When I participated in my first craft show, I showed up with a wrinkly tablecloth, a few baskets and frames from home, and of course, my stock (which had a similar here-are-all-the-different-things-I-can-make type vibe).

Did I sell anything?

For sure!

I probably sold enough to cover the cost of my table.

But I also noticed how much more other vendors were selling. Vendors who seemed to have actually planned their displays.

And then I wondered: what was I thinking?!

I was a regional visual merchandiser for a multi-million dollar retailer.

I knew better.

I knew there was a reason retailers spent a lot of time and money designing product collections and planning exactly where to display them in their store. Then making sure the vision they had when designing a collection came through when displayed in stores.

I knew all that planning translated into dollars.

And I knew if I wanted to have a business that made me money and not a hobby that consumed it, my craft show display couldn’t look like amateur hour.

So I applied the same techniques to my craft show display that big retailers use to boost sales.

The more I mimicked the big guys’ tactics, the more my handmade business thrived.