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…

  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…

  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 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…

Whether you have plans to keep your business local or grow it globally, promoting it locally is the best way to start.  There are so many benefits to selling your handmade products locally.  Sure, a local audience is smaller, but it’s also less competitive. And many people understand the importance of supporting local businesses to…

  There are only two ways to get more customers;  1 – You find customers (outbound marketing) 2 – Customers find you (inbound marketing)   If you simply make products, post them online, and wait for customers to come to you, it’s the equivalent of saying there’s a party at your house but neglecting to…

  Dealing with a copycat is never fun. I’ve dealt with it many times throughout my entrepreneurial career, and continue to.    I remember the first time it happened in my handmade business.   I started sewing mittens using the fabric leftover from the handbags I made.    At the time, I had been in…

When it comes to Etsy copyright infringement, and what can and cannot be legally sold, a lot of Etsy sellers are going by what other Etsy shops are selling. They figure; that person is selling a Disney-themed product, so it must be okay for me to sell one too. The problem with those guidelines is that there…

  Do you need ideas for an Etsy shop? Starting an Etsy shop is relatively quick and easy, but making sales on Etsy can be harder. Obviously, what you sell on Etsy will have an impact on how much money you make. So you want to start with a product that has the potential to…

A USP (unique selling position) is something EVERY business needs to stand out. But a USP eludes so many business owners.    It’s easy to identify when a business has a good USP or a bad USP (or none at all).    But it can be difficult to explain what gives a business that “it”…

  Each year, I put together a list of trending crafts people can make and sell. This year, I wanted to create a list of the most searched products on the Internet. This list is based on stats I’ve researched, rather than the opinions of industry experts.   I’ve updated this list for the second…

  Selling on Etsy is worth it in 2024 because it’s one of the quickest, cheapest, and easiest ways to get your handmade products online and hooked up with a shopping cart function. It’s also a low-risk option when compared to building a website. You can set up a professional-looking online shop in a matter…

Many websites share the best things to sell on Etsy, but base their lists on Etsy shops with the highest number of sales. This information can be found using tools such as Erank or Handmade Hunt (or CraftCount, which has recently shut down).   These tools can be misleading when it comes to what’s popular…

Etsy is a platform for selling handmade, vintage, and craft items. Etsy charges a small fee for each item you list on the platform, as well as fees when you make a sale.    Find a complete breakdown of how much Etsy charges per sale here, as well as examples of the fees you can…

Each year, I create a craft trends list (here’s 2022’s craft trend list). Some trends only last a few months, while others can last for years. So I like to look back and use a few handy tools to determine if people are still searching for and buying the crafts on last year’s trend list….