Shownotes
- First, you don't use up available dollars in a scattered way – wasting money if you will.
- Instead, you spend money in areas that will truly help you grow your handmade business based on where you are in the development and growth cycle.
What's In This Bash Party?
- Free Training on money mistakes commonly made at the different stages of a handmade business. This training builds directly on the training in Bash #1 the 5 Gift Biz Growth Stages.
- Q&A with Bash attendees
- Showcases - attendees share their upcoming events, unique collaborations, and discount promo codes! << Tune in to grab these deals + get ideas for your own business!
Resources Mentioned:
Interested in being part of the next Bash Party?
See upcoming Gift Biz Bash parties and grab your spot today! Don't delay - spaces are limited.Join Our FREE Gift Biz Breeze Facebook Community
Become a Member of Gift Biz Breeze If you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe so you automatically get the next episode downloaded for your convenience. Click on your preferred platform below to get started. Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify Thank you so much! SueTranscripts
You're listening to gift biz unwrapped episode three 70.
Speaker:And yes,
Speaker:this is a bash At Tinton gifters bakers,
Speaker:crafters, and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.
Speaker:Whether you have an established business or looking to start one.
Speaker:Now you are in the right place.
Speaker:This is give to biz unwrapped,
Speaker:helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.
Speaker:Join us for an episode,
Speaker:packed full of invaluable guidance,
Speaker:resources, and the support you need to grow.
Speaker:Your gift biz.
Speaker:Here is your host gift biz gal Sue moon Heights.
Speaker:Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue and welcome to our second gift biz bash.
Speaker:What bash,
Speaker:if you're new here,
Speaker:hold tight.
Speaker:You'll experience it in just a few minutes.
Speaker:As a handmade product baker,
Speaker:you create the most beautiful,
Speaker:delicious, and life enhancing products.
Speaker:I'm so impressed with your talent and you always put a
Speaker:smile on my face.
Speaker:When I see your newest creations,
Speaker:I'm always watching and I'm also always listening.
Speaker:Let me back up here for a second.
Speaker:In our Facebook group,
Speaker:gift biz breeze.
Speaker:I asked what you need help with the most right now
Speaker:I knew totally surprised me.
Speaker:It wasn't an email marketing strategy.
Speaker:It wasn't doing video or any number of topics that make
Speaker:up a solid growing business.
Speaker:Nope. What you're overwhelmingly asking for is help with social media
Speaker:posting. You're putting in the time you're posting frequently,
Speaker:maybe even every day yet you're discouraged because you aren't seeing
Speaker:any of this move the needle for your sales.
Speaker:I hear your frustration.
Speaker:Some of you have even told me you're at the point
Speaker:of throwing in the towel on social media altogether,
Speaker:wait, please don't do that.
Speaker:Here's the thing.
Speaker:Some adjustments are needed.
Speaker:That's all you see putting in more time posting in the
Speaker:same way.
Speaker:Isn't going to magically bring in more sales.
Speaker:You need to change the way you're posting and what you're
Speaker:posting. You don't need to put in more work.
Speaker:You need to put in the right work.
Speaker:And that's when things will change.
Speaker:So based on all of your comments,
Speaker:I've created your solution.
Speaker:It's called content for makers and is specially created for handmade
Speaker:product makers like you because when you get your posting strategy
Speaker:and topics,
Speaker:right, everything else falls into place.
Speaker:Content for makers will enlighten you as to why your current
Speaker:social media activities aren't converting into sales.
Speaker:It will also show you how to put in less time
Speaker:and start seeing activity that will lead to increased sales.
Speaker:Just imagine a day where you know exactly what to post
Speaker:and get it done in less than five minutes,
Speaker:then you interact with potential clients,
Speaker:deepen relationships with those you already know.
Speaker:And all of this continues to build upon itself naturally.
Speaker:Yes, this is possible.
Speaker:Content for makers includes a step-by-step strategy to formulate your unique
Speaker:plan based on your business and your products.
Speaker:Then you'll get 375 social media prompts.
Speaker:So over a full year of ideas,
Speaker:along with the 375 prompts come 375 image suggestions.
Speaker:So you're not left hanging on the creative.
Speaker:These prompts and image suggestions can be used for all platforms
Speaker:and all types of posting images,
Speaker:live streaming reels,
Speaker:even email topics.
Speaker:There's more to content for makers too.
Speaker:To see all the details,
Speaker:jump over to gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash content for makers.
Speaker:But honestly at only $27,
Speaker:it's a no brainer.
Speaker:Plus you only have to buy it once for use year
Speaker:after year.
Speaker:Why carry on posting as you've been doing all along expecting
Speaker:different results,
Speaker:sign up for content for makers now and see the transformation
Speaker:of your post-it experience change right before your very eyes,
Speaker:gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash content for makers ready and waiting for your
Speaker:immediate access.
Speaker:Right now today's topic is about areas in your business where
Speaker:you may be spending money on things that aren't benefiting.
Speaker:You. You see various stages of business require different investments.
Speaker:When you know what will best serve you at each stage
Speaker:of your growth,
Speaker:you're doing a couple of things.
Speaker:One you're not using up available dollars in a scattered way,
Speaker:wasting money.
Speaker:If you will.
Speaker:And two you're spending money in areas that will truly help
Speaker:you grow based on where you are at any given time.
Speaker:Sound good.
Speaker:Let's dive right in.
Speaker:Welcome to our second gift biz bash.
Speaker:They are taking off because you don't know what we're doing
Speaker:here today.
Speaker:I'm going to give a short conversation and talk about what
Speaker:I'm seeing as Money,
Speaker:mistakes That occur in various parts of your business.
Speaker:The very batch I did,
Speaker:I talked about the five growth stages that I've defined with
Speaker:a handmade product business.
Speaker:And today what I want to do is add another layer
Speaker:on top of that,
Speaker:which is where you should and where you should not be
Speaker:spending your money at the different levels because things change over
Speaker:time. You know,
Speaker:like what you should be spending money on when you're just
Speaker:starting is very different than what you should be spending money
Speaker:on when you're an established business.
Speaker:If you haven't listened to that first one,
Speaker:where I talk about the five stages that may also help
Speaker:ground you,
Speaker:you don't have to stop this podcast and go listen to
Speaker:that first,
Speaker:but there's more depth behind the stages.
Speaker:So it would behoove you to go and listen to that
Speaker:if you wanted to.
Speaker:And that is episode number 360 8 to go listen to
Speaker:it. So it's just a couple episodes back here.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:let me go ahead and dive into the money,
Speaker:mistakes that I'm seeing at the five different levels of your
Speaker:business. The very first level I call is ability.
Speaker:Not visibility is ability.
Speaker:And this is when somebody is just starting to think about
Speaker:starting a business.
Speaker:A friend of theirs might have suggested that they get started
Speaker:and now it's in their head or someone keeps saying they're
Speaker:starting, but hasn't really flipped the switch yet.
Speaker:And where I will see people spending money when they no
Speaker:longer need to at this stage is learning,
Speaker:getting one more class,
Speaker:finding out about one more thing,
Speaker:doing more research on one more thing that are paid,
Speaker:because really what you're doing is acting like you're being productive
Speaker:and not getting past that scared point,
Speaker:flipping the switch and taking action.
Speaker:So when you're in the visibility stage,
Speaker:stop spending money on,
Speaker:more learning,
Speaker:more learning,
Speaker:more learning.
Speaker:If you want learning free podcasts,
Speaker:YouTube videos,
Speaker:things like that,
Speaker:but just don't put your money there.
Speaker:In fact,
Speaker:if you're tempted to put that money in a little piggy
Speaker:bank, because you're going to want to use it later when
Speaker:you actually start your business.
Speaker:Okay? So that's the first one phase number two is validation.
Speaker:This is the phase that most people forget or don't even
Speaker:do because they don't know to do it.
Speaker:This is where of all the products that you make you
Speaker:narrow in on which products people will actually buy.
Speaker:Or if you only have one product,
Speaker:like let's say you make candles,
Speaker:which sizes shapes styles is your market attracted to because we
Speaker:can make anything and we can start a business with anything.
Speaker:But if there's no market,
Speaker:if there's no receptivity on the other end for people to
Speaker:open their wallets,
Speaker:you're not going to go anywhere.
Speaker:That's why so many businesses fail.
Speaker:You just see,
Speaker:like I can start my business.
Speaker:Well, yeah,
Speaker:you can it's if that part's easy,
Speaker:but you've got to make sure that it aligns with a
Speaker:product that people want.
Speaker:And that's what you do during this stage called validation often
Speaker:here. And it's just because I don't think it's ever talked
Speaker:about you think,
Speaker:okay, I'm starting.
Speaker:I'm getting going.
Speaker:And so what do you mostly do?
Speaker:What am I going to name my company?
Speaker:Maybe you jumped right away to do an LLC.
Speaker:All these things,
Speaker:investing in inventory,
Speaker:all that kind of money.
Speaker:When honestly what you should first do is invest money in
Speaker:some shows,
Speaker:get in front of some people and test and validate your
Speaker:product. So money with yes,
Speaker:initial supplies of product,
Speaker:but not tons of inventory yet.
Speaker:Because what if,
Speaker:while you're looking at this,
Speaker:you see that nobody likes peppermint,
Speaker:but they love the lavender.
Speaker:And you've bought all this peppermint stuff already.
Speaker:That's a waste of money.
Speaker:That's money that you could have used to invest in your
Speaker:business somewhere else.
Speaker:So again,
Speaker:at this validation stage,
Speaker:don't rush to start your business.
Speaker:This stage doesn't have to take long,
Speaker:but put your money in a local farmer's market or craft
Speaker:show depending on your product,
Speaker:in the display so that everything looks good on your table
Speaker:and then go out and run a show and you can
Speaker:even run it just under your own name.
Speaker:Okay. And you don't have to create your business name yet
Speaker:because how many people even right after they've started are like,
Speaker:dang, that isn't the name I wanted,
Speaker:but they've already registered it.
Speaker:So hold off on that for a minute,
Speaker:until you do this validation,
Speaker:and then you'll move into stage three,
Speaker:which I call making it real.
Speaker:After you've done your validation,
Speaker:you know what products are working and you know that people
Speaker:will open their wallets or press those buy buttons.
Speaker:You've seen it happen.
Speaker:So you can be even more confident that what you're starting
Speaker:is going to be good.
Speaker:And so this is where you are going to register your
Speaker:business. LLC is always my preference,
Speaker:but that's another story.
Speaker:You'll open a bank account because now you'll know what your
Speaker:business name is going to be also.
Speaker:So you get your bank account in your business name,
Speaker:cause you always want to keep your finances separate and continue
Speaker:investing in craft shows because that's the way you're now going
Speaker:to be making money to reinvest in your business.
Speaker:These are all good things to be doing in this third
Speaker:stage that I call make it real.
Speaker:What I would not invest in during this stage is continuing
Speaker:to buy all of your inventory,
Speaker:retail, all the parts and pieces that you need to make
Speaker:your products or the ingredients that you need for the bakers
Speaker:out there,
Speaker:little by little during this stage,
Speaker:because you're going to now buy more in bulk,
Speaker:start buying wholesale or in larger volume.
Speaker:So it's cheaper because you're wasting money.
Speaker:If you're still buying retail,
Speaker:I've run into people who have been in business for several
Speaker:years already,
Speaker:and they're still still buying retail,
Speaker:but they have the volume of sales not to be.
Speaker:And that's just money that you're just throwing out the door.
Speaker:So it's at this stage where you turn to wholesale and
Speaker:you continue selling.
Speaker:I wanted to say in this other stage two,
Speaker:you can start your website,
Speaker:like start building an Etsy shop if you want.
Speaker:Or at minimum of Facebook shops start adding in some sales
Speaker:channels besides face-to-face step for upping your game.
Speaker:This is now when you've seen that everything's working,
Speaker:you've established your business and now you are full in sales
Speaker:and marketing.
Speaker:An error that I commonly see here is not really locking
Speaker:down your pricing structure.
Speaker:That includes money for you.
Speaker:I don't care if it's a penny per piece.
Speaker:I want you to include in your pricing structure,
Speaker:a salary for you and some money for your business because
Speaker:an Etsy shop costs some money.
Speaker:Having to know your own website,
Speaker:costs them money,
Speaker:going out to networking and marketing costs money.
Speaker:And the only way you can afford that is if your
Speaker:products by the sale of your products is bringing in money
Speaker:over and above how much it costs to make it including
Speaker:your production cost.
Speaker:But this is a mistake that I'm often seen is people
Speaker:aren't including that in their pricing a little bit for them,
Speaker:you always think like,
Speaker:well, it's my business.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:I'll pay myself later.
Speaker:Don't I don't care if it's one penny put that line
Speaker:item in there.
Speaker:So you're thinking about that.
Speaker:And by doing so then you have money that you can
Speaker:spend on developing your business.
Speaker:What should you spend money on it?
Speaker:This fourth stage where it makes sense switch from the free
Speaker:services that you've been using to paid because they have added
Speaker:enhancements that you want.
Speaker:Examples of this might be your email service.
Speaker:If you have just an email account,
Speaker:maybe you switched over to a business account.
Speaker:So it's not company name@gmail.com.
Speaker:It's your name at the name of your company?
Speaker:Dot com much more professional along with a lot of other
Speaker:services that business accounts provide.
Speaker:I think that costs like $6 a month or something not
Speaker:expensive. Another place that I would upgrade is having your own
Speaker:website. And when you're up in the game,
Speaker:you could be in this stage for several years,
Speaker:but start switching over again,
Speaker:where it makes sense to do that.
Speaker:Another service paid service very,
Speaker:very worth it.
Speaker:Canva. You can create free images in canvas all day long,
Speaker:but if you want to get resources to other photos,
Speaker:let's say you're going to do a post and you just
Speaker:don't have a photo.
Speaker:The photos that are in Canva are amazing and all the
Speaker:layouts, et cetera.
Speaker:So that's just another example.
Speaker:So again,
Speaker:in number four,
Speaker:the mistake is not pricing yourself properly,
Speaker:so that then you're going to have money to invest back
Speaker:into the business and pay yourself and then start changing from
Speaker:free to paid services where it makes sense and potentially hire
Speaker:help. You know,
Speaker:is it time to get bookkeeping off your desk or maybe
Speaker:it's even shipping.
Speaker:You have someone come in and fill the orders when you
Speaker:reach a certain level,
Speaker:not to do it all yourself,
Speaker:because at this stage it's also very probable that you become
Speaker:the barrier to growing because you're just trying to do everything
Speaker:yourself. And then finally we get to the fifth stage,
Speaker:which is keep it coming.
Speaker:And this is when you've been in business for a while.
Speaker:And I know a couple of people here have been in
Speaker:business for 20 years or so even the common mistake I'll
Speaker:see at this stage is not investing in growth.
Speaker:Do you need to add more employees,
Speaker:Kim? I'm just going to use it as an example because
Speaker:you are the top left,
Speaker:like how I read my zoom grid,
Speaker:but you added people to take on delivery because you knew
Speaker:that wasn't something that you were going to do.
Speaker:And you've added on people now that we're out of,
Speaker:COVID like baking and those things.
Speaker:You're really a great example at doing things like that,
Speaker:investing in things that will help you grow.
Speaker:Okay? So that could be people to help you.
Speaker:It can also be another sales channel.
Speaker:Let's say you have a tea shop and your doing craft
Speaker:shows might just be time to add your own website,
Speaker:a third avenue of getting business.
Speaker:And you might say,
Speaker:well, why do I need to do that?
Speaker:I'm already online.
Speaker:I've got an Etsy channel at T attracts a whole different
Speaker:customer than you would attract.
Speaker:So you're upgrading the golden nugget for a website is always
Speaker:your own.
Speaker:Always, always,
Speaker:always. It could be in addition to another,
Speaker:but always your own.
Speaker:Again, that goes just like with email because you own it.
Speaker:You can get anything online,
Speaker:shut down without cause even cause you don't control it and
Speaker:lose all your people.
Speaker:So something else to think about what you should be investing
Speaker:in at this stage is continued learning.
Speaker:As we mark off more and more years in business,
Speaker:we kind of feel like we know so much and some
Speaker:of the basics and the important things can get lost.
Speaker:And some of the new things that come down the road,
Speaker:we're so busy in our day to day and what we're
Speaker:doing, we're not looking at them.
Speaker:I'm not saying that you take on every single new thing
Speaker:that you see that is a potential for growing your business,
Speaker:but take a look at it and analyze it.
Speaker:A big hot one now is tic-tac.
Speaker:That is not one I'm choosing,
Speaker:but everyone's talking about it.
Speaker:So it was a heads up to me like,
Speaker:okay, let me think about this.
Speaker:Would this fit in?
Speaker:Do I elect to do it?
Speaker:I'm not just automatically shutting it down,
Speaker:but I'm not going all in to everything either.
Speaker:So staying on top of things,
Speaker:trends, and also thinking about this is the stage where you
Speaker:start thinking and putting in place things for your future.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:do you want to continue being the front person who runs
Speaker:everything all the time?
Speaker:Are you thinking maybe someday you were going to sell the
Speaker:business here or you can start investing in people or services
Speaker:that can help you set up for the future of your
Speaker:business. Not meaning tomorrow,
Speaker:not meaning in five years,
Speaker:but where do you think you're going?
Speaker:Where's the path leading to?
Speaker:We talked just yesterday.
Speaker:I think it was in our VIP group that we have
Speaker:with gift biz unwrapped talking about,
Speaker:do you have a plan?
Speaker:If all of a sudden you need to walk away from
Speaker:your business unexpectedly.
Speaker:That's something for all of us to think about.
Speaker:And particularly in this stage,
Speaker:you make sure you have that.
Speaker:And some of that might mean spending some money to go
Speaker:along with it.
Speaker:Okay. So I've shared with each of the five business stages
Speaker:now where you should not think about spending money with your,
Speaker:in that stage and then what you should be investing in
Speaker:in that stage.
Speaker:And let me open it up for any questions that anyone
Speaker:might have.
Speaker:Go ahead,
Speaker:Sharon, can you unmute yourself?
Speaker:Can we go back just a minute to the wholesale and
Speaker:what is it that you need to be able to buy
Speaker:wholesale? You need a seller's license to show that you're actually
Speaker:reselling your product.
Speaker:So it doesn't look like you're just buying at a lower
Speaker:price for yourself.
Speaker:And the important thing there is that the people who are
Speaker:buying from you are paying any applicable taxes.
Speaker:And if you don't do it,
Speaker:like if you can sometimes buy wholesale and they won't require
Speaker:that, but 99% of people will and you are then considered
Speaker:a non-taxable account because you are then collecting taxes for that
Speaker:product on the other end and not being double taxed,
Speaker:which is also another reason not to pay retail,
Speaker:you're paying tax.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:like I said before,
Speaker:it's not necessarily all your products,
Speaker:but some of your products,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:slowly moving it over where it makes sense.
Speaker:Okay. Thank You.
Speaker:Any other questions?
Speaker:Okay. I see some hands raised where you raising your hand
Speaker:for questions,
Speaker:Heidi, you have a question.
Speaker:What Is LLC?
Speaker:LLC stands for limited liability company.
Speaker:These are different designations for registering your business.
Speaker:So if you do nothing,
Speaker:you automatically default to a sole proprietor.
Speaker:I always recommend going to an LLC because what an LLC
Speaker:does is it puts a barrier between your personal everything and
Speaker:your business.
Speaker:So let's say something happened.
Speaker:You made something and someone sued you because they got hurt.
Speaker:When you are a sole proprietor,
Speaker:you are at risk of everything you own like your house,
Speaker:your car.
Speaker:If it was a serious thing,
Speaker:an LLC puts a divider right in the middle there,
Speaker:the only thing they can take is your business.
Speaker:I'm talking about worst case.
Speaker:Is this like difference between sole proprietor and corporation?
Speaker:Yeah. Corporation is even higher than an LLC.
Speaker:And then there's also an escort.
Speaker:I'd say the majority of people,
Speaker:I always say start off as a sole proprietor,
Speaker:especially during the validation stage before you decided for sure.
Speaker:And that doesn't sound like you,
Speaker:Heidi, but other people who are listening and then jump over
Speaker:to an LLC at the first chance.
Speaker:That makes sense.
Speaker:Just get it done.
Speaker:And then you're not going to worry about it.
Speaker:It's an annual license that you renew.
Speaker:Okay. I wonder if it's called something else in Canada.
Speaker:It might be.
Speaker:Yeah, it might be to check it out,
Speaker:but I'm sure they have something similar.
Speaker:So you know what?
Speaker:I don't know if you're in any chambers or anything,
Speaker:but you could go and just find someone on the legal
Speaker:side who can just explain it to you.
Speaker:Maybe spend $25,
Speaker:$50 to have a consult if need be,
Speaker:or just Google it online because you can even register online.
Speaker:You don't need a lawyer to do any of this,
Speaker:Right? Thank you.
Speaker:You're welcome.
Speaker:Hi, I've basically have done everything I've needed to,
Speaker:to, I have a business name.
Speaker:I have a business account.
Speaker:I have a business license,
Speaker:everything. My problem is,
Speaker:is I have so many flipping ideas.
Speaker:It's hard to narrow it down.
Speaker:So would the best thing to do is just take what
Speaker:I have done and see what people like the best,
Speaker:because I want a variety of everything,
Speaker:but I overblow myself with,
Speaker:where do I start?
Speaker:What do I do?
Speaker:Okay. I have talked about this a lot because it's a
Speaker:very common thing.
Speaker:Jeanette, let me give you just a really quick example.
Speaker:You walk into a craft show and you see a table
Speaker:with people selling candles,
Speaker:and then you see another table and it's all knitted items.
Speaker:And then you got to a table that has candles,
Speaker:knitted items,
Speaker:paintings, essential oils.
Speaker:Who is that person?
Speaker:What are they an expert in?
Speaker:They're not really seen as an expert in anything because they're
Speaker:displaying everything.
Speaker:Okay. So that kind of is a concept for you to
Speaker:think about.
Speaker:You're definitely in the validation stage.
Speaker:I have a program that helps walk you through how to
Speaker:identify your product.
Speaker:If you're interested in that,
Speaker:it's called start with confidence.
Speaker:And I can talk with you about that afterwards,
Speaker:but it helps you validate so that,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:again, what I was talking about in the beginning,
Speaker:in this stage,
Speaker:so you can determine what people will spend money on because
Speaker:everyone can say,
Speaker:things are beautiful.
Speaker:That's easy.
Speaker:It's opening the pocket book,
Speaker:then buying something,
Speaker:any more questions before we move on to the showcases,
Speaker:okay, I'm loving this part.
Speaker:So here's what we're going to do.
Speaker:And for anyone who's listening,
Speaker:you can also participate in what we call the bashes,
Speaker:which are actually right now,
Speaker:we are in a formal zoom party.
Speaker:These turn into podcasts,
Speaker:which if you're listening,
Speaker:that's what you're hearing now.
Speaker:But if you'd like to be behind the scenes in one
Speaker:of these zoom parties,
Speaker:you can certainly do.
Speaker:So. The only requirement is that you're a maker,
Speaker:you're in business in your maker because your big benefit is
Speaker:the showcases.
Speaker:You get a chance to talk about your business.
Speaker:Everyone has like a minute and a half,
Speaker:and here's what I want you to do.
Speaker:Talk about who you are,
Speaker:the name of your business,
Speaker:the product,
Speaker:if it's not already evident and then either one promotion,
Speaker:one event or one collaboration that you have going on is
Speaker:the only one of any of those.
Speaker:And then one point of contact where people can come and
Speaker:find you short,
Speaker:concise. If you have a couple of things going on,
Speaker:like you're at a craft show and you're also looking at
Speaker:a collaboration or something like that,
Speaker:come on a couple of bashes.
Speaker:Let's do one per batch just to keep it nice and
Speaker:clean and not confuse everybody who's listening because you know how
Speaker:it is too much information is no information.
Speaker:It just gets too confusing.
Speaker:If people are listening to this on the day,
Speaker:the podcast airs it's May 14th.
Speaker:So as you're doing your showcases,
Speaker:remember that that's the point in time will be when everybody's
Speaker:going to be listening.
Speaker:Okay, good to go.
Speaker:Okay. I need,
Speaker:I think I had used start or go last the first
Speaker:time. So I'm going to have you go first.
Speaker:This time I planned it.
Speaker:I planned it that way.
Speaker:Why Does that not surprise me?
Speaker:I need other,
Speaker:are you who are you?
Speaker:Tell us everything.
Speaker:Okay. My name's Anita Houseman.
Speaker:I am from the Hershey gifting company located just outside of
Speaker:chocolate town,
Speaker:USA, Hershey,
Speaker:PA. We offer personalized gifting and ribbon printing services to help
Speaker:remember the special people events or if people are building their
Speaker:brands to get them to be seen and notice.
Speaker:And you can find me on my website@thehersheygiftingcompany.com.
Speaker:Beautiful. Love it.
Speaker:Love it.
Speaker:Love it.
Speaker:Okay, let's go To Heidi.
Speaker:You've been very talkative.
Speaker:I'm going to let you go.
Speaker:Then you got to relax after that.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:My name is Heidi and I am a clothing designer for
Speaker:my company,
Speaker:Heidi and seek boutique.
Speaker:I make clothing,
Speaker:art and accessories all is handmade in my home studio.
Speaker:And I have a focus on body positivity,
Speaker:mental health awareness,
Speaker:and women empowerment in my items that I sell.
Speaker:You can find me@heidiandseekboutique.com.
Speaker:That's my website.
Speaker:And soon I'll be launching some donation items where portion of
Speaker:the sales of certain things will go to a battered women's
Speaker:shelter in my area,
Speaker:a fund for people who can't afford counseling on their own,
Speaker:as well as a local charity that provides housing to people
Speaker:who need to visit loved ones in the hospital.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:And I want to just point out to everyone.
Speaker:Who's listening to these showcases that you too can pick up
Speaker:ideas to hear like what other people are promoting,
Speaker:how they're integrating other things into their business.
Speaker:So it's not just them promoting.
Speaker:It's also to help you not copy what other people are
Speaker:doing, but to give you some other ideas of things that
Speaker:you could be doing.
Speaker:And Heidi,
Speaker:this whole give back is such a big deal right now.
Speaker:People care about it so much.
Speaker:I love that you're doing that.
Speaker:Love it,
Speaker:love it.
Speaker:So, all right,
Speaker:share. And you're up.
Speaker:You got to unmute yourself first.
Speaker:There we go.
Speaker:I am Sharon Martin and I have a company that is
Speaker:kind of a multi-faceted company.
Speaker:One part of it.
Speaker:I have a DBA of sharmarke creations where I do Dreamcatchers
Speaker:macrame and other types of wall hangings and a few other
Speaker:things. The other part of my business centers around a heart-centered
Speaker:awareness portion.
Speaker:That's more of a spiritual thing included in that is I
Speaker:do sound as because I'm a certified sound therapist and I
Speaker:do some essential oils and crystals,
Speaker:and you can find me@smartinheart.com.
Speaker:Perfect. Love it.
Speaker:Those sound baths are so intriguing.
Speaker:One of these days,
Speaker:Sharon, one of these days.
Speaker:Yes. Okay.
Speaker:Let's Sean,
Speaker:why don't you go next?
Speaker:Hello. My name is Leshaun Barnes.
Speaker:I am the owner of forever Mona Lisa.
Speaker:I create handmade jewelry.
Speaker:I am in Charlotte,
Speaker:North Carolina,
Speaker:and I have a promo code for you guys,
Speaker:which is fast.
Speaker:If you want to go to my website@forevermonalisa.com
Speaker:and you can find me on Instagram also at for everyone
Speaker:to Lisa and Sue.
Speaker:Thank you for the support.
Speaker:Thank you for purchasing the necklace.
Speaker:I love it.
Speaker:And it's funny because I had my mug this morning from
Speaker:the makers and bakers Now national Peers.
Speaker:Yes. Thank you.
Speaker:I love my mug.
Speaker:Thank you for the support.
Speaker:I love what you're doing.
Speaker:I'm excited to be a part of this.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:I love that you are too.
Speaker:I was going to wear the necklace,
Speaker:but it's already packed.
Speaker:Literally when we're done recording,
Speaker:I'm like walking out for my son's wedding.
Speaker:Say that on air.
Speaker:Alright. Oh,
Speaker:you're welcome.
Speaker:Let's see Jeanette,
Speaker:why don't you go next?
Speaker:My business name is denim blues.
Speaker:I recycle old denims and I make crazy quilts,
Speaker:pillows, Christmas,
Speaker:stockings, purses,
Speaker:a lot of things.
Speaker:And I also an author and write books and I just
Speaker:like to do a lot of things.
Speaker:So that's why I'm having a hard time narrowing it down
Speaker:so high.
Speaker:Yeah, But we can definitely talk more about that.
Speaker:We can talk about that in the breeze.
Speaker:Other ways to talk about that too,
Speaker:because there are ways to add products later.
Speaker:Like, okay.
Speaker:That's a whole conversation.
Speaker:That's for another time,
Speaker:I have an idea for you.
Speaker:Okay. Where can people find you?
Speaker:I have,
Speaker:well, Facebook go to denim blues.
Speaker:One, three denim,
Speaker:blues 13.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Wonderful Kim.
Speaker:You're up?
Speaker:Hi, I'm Kim.
Speaker:I'm from Kim's cottage confections.
Speaker:I have a small bake shop in the center of Connecticut.
Speaker:And I have been with Sue,
Speaker:I think,
Speaker:Ooh, maybe a year and a half,
Speaker:two years and listened to maker's MBA.
Speaker:Part of the VIP group.
Speaker:And I am launching officially my specialty popcorn.
Speaker:I've come up with a whole plan.
Speaker:It's going to be in boxes and in bags,
Speaker:I've registered popcorn culture.
Speaker:ct.com is my website platform where the purpose is going to
Speaker:be our back website.
Speaker:I've already laid out an entire year of popcorn flavors,
Speaker:popcorn ideas.
Speaker:I'm going to do.
Speaker:Tic-tac videos that I'm popping in to share some great ideas
Speaker:on how you can use popcorn to celebrate all occasions,
Speaker:because Sue,
Speaker:you taught me.
Speaker:I needed to validate a product,
Speaker:even though I'm a great baker.
Speaker:And I do a lot of really fun things.
Speaker:This is a tried and true that people ask me for
Speaker:everywhere I go.
Speaker:So we're scaling the business in a different direction.
Speaker:And this is our new focus.
Speaker:Love it.
Speaker:I wish I could like jump in the screen and give
Speaker:her a hug.
Speaker:Right. But I will,
Speaker:when we get to the Philly show,
Speaker:you got a candy show in September.
Speaker:Anyone who wants to join us there,
Speaker:calm Joyce would be your first customer.
Speaker:No, she won't.
Speaker:She doesn't like pasta.
Speaker:I wish you were here.
Speaker:Was she supposed to be here?
Speaker:No, she didn't sign up for this one,
Speaker:but she was on the first one anyway.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:We're going to keep moving on to keep timing going.
Speaker:Not Iowa.
Speaker:You're up.
Speaker:You have to start with where you're calling in from and
Speaker:it has to be Thanks for inviting me.
Speaker:This is so great.
Speaker:All of these women here with the same goals and in
Speaker:this creative industry,
Speaker:I am not alone.
Speaker:I live in the south of France,
Speaker:even though I have this American accent,
Speaker:I'm an ex-pat and I do live here.
Speaker:I've been here for 15 years.
Speaker:I am a digital illustrator.
Speaker:So I make drawings that I draw with a computer or
Speaker:the graphic tablet.
Speaker:And I'm a blogger.
Speaker:And I teach people how to make drawings and how to
Speaker:make things like t-shirts mugs coasters with those drawings.
Speaker:That is me in a nutshell.
Speaker:And to find me,
Speaker:you can find me at paper flow designs,
Speaker:which is paper,
Speaker:like the word paper,
Speaker:and then F L O designs,
Speaker:plural.com. So gracious to have me on the podcast,
Speaker:which we had so much fun.
Speaker:Yes. I was just going to say that too.
Speaker:You can hear not always story on one of the recent
Speaker:podcasts. Just go back just a little bit and you'll see
Speaker:her there.
Speaker:And yeah,
Speaker:it's amazing.
Speaker:And not a,
Speaker:one of the things that you're doing is demonstrating how it's
Speaker:not just making the products and in your case,
Speaker:making the images,
Speaker:but also adding a level of teaching.
Speaker:So that's amazing.
Speaker:It's a great example.
Speaker:Love it.
Speaker:Love it.
Speaker:Okay. Sheila,
Speaker:your turn girlfriend.
Speaker:I happy to be here.
Speaker:Well, let me tell you a little bit about us.
Speaker:We're from Nashville,
Speaker:Tennessee, and we are a corporate gifting company,
Speaker:and we also have a market that we're going to be
Speaker:opening up in the next few months to showcase some of
Speaker:our gift baskets,
Speaker:as well as just some home decor and some gifts you
Speaker:can follow me on let's do Facebook.
Speaker:It's heavenly treats for you LLC.
Speaker:Or we do have an online store,
Speaker:which has heavenly treats for you.
Speaker:The number four,
Speaker:the letter u.com.
Speaker:But one thing I love about this is just wishing I
Speaker:had that information that you had given earlier when I started
Speaker:my business,
Speaker:because that was some great information to start out with.
Speaker:So take things,
Speaker:go with it.
Speaker:Yes. It's wonderful to watch your business grow.
Speaker:Also, you can catch us on one of Sue's podcasts.
Speaker:We got to share our story regarding the guitar case.
Speaker:So listen to that and you'll know what Ash tag,
Speaker:follow the Nashville guitars all about.
Speaker:There you go.
Speaker:And Sheila,
Speaker:when you come back to another bash,
Speaker:we'll talk about what happened to you this year.
Speaker:Cause that's a good thing to talk about because they all
Speaker:kind of coordinate with new up and coming things.
Speaker:You're doing,
Speaker:I'm thinking,
Speaker:okay, Susie,
Speaker:why don't you go next?
Speaker:I'm Susie Buell.
Speaker:I'm from Chicago,
Speaker:Illinois, and I make everything painted.
Speaker:So basically kind of trying to narrow it down.
Speaker:I have been doing some porch boards and selling some prints
Speaker:of my artwork,
Speaker:but now I'm doing candles that I paint on the containers
Speaker:and also greeting cards from my paintings and something,
Speaker:a little unique candle coasters that kind of match the containers
Speaker:of the candles.
Speaker:And those are on like ceramic like tiles.
Speaker:And so pretty much it's functional art that you can use.
Speaker:And you can find me on flicky Jack designs on Etsy.
Speaker:Perfect. Okay.
Speaker:Wonderful Chicago in dealing with our weather.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:let's see.
Speaker:Rounding it out.
Speaker:Lilly. I let Ms.
Speaker:Lee and I in a very early and not so early
Speaker:stage because I do crochet jewelry and yeah,
Speaker:I love it.
Speaker:But the problem is,
Speaker:I don't know how to make it known to people.
Speaker:And I have the Etsy show for a long time.
Speaker:I also have an Instagram account that it's called every little
Speaker:thing. And that's what I,
Speaker:you can find me.
Speaker:I don't have a website yet.
Speaker:Okay. Well you like what Sheila was just saying,
Speaker:like, this is a good thing.
Speaker:Take heed of where to spend money and where not to
Speaker:spend money initially so that when you find the next step
Speaker:that you're at,
Speaker:you'll have funds to be able to do it.
Speaker:It won't negate your progress or slow you down.
Speaker:So that's amazing.
Speaker:And there's lots of ways,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:just keep listening to go into the breeze.
Speaker:You're already remembered the breeze and listened to the podcasts.
Speaker:We've got some shows on Etsy already,
Speaker:since you've already got a shop there and other ways to
Speaker:start your business.
Speaker:So it's just a wealth of great information.
Speaker:And I'm not just saying that because it's my show.
Speaker:I bring on fabulous guests.
Speaker:Many of them I've learned so much about cats already.
Speaker:Good, good,
Speaker:good, wonderful.
Speaker:And I might have something coming up for you.
Speaker:So hold tight on that.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:You guys,
Speaker:so that's a wrap on the showcases.
Speaker:Remember if you're interested in participating in getting visibility for your
Speaker:business, then sign up for an upcoming bash.
Speaker:I've set the dates already through June and they're all different
Speaker:times. Like I even have a Saturday one because I know
Speaker:some of you work nine to five jobs and you'd never
Speaker:be able to come on here during a weekday.
Speaker:So I'm trying to extend the opportunities for everybody.
Speaker:You can even be out of the country.
Speaker:We have France and Canada represented here today because aren't we
Speaker:lucky we can sell pretty much anywhere.
Speaker:And I've got listeners everywhere as well.
Speaker:Sheila is making a comment that she will offer 10%.
Speaker:Okay. She's from the south Nashville,
Speaker:right? 10% for y'all with a promo code of bash.
Speaker:Okay. So if you're in participating in getting visibility for your
Speaker:business gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash bash is where you'll go.
Speaker:Okay. And those of you who joined me for the party
Speaker:today, hold tight.
Speaker:When I stopped the recording,
Speaker:we'll chat for a little while afterwards and everyone else who's
Speaker:listening. Let me know what you're thinking about these bashes.
Speaker:What value are you getting?
Speaker:What do you think about it?
Speaker:Give me some feedback on how it's going.
Speaker:Okay. From a listener standpoint,
Speaker:I would love to know,
Speaker:okay. Everybody take care and I will see you again.
Speaker:Next time on the gift biz unwrapped podcast.
Speaker:Before you move on to your next activity today,
Speaker:make sure to get your name on the list for at
Speaker:least one gift biz bash.
Speaker:You can see dates for the upcoming sessions and get signed
Speaker:up over at gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash bash.
Speaker:And if you're enjoying the podcast and would like to show
Speaker:support a rating and review is always fabulous because it helps
Speaker:get the show seen by more makers.
Speaker:It's a great way to pay it forward.
Speaker:And there's another way where you can get something tangible in
Speaker:return for your support to visit my merch shop for a
Speaker:wide variety of inspirational items like mugs,
Speaker:journals, water bottles,
Speaker:and more featuring logos images and quotes to inspire you throughout
Speaker:your day makes a great gift to,
Speaker:and we've just added some new products for the season to
Speaker:the shop.
Speaker:Turnaround is quick and the quality is top notch,
Speaker:nothing but the best for you.
Speaker:Take a look at all the options at gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash shop.
Speaker:All proceeds from these purchases helps go to offset the cost
Speaker:of producing the show and now be safe and well.
Speaker:And I'll see you again.
Speaker:Next time on the gift biz unwrapped podcast.
Speaker:I want to make sure you're familiar with my free Facebook
Speaker:group called gift is breeze.
Speaker:It's a place where we all gather and our community to
Speaker:support each other.
Speaker:Got a really fun post in there.
Speaker:That's my favorite of the week.
Speaker:I have to say where I invite all of you to
Speaker:share what you're doing to show pictures of your product,
Speaker:to show what you're working on for the week to get
Speaker:reaction from other people and just for fun,
Speaker:because we all get to see the wonderful products that everybody
Speaker:in the community is making my favorite posts every single week,
Speaker:without doubt.
Speaker:Wait, what,
Speaker:aren't you part of the group already,
Speaker:if not make sure to jump over to Facebook and search
Speaker:for the group gift biz breeze don't delay.
