One of the biggest we struggles we see within our Crafting for Profit events and podcast is seeing people try to name their craft business. And that is because it can be HARD. There are so many companies that already exist and finding a unique and memorable name for your craft business that feels like “you” may feel impossible.

So in today’s post, I’m going to share some creative strategies for brainstorming a craft business name, as well as tools to check whether the name is available. The last thing you want to do is come up with the best name ever only to receive a cease and desist notice from someone who has the name trademarked!

Define Your Brand’s Vibe

To start, think about the “vibe” of your brand. I feel like this is a great place to start thinking about business names because as you start to brainstorm, you will start to feel if the names you are coming up with mesh with the vibe you have going for your company.

Your vibe is basically a distinctive feeling you want your business to have. Maybe it’s cute and quirky. Maybe it’s sleek and modern. Maybe it’s country and shabby chic. You want to make sure your business’s name matches the vibe of the company. You don’t want to name your luxury candle company “Carol’s cutesy candle creations,” for example. Not the same vibe (and not really a good name in general, as we’ll see!)

If you’re having a hard time defining your vibe, think about why you started your business, your niche, your product line if you have one in mind, your passions and values, and your target audience.

Brainstorming Techniques

Everyone brainstorms differently so I’m going to give you a few different ideas. When I was coming up with the name for my small business Chapter & Craft Studio, I spent a long time pairing different crafty and bookish elements until I found a combination that worked. It took me a long time! Definitely don’t give up after one or two brainstorming sessions.

Word Association

Start by just writing down words that represent your products and your craft. For example, if you’re a candle business, you might write down “warm,” “glow,” “flicker,” and “cozy.” If you make a bunch of things but they are all pet-related, think “paws,” “whiskers,” and “wags.”

Use a thesaurus, to help you come up with even more words that might fit your niche. Instead of using a basic thesaurus, try Power Thesaurus. I swear it finds WAY more synonyms and related words than other thesauruses.

You can also write down adjectives and other words that can modify what you came up with. I have found a rhyming dictionary helpful. Alliteration can be fun, but I do think a lot of people get stuck in alliterative names, so make sure you’re thinking beyond matchy matchy words. Sometimes I’ll google “words related to candles” or “words related to puppies” to find more ideas.

Use AI for Inspiration

AI is a controversial topic, but I do think AI is actually really helpful when it comes to naming a business because it can often brainstorm ideas that won’t come up in word association or mind mapping.

Use tools like ChatGPT to provide suggestions based on your prompt. “Suggest whimsical pet business names that incorporate the word paws” or “I run a luxury candle company and I’m looking for suggestions for business names that will appeal to my high-end customers.”

It will come up with a lot of very terrible ideas but often it can hit on something that sparks an idea for you that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. It’s a great springboard into better names that will work for your business.

Putting it Together

See where these words take you. You can connect these words to each other (like Chapter & Craft) or to larger ideas or describing words (like Cozy Glow for a candle company or Whimsical Whiskers for a pet company). You can also create a portmanteau by combining two words. I almost named my business ChapterCraft, for example.

Another idea is to use metaphors that make customers feel what your business represents. Instead of Carol’s Cutesy Candle Creations, maybe it’s something like The Golden Ember. Names like these are more of a suggestion of an idea and a feeling vs. an obvious statement about what the business is.

Again, make sure whatever name you come up with matches the vibe of your business!

Testing & Refining Your Ideas

Once you have an idea (or a few ideas), try saying them out loud. Does the name roll off your tongue? Is it easy to spell? Easy to pronounce?

I thought Chapter & Craft would be easy as a business name but I have found that I can’t seem to type it correctly! I am constantly typing “Crapter and Chaft,” which is NOT the vibe. I still think it’s a great business name, but you may want to try typing your ideas out to see if you have any issues!

You can also share the name or names with your friends or family and ask for their feedback. Some people will be brutally honest, so prepare yourself! If you have a social media audience of any kind, you can also ask them for feedback and gauge their reaction and engagement.

Also think long term. Maybe don’t put a particular product in your business name, like Cathy’s Cool Tumblers. Maybe you want to add products or cease making tumblers when they aren’t as trendy anymore. Find a name with staying power that allows you to expand into other ideas.

Does It Look Good in a Logo?

One thing I don’t think people consider is whether or not their business name will look good in a logo—both a square logo and a wide logo. The longer the name, the more difficult it is to fit into a logo that can be read on a small screen.

You don’t need to decide on a final logo right away, but you can pop your craft business name ideas into Canva’s free logo templates just to get a feel for how it might behave as a logo. Are letters running into each other? Is the name too long? Does it look good in a few different fonts? Just play around and see what type of logo might work well with your ideas.

Check Availability & Legality

Once you have a name you like, it’s time to see if it’s already out there. Because there are so many companies already out there, you will probably have some trial and error before you can come up with a business name that works with your vibe, looks good in a logo, and isn’t already taken.

Domain Availability

Start by checking to see if the website URL is available. NameCheap is the site I use for all of my domains and you can use it to search for available URLs. I recommend doing this in an incognito Chrome browser so that the site doesn’t see you searching and increase the price of the URL (I am not sure if this actually happens, but better safe than sorry).

I recommend a .com or .co email address, but you can also look for .studio or .craft as well. Just as long as you’re not stepping on the toes of someone with a similar business that has the .com or .co. For example, maybe The Golden Ember is a restaurant. It would be ok to grab the .craft version of that URL for your craft business because it’s not a competitor with the restaurant.

Etsy Availability

Because we are specifically dealing with crafts, Etsy is a great place to see if your craft business name is available. Try various combinations to see if anyone else has your great idea. If they do, especially if they are active and their shop has sales, rework it!

Social Media Handles

Another thing to check is the availability of the social media platform handles associated with your brand. This can be one of the biggest hurdles, but if you plan to do any social media you’ll want to grab the handles. You may want to grab the handles on platforms you aren’t on right now but might want to be on in the future.

You can use sites like Namecheckr to check all the platforms at once, though I found it a bit glitchy.

If you’re struggling, you can do things like @shopgoldenember instead of @goldenember, for example. Try different combos, but try to make them consistent across social media platforms. Some platforms (Pinterest in particular) limit you to 15 characters.

Trademark Search

Caveat: I am not a lawyer!

I would also recommend doing a trademark search. You don’t necessarily need to trademark your company name, although it does offer some legal protections. But there are some rights granted to you if you are the first person to use the name and you have a clear use of it online.

Again, you may still be able to use the name if someone is using it in an entirely different industry, because trademarks are specific to selling certain products and services. Maybe someone has Whimsical Whiskers but they are a barber. You would probably be OK as a craft seller making pet products.

If you do decide to trademark, a lawyer can help ensure your name is legally in the clear.

Business Name Registration

Finally, you may want to check with your local and state business registry (or secretary of state) to see if the name is already in use in your state or county. This may come into play if you need to register your business officially.

All right! I hope you found these tips and tricks for naming your craft business helpful. Take time with this process! Finding a unique name can make all the difference between a business that succeeds and one that doesn’t. Feel free to ask questions or share name ideas in the comments and I’ll give you some feedback!

The post How to Name Your Craft Business appeared first on Hey, Let's Make Stuff.

One of the biggest mistakes I see people making in their small craft business is trying to sell too many things. And I understand! I have a wide range of crafts I like to do and a lot of personal interests that could make for cool ideas for products to sell.

The problem is, when you are too broad, your ideal customers have a much harder time trying to find you. Imagine you are at a craft fair. There’s a seller who has sublimation tumblers, shirts they made using DTF transfers, laser engraved cutting boards, tumblers, and ornaments, crocheted stuffed animals, and hand-sewn aprons. Their booth looks like it belongs at a flea market rather than a craft market.

But across the aisle, there’s a seller who has niched down to just custom laser engraved cutting boards.

Who do you think the customer is going to seek out if they are looking to buy a custom cutting board? More than likely the seller who specializes in them, even if they other seller who does more is selling them for less. This is because the seller who has niched down has made themselves into a expert in the one thing they make and will appear more trustworthy than the other seller who has tables full of random things.

Will the cutting board seller have fewer customers to their booth? Probably. But will more of those customers buy? Definitely.

So in today’s post, I’m going to share my process for finding your craft business niche. You can also download a list of 100 craft business niche ideas to help you get started thinking about what might be the perfect niche for you!

What is a Niche?

I like to think of a niche in two ways. You can look at it by the types of products you make. Or you can look at it as the theme that binds all your products together. There will, of course, be some overlap between the two types of niche, but this should help you narrow things down so you don’t end up with an “everything” booth.

Niche by Product

The cutting board vendor above is an example of a niche by product. They are selling a single product—cutting boards—that could have a variety of designs or styles to them. Maybe some are classic monograms and some have funny sayings. But the niche is engraved cutting boards.

If you decide to niche down by product, know that you’re going to be making the same thing over and over again. This is great for many crafters. For example, maybe you make pottery or you carve wooden bowls. I feel like artisans who work with natural materials often fall into this category.

Niching by product is also great for using your resources. You don’t need to buy a bunch of different tools or machines or materials. You just need what you need to make the things that you make. It’s less expensive, takes up less space, and is less overwhelming overall.

Other niches by product might include:

• Crocheted items
• Jewelry
• Sublimation drinkware
• Bath and body
• Handbags
• Furniture
• Glassmaking
• Apparel
• Ceramics
• Candles
• Dolls or other toys
• CBD items
• Painting or illustration
• Cards
• Photography

Niche by Theme

Second up is niche by theme. My handmade business, Chapter & Craft Studio, is niched by theme. I sell a wide variety of products, all with a book theme. So you can get tumblers, bookmarks, tote bags, stickers, and more at my booth. But all of them are appealing to a certain demographic—a woman in her 30s or 40s who loves to read and who watches a lot of BookTok on TikTok. My products are geared to make her squeal when she comes into my booth and sees an art print of her favorite books.

I think niching down by theme is a better choice for people who want to do it all. By creating a cohesive theme for all of your products, you look more like a small business instead of a yard sale.

Here are a few ideas, but download the 100 craft niche theme idea list to get inspired!

• Pop culture or fandom themed items
• Anime-inspired items
• Gaming accessories
• Plant-themed crafts
• Wedding items
• Upcycled fashion
• Upcycled furniture or decor items
• Decor with a theme (cottagecore, boho, minimalist, etc.)
• Holiday-themed crafts
• Party decorations
• Self care kits
• Pet-themed crafts

What’s Popular?

When you’re looking at different craft business niches, also take a look at what’s popular. I mean this both in a broad sense as in what’s popular in pop culture and in our world today, as well as what might be popular with your ideal customer.

For example, I know Taylor Swift is hugely popular with my target audience. But she’s not book themed. So instead, I made one of my book stacks and turned it into her albums instead. This image (which is on all sorts of different products) looks like the rest of my products but is specifically designed to get those Swifties who also love books. It’s one of my best sellers. I also try and find book series and authors who are hugely popular in my niche.

But while Taylor Swift is enormously popular in the world but she might not be popular with the older women who love to buy your handbags. But you find a certain fabric or pattern that appeals to their nostalgia that ends up selling really well. For example, my own mom makes handbags and she uses a variety of fabrics (many of them upcycled). Every time she makes a bag using flour sack tea towels, they sell right away because they appeal to a memory for her ideal customers.

Create a Connection

By niching down and looking at what’s popular with your ideal customer, you are much more likely to create a deep connection. My booth is book-themed crafts and also…I read a lot! I’ll probably get through 120 books this year. Which means not only are people coming into my booth to scope out my book-themed products, when they find something to buy we can bond a bit over the books we both love!

This connection should work for most niches. I went to a booth recently that sold honey and other bee-themed products. I ended up chatting with the vendor about where they keep their bees and about the decline in the bee population locally. I ended up buying three jars of honey (she had a build-a-three-pack with a special gift box…always a great idea) from her and taking her card for when I run out.

If you are selling a whole bunch of items, it’s much harder to connect on a deeper level with your customers. A sale becomes just a transaction. And I believe the whole point of craft markets is to build up our local communities, get our neighbors and friends to shop small, and make people excited to find our booths at the next crafting event.

Finding Your Craft Business Niche

Taking into account everything I mentioned above, let’s work on finding your niche.

Step 1: Identify Your Skills and Passion

First, take into account your craft and what you love to do. For many people this might be obvious. But if you do many things, you’ll want to figure out what you really like to make and can make well over and over again. Quality is key—just because you can make it doesn’t mean you can make it well.

You’ll also want to make sure you’re passionate about most of the craft. You don’t need to have passion about every single thing you do, but overall you want to enjoy yourself! Do I like printing out art prints? Not really. But I sure do enjoy designing them! Do I like scrubbing tumblers after I’ve engraved them? Not particularly. But I enjoy the rest of the process! Make sure you are doing what you love or you’re going to burn out quick.

And then you might want to combine all of this with something beyond just crafting. For me, it’s my love of reading and books. Maybe it’s your love of travel and other countries. Or your background as a therapist or teacher or motorcycle rider. Maybe you’re using your experience after you lost a pet to make special pet bereavement gifts. There are a lot of ways you can make your business more personal to you so your passion for it will really shine through.

Step 2: Research Your Market

Everyone’s market is going to be different but you really do need to home in on an ideal customer—and there needs to be a good size audience. Your dear cousin Linda who loves collecting pink dinosaur ballerinas might be your target audience for your pink dinosaur ballerinas, but the whole audience for pink dinosaur ballerinas would be (I assume) very small. It doesn’t matter if you have an ideal customer if there’s only a few of them!

So as you’re thinking about what you want to make, research your market. Do searches on Etsy and Google and see what people are looking for. On Etsy, for example, you can search for a product that you want to make and see what’s out there. What are people charging? Who is making sales? What can you make better than anyone else? You obviously do not want to copy, but data is data and can help you make smart business decisions.

Again, everything you do is going to be tailored for your market. My bookish customers love romance and fantasy more than nonfiction or memoir, so my products are going to be girly and fun and appeal to those women I want to shop there.

Additionally, I want you to try and find products that could appeal to a wide range of budgets. You may make the most beautiful glass artwork, but that will narrow your market considerably. So maybe think about making some mini art so that people with smaller budgets can still get something of yours they love. People love a tiny deal.

Step 3: Decide on a Craft Business Niche

Now you can start to play with the intersection of what you’re passionate about and what will actually make money!

This may take some testing! I thought my bookish engraved tumblers were going to be a hit at my first few craft fairs and they were one of my lowest selling items. So while I will still have some at my upcoming fairs, I won’t be making anymore unless something takes off that I didn’t foresee.

I also realized that there were a LOT of kids at the craft fairs I’ve done and there should be at the two I have planned for November. And I had…nothing for kids. But kids love books! So I am going to add some bookish kid stuff at a low price point, including stickers, bookmarks, and bookish friendship bracelets (“in my reading era” etc.).

Over time, you’ll start to refine what your audience wants, whether it’s through craft markets or through Etsy. You may want to broaden your niche just a bit to capture new customers, or narrow it a bit or pivot if you are finding that people aren’t connecting with your niche.

Also be flexible and be okay with trying new things and seeing them fail. There’s no need to make or list products that just aren’t selling. Chalk it up to a test and gift them or donate them.

10 Businesses with Great Niches

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are ten makers I follow that have a great craft business niche! Of course, DO NOT COPY. But you can see how they each have a great niche and a lot of sales!

• Cloris Creates
• Cameron’s Cute Creations
• Back to Basics
• Purrs and Stitches
• ZOZO Toys
• Forest Decor Shop
• Lilliput Little Things
• Untie the Bow
• All For Candle
• Designs by MJV

If you have questions about finding a crafting niche, let me know down in the comments!

The post Finding Your Craft Business Niche appeared first on Hey, Let's Make Stuff.

If it’s one thing I love, it’s a good trend. I know that if I can take a current trend and make it work within my own shop Chapter & Craft, then I probably have a good chance of the product being a hit.

The key here is to not RELY on the trends. Your business should have its foundational products that have historically sold well. Don’t overhaul your entire shop based on trends. But if you sprinkle in some of the current trends, making them work with your product lineup, there’s a good chance you’ll see some success with trendy products.

So in today’s post, I’m going to share with you some themes and product ideas that I have seen trending in crafts over the last few months that I think will stay strong into the 2024 holidays. Many of these are from spending A LOT of time on Etsy, others are from my trip to Las Vegas in September to Printing United, and others are from things I’m currently seeing in retail stores.

Are you seeing other trends? Let everyone know down in the comments!

2024 Trending Themes

Ghosts: Ghosts have been trending all year, despite Halloween only being once a year. And I have already seen Christmas ghosts all over Etsy, on shirts, tumblers, bookmarks, and more.

Mushrooms: Mushrooms have been everywhere this year and they are still going to be big this Christmas! Think ornaments, pillows, bookmarks, and more. Heck, there are even mushroom ghosts!

Cats: Cats have been bigger than dogs this year and they are everywhere. Ghost cats? Of course. But also candles, shirts, home decor, and more.

Witchy / celestial / magic / fantasy / astrology: This is sort of a broad category of things that all feel a bit magical and often dark. This has been trending for a while, but with the rise of the romantasy (romance + fantasy) genre in books and other media, it’s still holding strong and can be found just about everywhere right now.

Hyper local: Anything that’s hyper local to your area has the potential to do well. Combine it with your niche and people will be so excited to have something that really feels like home. For example, I have a Chapter & Craft sticker that says “I [heart] books and Bellingham.” This is perfect for my neighbors who love our city and also love to read. Think your neighborhood name, your town name, popular street names, your zip code, and sites or touristy things that only exist locally.

Retro aesthetic: Right now, everything from the 80s and 90s is trending, especially for young people. It’s like my childhood is back again. Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, Saved by the Bell, Power Rangers, boom boxes and Nintendo Game Boys. Also think scrunchies and hair claw clips and other easy fashion items. This 90s nostalgia bookmark is the perfect encapsulation of what I mean by this retro aesthetic.

Friendship gifts: There’s been a big increase in women shopping for their besties in the last few years and a lot of the products people are buying invoke that nostalgia of friendship from the 80s and 90s. Things like friendship bracelets, friendship stickers or necklaces with two pieces of a heart, artwork if you are long-distance friends, funny candles, and more.

Neutrals: At Printing United, there were so many apparel companies and pretty much all of them were showing neutral clothing. This can be combined with some of the crafts below, particularly embroidered sweatshirts.

Boxy silhouettes: Another one for apparel is the boxy silhouette. Shirts are being made with heavier fabrics that don’t cling quite as much as the styles from years before. BELLA+CANVAS has a heavyweight line that is really popular right now. Going with these boxier silhouettes will appeal to a younger crowd.

Kitschmas: Kitschmas is a portmanteau of Kitsch and Christmas and it basically the intersection of the holidays with all sorts of cute but most likely tacky decor. There’s a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in this one, so think ceramic light up ceramic Christmas trees, retro Christmas illustrations, ideas Rankin/Bass (like the Rudolph movie), vintage ornaments, and more.

Pinkmas: This is basically Christmas, but make it pink! There’s definitely some crossover between Kitschmas and Pinkmas, as well as the hyper girlie aesthetic that’s trending. A fake pink tree, pink garlands and ornaments, pink stockings, etc. are all part of Pinkmas!

Hyper girlie: Like I mentioned above, there’s a lot of very “girlie” trends right now. Velvet bows for your hair or on a Christmas tree, anything made with glitter or sparkles, hair charms, cherries and strawberries, flowers, disco balls and rhinestones, and of course PINK! It’s probably not very demure or very mindful, but we like it anyway.

Kidulting: Finally, we have another funny name for a trend! Kidulting is basically things that take adults back to when they were kids. In this space, we’re looking at fun craft kits, whether it’s tie dye, flower pressing, puff paint, embroidery (see below), or collecting stickers in a sticker book. There are so many ways that you can put together a kit for your customers so they can experience the joy of being a kid again.

2024 Trending Crafts

Inexpensive gift ideas: To start, let’s just say right off the bat that the economy is rough right now and people are probably going to be spending less money on Christmas gifts than they have in the past. Adding inexpensive gift ideas to your shop is one way to get those shoppers buying from you for things like stocking stuffers and gifts for coworkers, friends, and extended family members. Having a wider range of prices for your products invites more people to be able to shop with you, so make sure you have some items at a lower price point in your booth or Etsy shop.

Stickers: Stickers are still so hot and are great inexpensive gift ideas! They are such an easy buy for someone at a craft fair and can sell really well with free shipping on Etsy (did you know you can send envelopes for the price of a stamp WITH tracking on Etsy?). I highly recommend having something like stickers that are an easy buy for people who don’t have a big budget or who are looking for stocking stuffers.

Charms: Charms, in all their forms, are becoming more and more popular (and make good inexpensive gifts!). Custom charm bracelets and necklaces are a lot of fun. And then people are now making charms for all of your accessories as well, including charms to add to a Stanley water bottle, and charms that fit the standard plug at the bottom of a phone or kindle. These feel like miniature keychains to me. Many of us don’t carry keys around anymore because we have remote start vehicles, so charms are another way to show your personality instead.

Money Holder Ornaments: If you want an easy gift to give, cash is almost always appreciated by just about anyone! But you can make it special with a money holder ornament. Almost all of the designs for money holder ornaments are done using a laser, so if you have a laser, this might be an easy trend to jump on. And it’s another inexpensive gift idea as well!

Patches: Patches fall into two categories for me. There are patches that you can cra ft yourself using sublimation, and there are patches that you might design and order from a manufacturer, particularly chenille patches. Both are trendy, but if you can get a good rate for buying chenille patches with your designs (they can be pricey, so shop around!), they have the possibility to do really well. They are basically stickers for your clothes and bags!

Embroidery #1—Embroidered sweatshirts: I have three trends in embroidery for you. First up is embroidered sweatshirts. If you have a machine capable of embroidery, this is definitely one you’ll probably want to jump on! Even if the embroidery is simple, you can make simple word designs like this “happy days ahead” sweatshirt. But if you have a bigger embroidery machine, USE IT! This trend is so hot right now.

Embroidery #2—Hoops: Right behind embroidered sweatshirts are finished embroidery hoops. The key here is to make them fit your niche. So if I was doing them for Chapter & Craft, I would make book-themed embroidery hoops. I can’t embroider, so this one isn’t for me, but think about it for your own business if it’s in your wheelhouse! Combine this with other trends like ghosts, kitch, astrology, and more if it fits your niche.

Embroidery #3—Kits: Finally, you could think about selling embroidery hoop kits for people to make at home as gifts or for themselves. Put together a hoop, cloth, the right thread, and a pattern you designed and it’s a great idea to sell!

Clay Jewelry: Clay jewelry has been one of the biggest trending crafts over the last few years and it seems to just keep getting bigger. It’s hard to jump on this one if you don’t have any background in making clay projects, but if you do, you may want to think about it, and you can always start with something simple.

Servingware: Servingware is still hanging on as a trend, especially for family gifts. Does your mom need a cutting board with your grandmother’s cookie recipe on it? Yes! Do your kids need a custom Cookies for Santa tray? Absolutely. I think the biggest key here is allowing for customization. This may be a little harder to do at a craft fair, but it’s easy on Etsy. Market this as making memories that will last a lifetime.

Molded candles: Candles have been big for a long time, but I’ve seen a lot of molded candles out there lately. This can be an entirely molded candle, or it can be a “dessert” candle which is a poured candle in a jar with other wax elements on top, like this gingerbread candle.

UV DTF: UV DTF transfers have been trending in a big way this year, allowing you to put full color designs on hard blanks like glass tumblers, keychains, phone cases, acrylic bookmarks, and more. The printer itself is expensive and requires a lot of maintenance, but you can easily order transfers from a variety of shops online, like Ninja Transfers.

Whew! That was a lot of trending products for Etsy and craft fairs! Let me know your favorite trends this holiday season down in the comments!

The post 2024 Trending Products for Etsy Sellers and Craft Fair Vendors appeared first on Hey, Let's Make Stuff.

All right friends, I’ve been hinting about this on YouTube a bit but I’m finally ready to share the news! I started a small craft business separate from Hey, Let’s Make Stuff. 2024 started off terribly, with the death of an old friend, a very close family member being diagnosed with cancer (thankfully she’s now in remission!), and a lot of other health stuff for people I love.

And while I love writing and filming tutorials for my blog and YouTube channel, I was feeling a bit disconnected from the joy of actually crafting things and seeing people enjoy what I’ve made personally.

I was pretty burned out.

So I turned to one of my all-time favorite hobbies: reading. I have always been a voracious reader. In fact, my first blog was book reviews! I needed someplace to escape to when life to got too much, so I turned to books.

And as I read, I got the itch to start making book-themed crafts and products.

So I decided to give it a shot to see what I could do. Enter Chapter & Craft Studio!

I started with a local craft fair back in early July 2024 (it’s September now) and then joined Etsy in late July. As of the writing of this post, I’ve made about 600 sales!

This little side hustle has done even better than I’d hoped! So much so that I thought I’d start a series here and on YouTube, talking about what I’ve learned while starting up Chapter & Craft. This post will be a bit more personal, but we’ll get into the nitty gritty of running a small craft business in future posts!

Up until now, I’ve built my business without the benefit of using my Hey Let’s Make Stuff brand name. I thought this would give me a more accurate perspective for most of our Crafting for Profit podcast listeners who don’t have the benefit of a huge audience to start out with. I wanted to put into practice all of the things we talk about under Crafting for Profit. Proof of concept, if you will!

Privileges and Disadvantages

Before we get into those things, however, I want to talk about some of the privileges and a disadvantage I have in starting this business. We all have different things that make our businesses easier and harder to run and I think being honest about those things gives us realistic expectations about what we can (and can’t) make work for us.

My Privileges

I think the biggest privilege I have in starting this business is the number of machines and other resources I have. Because I’ve been a content creator for so long, I am working with a lot Cricut machines, lasers, sublimation printers, and a white toner printer. Most people will not have access to the equipment I do. I rarely crafted more than one thing at a time, but I was able to make a wide variety of projects because I have a wide variety of machines. I also didn’t have to pay for many of these machines because of brand partnerships, which I recognize puts me ahead of many people.

Second, I am lucky that my life circumstances made it pretty easy. I work for myself so I could choose to allocate time to this side project. I got the bulk of my shop set up and running during summer break, and my kids are easy kids so I didn’t have to spend every minute either driving them everywhere or making sure they didn’t get into trouble. I didn’t have to try to cram this side hustle into the margins of my day like so many people. And my husband and kids were supportive and even helped out a bit.

Third, I have a background in design and marketing. This means that I can do a lot of my own design to make my products unique, rather than relying on what already exists out there. And I am also good at branding because I worked at in marketing for years. These things definitely give me an advantage.

And finally, I also think I have the privilege of youth(ish) and all that comes with it. I’m not super young (43 at the time of writing this) but I know a lot of people try to start their small craft businesses in retirement and I think that must be more difficult in some ways. I may have more energy, more knowledge about tech, and perhaps fewer health problems than some of you, and I recognize that as a privilege.

My Disadvantages

Speaking of health, however, my biggest disadvantage is that I’m running this business (and my main business of Hey Let’s Make Stuff) with fibromyalgia, which can leave me with an aching body, brain fog, an upset stomach, and nerve pain. This affects when and how I work and I do have to be careful about how I do things. We did a whole episode on Running a Small Business with a Chronic Illness over on the podcast, if you want tips and tricks for helping manage your own condition.

I also have small kids at home. While my kids are easy, they are…here! Often in my studio! Which I love. But it also means that I have to create boundaries not to work all the time because I want my evenings and weekends to be for my family and that cuts out on a lot of hustle time that others might have.

While you may have different privileges and disadvantages, I do think it might be helpful for you to write them out. You can remember how your life may be easier than some others while also keeping in mind what may make it more difficult for you as well.

Starting a Craft Business

Now let’s dive into what I actually did to kick start this business!

The idea for this business came about when I decided I wanted to participate in our local summer craft fair. My mom is a crafter and has her own booth each year and my wheels started turning about creating my own book-themed craft booth to combine my love of crafting and my love of reading.

Apply for the 2024 Summer Craft Fair

So my first step was to apply for the craft fair at the beginning of May 2024. I didn’t have any photos of products because I didn’t have any products! So I spent a few days creating lists, researching, and making prototypes of things I might want to sell, including tumblers, mugs, art prints, totes, keychains, buttons, stickers, bookshelf decór, and more.

At this point I wasn’t sure if I would be accepted, so I just designed and made one of each thing, photographed it, and submitted it to the craft fair selection committee.

Thankfully I was accepted! I spent the next month making product after product. I had no idea what would sell and I didn’t want my booth to be empty. To be perfectly honest, I probably did more than I needed to, but that’s just my personality for you. #overachiever

The craft fair was on a warm day in July. I did pretty well here for it being a small neighborhood show and the first I’ve done. I made about $500 and learned A LOT to take into craft fairs this fall that should improve my sales. I’ll go into craft fair tips and tricks in future posts since there is a LOT to cover!

Joining Etsy

Soon after the craft fair, I added a few of my products to Etsy. I decided to go with Etsy to start because they have such a robust search engine that makes it easier for people to find you.

All I added to start were my stickers and my art prints and they did really well right out of the gate with no marketing on my part! I will do a whole post on Etsy SEO and the things that will help drive traffic to your Etsy listings. Since then, I have also added Kindle inserts, keychains, mugs, and more. And I’m sitting at a solid 5-star rating from nearly 100 reviews!

If you have Etsy questions, make sure to leave those down in the comments so I can answer them!

What’s Going Right

I’ll go into so much more in upcoming posts, but I did want to talk a bit about what’s going right and what needs improvement right now.

The first thing has been going great is my overall attitude toward this endeavor. I’m having a lot of fun! And that’s part of this whole thing. I wanted to get back to the joy of crafting and I think it’s working. There really hasn’t been much time where I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed creating Chapter & Craft and I’ve really needed it after a difficult year.

Another thing is my sales on Etsy! If you’d told me I’d have more than 600 sales three month after opening my Etsy shop I would’ve thought you were crazy. But I think I’ve found a great niche and some fun designs that are really resonating with people.

What Needs Improvement

My email list! I am such a big proponent of an email list and I talk about it all the time on the Crafting for Profit Podcast. But in real life, I have pretty much failed! I do have the email list itself created in ConvertKit, I just haven’t given anyone a good way to sign up yet. So that is one of my big focuses going into the holiday season.

Another is trying to figure out where to go from here. My mind is a tornado of ideas all of the time and actually nailing things down to do has been more difficult than I expected. Right now, my biggest focus is reworking my craft room to actually make a shipping area (the tiny desk I’m currently using is NOT cutting it) and making products for the holidays (ghost stickers, anyone?).

Then on my longer-term list I have ideas like opening up a TikTok shop, getting on camera more for TikTok and Instagram, starting a FB group (maybe with a book club?!) and wholesaling. And I’m looking at getting my own sticker printer/cutter, because I am just that crazy!

So what do you think? Do you want to know more about this journey? What particular tasks do you need help with running your own small craft business? Let me know in the comments!

The post How I Started a Small Craft Business! appeared first on Hey, Let's Make Stuff.

This post is a summary of a recent YouTube Live and podcast I did with Angie Holden! Crystal Summers was our guest speaker and shared her go-to tips and tricks for craft fair success. You can watch the video by clicking play below, or you can find the podcast on many of your favorite podcast players. The video and podcast cover even more than I’ve shared here, so if you have the time, give them a watch/listen!

Let’s get to know Crystal from LifeLoveCreations!

If you’ve joined me for as YouTube live premiere or attended a camp event, you’ve probably run across Crystal. She actually works with me here at Hey, Let’s Make Stuff and runs her small business, LifeLoveCreations in her spare time. This is probably similar to you and many other readers out there!

Crystal lives in Maryland right outside Washington, D. C. with her two kids and husband. She started LifeLoveCreations in 2020 after being laid off from work in the midst of the world shutting down. Like many others, she found herself at home with two kids and no idea what to do.

So, she started making playdough with her daughter, who was four at the time, and it really just evolved into a full blown sensory playdough kit business. It remained that way for a few years until she invested in a laser craft machine to grow her business.

Since then her products have evolved and changed. While her business is still largely geared toward families and kids, most of the playdough she now makes is for custom orders and party favors, or local craft markets, which we’re talking about today.

We chatted all things craft fairs and Crystal shared 10 tips for craft fair success!

1. Find Local Craft Fairs: Attend as a Customer

You may be wondering where to even start and how to find a local event? Think about events you have attended or heard of in the past! Attend those events!

Attending a craft fair before you sell is always a good idea. It gives you an idea of what other types of products are being sold, as well as who attends the event.

Are these people that you think are going to be interested in your products? Also, what’s the traffic like? You want to make sure people will be there to buy your product, but also build your community and business!

So if you go and there’s like, 10 soap vendors and you make custom soap, maybe that’s not the best place because it’s really saturated, but maybe there’s, 10 soap vendors and you make sublimation mugs. So there’s a space for it and nobody else is making it. I really feel like that also can give you a good insight into how your products might do in comparison to other people’s products.

If you aren’t sure how to find events, ask around. Join your local Facebook group. See what events are being shared or even ask if others have recommendations of events you can attend. It’s a great way to see what’s popular in your community!

Watch to see where some of your favorite local small shops are vending or what events they’re sharing. You can also reach out and ask them how to get involved. One way to do this is to attend the event and ask if they can direct you to the person in charge of the event. Most people are willing to help others and share the knowledge!

2. Consider Your Budget

One of the biggest things to consider is your budget. There are sometimes free local events put together by local communities or organizations. These may not have as much foot traffic as others, but are a great way to dip your toes in the water.

There are ones that are hundreds of dollars. For somebody just starting out, that might not be worth it to you. So you definitely want to weigh the cost.

Part of understanding the cost is trying to think about whether it’s worth it to you. How much money are you going to make? Are you okay with breaking even or even taking a loss in profit to get your name out in your community? We all have different goals when it comes to local events. However, you won’t know until you try!

Consider what the event is worth to you. How much would you need to make to justify taking time away from other things?

Also, know that while a market may not be a direct return on investment, if you have a product and have marketed yourself with business cards, etc you may have someone reach out down the road. They may be like, “Oh, hey, I met you at that market. Can you do X, Y, and Z? Or can I place a bulk order? Or can I place a custom order?”

So something to think about is that while it might not be that day, you may actually see that return on investment down the road. You’re making those connections and people are going to be like, “Oh, I saw you at that thing and I wasn’t ready to buy that item that day, but now I am.” 

3. Determine Your Craft Fair Setup and Practice It

The biggest thing is to decide, first of all, how you want your display to look and how you want to display your products. Make sure to set it up before the event. You may find that even after a few events, you’ll want to change how it all looks.

Set your display up anywhere. Take all of your items, your tables, whatever you’re going to have, and set it up in your garage, your house, wherever you have the space. Even if it looks one way in your mind, you’ll set it up and you’ll inevitably change it a bunch of times.

Most events will allow you to come an hour or sometimes, two hours early to set up. However, you want to make sure you are prepared.

Do you know how to open your tent and set it up by yourself? Do you have a plan for your tablecloths in the wind? You want to definitely prepare for those things.

Your first few events may take a while to set up, but you’ll find as you practice, you get more efficient.

4. Have the Right Supplies

Be sure to double check what you need to bring to your market. Be prepared. Most markets require certain things such as your own table. You may need a tent if it’s an outdoor market.

Most outdoor events will require vendors to bring their own tent, as well as tent weights. You don’t want your tent catching a gust of wind and taking off. Basically just be really clear on what’s expected of you.

Typically your event coordinator will let you know what’s required and what (if anything) they will provide). Some indoor craft fairs will provide you a table, but some won’t. Some events will tell you have a 10 by 10 space and you can do whatever you want. So make sure you are clear on and understand where you’re setting up and what you have access to–especially if you need something like power for on-site personalizing, etc.

5. Pack the Essentials

Be sure you’re prepped for the elements, especially if you’re outside. Prepare for rain, wind, cold, all of it, even the heat. I’ve personally seen people not do well at an outdoor event. Make sure you have water and snacks.

On busy craft fair days, you may not have time to grab something to eat or someone to man your booth for you while you’re going to grab a snack. So just make sure you have those little unexpected things. Of course, you’re going to bring your products to sell, but there are all these other like little things that you should think about.

6. Consider Legal and Logistical Requirements

I’m going to start out saying that I am by no means a legal expert. Talk to a lawyer if you are concerned.

Some events will ask you to carry your own business insurance to participate in their event. This isn’t always the case, however.

Most events will require you to provide a tax ID, though. That’s to ensure that you remit the sales tax on any purchases made at that event. So, first and foremost, you’d probably want to make sure that you have that, especially before you attend or vend at a market. 

I feel like almost all states require you to collect sales tax on the jurisdiction in which you’re selling. So if you’re selling in Washington, where I am, I have to collect sales tax on all Washington purchases, which means if I’m holding a craft fair in Washington, they’re all Washington purchases.

So you definitely want to make sure that you are collecting and remitting that sales tax. I say this all the time because we don’t want you to get into legal hot water.

We should mention too, there might be other legal concerns when it comes to the types of products that you’re selling. For example, if you’re going to be selling food, you probably need a cottage food license in a lot of places. There may be different restrictions or things if you are selling to children or to babies especially, skin care, those sorts of things. You want to look into all of that first. 

7. Make Connections and Cultivate a Community

Crystal mentioned that some of her closest friends and repeat customers are people that she met at markets!

Many events will ask you to promote beforehand. They’ll ask, can you please post three times or, however many times leading up to the event.

This is an easy way to connect with other vendors. Before even your first market, you can see the vendor list and know who will be there alongside you. Reach out to these fellow vendors. I bet they’re willing to share tips and advice (specially if they’ve done that event beforehand). They may have knowledge that you’ll find useful, too.

Once you’re at the event you can introduce yourself. It’s a really great way to meet other crafty people and develop those relationships. Then you’re promoting each other in this more natural and authentic way, because you’ve made an actual connection out in the real world.

The same goes for your customers. It’s so fun to meet and talk with your customers and learn more of what they want. You get to see how they react to your product in real-time, too!

8. Make Your Booth Stand Out at the Craft Fair

You want to make sure you stand out at a craft fair. If you’re thinking about participating in events, check out other events to see how people are displaying their products.

A good way to stand out is just to make sure that your products look good and are displayed well. If you have an item geared toward kids, you can bring a fun hands-on activity for the kids to do in your tent. It brings kids, and then their parents into your booth. It’s a great way to start a natural conversation.

I’ve seen people do giveaways where they have the spinny wheel and they’ll give away like candy or a discount or a little freebie. It’s fun! People want to come, they want to engage, that’s why they’re there.

Set yourself apart by using your brand colors. Buy your tablecloth in the same color palette, your displays in the same color palette. If your items are within that color palette, or at least close to it, everything works together, everything fits together, and it’s very appealing to the eye. People are drawn in when they see your bright, colorful booth with all of the same color patterns, or your farmhouse style booth with all that white, black, gray wood tones. And then they’re drawn in because that’s their style. They’re more likely to buy. 

Once people make their way into your booth, just be yourself. Smile, say “Hi”, engage with them.

I once attended a craft fair where the person had three chairs in their booth for other people to sit down and chat with them, which I thought was fun. I think she was making earrings out of Coke cans and stuff. Her products were small. So she had quite a bit of space in her booth. So she just brought out some chairs and invited people in.

Maybe invite people to take a load off, sit down, have a chat, maybe get something to drink in your booth, have some bottled water or something. It’s another way to get people to connect.

9. Determine How You Will Take Payments

One of the most popular ways to take payments is through a Square payment processor. You can download the app right to your phone. You don’t even need additional hardware! However, you can invest in a card reader, if you’d like.

This is a great way to take credit card payments, as well as Apple and Google pay. Depending on where you live, the majority of your customers may do electronic payments. If so, you’ll want to have a way to do this.

Did you know if you are new to Square, you can actually receive free processing fees? Use Crystal’s referral link to get free processing on your first $1,000 of charges within your first 180 days. This is a great way to cut down on those startup small business costs!

You can also use QR codes to accept Venmo, Apple pay, PayPal, and other payments. You could print and display these in your booth.

Of course, some people may want to pay by cash. Be sure you have enough change on hand and a way to track your sales if you accept cash payments.

10. Find ways to Connect with Customers After the Event

Of course, you know email is always top of my list!

I would recommend starting an email list for your business. There are plenty of email providers that allow you a free subscription up to a thousand people or so.

Create a little QR code at your booth get them to sign up. If you’re going to have them write down their email address, it’s a little iffy. Having them sign up and actually opt in with like a QR code on their phone is going to be much better. That’s the legal way to do it is have them actually opt in with their email address on a website. So definitely say QR code, have them opt in and then follow up after that craft fair. Tell them about sales. Tell them about your new products. Send the emails to your list!

Another great way to send them a follow up coupon, as well. Something that says “thanks for coming to the craft fair. Here’s 10 percent off your next purchase. Here’s my website.” 

Another way to engage is through social media!

Those are your local people in your community. If you display your social media handle(s) in your booth, you likely see people following you that day. Have a sign in your booth. Make sure it’s on your business cards. People will follow and maybe they’ll tag you in a story or post a picture of your product. They’re excited, so it’s a really nice way to engage with them and start a genuine conversation.

Honestly, that’s how you build your community, especially locally.

I hope you found this helpful for prepping for your first (or 100th) craft fair or market! Like I mentioned above, we covered so much more on the podcast episode. We opened it up to listener questions, as well! If you’d like to check those out, definitely go back and catch the YouTube live or listen to us at craftingforprofitlive.com!

The post Tips and Tricks for Selling at a Craft Fair appeared first on Hey, Let's Make Stuff.

This post is a summary of a recent YouTube Live and podcast I did with Angie Holden! Nicole was our guest speaker and shared so much knowledge about mindset when it comes to business. You can watch the video by clicking play below, or you can find the podcast on many of your favorite podcast players. There’s so much more than what I cover here in the video and podcast, so if you have the time, give them a shot!

My personal mindset story

I had a really hard year two years ago. Mentally, I was just not in the greatest place. Even though I was successful, I didn’t feel successful enough. I didn’t feel like I was working hard enough. I didn’t feel like I was producing enough.

This feeling led me to Nicole who was (and continues to be) an integral part of my business journey. Working with Nicole helped me to understand that yes, I am a Type A perfectionist, but that’s okay. I can use it and thrive because of it! After working with her and adopting some of her mindset techniques, I began to see a shift.

These days I find that I am way more productive, but I work less. I also maintain a much more positive mindset and avoid getting down in the dumps (most days). This was a big goal of mine!

Nicole has been such a game changer in my business that I couldn’t wait to sit down and chat with her on the podcast. I hope you enjoy her tips and insights!

Let’s get to know Life Coach Baker!

Nicole is an expert in helping people craft a business mindset. She is with Life Coach Baker and Fantasy Fangirls Podcast and I want to let her introduce herself to you.

Nicole: Hello, hello. My name is Nicole Baker Holloman. I am the CEO of Life Coach Baker and the co-owner of Fantasy Fangirls. I recently made the pivot from Life Coach Baker into Fantasy Fangirls full-time, so that’s very exciting and we’ll talk about that momentarily.

When it comes to mindset, I want to give you a short background on me.

I grew up in a family that was very heavily immersed in the personal development world. My dad and my mom both worked for big, big, big people, and from the get-go, I was immersed in personal development and I loved it.

It was so fascinating but I also had some questions because there was a lot of like, positive influence, just think happy thoughts and my question was “Is that true?”. In my early to mid-twenties, I started getting more into the neuroscience behind mindset and why do we do what we do. Why does our mindset tend to shift one way or another?

I devoted about five years of my life to it and I’m really excited to talk to you today because I like to think I know some stuff.

So, let’s get into it…

What is mindset?

Nicole: Mindset is basically understanding what your mind is focusing on at any given moment. Then taking that and determining how you plan to lean into that energy, how it may change your productivity, and how you’ll show up as a human being.

A large part of this is your beliefs. I used to think I wasn’t at all intelligent. I thought I couldn’t read or write well, and wasn’t good at school. This was many years ago. However, I shifted my mindset and began to believe that I AM an intelligent person. Now, I know it.

A big part of this is something I refer to as the Reticular Activating System (RAS).

This is essentially a big filter on the front of our brain. For example, you start to shop for a car. You want an orange SUV. You think an orange SUV will be unique and no one else has one. Until, you start to drive around and see orange SUV’s everywhere! They were there the whole time, but it wasn’t until you gave it importance and mental space in your brain that you start to see them. I love sharing this example!

It’s not about cars, though. For business owners, when we’re first starting, we tell ourselves were not not worthy enough to start a business. I don’t have enough time. And so on and on.

However, if you start out with the mindset that you ARE capable, you CAN make enough time… you will start to believe it and bring opportunities your way!

Can you talk a bit about limiting beliefs?

Nicole: I refer back to this quote: “your past does not equal your present unless you live there”. I love that so much.

For example, if you haven’t been good with money in the past, does that mean you can’t be good with it in the future? No. If you shift that mindset to acknowledge that maybe you didn’t put the time or energy into learning to manage money or doing the research, then you can begin to be capable of it in the future.

We also have beliefs that we’ve had since we were very, very young. I’ll use the example of a family member. When we are young, most of us idolize family members. So if you have a parent who isn’t good with money, then you may start to believe YOU can’t possibly be good with money either. As soon as the thought enters your brain, it sticks there. Especially between the ages of 5 to 14.

But perhaps, you just need to do more research. Are you really bad with money? Or, do you need to do a little bit of research to see just what you spent your money on and how you can budget a bit differently? Chances are, that’s the case.

How do you shift your mindset from hobby crafter to a money-making business?

Nicole: The biggest things that I see get in people’s way here is when they go from doing things for free, to doing things for money and suddenly they’re like, “I’m not worthy of $23 for this sweatshirt. Who do I think I am to charge for the things that I was doing for free for so long? Who’s going to pay me? There’s so many other sweatshirt designers out there! Who am I?”

There’s so much belittling ourselves and thinking that we are not worthy of making money doing what we love. So one of the things I love to do here is actually spook the heck out of our brains, and that is by listening and absorbing as many stories as possible of people doing the dang thing, of people going out, having really successful businesses launch, and stuff like that.

I do want to mention that this can be a double edged sword. Suddenly you’re thinking that we should go out and listen to 10 stories of successful business owners, even the overnight success stories. But I want to hear the stories of the people who fell flat on their face over and over and over again, and then finally figured it out. Those are the stories I want to hear because that’s training my RAS to see that you can be successful. That others are doing it.

Yes. You can sit down and journal on your own and say, I am capable. I am good. I am an awesome business owner. People will pay me lots and lots of money. We can totally do that. But sometimes that’s too big of a jump for our mindset. Instead, I like to imagine a bridge sort of opening up that new neural pathway in our brain saying “Hey, hey, see, they can do it. You can do it too.” It’s just a matter of opening that bridge up.

How do we adapt our mindset and grow as our business grows?

Nicole: Well, I think it boils down to doing the antithesis of that. It’s saying, I like this example here. If I’m at a bar and I’m playing darts, what is the goal of me playing darts? I’m not a big darts person, but I do know this about darts…

Get a bullseye.

And if I’m playing darts and I’m trying for a bullseye, trying for a bullseye, trying for a bullseye, and then suddenly the dart board goes away, what’s my goal of darts? Shoot at the wall. It could be anywhere, it could be anything. So what this is, is looking at, okay, what is my bullseye?

I need a direction I want to be heading towards. We do need goals, especially as business owners. We always want to be growing. And, even as people that’s just embedded in our human makeup. But if we don’t have a direction of where we’re going, our mindset is going to immediately fall back into old patterns because, that’s what’s comfortable.

So if I say, okay, my new goal is I want to have five sales in a week. Maybe that’s my goal. I’m really excited. I really want that. So that’s my dartboard bullseye. I want five sales in a week.

What I would do then is I would close my eyes and I would go through a day in the life or even a week in the life of that version of myself. What does that person wake up experiencing? What does that person wake up thinking? What are they grateful for? How do they spend their days? What do they see when they look in the mirror? How do they talk to themselves when they look in the mirror? And oh my goodness, their dream is coming true. At least their next goal is coming true.

That is the mindset we need to adopt. Now, let’s go back a few steps, right? We might not be making five sales a week on Etsy, but if we start adopting that kind of mindset, guess what? Our RAS is going to listen and it’s going to start looking for opportunities that will bring you closer to that outcome. So for example, a very real example—a few, not even a few months ago (more like eight months ago), I was at a podcasting conference and I knew, I was like, I really want to be a full time podcaster.

That is just something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m realizing it more and more. And when I put that bullseye in front of me, I started to think about, okay, what kind of mindset would that person have? I’m intelligent. That was a big one. I am clear. I am concise. I am charismatic. I started to talk to myself in that way.

Less than a week later, after leaving that conference, my sister and I decided to start a podcast and it’s now my full time job. So that’s like the super short version. Trust me, it’s not an overnight success story, but I do think that that is the biggest tool that we can use in our back pocket is saying, “what’s my goal? What’s the mindset of that person who’s achieving that goal? How can I adopt that mindset now?”

I also really like a quote that says “where focus goes, energy flows”. If I focus on my circumstances right now that I really don’t like, I’m going to show up not in the best place. I’m going to show up really low energy. But, think about how I can take the circumstances I have right now and think about where I’d like to be, I can start working toward that goal.

What’s one way you keep yourself moving forward?

Nicole: I celebrate the wins. Big, small and everything in between.

It doesn’t need to be a big huge celebration every time you meet a goal (say, those 5 sales), but just pause and acknowledge it. It’s as simple as saying I’m proud of myself and the progress I’m making.

I like to remind myself of this awesome graphic. It looks like a bunch of little teeny tiny stair steppers and someone’s at the very, very bottom of the stairs and then someone’s trying to get to the top of their stairs. The top of their stairs is their goal and they’re here at the bottom of the stairs and they make one step.

I love this graphic because it’s a side by side and it’s the super zoom out and it’s how we view ourselves which is like super far away from our goal versus the super zoomed in which is the second graphic and it’s someone making a step and we forget how important those steps are because that’s how we get from point A to point B and yet we think that it’s all the big steps.

There is a way to activate the big steps more, especially as a new business owner. It is really important to do the things that will take you bigger steps versus the little teeny tiny steps that tend to be safer. But we discredit any steps that aren’t a full leap to the goal.

One of the things that I actually encourage a lot of people to do is to at the end of the day, whether that’s at the end of the workday or even at the end of the evening. A lot new business owners are doing the side hustle thing. It’s not for the faint of heart at all!

But if you end your day and immediately you’re like, okay, what did I not do today? Then you beat yourself up for all the things that you didn’t do today. That’s not going to help you get that mindset specifically that incorporates “look how far I’m going”. Instead it’s looking at the end of the night, or the end of the workday and writing out a list of at least a minimum of three things you DID do that day.

When you see it written out, your brain has to activate so many different, more things in order to view that thing on paper. So writing out a list of three to five things that you did do that day is such a game changer. It only takes five minutes.

I also remind myself that we are human first. We need to treat ourselves as such. We can’t work nonstop and run ourselves into the ground.

We’re all human

Nicole: We have human emotions. We experience highs, lows, and everything in between. However, with the correct tools in your back pocket, you can experience these things and not let them completely derail you and your business.

The first thing to embrace is that we are human. Remind yourself of that and remind yourself often. Understand where you’re at, admit it, and face it head on. Don’t put the blinders on and try to ignore it. Remember that YOU are the one in control and tackle the situation at hand.

Ok, but how do we actually implement the “human first” ideal?

Nicole: Out of sight, out of mind, right? And if I say, okay, human first, but then I don’t ever use it because it’s either not in my face or it’s not framed on my fridge, or it’s not something I say back and forth with my husband. If it’s basically on the back burner, my brain’s just going to forget about it because it’s not important.

So, stick it where you can see it. Whatever your mantra is. Have it somewhere you can constantly refer back to it. For me personally, I have sticky notes, I have alarms for reminders on my phone. My husband and I repeat it to each other. Otherwise, it’s out of sight, out of mind.

Having it in front of your face is one of the fastest ways to reprogram your brain, because if you don’t you’ll forget about it. Life gets busy, even if we think that we’re so smart and won’t forget. We can’t outsmart our brains. Our brains are really powerful, and it tends to not always be in our favor in that way.

As a crafter, you could even make a project out of your mantra. Cut the words on a laser, use your Cricut machine to make a sign, anything to remember it.

How do you stay motivated and focused on business goals, even when the rest of life feels heavy?

Nicole: Great question! First, make your goals a lot smaller than you want to. If you are in tough times and have huge goals, it will feel really overwhelming. So, what’s the first step to get to my goal? Start there.

Block out everything else and focus on that first step to the goal. Because, when you’re in hard times, you can fall into a place where you have a shovel in your hand and suddenly you’re digging a hole. Before you know it, you’re 10 feet underground. If you find yourself underground, you can’t shoot into the stars. First, pick up that shovel and build yourself a set of stairs out of the hole. But, you don’t build the stairs all at once. Build it one step at a time.

That’s how I want everyone to look at getting out of hard times.

Do you have any advice on how to let go of things that don’t matter?

Nicole: Most people think they need to be doing all the things, all the time. That just isn’t the case.

If you think you need to be on all the platforms, doing the blogs, the YouTube videos, maybe write out a reason of why maybe this isn’t the best idea right now. Challenge those thoughts. Don’t just ignore it.

Instead, release it. Sometimes our brain has really got its talons sunk into it and it’s really hard to release. So let’s pluck the talons out one by one. So, make a list of why that certain thing is not right for right now.

Eventually, you’ll get to a place where you can see an much clearer objective board. What do I want to do? Then you get to make a decision from a much more clear head. You’re in the driver’s seat, rather than feeling the need to do everything all at once!

Honestly, if I gave one tool for people who are experiencing that, I would literally whip out a sheet of paper or whip out the notes app on your phone and just start writing down what are some reasons why this is maybe not the best idea and see where your mind goes.

What are some other ways we can effectively manage our time and resources to run a successful craft business?

Nicole: I am a major believer in the 80/20 rule. So for those of you who are not as familiar, 80/20 rule basically means in order for me to achieve a goal, let’s say, there are a hundred tasks that I need to do to achieve said goal.

However, 80 of those tasks tend to be not very helpful. They tend to be things that maybe move me like a little teeny tiny step forward, or maybe not at all, or maybe they’re just there to appear like I’m busy. It’s very, very common. We want to be busy, especially as business owners.

We’ve glorified the society of busyness, right? So a lot of these 80 tasks tend to be the illusion of busyness, but then there’s those other 20 that tend to be things that are really scary, they tend to be really out of our comfort zone, but they also tend to leap and bound us closer to our end result that we’re trying to get to.

So this is the 80/20 rule. It’s looking at your goal. And it’s saying what are the 20 percent tasks? What are the big, big scary tasks that are going to take me way closer to my goal? And what are the things that are maybe on my list because I should do them or because they sound easy, or because I feel like this one person on a live told me I needed to do it?

There tends to be a lot of shame and should in the 80 and there tends to be a lot of fear and specifically fear of failure and rejection in the 20.

But the 20 percent tasks, those are the ones that get you to your goal.

They are also the ones that keep you sane, and they’re the ones that tend to take the overwhelm and way, way, way lessen it, because you don’t have 80 tasks you’re doing, you have 20 instead.

In this instance is I would ask someone what their goal is. Then I would say, “Okay, write out a list of things that you feel like you need to do in order to achieve said goal.” Then I would go through each of those items. I would say, is that a 20 or is that an 80? And all of the 80s, ball up, throw in the trash, and do the 20s.

The 80s may feel good, but the real work is in the 20s.

Color-coded to-do lists and how they work for me

One thing Nicole asked me to share more about is her color coded to-do lists and how I use them. This was such a game changer for my business!

If you read my Tips for Starting a Craft Business, you may have read how I break up my tasks by my mental load. This was something Nicole helped me to implement. I’ll share more here.

I write out basically everything I have to do into this big brain dump document. Then I go through and break each bigger task into “one-sitting tasks” meaning that I can get the task done in an hour or less all in one go.

Then I prioritize by how much brain space each of my tasks is going to take. So, I have things that take a lot of brain space, things that take some brain space, and things I can do pretty easily.

Then I’ll color code them easy, medium, or hard, but it’s really more brain space, little, medium, or a lot of brain space. My hard stuff is teal, my medium stuff is pink, and my easy stuff is yellow. And then that way, if I’m struggling with brain fog, I can say to myself “today is a yellow task day.” What are some of those easier tasks that don’t take a lot of my brain space? I’ll tackle those on the days where I don’t feel as great and save the harder tasks for a day when I am ON.

Nicole was such a wealth of info. Hopefully you found this a helpful place to start on your own mindset journey.

You can actually listen to previous episodes of Nicole’s podcast, Imperfect Success for more tips. She’s no longer creating new episodes, but there are more than 200 previous ones I’m sure you will find helpful!

Speaking of podcasts, if you are into books, specifically fantasy books, I can’t recommend her new podcast, Fantasy Fangirls enough. Nicole and her sister deep dive into so many amazing books, namely A Court of Thorn and Roses. This is now her full-time job!

If you’re looking for more resources from Nicole, check out her mini course, Get Over the Overwhelm.

This mini-course contains Nicole’s golden 15-min exercise that will help you break the overwhelm cycle FOR GOOD! But this goes so far beyond just learning how to get out of the overwhelm!

You will also learn:

• The neuroscience of overwhelm
• Nicole’s favorite (and short) exercise to learn how to prioritize
• How to catch overwhelm before it starts
• How high achievers get SO many goals accomplished WITHOUT EVER going into overwhelm
• And SO much more!!

You can get access to the mini-course for 70% off! Use this link to get it for just $9!

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