This week saw two really big changes for makers-- the announcement of a new layout on Etsy and the announcement of Instagram to start using an algorithm. Which has caused quite a bit of panic (particularly around Instagram) on the interwebs.
Mr. Rogers is famous for saying:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
Guys, sometimes as adults we need a little bit of the comforting words of Fred Rogers in our lives. When business crises arise, it still applies-- look for the helpers.
A Few Helpers
I thought I would list a few people who are really great at helping makers and creatives through these changes. When I first talked about the "helpers" you should look to this week, I did so on a Periscope. So I thought, that it would be fitting to link all of the Periscope profiles of all of the people I mentioned.
If you aren't on Periscope yet, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't use it to sell your business (though, you totally can with this blog post I wrote), there are so many people to follow on Periscope who give great business advice that it's totally worth downloading the app.
Here are four businesses to help you in in this time of Instagram/Etsy crisis and uncertainty:
The Merriweather Council (#ahasmember): Danielle is the queen of explaining the latest updates for Etsy (especially when they "Etsysplain" as she calls it and make it more confusing). Go follow her on Periscope because the next Etsy change that comes she will break it down for you and help you not Panic.
Tara Swiger: A calm, soothing voice of reason. What Tara always does best is help you focus on what's really important in your business. She has daily (almost daily?) scopes to talk about goals. I find that regularly focusing on things like that gets you knowing what's important and not sidetracked by things you can't control.
Caitlin Bacher (#ahasmember): Social media straight talk and tough love. Caitlin is great at reasoning the hysteria back down a few notches.
Meighan O'Toole: An artist whisperer, Meighan also talks social media with really helpful ideas that artists will find relatable.
Also, Academy of Handmade is on Periscope-- follow us here!
Resisting Change Is Normal
It's totally human nature to resist change. It feels like "one more thing we have to deal with." But really, there are some upsides that come with the annoyance of having to make changes. Especially for the Etsy change, it really is a huge net positive in my opinion (that old design was SO two thousand and late as The Peas would say). Better branding will only help your Etsy shop feel more like yours and less like Etsy's.
Everything's Gonna Be Alright
Why will this all work out? Because all of this change is just par for the course for ALL businesses (we talk about this a bit here). You will figure out how to make it work for you. People were histrionic when Facebook rolled out its changes to business pages last year. And things worked out.
Facebook pages certainly aren't what they used to be for people who grew very quickly at the right time and lots of organic post views, but Facebook is still a really helpful business tool for many overall (hello, Facebook ads are amazing!). And the key word is tool... these are all tools, not the foundation of our business. Have a strategy and know how to change. This will be fine.
Who do you look to for help when you feel scared or anxious in your business? Let us know in the comments below.
