Aside from the occasional craft show or visit to a local stockist, makers largely do their work alone (except maybe a cat walking across your desk or a child tugging at at you). It can be hard to get peer camaraderie and advice from other makers who are more advanced in their career path.
Mentors can be an invaluable to a young and growing business, or to a business looking to make some "next step" leaps. But often they can be hard to find and even fleeting.
What's it like your running your own brick & mortar shop? We talk with two shop owners about it! Next week I'm excited to sit down with two incredible #ahasmembers about what it's like to own and manage a physical retail space. We're letting you get to know them a little more today. I hope you'll join as we talk to them more about their businesses and answer your questions. Read on to learn about their shops.
We often talk about not relying on Etsy for everything here... and this lesson reaches beyond this. It's easy to put all our eggs into one basket, especially when that basket seems to be given so much to us and so easily! Today #ahasmembers Chris & Andy talk about how hiccups like this in their business have made them stronger. Plus they share ways to get "unstuck" in their business.
We have a strong commitment to creating a community FOR makers that also includes people who are their cheerleaders and support system. Today we have a member, Jeff Daigle, who helps members get their website act together-- including dreaded aspects of figuring out how to setup your own ecommerce. He shares how design thinking can be used in your business. Jeff has also been active in starting the seedlings of a community in Denver which will hopefully turn into a chapter soon. Thanks Jeff!
The realities for retail will suck the life out of a business if there isn't any passion behind it. Luckily, LA-area shop Belle's Nest has plenty of that with two energetic sisters running it. #ahasmembers Gloria and Elena's store features a selection of artisan and local made items, which they know a fair amount about too as makers themselves. Read on for their retail adventure!
There is something very weird in growing a business that things that were "musts" in the beginning no longer are such as you progress. If you are someone is in anyway nostalgic or enjoys certainty, then this is a particularly hard truth to deal with. Even if your not, growth is awkward and outgrowing things can be difficult.
One of the scariest things about running your own business is that everything is on you. So, when you are DIY-ing your financials that can feel EXTRA scary. That's why I asked Lisa of Timeline Organizing to talk about it. When I first met her, like a lot of organizing types, she was clearly very put together. But what impressed me most about Lisa is how sensible she was in her approach and was not into one-size-fits-all solutions. Which is a relief because I know my business doesn't look like everyone else's and I don't want to be judged against them.
Lisa will be teaching you how to organize your books next Tuesday in Long Beach. Don't miss it!
There are a lot of greeting cards out there to choose from, but none as sweetly sassy as those from Julie Ann Art. Julie's cards have been buzzed about quite a bit, and I think it's because they resonate with more casual, "say-what-you're-thinking" people for whom Hallmark won't cut it. She talks about her business growth over the last six years.
