Kawartha Beads: A Year in Review and Looking Ahead

I wanted to extend a BIG thank you to all of my wonderful customers, crafty friends, loyal blog readers and all Kawartha Beads supporters in general. It truly warms my heart to hear from you and I hope you will continue to do Facebook me, email me, Etsy convo me and have tea and buttertart craft meetings in the year ahead!

My most popular Etsy listing of 2012


Kawartha Beads saw a tremendous amount of growth in 2012 both online and locally and I'm SO proud of how things have developed. That being said I must admit I struggled with time management a bit. With two very active little guys I underestimated how little time I was actually going to have and how tired I would be at night once they went to bed. For all the other mompreneurs out there struggling to "do it all" I wanted to share with you that I too felt overwhelmed at times in 2012 and once I accepted that it was OK to feel that way and let some things slide a bit then I felt much better. I've also put a fair amount of time into helping my hubby grow his own little business Man Cave Collectibles so now that we have system worked out for that I am concentrating a little less on his stuff and can refocus my energies on my own work.

For the year ahead I am going to do things a bit differently. We used to do our "activities" in the morning but I've found the boys play better together then and I can get a bit of creating done, leaving the afternoon for visits, errands, playdates,etc. I am limiting my evening work time to one hour for the time being since a rested me makes for a more productive me! For next fall I'm going to explore once a week daycare for my youngest while my other is in school leaving me an entire day each week dedicated to preparing for the 2013 holiday season.

Other plans for Kawartha Beads:

• List a minimum of 200 items on Etsy and maintain that inventory
• Do some classes (on jewelry making, starting an Etsy shop, blogging, etc)
• Perhaps doing some beadable b-day parties
• Expand my local business by reintroducing my "buckets"
• Blog once a week (I love it but I need to focus my time so I will be limiting my posts to weekly. Be sure to follow my Facebook page for lots of other announcements, creative thoughts, sales, new products, etc.)

What would you like to see from Kawartha Beads for 2013? Where are you heading with your own business or hobby? 

Local Vendor Call: Janetville Christmas Bazaar

Janetville Christmas Bazaar: vendor call!!!  

Sunday November 25th cost per table will be $25 each. Please comment over on Kindred Kreations Facebook Page if interested. She will be getting contract/registration page done up over this weekend. This completed form with payment is what will secure your space.

Free Ebook: Craft Business Heroes

I can't wait for the kiddos to go to sleep tonight so I can delve into this FREE EBOOK! I always love to read inspiring stories from others in the crafty biz. Grab your FREE copy of Craft Business Heroes for Kindle and get inspired!  
Be sure to check it is still free before you order.

Don't have a Kindle? Download Kindle for your PC here (I have it and love it!)

6 FREE Products from Vistaprint (shipping extra)

Here's a great offer from Vistaprint for any small business! Currently Vistaprint has 6 free products available that you can utilize to grow and market your business. They include:

• 250 free business cards
• Free rubber stamp
• Free tote bags
• 4” x 6” photo flip books
• Free t-shirt
• Free sticky notes

Shipping is an additional charge.  Click here to shop online at Vistaprint!

5 Links Worth Reading for Your Crafty Business

I know, I know, I've been a bad blogger this week! Been busy and crazy (and totally fun) so now that things have calmed down a bit I have a great lineup for you coming up this week. In the meantime grab a coffee and check out some of these great links this week:

• Why handmade is "so expensive"
• The Four Keys to Success for New Sellers 
• How Do You Really Get a Buyers Attention & Make Them Want What You Have 
• More Than 50 Fabric Scraps & Remnant Ideas  (with oodles of free patterns!)
• Make Your Own Beaded Bookmark

March Round Up

This month saw insanely beautiful weather (not great for being productive), almost a week with spuradic internet, a bout with the flu (mommy, daddy and kiddos) AND two bday parties and March Break visits. Whew!  In case you missed it here is a link to my February round up so you can see what I was hoping to accomplish.

I did manage to get out for another meeting with the crafty gals of Kawartha Lakes Artisans, Vintage&Collectibles group.  I feel like we were super productive in setting up a game plan for the year and look forward to seeing all of these wonderful artisans business grow!

 

I managed to maintain 160 listings in my Etsy Shop for most of March although I am slightly under that number at the moment. I had several items expire that I no longer wish to renew and a couple of unexpected sales surges (although I'm not complaining) for which I haven't had a chance to create new inventory for.

March was a busy month with online sales as follows:

Total number of sales for March 2012: 33

Total number of sales for March 2011:7

I have also been actively trying to grow my sales through offline means as well including Facebook and my travelling jewellery bucket which was well received this month! Last but not least....the paperwork fairy did not arrive to take care of the paperwork for me but I did manage to get it all done...note to self...try to stay on top of it this year (yeah right!)

Looking ahead to April....
Sure to be a busy month! I have a table for Kawartha Beads at the Mom to Mom Sale, a jewellery party for a book club the following week, I'm sending the jewellery bucket back out near the end of the month (in time for some Mother's Day shopping), I need to restock my Etsy shop and I'm hoping to maintain 175 listings for this month. If I have any time left at all I still have a very special birthday party to throw (my little guy will be 1) AND of course the fun part....seeking out my next batch of charms to add to the collection.

What do you have planned for the month ahead?

Local: Craft Show Vendor Call

The weekend edition of the paper had an ad in it for the following:

Durham Craft & Gift Show

October 28, 29 &30, 2011

For booth information,

Call Audrey 905-426-4676 x257 or

email adewit@durhamregion.com

http://www.showsdurhamregion.com/

I personally don't know anything about the show or the kind of traffic it gets but for those looking to line up shows for the holiday season it is worth looking into. Please feel free to share your thoughts if you have attended or been an exhibitor in the past.

Looking for ways to stretch your dollars?

I recently submitted a tip on how to stretch your dollars to The Entreprenette Gazette and am thrilled that it was chosen for their article on How to stretch your dollars.  Be sure to check out all of the amazing tips here and I would love to hear your own tips for making every cent count!

Front Page Etsy Tags #14

What a shift in front pages this week! I can't believe how quickly minds have changed from summer fun to back to school and fall/autumn beauties. Here are some of the themes/tags that appeared on Etsy's front page in the past week:

• Berry Stained Love Letters (berry, stained, love, letters, pink, purple, mauve, romance, rose, juice, watermelon, grape, summer)
• Simply Green & White (green, white, natural, moss, heart, forest, simply beautiful)
• your old world eco wedding style (wedding, vintage, eco, ivory, white, cream, retro, antique, lace, bride)
• Wherever the Wind Takes Me (dandelion, flower, wind, color, orange, blue, green, red, yellow, art)
• To the Moon and Back
• Snow White, Red Rose (snow, white, rose, red, bear, snow white, rose red, fairytale, gothic, grimm)
• Ever-greens! ( autumn, fall, green, natural, vintage,)
• In the Classroom (back to school, school, classroom, khaki, neutral, august, september, fall, brown, gray, notebook, jewelry, home decor, dorm, chalkboard, abc, teachers)
• Grey Black Brown (grey, black, brown, luxury, rustic, autumn)
• Autumnal Equinox (autumn, fall, rust, brown, gold, horse, books, vintage, jewelry, nature, tree, travel, antique, equestrian, owl)
• Woodland Decadence
• I Heard Fall is Coming
• Schoolhouse Rock (school, back to school, plaid, chalkboard, learning, lunchbox, bookbag, pencil)
• In Anticipation of Autumn (autumn, fall, trees, hemp, lantern, locket, feathers, tree stump, forest, leaves, antique)
• Shapes and Forms (geometric, geometrical, triangle, bright colours)
• Back to School (already?) (back to school, school, academics, books, academic calender, chalkboard, teacher, student, fall, autumn, warmth)
• Blue Mint (blue, green, aqua, turquoise)
• Dirt is Good (dirt, gardening)
• She Sparkles (sparkle, pink, grey, fun, cream, tea party, girls night, rich)
• Bursting with Song (song, music, birds, flowers, leaves, organic, jewelry, earthtones)
• Woodland Wonders (forest, green, scouts, deer, acorns, trees, autumn, browns)
• Lovely Ochre (ochre, yellow, whimsical, warm)

And don't forget there is ONLY ONE DAY LEFT to enter to win you chance for ad space for a month AND a featured artisan interview (just in time for the holiday shopping season!)

The Independent Sales Representative!

Hope that all the mommies out there had a wonderful weekend! Today I wanted to talk about having others sell your handmade goods for you.

I work a couple of days a week waitressing in a popular local restaurant. Some days I groan about having to go there but it is a nice way to get out of the house and interact with people who speak in full sentences (although that can sometimes be debateable too!) The other bonus is that I work with a lot of women who are very supportive of my handmade endeavours. Recently one of my friends at the restaurant asked if she could take a few of my things and sell them for me. I thought sure, why not? She did an AMAZING job and a couple of other girls have asked if they could do the same. Now I admit, this does take A) alot of trust in the girls that I will have doing this since they are taking finished products as opposed to a catalogue but I suppose you could do it either way AND B) it takes a bit of organization to keep track of who has what and who has sold what.

In total I currently have 3 ladies who want to participate and we are going to try this starting in June-December. I will make each of them a "bucket" which is a pretty little box filled with finished products all packaged and priced, business cards and an item of the month. The item of the month they will get to keep for themselves and this item will be order only for their customers. They will get the box on the first of the month and have 2 weeks to sell whatever they can at which time I will collect their boxes, money and any orders for the item of the month (which must be paid in advance). All of the girls have decided to take a credit for 20% of their sales to be used towards merchandise whenever they choose. One of the girls is getting married next spring and I know she wants to save her credit up to have me do the bridal parties jewelry. At the beginning of the following month they will receive a new box, new item of the month AND any order of the previous month's item for them to deliver. Kind of like a portable home party!

I'll report in once our first month is done and let you know how things turned out! Any suggestions? Anyone else have any experience with "sales reps"?

Promoting Your Handmade Business

There are a million different ways to go about promoting your handmade business and just as many schools of thought on what will be the "key to success". When it comes right down to it each and every business is different and so you will have to find what works best for you, your product and target market, and your time.

When I first began promoting the supplies shop I run with my mom and Bijoux Designs For You (which my mom has taken over), I signed up for anything and everything that I thought would give us some recognition. I quickly learned that meant WAY TOO MUCH TIME on the computer and that certain aspects of networking I didn't enjoy at all. Through trial and error here are some of my favourites:

*Twitter- share your thoughts in just 140 characters. Quick and to the point I ♥ twittering. You can tweet with me here.

*Blogging- Not for everyone, especially if you don't enjoy writing. I instantly fell in love with blogging and have enjoyed learning about how to build, design and grow your blog. For me personally it is another way to focus creative energy, just in a different format!

Join a team/guild- I have met many great people and learned and shared with them through joining teams/guilds on both Etsy and Artfire. Teams help to promote each others work and share ideas. If you make jewelry and sell on Artfire be sure to check out the AJDJSS guild and if you are a mom then you will definately want to check out the Busy Moms Team on Etsy.

These are just a couple of ways to begin to promote and grow your handmade business. What are some of your fav's? Anything you have tried that you didn't care for?

Twitter Hop Thursday!

I love twitter so I was thrilled to find this fabulous this fun Twitter Hop Thursday on Simply Stacie. I hope you will twitter along with me and share in my handmade journey, musings on parenthood and more!

Hosted by Simply Stacie, The King's Court IV, Little Yaya's, Review Retreat and Moms Wear Your Tees! Would you like more Twitter followers and be introduced to more neat blogs and businesses out there? Come and join us!!



1. Add your Twitter to the MckLinky (you only have to add it to one and it will appear on all).

2. Click on the Twitter hostesses and follow each of them on Twitter. We will follow you back.

3. Follow as many people on Twitter as you like, but make sure to leave comments with links so they'll know where to follow you!

Spread the word and add this MckLinky to your blog! Write your own post or copy and paste this one. Below the MckLinky box, you'll see "Want to be a part of this Blog Hop? Click here for instructions and code...." Have fun Twitter-Hopping along!

Hosting an Open House of your Handmade Goodies

I have written about hosting an open house in your home on Bijoux Designs For You blog but thought it was worth revisiting here. Open houses/home parties are a great way to increase sales, gain valued feedback and get together with friends and family. I will post separately about home parties (held by someone else) later this week. Last year I held a couple of open houses (one in the spring and one in the fall) and both had great turnouts. Here is the posting I wrote about it:

Yesterday was our open house in my home for friends and family. I had several visitors and many of them were first timers and even some friends brought other friends that I didn't know. I set up a small display in my living room using a dropleaf table, some tv trays, my entertainment unit and my patio table (on the other side of the room). It was open house style, with guests dropping by between 1-8.

Invites: I sent out an email to my mailing list, an invite on to my friends on facebook and put up a little poster at work. Just something simple with date, time, directions and a link to our Etsy and Artfire stores so they could browse ahead of time if they wanted to. I offered a door prize and had guests fill out a ballot with their name, email and a box to check if they wanted to be added to our mailing list (everyone checked the box) AND I had one girl book a home party.

I loved doing the party in my own home. I could invite guests on a day/time that worked for me, I didn't have to find a sitter for the baby, when there was no one here I could just work like normal, I set up the night before so I didn't have to rush AND there was no overhead cost or competition! If you have been contemplating having an open house I say go for it! Even with a small inventory it's great practice to work on your display and get the hang of dealing with customers face to face (especially if you have only ever sold online). You can also team up with another artisan in your area to offer a wider range of products and have them invite their friends as well.

Hope this was helpful to others who have been contemplating an open house. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Promoting your craft business- Marketing Calendar

Do you ever turn on the computer with the intention of doing a little promotion only to find that hours have gone by while you got sucked into the forums, started browsing shops or have checked your craftcult stats 100 times? One of the most useful tips that I have read is to create a marketing calendar. It is a great way to keep yourself focused and after some time you will begin to see some trends between your promotional efforts and shop traffic/sales.

All you need is a calendar. The large desk calendars work great if you have the space but any size will do. For every day you will write down if you posted in the forums (and how many times), blogged, tweeted, facebooked, social networked in some other way, sent out a newsletter, etc. You can also add your shop/item hearts and sales to the list. Then take coloured pencils or highlighters and assign a colour to each listing. After awhile you will be able to see at a glance where you are concentrating your efforts (and hopefully whatever colour you assigned to sales is also appearing with some frequency!)

How do you focus your promotional efforts? What tricks have worked for you to keep you focused?