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 Multitasking is Costing You Time and Money
As one person businesses (for the most part), we makers have to ensure that we are making the most of the time we have available for our businesses. Whether you’re working on your business a few hours a week or full time, your time is the most valuable resource you...
Should you do Sale or Return?
Start a conversation about Sale or Return (or Consignment as it is know elsewhere in the world) amongst a group of makers and you’re likely to get some pretty strongly worded responses. Sale or Return definitely gets a bad rap and there’s no question that it’s not...
Three Ways You’re Wasting Your Time on Facebook
You’re probably wasting a lot of time on Facebook. And, no, I don’t mean by watching cute animal videos and scrolling through your frenemies’ photostream. Who really does that anyway? *ahem* If you’re doing any of these three things you’re wasting time with your...
Why you ABSOLUTELY must have a mailing list
I bang on about this all the time but, seriously, having a mailing list is the single best thing you can do for your business, right now, TODAY. Sometimes creating a business around the things that you make can seem completely overwhelming. It can seem really...
Are you suffering from Psych-Yourself-Out-itis?
I am a longtime sufferer of Psych-Yourself-Out-Itis. What is Psych-Yourself-Out-itis? I’m so glad you asked. Picture the scene. It’s January. You’re full of fire and excitement about all of your new goals for the year. This is the year it’s all going to happen....
How to handle customer complaints with grace
How you communicate with your customers is a vital part of your branding strategy and it’s so important that you get it right. When people reach out to you with a problem (or even a complaint), it’s an opportunity for you to improve your processes and make your...
Why Quality Photos are essential and how to improve yours
Nine times out of ten, when someone is frustrated that they aren’t selling as much as they’d like, product photography is the culprit. Online, product photography is absolutely essential. It’s all your customer has got to go on. And it’s not enough to simply SHOW...
How to save hours of work every week: the top business tools I couldn’t live without
Feeling completely overwhelmed and as if you can’t get anything done in your business? Spending so little time making that you actually forget you’re a maker, rather than a professional email answerer? As a solo business owner you can’t do it all. I usually say...
Does Packaging Really Matter?
As a tiny business you have a lot of things to focus on every day. Packaging is a great way to personalise and brand your work and give your customers a really great experience when they order from you online. Gift wrapping, enclosing some sweets, coloured...
Are you worrying too much about what other artists think of you?
We artists and crafters are a funny bunch. We’re not like other businesses because our products are so personal. They are our hopes and dreams. They are our heart and soul. Sometimes they are like our children. As one lovely ceramicist I know said to me “selling...