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…
How To Promote Your Business Locally (& Gain New Customers)
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…
How to Build a Recession-Proof Business
A recession is a part of the economic cycle; they’re unavoidable. As a business owner, it’s in your best interest to prepare for the economy slowing down at some point. The following are not only good business practices, but they also help make your business more recession-proof. 1 – Improve profit…
What to Sell at a Farmers’ Market (17 unique ideas)
Farmers’ markets are a good way to make extra money or to test out a new business idea. However, it’s important to sell the right product or you can end up losing money after vendor fees, your time spent preparing for and selling at the market, plus time and money spent making/preparing inventory. This article shares several…
Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing
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…
How to Make your Handmade Business Copycat-Proof
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…
How to Use Color at a Craft Show to Attract Shoppers
If you want a craft show display that stands out, you must strategically use color. Color is what catches the eye, evokes an emotion within seconds, can help tell a story, and much more. Using color effectively so your craft show display catches shoppers’ eyes is fairly easy, but it does take some thought. Here are…
How to Avoid Etsy Copyright Infringement (is Disney & fan art allowed?)
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…
Unique Etsy Shop Ideas (+ 100’s of popular products to sell)
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…
How To Make Your Product Stand Out
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”…
Top Searched Products (Spring 2022)
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…
Is Selling on Etsy Worth it in 2024? (Reviews & Alternatives)
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…
How to Find (popular) Things to Sell on Etsy
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…