Farmers’ Market Vendor Checklist
Farmers’ markets require a lot of work to prepare for. Chances are, you’ll be tired the morning of the event and have a lot of thoughts running through your head (what if I don’t sell anything? Do I have enough stock? I wonder if it’s going to rain?). A checklist is extremely handy…
10 Tips to Successfully Sell at a Farmers’ Market
Farmers’ markets are a great way to test a business or product idea and gather consumer feedback. But it can be difficult to be profitable when selling at a farmers’ market, due to the overhead costs. This article will explain the steps you must take to sell at your first farmers’ market, outline…
5 Ways you’re Losing Money at Craft Shows
If you’ve sold your handmade products at a craft show, you know how much work goes into preparing for the event. It’s incredibly disappointing when you sell less than you were expecting. But it’s even worse when you lose money because of the craft show. This article outlines the not-so-obvious ways…
How To Quickly Create a Plan for your Business (to make money)
I love the start of a new year and setting new goals. Each January, I put a lot of time into goal-setting and creating a detailed plan. If you want to follow the detailed system I use, check out The Success Planner. For a quick and easy plan, you can follow the steps in this…
How to Increase Traffic to your Etsy Shop (in 2024)
To make sales through your online store, you first need traffic. Most of us have found out the hard way that you can’t set up a website or Etsy shop, list a few products, and automatically have Google or Etsy bring shoppers to you. When people do set up an Etsy shop, wait for shoppers,…
5 Things Every Craft Show Display Should Include
There are many directions you can go in with your craft show display. And there really isn’t a right or wrong way to display your products; different techniques work for different businesses. What’s most important is that your display helps you make sales. If your display doesn’t: >> grab shoppers’ attention and get them to…
3 Things Advanced Craft Show Displays Communicate
There are craft show tables that simply display products, and there are those that go above and beyond. They create a full experience for shoppers. As a shopper, you feel like you’re shopping with a legit business; you’re not just browsing a crafter’s creations. Everything feels polished and thoughtful. I think of these craft show…
How To Instantly Make your Craft Show Display Look More Professional
When I sold at my first craft fair, I didn’t put much thought into my stock. If I thought someone might buy it, I made it. >> I didn’t consider if the fabrics I chose would look good next to each other or help tell a story. >> I didn’t choose which products to make…
The Biggest Mistake Craft Show Vendors Make (with their display)
With more than a decade of setting up, shopping, and reviewing craft show displays, I’ve learned from many mistakes. The biggest mistake I see vendors make with their craft show display is: Displaying everything they make. Your craft show display should not be treated as a stock room. A craft show display should tell…
How to Make Money AND Create What you Love
Oftentimes, what we love to create is not synonymous with what makes us money. You can find a balance between making money and making what you love. But there’s a way to do it so you stay profitable. This article shares ideas on how you can build a successful business and…
How To Uncover Best Business Practices for your Small Business
When sales aren’t going the way you want them to go, you start researching “all the things”. There are endless directions you could take your business in and a hundred different tasks you could work on. But there’s a blueprint, right in front of you, that will help guide you in the…
7 Essential Things To Do Before Opening an Etsy Shop (& 5 to ignore)
Opening an Etsy shop allows you to test a business or product idea without investing too much time or money. But the only way to properly test an idea is to give it a fighting chance. If you simply list a few items on Etsy and wait for shoppers to come to you,…
Top 6 Reasons Businesses Lose Customers (& How To Stop It)
Reducing how many customers you “lose” by just 5% can increase your profits by 75% (source ). That’s a small improvement that yields big results. Before you can reduce how many customers you lose each month and year, first determine why you’re losing customers…because you are losing customers. If you’re lucky,…
10 (Easy) Ways to Retain Customers
It’s important for a business to retain customers. 50 – 70% of a business’s sales will come from repeat customers (source ). It pays to keep your existing customers happy and coming back for more. Not only is it more revenue for your business, but repeat customers also increase profits. It’s…
How To Inspire Craft Show Shoppers to Buy
Most people who visit a craft show are browsers. They don’t have a need for a specific product, they don’t have anything in mind they’re looking for, they’re simply there to check things out. Browsers can be turned into buyers, but it requires a little more effort. Shoppers are in the…
3 Quick & Easy Craft Show Display Tricks to Stand Out
If you have a craft show quickly approaching, you need display tricks that are quick and easy to implement now. So I’m sharing a few of the most impactful display tricks I learned through my visual design & communication education. These are also the top techniques I applied when working as a Visual Merchandiser for…
How To Make your Business Stand Out (in a competitive market)
I received an email last week from someone asking me to review their business because sales were low. At first glance, I didn’t see anything wrong. She was selling digital invitations and stationery. Her designs were elegant, her branding was spot on, and on the surface, it appeared as though she was…
Marketing Funnel vs. Sales Funnel: Why your Business Needs Both
Most consumers require seven or more interactions with a business before they’re ready to buy (source ). With all the noise and distractions in today’s world, it’s likely this number is even higher than seven. This is why every business needs a marketing funnel and a sales funnel. If you’re unsure about…
What To Do When Feeling Unmotivated & Stuck With Work
Everyone goes through periods of feeling unmotivated and stuck. Unfortunately, life and work aren’t one continuous climb to the top; they’re full of ups and downs. Having one or two off days when you’re overworked, or when you’re trying to get back into work after a vacation are fairly easy to deal with. …
Social Media Content a Small Businesses Shouldn’t Post
Social media is used by many small business owners to promote their products and reach new customers. Unfortunately, many of those small business owners aren’t seeing results from their social media marketing efforts. There are many things you can post to social media to grow your following and increase engagement. However, I…