Why goal-setting doesn’t work for makers (and what to do instead)
If you've ever sat down in January, written out a big list of everything you want to achieve, felt really motivated for about two weeks, and then watched the whole thing collapse ... you'd be forgiven for thinking that maybe goal-setting just isn't for you.
But I don't think that's quite right.
I think goal-setting can work really well for makers. The problem is that we're usually trying to do it against a massive headwind, and that headwind makes everything harder than it needs to be.
How to Take a Real Christmas Break as a Handmade Business Owner (Without Forgetting Everything)
If you're reading this while half-watching something on TV, or while the kettle boils, or during a "quick five minutes" that you carved out of Christmas Day... I see you. Makers don't really switch off. Not fully. And especially not at Christmas. You might be...
The 30-Minute Year-End Review for Artists, Makers & Handmade Businesses
Here's something I see all the time: makers who feel like they're working incredibly hard, year after year, but somehow end up in the same place, wondering why all that effort isn't showing up in their bank account. When you're deep in the day-to-day of running a...
How to Do a Studio Tidy Up When You Don’t Have Any Time
Coming back into your studio after the school holidays can feel like walking into a wall. You’re already tired from juggling family life, your energy tank isn’t exactly full, and now your “creative haven” looks like a disaster zone. There are half-finished projects...
How One Hour a Week Can Transform Your Handmade Business
In the thick of running a creative business, it’s easy to get swallowed by the day-to-day. Orders to pack, emails to answer, social media to post. It’s busy busy busy and it never stops. But being busy isn’t the same as growing your business. And not all tasks...
How to Put Your Handmade Business on Vacation Mode (While Keeping Sales Ticking Over)
When it’s time to step away from your business - whether for a weekend away, a Christmas break, or a few weeks of summer holidays with the kids - there’s a way to do it that doesn’t require switching everything off or losing the momentum you’ve worked so hard to build.
With just a little bit of forward planning you could still be making sales
How to set and actually make progress on) your goals when you don’t have consistent working hours
what do you do if your life and business hours are inconsistent, unpredictable or just unconventional and you still want to grow your creative business? Here’s how to set goals that actually work for the life you have — even when your working time is anything but consistent.
How to be a better business owner
As makers we’re all good at making gorgeous things (yes, even you with the imposter syndrome) But when we start to try to build a business out of our work, there are a lot of new skills to learn. The good news is that, just like we learned the practical skills...
The ultimate guide to pricing art and handmade commissions
Pricing our work can be an artist's biggest struggle, and it's no surprise. We've often got complicated thoughts and feelings about our work, how to put a value on it, and whether we should be selling it at all. Is it really good enough?Can I really charge...
When should you start your holiday marketing?
As an artist or maker, your relationship with the Christmas season is probably….layered? On the one hand, it’s a huge opportunity for your business to not only make a lot of sales, but also to substantially grow your audience so that the next year is even...
Essential Steps for Artists and Makers to have a Profitable Holiday Season
How did your Christmas/Holiday selling season go last time around? Maybe it started out okay, or it got off to a slow start but you were managing. But there’s always a point where things really start to go downhill. You’re exhausted. You’ve done one too many...