keyword Strategy Course visit her Website.

* You can find Feuza at her Website, Pinterest or Facebook.

SEO can seem so daunting that we can easily pop it straight into the ‘too hard basket’. However, search engine [...]

 

Running a creative business can be tough at times: so it is important to take care of ourselves and our mental health.

In this episode I chat with Laura Brassie – a professional crisis counselor who also runs Ivory & Pine, a blog focused on mental health, self care, and intentional living.

If you have ever experienced burnout, stress, or overwhelm (and let’s be honest – who hasn’t?!) I recommend you take the time to have a listen to this episode, where Laura and I discuss some tips and ideas to help overcome or avoid landing yourself in the land of burnout.

 

 

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

* ‘When you burn out everything falls apart because you don’t care anymore’ {Jess}

* So, how do you avoid burnout?

* You need to take the time for self care every single day, even just for 5 minutes.

* Exercise and eating well are important foundations.

* Supporting relationships are also important both personally and professionally.

* ‘You come first as a human being, and all those roles and responsibilities have to come second’ {Jess}

* You need to find the flow in your work/life cycle or balance.

* ‘Work/life will never be in balance if the life part is not in balance’ {Laura}

* Always remember that for every down there will be an up again.

* You can find Laura and Ivory & Pine at her Website, Pinterest or Facebook.

 

Download or Listen to This Episode

(You can also subscribe to the podcast and listen to this episode on iTunes + Stitcher – just search ‘Create & Thrive’.)

Running a creative business can be tough at times: so it is important to take care of ourselves and [...]