Featured Crafter coming Friday!

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Why Do You Do What You Do?

Image by rubyblossom. Used with permission via a Creative Commons license.

There is value in what you do.

I was reminded of this lesson the other day. I was lamenting the fact that I am not yet self-employed all the way, 100%, and why was it taking so long, and maybe this isn't the way to go anyway. What am I doing, here? This is taking far too long to see any financial results. Is it worth it?

And then I got this message on Facebook:

Hi Amy,

I just friended you, and didn't want you thinking, "Who is this chick?' so I'll explain. At the end of 2008 I bought your first two ebooks about soap making. A little more than 2 years later, I have a thriving soap business than continues to grow and has enabled me to take my full-time job of 20 years down to a part time job. By the end of this year, I hope to leave that job altogether and focus entirely on my business. I just want to say Thank You for everything. For your knowledge and your inspiration that's helped me get this far. If you ever find yourself asking, "Is anyone even benefiting from what I'm doing?"take a look at my website atwww.summerkitchensoaps.com

Again my sincere thanks,
Michelle Harps
Summer Kitchen Soaps


There. THAT'S the value in what I do. I publish books that help people to learn things. One of my books might be the thing that lifts a woman out of poverty. One of my books has already changed one person's life for the better--she wrote to me and told me so. I am so grateful that she did. I cannot express to you all how much that message warmed my heart and affirmed that I am doing the right thing.

I don't just write and publish books. I help people.

Look at the work you do, and ask yourself, "What is the value of this?" Crafting has value. What needs are you meeting? Do your items make someone more comfortable? My soaps are great for the skin, and are helpful to those with sensitivities to artificial fragrance. They help people. Do your items make people feel more beautiful? Enhance their living spaces? Perform a useful function?

Crafting has value. Our pursuits are not frivolous.

Featured Crafter: Riley of MagnusJournals on Etsy

Handbound Journals

Everyone, please welcome Riley, from Magnus Journals on Etsy. This shop is unique and an ultra-niche: paper and journals. That's it! Please click the photos if you find them intriguing--they are all linked to Riley's shop.

This blog is about crafts and business. How do you find out about craft fairs in your area? Do you sell online exclusively?

Craft fairs right now are still a bit of a mystery to me, but as far as finding them, I live in an area where craft fairs are extremely popular so I’m lucky that they always seem to just present themselves. But if you’re having trouble, connect with other crafters in your area. They’ll know what’s up and they’ll get you plugged in. Right now I also have items in a little boutique that sells items from local artisans, but I’ve primarily been focusing on Etsy.

Three teeny journals

What was the impulse to start your business?

A lot of it was simply people encouraging me to do it. People would see my journals and say, “You should sell those on Etsy!” and finally I investigated it and decided it was something I wanted to do. I wouldn’t have been able to afford bookbinding as a hobby without selling my journals, but now it has totally shifted from a hobby to a business. I still love and enjoy it, though!

Text-covered Journals

What is your niche market?

I think creative, artsy types are definitely my niche because of how I try to use unlikely materials to create my items. The kinds of people who have bought my products are very diverse though, so luckily for me I think my niche transcends the normal barriers like age and gender. I think what sets me apart is that I try to never make the same thing twice. I’m constantly looking for new ideas and new ways to do things; I don’t have an established format that I always stick to.

Vanilla-scented Paper. Have you ever?

Which materials/colors/techniques interest you the most right now? What is inspiring you, creatively?

I’m really into natural materials right now, stuff that looks and feels very earthy. But I’m also really liking bright colors since we’re getting towards spring! It’s hard to find something that isn’t inspiring me, to be honest. Ever since I started trying to use more unusual materials, I can’t look at anything without trying to figure out how I could make it into a journal.

Rocking Chair Printed Journal

What piece of advice do you wish you had, when starting your business?

Let yourself grow. Don’t feel like you have to have everything perfectly set up when you first open shop. I think it’s best to jump into it and learn on the way. Also, photos are the most important thing on Etsy. You need to really have someone who knows what they’re talking about look at your photos . If you feel your shop is struggling, your photos are probably the culprit!

Thanks for joining us on a Featured Crafter Friday, Riley. Readers, please leave a comment if you have a question or enjoyed this interview. Thanks for joining the conversation.

All at Once

The life of an entrepreneur does not happen bit by bit. You must know this. If you have not yet started your craft business, know this. Accept it now.

If you are the sort of person who does not handle chaos well, then this business life may not be for you.

I'm not saying to you must accept the chaos or embrace the chaos. I'm asking you to accept the fact that entrepreneurial things happen all at once, much of the time, and are chaotic, and you must be good at

making sense and order out of the chaos.

When you are having a slow, mellow period in your week, get to work on your crafting. Pre-work. Cut fabric strips. Pre-measure soap oils. Order supplies online. Do something every day to keep things moving forward.

Because when it rains, it pours. An entrepreneur must have said that first.

Here are my tips for managing chaos:

1. Stop. Assess the situation, then respond.
2. Carry your calendar with you at all times.
3. Say, "no," often and as needed.
4. Be professional. If you are scheduling a meeting, and the time they asked for doesn't work for you, don't just say "I'm not available then. When else?" Say this, "I can't do that time. Next week I am available on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday anytime after 4pm." That's faster and more specific. It respects the other person, and yourself.
5. Note when bloggers wax philosophical about situations they are currently experiencing, and pay attention so you can be successful the first time.


What are your best tips for staying organized and on-track? How do you manage the chaos?

Featured Crafter: Celia Boaz from Glitz Glitter

Mint Green Prehnite Necklace

I am thrilled with today's featured crafter, Celia Boaz from GlitzGlitter on Etsy. I own two of her pieces, and have recently fallen in love with the necklace featured at the bottom of this post. Her jewelry definitely has, as she says below, her own voice. I hope you enjoy her interview. Also, please note the detail in her photos--she really knows how to show off these pieces.

(I have these! My mom bought them for me, for my birthday!)

I love my soap bubble earrings! Those beads are unique. Do you do a lot of research to find your beads and baubles, or do you have one or two trusty suppliers?

I am like a dog with a bone when it comes to searching for new supplies. There is only so much one can do with a bead or briolette so keeping an eye out for new and different beads is a huge part of what I do. I spend hours researching and have more suppliers than you can shake a stick at. It's probably my favorite part of my job and I get giddy with excitement when I find a new place. Some times it doesn't work out and you have thrown money away for something that isn't quite what you had imagined, but that's all part of the process.

How much time do you spend on research, compared with the time you spend making things?

I spend as much time researching as making new things. I feel like if you concentrate only on making, your designs could get stagnant. I tuck away treasures and some days when there is no money for new, magic beads, I will find a stash and still have something fun to use to make new designs.

I am very interested to know if anyone in the world is making a full-time living from crafting. Are you? Are you close? Is that a goal of yours?

I am not making a living, yet, but I am getting there? I quit my day job in April of last year and have tried very hard to not take any money from my little business for myself. I have been stretching out my 401k to live on so I can keep re-investing. Is this all a pipe dream? Maybe, but I would kick myself if I didn't give it a shot.

(I own these "soap bubble" earrings! Squee!)

Describe your main work space. How much did you spend to get it functioning?

My main workspace is a 9ft wooden bench that was once used for my mom's gun hobby. Where bullets and casings were once strewn, there is now a giant, messy pile of beads, wire, pliers and findings. I love that it is a mess. I may be sitting there with no inspiration and my eye will fall on some bead that I never knew what to do with and inspiration will strike. It's a magpie's nest of sparklies and I refuse to straighten it up.

What 3 pieces of advice would you give to aspiring jewelry crafters who want to make it a business?

Do your own thing. That is my best advice. Jumping on the bandwagon will put you in competition with people who have been doing what you are trying to do for so much longer and who have so many more resources at their disposal from trial and error. Your jewelry should have a voice and it should be yours. I like simple jewelry, so I make simple jewelry.

Pictures are important! Work on your pictures! But, your craft is more important. That should be the priority. Macro is a cruel magnifying glass of every flaw and mistake you have made. Make sure you are taking a picture of something pretty, not just a pretty picture.

Make friends. Network. Working from home is a lonely business and having friends and a support group of people who know what you are going through is imperative to your mental health and can have a side effect of helping out your business as well.

Thanks so much to Celia for the interview and advice. Please click the photos--all are linked to her Etsy shop. I have also discovered modest Celia's new Etsy shop, TheSlyFox.

Readers, what advice would you give to others who are considering a craft business?

Product Review: Square Up

The Square Up Card reader, on an iPhone. It works on other smartphones, too.

I have recently decided to change my merchant account provider. The Square Up card reader is the reason why. It is my personal opinion that all crafters who sell in person should have this device. Here are my reasons why:

1. The fee structure is amazing. It costs 2.75% per transaction, and that's it. No contracts. No monthly statement fees (I hate them!). You use it when you need it, and when you don't you pay nothing.

2. The ability to accept credit cards at a craft show is priceless. When I started accepting cards, my sales doubled. DOUBLED.

3. It works on an iPad as well as an iPhone and other smart phones. If you have wireless Internet where you are selling, the iPad works fine.

4. You can key in the credit card number, as needed. I've used this feature already, and it works fine. This does incur an additional .15 fee, plus the percentage is 3.5%. Fifteen cents? An extra 1.2% for the flexibility to key it in? Who cares?

5. The customer can "sign" the receipt. This is how it works on a touchpad smartphone. Awesome.

6. You can email or text the customer a receipt. I love this!

7. Swiping the card is faster than keying it in. When your customers are 3-deep, waiting for their turns to buy from you, time is crucial. Don't underestimate this benefit.



What device or system do you use for accepting credit cards at craft fairs?


**I have NOT been compensated in any way by Square Up or anybody affiliated with them. I just love this product.**

Featured Crafter: Tera Larson of CreativityisMessy on Etsy

Antique Brass Dove and Nest Necklace from CreativityisMessy on Etsy

Please welcome Tera Larson of Creativity is Messy on Etsy. I find her items quirky and fun--Spokane, Washington is lucky to have her. Please read her interview and join the conversation by leaving a comment.



1. How do you find out about craft fairs in your area? Do you belong to a crafter's alliance? Do you do all your own research?

I am part of the Eastern WA Etsy Street team, and get a lot of information about craft fairs from other team members. I am also an avid craft fair shopper and have been for many years - so I know about many annual fairs in my area.

Caffeine Junkie -- Miniature Cup of Coffee or Tea Ring

2. What was the impulse to start your business?

I got hooked on making jewelry years ago when my daughter was little. I was a single Mom, working my way through college and I couldn't afford all the pretties and bling that I wanted. I decided one day as I walked through a craft store to begin making my own. Then, I started making gifts for other people. Eventually I began selling my work, then someone introduced me to Etsy and Creativity is Messy was created.

4 Bottlecap Magnets -- Rowdy Cowgirls

3. Jewelry crafting is competitive. What is your niche? What sets you apart?

I would have to say my niche is recycled but beautiful products. A great example of this is my Recycled T-Shirt Flower necklaces. I've always loved using recycled materials when making jewelry. I found that I had an abundance of t-shirts that I had around the house from various charity and volunteer events (my husband and I do a lot of volunteer work). Eventually, I came up with the idea of sewing the t-shirt material into flowers and making different pieces of jewelry out of them. I hadn't seen it done this way before, and I was looking for a way to really set me apart from other sellers. It has been one of my biggest sellers.

Recycled T-Shirt Flower Necklace

4. Which materials interest you the most right now? What is inspiring you, creatively?

I've been playing around with Shrink Plastic, but haven't "perfected" the process by any means. I love vintage and antiques, and found myself doodling things that have that feel to them. Eventually, I hope to sell my doodles by drawing them on the plastic and making them into charms for jewelry.

Interchangeable Bottle Cap Necklace

5. What piece of advice do you wish you had, when starting your business?

Sometimes you're up and sometimes you're down (in terms of sales). If you work as hard when you're up as you do when you're down, the ups and down seem to even out a bit.

*****

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us, Tera. Folks, please click on the photos and visit her shop, spread the word via Twitter or Facebook, and leave a comment. If we all contribute to the conversation, we can learn a lot more. Also, feel free to email me {theoldecrone at gmail dot com} with an idea for another featured crafter, if you have one. I already have several lined up, but I would love to have lots more. Let's make this a regular feature--and my "regular" I mean at least bi-weekly, if not weekly. No giveaways needed, I have decided. I just want to give indie business some exposure-- it's my way of giving back.

Guest blogging

I am the guest blogger over at Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market's blog! It's about finding your niche. Let me know what you think!

Featured Crafter is coming back!

I have had a featured crafter in mind for a while, but she's busy, so I'm moving on. I've found my list of folks on Etsy who indicated they were interested, and just sent off the interview questions to a new featured crafter!

Would you like to be featured here? Leave a comment with a link, and I'll get in touch with you.

Making Liquid Soap in Your Own Kitchen -- Part 3

Part 3 of my liquid soap making series is up on YouTube! In this video, I dilute the soap, get scared because it looks like it didn't work, and then I save it. It's VERY EXCITING.

Craft Business: Startup Checklist

I have been working on something small, yet big. It's a Business Startup Checklist, particularly for crafters. I plan on giving this away to those who sign up for my Craft e-Revolution newsletter. It will contain everything that I can think of for someone starting a craft business.

Your input for this checklist is appreciated. What do you wish someone would have told you to do, when first starting out?

***

Video update: I am having so much fun making videos for YouTube, I can't describe it. Video #3 in my Making Liquid Soap series should be finished tonight and/or tomorrow morning. If I can get it to dilute all the way tonight, then that's when I'll post it. The soaping community has proclaimed the videos both helpful and entertaining, which was my goal. Have you seen them yet? Your feedback on them is appreciated--please leave a comment!

Diluting!

I am diluting the soap, and making a video of that. Stay tuned! In the meantime, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel, if you are interested in learning how to make your own soap.

Making Liquid Soap in Your Own Kitchen -- Part 2

The liquid soap making continues with Part 2: What it looks like the next day.

Making Stuff: Liquid Soap Tutorial

This is the first video in a series I'm creating. The title is "Making Liquid Soap in Your Own Kitchen." You can subscribe to my YouTube channel, if you want: crafterevolution1

The video has received a good response! If soap making interests you, please consider subscribing.

Craft Business: Changing Directions and Increasing Sales

Image by modomatic, via Flickr. Used with permission.

It's story time!

I have a craft business. (Thank goodness! What am I writing about here, anyway?) My husband and I make and sell handmade soap. For the past 6 years, we've been doing this primarily at farmer's markets. There are a lot of them in our area, so this is a lucrative choice for us.

Our best and favorite market is luckily our local one--it's only 2 miles away. We love it there; we have a loyal customer base, and meet new people every year who become repeat customers. The market has live music and great ready-to-eat food, so families often come to spend some time each week. It's fantastic.

Our Saturday market has moved around for the past few years. We started out just doing Sundays. The next year, we wanted to expand, so we thought we would add a Saturday market. Since then, we have participated in three different markets: two years at one, one year at another, and two years at this last one. The first one was too far to drive; the second one went defunct, and the third one just didn't perform as well as we had expected.

Last year, the Saturday market was so bad, we decided mid-way through that we would not go there the next year. Well, here we are, the next year, and we are making decisions about the direction we want to go.

Our goal this year? Increased retail and private label sales. Our decisions?

1. Attend one craft fair/market per month (as available) on Saturdays, varying the location.
   I have already signed up for a market that happens three times per year. I am looking at an April market that is the first of four per year, and another show that happens the first Saturday of the month, May - October. I've investigated one show that happens the second Saturday of each month--it's a bit of a drive, but may be financially worth it. I'm planning on doing a large craft show in December, too.
2. Increase contact with shop/spa owners who may want to do private label body products. We would make the products--they would buy them from us, label and sell them. We would replenish their supply via repeat orders. The ideas for shop owners vary--we've got a lot of leads. We have one client already, from last year, who has already re-ordered!
   
3. Create a monthly sale for the website, and advertise it through our newsletter list.

Our progress?

1. I've signed up for one market, and I'm still reviewing the other options. I need to print out a bunch of calendars and line them up, marking all important dates, so nothing overlaps. I have also signed up and paid to be a sponsor of the handmade soap competition in the first ever Denver County Fair!
   
2. I have made a list of shop owners to contact this month.
3. I created a sale for January, and sent notification to the newsletter list. I got 6 sales.
   

January has been successful for our plan, but it could be better. I hope to be able to report that I have a new private label client in February. What do you think of our progress? Lame? or Awesome? What do you think I should add?

Guest Blogger -- Start Your Own Craft Business

I'm a guest blogger today over at Horseshoe Craft & Flea Market's blog. I outline some good information for folks considering starting their own craft business.

Have a look!

Craft Publishing -- a new idea

Crazypants.

It's possible I've lost my mind, but I've had this idea in my head for a while now. Head on over to Craft e-Revolution and see what one publisher is thinking.

Am I completely crazypants?

Happy New Year! What's your plan?

Image by Herr Kaczmarek via Flickr. Used with permission.

It's time! It's always time, isn't it?

Let's make our plans for 2011. Business plans, crafting plans, writing plans. There are only 12 months in a year, and they go by quickly.

I am thinking about these things:

• increasing income from soapcrone.com and fundraisersoaps.com
• publishing more books from other authors, at Craft e-Revolution.
• keeping a writing schedule
• keeping a marketing schedule

What are your 2011 crafty business plans?

Two Years Makes a Big Difference

This is so cute. I found it today when going over some stats for this blog. I am much more proficient at using Twitter than I was back then.

What social media outlets do you think are the most effective? The most fun?

I'm a guest bloggah.

I'm a guest blogger over at The Soap Box today. I'm expounding on the benefits of jojoba oil. Boring to those of you who don't make soap, I'm certain. For those of you that do, enjoy!