How to Charge Higher Prices for your Handmade Products
A lot of handmade business owners are timid to raise their prices or to even charge a price that ensures they’re covering all costs, AND making a profit. You’ve likely read the typical article explaining how lowering your prices just to make a sale can be detrimental to your business. (In fact, I have one…
Craft Trends for 2020
*UPDATE Click here to see the most current trend list Whether your handmade business follows trends or not, it’s always helpful to be informed and take color/scent/style trend shifts into consideration when designing new products. Don’t confuse your existing Etsy customers or craft show shoppers by offering a trending product that doesn’t…
What is Going on with Etsy?
There’s no doubt about it. Etsy has made updates that have affected shop owners’ sales. It has many people wondering if Etsy is worth it anymore. Pair that with the platform becoming more and more popular, and thus, competitive, and you have some frustrated Etsy sellers. We’ll always be at the mercy of…
Why So Many Handmade Businesses Fail
The statistics that most small businesses fail within the first five years is a scary one. As much as I would love to chalk it up to a “theory” and not actual stats, the truth is, there are a lot of handmade businesses that don’t stand the test of time. Through Made Urban, I am…
Is it Profitable to Sell on Etsy?
Although selling on Etsy is worth it for many small business owners, it must be profitable for your business. Making several sales doesn’t really matter if you’re spending more money than you’re earning back. This article will break down the costs associated with selling on Etsy, Etsy fees, and how to become more profitable selling…
How to Tell if your Craft Business Has Too Many Products
If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, have taken one of my free email courses or have read any of my ebooks, you know I encourage handmade businesses to limit how many products they make and sell. With me constantly preaching about limiting products, it makes sense that one of the most common…
How to Create an Entry-Level Product for your Handmade Business
To get new customers, you must constantly attract new people to your business and products. When a shopper is “new” to your business it means they’re not familiar with your brand or products, which makes them less prepared to buy from you. If you’re looking to buy a new necklace and head to a jewelry…
How to Plan Inventory & Create a Production Schedule
I’ve created a bonus set of worksheets, which you can download for FREE HERE. to accompany THE SUCCESS PLANNER. If you would like all of the worksheets to plan all aspects of your business for the entire year, you can download THE SUCCESS PLANNER here. If you’ve downloaded THE SUCCESS PLANNER you’ll already have some…
How to Find More Customers for your Handmade Business
If you’re currently lacking sales or want to increase sales, you need to find your path to more customers. Sometimes I find it easier to work backward. Determine the end goal (find more customers) and then determine the step that must happen right before you gain a new customer, and then the step before that,…
What to Pin to Pinterest to Sell your Handmade Products
I explained in this article why I think Pinterest is one of the best platforms for handmade businesses. If you haven’t read that article yet, you should have a quick look so you understand how your Pinterest account, boards, and pins can help get you on the first page of Google (and why the…
How to Get Etsy Sales From Pinterest
Pinterest is my absolute favorite social media platform. Not only does it allow your posts to be linked right to your website (can’t say the same about all platforms *ahem Instagram*), but your pins also have the opportunity to be found when people are searching Google. Why do you want to be found…
How to Create a Holiday Collection for your Handmade Business
Launching new product collections is really important for a handmade business. They create buzz and give people a reason to buy. Think about your favorite clothing store. If they simply carried the same products, day after day and week after week, would you feel any sense of urgency to head in and…
Handmade Jewelry Trends (2019)
Jewelry is a popular category in the handmade community and that often means a lot of competition online and at craft shows. If your jewelry brand is fashion-forward and follows the trends, here are a few ideas you may want to incorporate into your holiday collection. There are so many “trends” that come…
Christmas Craft Trends for 2019
This article stems from one of my most popular articles CRAFT TRENDS FOR 2019 as well as HOT ITEMS TO SELL AT CRAFT SHOWS IN 2018. I research and write these articles at the beginning of a new year, which means by the end of the year, trends may have changed, so I thought I…
How to Start a Craft Business with No Money
When a craft business is a side project, it often means there’s some sort of a shortage of time and money. When I started my handmade business, it was because I was tired of working for someone else, not having enough creative control, and I wanted something bigger and more meaningful to work…
Where to Find Craft Shows to Sell Handmade Products
Craft shows are a great way to generate revenue and move a lot of stock (when executed properly). First, you must find craft shows in your area (or an area you can travel within and stay profitable). To do so, you may use the following ways: 1 – Social Media Social media is a…
Craft Show Table Layout Tips
When creating a craft show display that stands out, you must consider the layout. Once you get your craft show table layout perfected, setup will be a breeze. It will then be a matter of rotating products into each section to coordinate with the season, demographics of the event, or the theme of the event….
3 Steps to Improve Sales Pitches at Craft Shows (or Online)
Introverted, shy, nervous, or none of above but wanting to become a better salesperson? There are 3 steps to do so. We often feel we have good knowledge of our product, our customers, and ourselves but it’s important to get really specific for a deeper understanding of each area. These 3 steps can also help…
10 Ways to Get More Buyers to your Craft Show Table
Although craft show organizers should be doing their part to get lots of shoppers to the event (if they don’t have a marketing plan, it’s a red flag, watch for these ones too before you commit to any event), those shoppers aren’t guaranteed to be interested in your products. You know who is guaranteed to…
Most Handmade Businesses Get an F in this Area
There are usually only a few things that throw a business of its path to success: Lack of demand for the product being offered That may be because there’s nothing different about it, learn how to correct that here…and a few more tips are here Too much selection is causing shoppers to make NO selection….