Everybody likes candles. So if you make candles, everyone is your potential customer, right? Definitely not. That mentality is the quickest way to build a candle business that fails. As Marie Forleo says: If you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one. Being too broad or general with your target market (or not having…
In my last article, How your Creativity is Killing Sales, I mentioned using a 3 – 5 guideline when creating your products, which helps ensure you’re not offering too much selection. Sticking to this 3 – 5 strategy also helps ensure your product line stays cohesive. This article is a detailed explanation of that strategy,…
When someone is at your craft show table or in your Etsy shop, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to buy. You may think letting your creativity go wild and offering an abundance of options makes it easier for shoppers to find something to buy. But it can actually have…
When you’re selling at a craft show, it’s important to optimize sales. Selling two items to each customer is better than selling one item to each customer. Even if a customer only buys one item at the event, the right strategy can encourage them to buy another item from you after the event and become…
Craft shows require so much time and money to prepare for. Walking away having only made one sale, or no sales, is deflating (and frustrating). Sometimes it’s just the way the cookie crumbles. Even experienced vendors who typically generate hundreds of dollars at a craft show can have zero-sale events for reasons out of their…
It’s best to spend conservatively when preparing for your first craft show. You may love or hate selling at markets and events. You also don’t know how shoppers will respond to your products. Some sell better at craft shows than others. However, you still want to make a good first impression and optimize sales. Here…
It’s important to realize that a craft show display is never “done”. With each craft show, you’ll likely want to tweak something based on: the type of craft show you’re attending new products changes to your brand what your target market is looking for (e.g. back-to-school products in September vs. stocking stuffers in Nov/Dec) But…
If you want to be profitable selling scrunchies, you must find a way to decrease production costs. Getting your material costs down is one way, but speeding up production is just as important. The Fastest Scrunchie-Making Method I’ve tested a few ways to sew scrunchies and timed myself. I’ve found, using “The Burrito Method”…
Before spending time and/or money buying or creating fixtures for your craft fair table or booth, keep these 5 things in mind. 1) Shopability There are some really cute and clever ways to display items but if they’re items that shoppers are going to want to pick up and touch, make that step easy…
A common mistake craft show vendors make is trying to use every square inch of their space. In an attempt to optimize sales, they fit as much product on their table as possible. But doing so can have the opposite effect and actually harm sales (and your brand). What is negative space? Negative space…