The Create & Thrive Podcast

I’ve been running my own handmade business for almost 7 years now (my bizaversary is this month!), and over that time I have discovered some hard-won knowledge about how to make the most of your time, your creativity, and what you need to do to make your handmade business the best it can be.

 

Today, to celebrate the 25th episode of the Create & Thrive podcast, I’ve created an epic episode for you, where I outline 25 essential tips for running a handmade business.

I believe that becoming successful is all down to pacing yourself, to being optimistic yet realistic – dream big, but don’t over-extend yourself beyond what’s actually do-able.

I believe that you need to get clear on why you’re doing this – to get clear on your core values, and allow them to guide you in all the decisions that you make.

There is so much goodness in this episode – I really dig down into the principles that will help you to achieve success – whatever that means to you.

 

I have also put together a FREE downloadable e-book from this episode!

 

This is available as part of my  #HandmadeBusinessToolkit – which is packed full of free resources (ebooks, downloadables, and guides) that will help you grow a thriving handmade biz.

The Handmade Business Toolkit is available for absolutely FREE to my C&T email subscribers.

If you’re not already subscribed, just pop your email in the box above and click ‘subscribe’ to get access to the #HandmadeBusinessToolkit for absolutely free!

 

 

Download/Listen to this Episode

 

 

You can also subscribe to the podcast and listen to this episode on iTunes + Stitcher)

 

 

 

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

* Turning your passion into your business sounds like a great idea but you can run the risk of killing the passion

* You need to spend quite a bit of time on the business side of things

* “Are you going to still love it in five years time?”

* You can get your stuff out there and then you can tweak it and alter it whenever you want

* “Until you get something out into the world, you’re not going to be getting any feedback.”

* Are your things what other people want to buy?

* You need to have a product for sale – not just a business idea

* “I want to help people find freedom in their own lives.”

* Get clear on your core values and put them out into the world

* You may want to create new things which aren’t saleable but you need to make sure you understand that it’s to indulge your creativity and not for your business

* Remember to be grateful for what you’re doing, especially when you have feelings of boredom or frustrating

* “Find ways to keep your love and passion burning for your business.”

* Moving from hobby to business means you might not feel like you can charge the right amount for your work

* “You might be stuck in an unrealistic price vortex with everyone around you undervaluing their work.”

* Charge what your time is worth

* “Don’t hide from working out your prices correctly.”

* It’s OK to ask for help

* Paying for workshops and other learning opportunities may be better than using up your ...

Today I am talking with the amazing Arianne Foulks from Aeolidia, with whom I discuss the essential website design and content elements that will ensure your site invites people in and encourages them to want to shop with you.

Arianne has a wildly successful web and graphic design studio, and directs a team of people who craft gorgeous websites for creatives. I invited her on the show because she knows what works! In this episode we talk about logo design, photography, content, and more – all the things which a great website needs to get right.

It’s so important to have your own home on the internet – somewhere that represents your business to the world and tells your business story. But it can be hard to know what to focus on when creating a website, as there are so many possibilities!

Listen in for Arianne’s top tips for making sure your business’s online home is the best it can be.

 

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

* “Have your own domain name even if you have other web presences.” {Arianne}

* Get your domain name and point it to your primary online presence (e.g. Etsy)

* Having your own domain belongs to you and nobody else unlike Facebook and Etsy when your shopfront belongs to those companies.

* People want to go at their leisure and find out about you online before getting in contact.

* It’s like having a menu in a restaurant, it’s a way to see what’s on offer before you sit down to eat.

* Your about page is the most important thing to get done first on your website.

* “People want to know who made it, why they made it and what their story is.” {Arianne}

* Big beautiful photos are so important.

* Tell a story with your products through styling.

* “Learn a little bit about what makes good photography. Less of the technical stuff and more of what makes a great photo.” {Arianne}

* Make sure you tell people your name so they feel they know you a little more.

* Contact information is vital.

* “It’s an important for searchability to keep your website up to date and relevant” {Jess}

* It can be important to have both their own website and other online stores if possible.

* It’s not enough to rely on Etsy or another platform to send them buyers.

* “Relying solely on a company who is not under your control to send you customers is not ideal.” {Arianne}

* Build up an audience on your own website.

* “I can sell in Australian Dollars on my own website but in American Dollars on Etsy.” {Jess}

* StitchLabs (This site/resource is no longer available): A way to keep your inventory up to date on multiple platforms without having to do it manually.

* It’s still very important to blog even when you have an ecommerce site.

* “Those who have been in the blogging world for ages think it’s a no-brainer. But for newbies I understand the confusion about why you would blog.” {Jess}

* You need to enjoy blogging to want to blog.

* Blogging brings traffic to your site – partly through Google and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).

* Blogging gives you keywords which will eventually list on Google and traffic will come to you over the years.

* “Having a blog can really humanise your brand.” {Arianne}

* Establish yourself as an expert in something.

* Once you start blogging it makes all your other marketing efforts easier.

* Your social media is made much easier when you have your blog written and you can borrow content.

* “Get yourself on a schedule and find something that you...

Today I am talking with the amazing Arianne Foulks from Aeolidia, with whom I discuss the essential website design and content elements that will ensure your site invites people in and encourages them to want to shop with you.

Arianne has a wildly successful web and graphic design studio, and directs a team of people who craft gorgeous websites for creatives. I invited her on the show because she knows what works! In this episode we talk about logo design, photography, content, and more – all the things which a great website needs to get right.

It’s so important to have your own home on the internet – somewhere that represents your business to the world and tells your business story. But it can be hard to know what to focus on when creating a website, as there are so many possibilities!

Listen in for Arianne’s top tips for making sure your business’s online home is the best it can be.

 

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

* “Have your own domain name even if you have other web presences.” {Arianne}

* Get your domain name and point it to your primary online presence (e.g. Etsy)

* Having your own domain belongs to you and nobody else unlike Facebook and Etsy when your shopfront belongs to those companies.

* People want to go at their leisure and find out about you online before getting in contact.

* It’s like having a menu in a restaurant, it’s a way to see what’s on offer before you sit down to eat.

* Your about page is the most important thing to get done first on your website.

* “People want to know who made it, why they made it and what their story is.” {Arianne}

* Big beautiful photos are so important.

* Tell a story with your products through styling.

* “Learn a little bit about what makes good photography. Less of the technical stuff and more of what makes a great photo.” {Arianne}

* Make sure you tell people your name so they feel they know you a little more.

* Contact information is vital.

* “It’s an important for searchability to keep your website up to date and relevant” {Jess}

* It can be important to have both their own website and other online stores if possible.

* It’s not enough to rely on Etsy or another platform to send them buyers.

* “Relying solely on a company who is not under your control to send you customers is not ideal.” {Arianne}

* Build up an audience on your own website.

* “I can sell in Australian Dollars on my own website but in American Dollars on Etsy.” {Jess}

* StitchLabs: A way to keep your inventory up to date on multiple platforms without having to do it manually.

* It’s still very important to blog even when you have an ecommerce site.

* “Those who have been in the blogging world for ages think it’s a no-brainer. But for newbies I understand the confusion about why you would blog.” {Jess}

* You need to enjoy blogging to want to blog.

* Blogging brings traffic to your site – partly through Google and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).

* Blogging gives you keywords which will eventually list on Google and traffic will come to you over the years.

* “Having a blog can really humanise your brand.” {Arianne}

* Establish yourself as an expert in something.

* Once you start blogging it makes all your other marketing efforts easier.

When you’re starting out, making a profit might seem like a far off dream. But it’s that profit that will allow you to help you expand your business in the future.

I started my business as a hobby. That start-up phase was an expensive time, but because I was thinking of it as a hobby rather than a business, I was happy to just be recouping most of my expenses through my sales! Does that sound familiar?

Things start to get exciting when you make a little bit of money above the cost of your expenses. Real money.

Money that you can use to buy stuff above and beyond more materials or covering business costs. But you need to remember this:

Until you’re paying yourself a wage, you’re not making a profit.

The money you make above your expenses is your wage, and your profit is over and above this amount.

Profit helps you to grow your business. It allows you to hire staff, start a new side venture, or push the business in a new direction.

Listen in and see how you can turn your biz into a profitable one, and exactly why that is so important.

Love the show? You can show your support by:

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

* Leaving a review on iTunes.

* 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:

* Turnover is the amount of money you bring in.

* Most people start off with just covering the costs of your business.

* “Your wage is a core part of your business.”

* Separate your business and personal expenses to make your bookkeeping easier.

* Business bank accounts are really set up for bricks and mortar stores who need Eftpos and other merchant facilities.

* If all of your income is going into your business account, pay yourself a wage into your personal account.

* Set up a direct debit to pay into your personal account once you’re at the point that you know your business is at a certain point where you are confident that the money will always be there.

* If you’re not ready for a direct debit, add a reminder to your calendar to work out your wage for that week/fortnight/month.

* “The bit that is left over in my bank account, after wages and expenses, that’s profit.”

* Think about what investments you should be making for you and your business.

* If you haven’t got a business plan, it’s time to put something together.

* “I don’t spend a lot of money on my business as I’m very frugal.”

* Spend money on educating yourself for your business.

* You might not be at the point where you’re making profit, don’t beat yourself up..

* Think about profit so you’re ready to know what to do with it when you start making it

* Unless you pay yourself, you won’t be able to do this forever.

What stage are you at in your business? Feel free to leave me your thoughts below!

 

Download/Listen to this Episode

When you’re starting out, making a profit might seem like a far off dream. But it’s that profit that will allow you to help you expand your business in the future.

I started my business as a hobby. That start-up phase was an expensive time, but because I was thinking of it as a hobby rather than a business, I was happy to just be recouping most of my expenses through my sales! Does that sound familiar?

Things start to get exciting when you make a little bit of money above the cost of your expenses. Real money.

Money that you can use to buy stuff above and beyond more materials or covering business costs. But you need to remember this:

Until you’re paying yourself a wage, you’re not making a profit.

The money you make above your expenses is your wage, and your profit is over and above this amount.

Profit helps you to grow your business. It allows you to hire staff, start a new side venture, or push the business in a new direction.

Listen in and see how you can turn your biz into a profitable one, and exactly why that is so important.

Love the show? You can show your support by:

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

* Leaving a review on iTunes.

* 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:

* Turnover is the amount of money you bring in.

* Most people start off with just covering the costs of your business.

* “Your wage is a core part of your business.”

* Separate your business and personal expenses to make your bookkeeping easier.

* Business bank accounts are really set up for bricks and mortar stores who need Eftpos and other merchant facilities.

* If all of your income is going into your business account, pay yourself a wage into your personal account.

* Set up a direct debit to pay into your personal account once you’re at the point that you know your business is at a certain point where you are confident that the money will always be there.

* If you’re not ready for a direct debit, add a reminder to your calendar to work out your wage for that week/fortnight/month.

* “The bit that is left over in my bank account, after wages and expenses, that’s profit.”

* Think about what investments you should be making for you and your business.

* If you haven’t got a business plan, it’s time to put something together.

* “I don’t spend a lot of money on my business as I’m very frugal.”

* Spend money on educating yourself for your business.

* You might not be at the point where you’re making profit, don’t beat yourself up..

* Think about profit so you’re ready to know what to do with it when you start making it

* Unless you pay yourself, you won’t be able to do this forever.

What stage are you at in your business? Feel free to leave me your thoughts below!

 

Download/Li...

Are you finding that there are increasingly more ways to interact with your customers through Social Media channels – but you just don’t have the time to use them all?

While I firmly believe you should ‘own’ your business name on all the possible types of social media, you will only find time to be truly effective on one or two at a time (especially if you’re a solopreneur).

You can take one piece of content across multi-platforms – but you’ll probably find that you won’t be able to be active and engaged on all of them. And that is OKAY.

You need to give yourself permission to not be everywhere; to not be available across all Social Media at all times.

So, with that undersanding, I ask you: are you focussing of the right social media?

And are you using them strategically?

 

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

* Claim your business name on all social media so nobody else can do it and you own it.

* Chances are you’re not going to be able to be interactive and active on all those social media.

* The rest can either be linked or just sit there until you find time or want to switch platforms.

* You can never keep up with absolutely everything.

* You might not be active but try to have the same branding.

* Update your links and bio plus your avatar so that everything looks the same and professional across the platforms.

* “Make it easy for people to find where you are and where you’re active.”

* Focus on one or two of your core Social Media and see what you enjoy and what you find easy to do.

* What do your customer resonate with?

* Where are your customers hanging out?

* When you find them, that’s where you should be putting your effort.

* “Give your account a couple of months – it will take time.”

* Don’t spread yourself too thin. Instead, grow followers on one platform and focus your attention to find traction.

* Set yourself goals with your time on Social Media.

* “There should be a purpose to what you’re trying to do over and above just making more sales.”

* Make goals that are ‘smart’ (specific, measurable, relevant, achievable and time bound).

* Make stretch goals that are just a little bit beyond what you think is reasonably achievable.

* Set yourself a schedule with specific goals for each day.

* Do Social Media in ‘dead time’ like when you’re waiting in line or sitting on the bus.

* Make sure you’re posting when you think your customers will be looking.

* Stick to your schedule by putting an alarm on your phone through your calendar.

* APP: Cal (syncs with Google Calendar).

* If you thrive on spontaneity, make a selection or niches of topics which you choose from when you post.

* Sit down once a week and plan out your Social Strategy out for the following week.

* “If you have Facebook, you can upload and schedule this for the entire week and you don’t need to remember to do it each day.”

* Now all you have to do is stick to it and commit to it.

* Marketing is a constant experiment.

* You will never have it all figured out and there will always be new challenges and things to try.

* By setting goals, you will stop yourself falling into a huge trap of just wasting time on Social Media.

 

Download/Listen to this Episode

Are you finding that there are increasingly more ways to interact with your customers through Social Media channels – but you just don’t have the time to use them all?

While I firmly believe you should ‘own’ your business name on all the possible types of social media, you will only find time to be truly effective on one or two at a time (especially if you’re a solopreneur).

You can take one piece of content across multi-platforms – but you’ll probably find that you won’t be able to be active and engaged on all of them. And that is OKAY.

You need to give yourself permission to not be everywhere; to not be available across all Social Media at all times.

So, with that undersanding, I ask you: are you focussing of the right social media?

And are you using them strategically?

 

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

* Claim your business name on all social media so nobody else can do it and you own it.

* Chances are you’re not going to be able to be interactive and active on all those social media.

* The rest can either be linked or just sit there until you find time or want to switch platforms.

* You can never keep up with absolutely everything.

* You might not be active but try to have the same branding.

* Update your links and bio plus your avatar so that everything looks the same and professional across the platforms.

* “Make it easy for people to find where you are and where you’re active.”

* Focus on one or two of your core Social Media and see what you enjoy and what you find easy to do.

* What do your customer resonate with?

* Where are your customers hanging out?

* When you find them, that’s where you should be putting your effort.

* “Give your account a couple of months – it will take time.”

* Don’t spread yourself too thin. Instead, grow followers on one platform and focus your attention to find traction.

* Set yourself goals with your time on Social Media.

* “There should be a purpose to what you’re trying to do over and above just making more sales.”

* Make goals that are ‘smart’ (specific, measurable, relevant, achievable and time bound).

* Make stretch goals that are just a little bit beyond what you think is reasonably achievable.

* Set yourself a schedule with specific goals for each day.

* Do Social Media in ‘dead time’ like when you’re waiting in line or sitting on the bus.

* Make sure you’re posting when you think your customers will be looking.

* Stick to your schedule by putting an alarm on your phone through your calendar.

* APP: Cal (syncs with Google Calendar).

* If you thrive on spontaneity, make a selection or niches of topics which you choose from when you post.

* Sit down once a week and plan out your Social Strategy out for the following week.

* “If you have Facebook, you can upload and schedule this for the entire week and you don’t need to remember to do it each day.”

* Now all you have to do is stick to it and commit to it.

* Marketing is a constant experiment.

* You will never have it all figured out and there will always be new challenges and things to try.

* By setting goals, you will stop yourself falling into a huge trap of just wasting time on Social Media.

 

Have you ever asked yourself this question?

“Why should I pay for this e-courses when I can just Google this information for free?”

Let me start by saying: I am the queen of ‘Googling it’, and a huge amount of what I know about business, I have learned by figuring it out myself through trial and error.

It is absolutely a great, cheap, and legitimate way to learn. But it’s also a very slow way to learn!

Not only that – how can you know that you’ve found genuinely good advice? And how can you know you haven’t missed some vital piece of information that could save you time and money?

I think many people are under the misconception that when they purchase a course, they are just paying for the content. You aren’t. There are actually 4 things you’re paying for, and content is just one of them.

Listen in to this episode to find out just what those 4 things are. It will help you decide whether an e-course is worth your precious financial resources, or whether you’d be better off going it alone.

 

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

* Googling it is great for solving one focused problem.

* It’s not the smartest way to learn.

* “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

* You’re not just buying the content of that course or the information that you’ll receive.

* You are paying for content, experience, saved time, expertise of the teacher.

* The content is always going to be available somewhere on the internet for free – not just all in one place, and perhaps not in a way that’s easy to absorb.

* It’s hard to know what you’re looking for.

* You can end up missing really crucial information which could make your life easier.

* When you consider doing an e-course, look at the experience you’ll be getting. Does it allow you to interact with your classmates? How will the content be delivered? Do you get actual feedback from your teacher – can you ask questions?

* “Choose a course that gives you the experience you want, as well as the content you need.”

* Imagine: instead of spending years stumbling around in dark caves, trying to find your way to the treasure hidden deep within the mountain, someone came along and gave you a light and a map.

* The question to ask yourself when you’re considering exchanging a little bit of your life for an e-course is – “Will the time I SAVE down the road outweigh the money I SPEND right now?”

* Your teacher must have the knowledge and experience to teach you what you need to know in a way that you will find enjoyable, challenging, and truly useful.

* You need to make sure that you really trust your teacher.

* Does what they teach come from a place of hard-won experience?

* “One small test for you to apply: if they tell you that achieving success will suddenly be guaranteed, fast, and/or easy if you just do their course – they’re lying.”

* Success is in the application.

* No-one can give you a magic formula for success.

* Success looks different to everyone, and can be reached in so many different ways.

* Time is life and when you exchange money for something, you’re exchanging it for time saved – a little bit of life. Make sure it’s worth it.

 

Download/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 asked yourself this question?

“Why should I pay for this e-courses when I can just Google this information for free?”

Let me start by saying: I am the queen of ‘Googling it’, and a huge amount of what I know about business, I have learned by figuring it out myself through trial and error.

It is absolutely a great, cheap, and legitimate way to learn. But it’s also a very slow way to learn!

Not only that – how can you know that you’ve found genuinely good advice? And how can you know you haven’t missed some vital piece of information that could save you time and money?

I think many people are under the misconception that when they purchase a course, they are just paying for the content. You aren’t. There are actually 4 things you’re paying for, and content is just one of them.

Listen in to this episode to find out just what those 4 things are. It will help you decide whether an e-course is worth your precious financial resources, or whether you’d be better off going it alone.

 

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

* Googling it is great for solving one focused problem.

* It’s not the smartest way to learn.

* “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

* You’re not just buying the content of that course or the information that you’ll receive.

* You are paying for content, experience, saved time, expertise of the teacher.

* The content is always going to be available somewhere on the internet for free – not just all in one place, and perhaps not in a way that’s easy to absorb.

* It’s hard to know what you’re looking for.

* You can end up missing really crucial information which could make your life easier.

* When you consider doing an e-course, look at the experience you’ll be getting. Does it allow you to interact with your classmates? How will the content be delivered? Do you get actual feedback from your teacher – can you ask questions?

* “Choose a course that gives you the experience you want, as well as the content you need.”

* Imagine: instead of spending years stumbling around in dark caves, trying to find your way to the treasure hidden deep within the mountain, someone came along and gave you a light and a map.

* The question to ask yourself when you’re considering exchanging a little bit of your life for an e-course is – “Will the time I SAVE down the road outweigh the money I SPEND right now?”

* Your teacher must have the knowledge and experience to teach you what you need to know in a way that you will find enjoyable, challenging, and truly useful.

* You need to make sure that you really trust your teacher.

* Does what they teach come from a place of hard-won experience?

* “One small test for you to apply: if they tell you that achieving success will suddenly be guaranteed, fast, and/or easy if you just do their course – they’re lying.”

* Success is in the application.

* No-one can give you a magic formula for success.

* Success looks different to everyone, and can be reached in so many different ways.

* Time is life and when you exchange money for something, you’re exchanging it for time saved – a little bit of life. Make sure it’s worth it.

 

Download/Listen to this Episode

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

I know it’s only the end of August, BUT – for those of us in handmade business, the time to start thinking about the holidays and Christmas sales is now. Why? Because it takes a lot of time to get prepared for the (hopeful) Christmas rush, and by getting ready early, we can ensure we’re organised, stocked up, and don’t miss any potential opportunities.

No matter how many years you’ve been in business, it is worth setting aside a bit of time around the beginning of September to plan your holiday strategy. How? Well, that’s exactly what I’ve got for you today. I’ve created a checklist of the most important tasks and steps to take in order to have your best Christmas sales season yet.

Sound good? Right on, let’s do this!

 

 

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

I reckon the downloadable checklist is enough for you to be getting on with this week – so download the image and/or the pdf printable version below! I go into a lot more detail about each step in the podcast (including sharing a few stories where I got these things VERY wrong and learnt my lesson the hard way).

Please feel free to share the image of the checklist below wherever you’d like – Pin it; share it on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram; email it to a friend; print it out and stick it on the noticeboard at your local craft shop or cafe – whatever! – and help other makers get prepared for their own holiday sales.

 

 

 To get a FREE downloadable PDF of the checklist, just enter your email below!

This download is available as part of my #HandmadeBusinessToolkit – which is packed full of free resources (ebooks, downloadables, and guides) that will help you grow a thriving handmade biz.

The Handmade Business Toolkit is available for absolutely FREE to my C&T email subscribers.

If you’re already a subscriber, check your inbox for the most recent email I sent you – the password for access is inside!

If you’re not already subscribed, just pop your email in the box above and click ‘yes please’ to get access to the #HandmadeBusinessToolkit for absolutely free!

 

Download/Listen to this Episode

You can also subscribe to the podcast and listen to this episode on iTunes + Stitcher