Gift Biz Unwrapped,
Speaker:the Farewell episode number 418.
Speaker:Attention Gifters,
Speaker:bakers 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 Gift Biz Unwrapped,
Speaker:helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.
Speaker:Join us for an episode packed full of invaluable guidance,
Speaker:resources and the support you need to grow your gift biz.
Speaker:Here is your host Gift Biz Gal Sue Moon Height.
Speaker:Yes, you heard it right.
Speaker:This is the last episode of Gift Biz Unwrapped.
Speaker:I sit here behind the mic with mixed emotions.
Speaker:I love podcasting.
Speaker:It has energized and fulfilled me personally and professionally and so
Speaker:many wonderful people have entered my life due to the show
Speaker:over the last eight years and 545 episodes.
Speaker:We've covered every topic currently out there that applies to starting
Speaker:and growing a handmade product business.
Speaker:We've heard from amazing expert guests who didn't hold back with
Speaker:their knowledge and expertise.
Speaker:We've also heard the experiences of small business owners just like
Speaker:you in all phases of development,
Speaker:startups and established businesses alike have valuable stories to share,
Speaker:lessons to learn from,
Speaker:or points to bring us back to the basics that often
Speaker:get lost over years in business.
Speaker:All this guidance is still accessible to you anytime,
Speaker:which is one of the beauties of podcasts.
Speaker:I'm proud of the library of content that's been created here.
Speaker:Most of it is evergreen,
Speaker:meaning it stays relevant over time.
Speaker:That was my goal from the start to build up this
Speaker:resource Bank of knowledge for you,
Speaker:and I've learned a lot from my guests along the way
Speaker:too. I'll tell you more about how you can easily find
Speaker:a specific show or topic you're looking for in a few
Speaker:minutes. Now,
Speaker:I realize that the news of my final episode comes as
Speaker:a surprise.
Speaker:That's because I hadn't made the final decision until recently.
Speaker:It's been on my mind for a while,
Speaker:but I went back and forth about it for months.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:how do you walk away from something you love and have
Speaker:put so much time,
Speaker:money, and energy into?
Speaker:It's been a difficult decision and I had to follow the
Speaker:same advice I give you about how to know when it's
Speaker:time to walk away.
Speaker:My final decision came when I realized I've achieved what I
Speaker:wanted to hear.
Speaker:I'm also finding that my interests are being pulled in a
Speaker:different direction.
Speaker:Michael recently retired and we'd like to travel more.
Speaker:We just returned from a trip to Vietnam.
Speaker:It takes a lot of planning and organization to leave for
Speaker:three weeks and still keep the show going.
Speaker:Plus, we wanted to stay away longer,
Speaker:but I just couldn't leave the businesses for that long.
Speaker:That's mostly because of podcasting.
Speaker:My team can definitely do the rest,
Speaker:but let's face it,
Speaker:I'm the host,
Speaker:so I have to be here and I'm really not one
Speaker:for re airing past shows as a fill-in.
Speaker:I've never done that here,
Speaker:but certainly don't fault Podcasters who do at Gift Biz Unwrapped.
Speaker:Each and every week you've gotten brand new shows,
Speaker:guest interviews,
Speaker:my personal takes on specific topics in tips and talk and
Speaker:other types of bonus episodes as well.
Speaker:But while the podcast is ending,
Speaker:all the resources,
Speaker:coaching and community over at Gift Biz Unwrapped is still up
Speaker:and running.
Speaker:Here's a rundown of what's available for you moving forward.
Speaker:The Gift Biz Unwrapped Podcast Resource Center.
Speaker:You may have heard the promo I've been adding to the
Speaker:shows over the last few months about this.
Speaker:It's a handy listing of all the timeless podcast episodes.
Speaker:I've broken them down into various topics so you can easily
Speaker:find the ones containing information you're looking for at any given
Speaker:time, whether it's overall business development,
Speaker:specifics on selling email or setting up your website.
Speaker:Maybe you're curious about how others developed their business.
Speaker:You can zero in on your specific industry or check out
Speaker:other product startup stories too,
Speaker:and I encourage you to do so.
Speaker:You'll find that a lot of your thinking first actions and
Speaker:challenges are similar across all types of handmade products.
Speaker:It's reassuring to know that others have encountered the same things
Speaker:that you're facing.
Speaker:Plus, you'll get ideas from the way they overcame these issues
Speaker:and there are so many more topics,
Speaker:pricing platform,
Speaker:specific details,
Speaker:and on and on.
Speaker:You can find this resource center over@giftbizunwrapped.com
Speaker:slash topics.
Speaker:If you're at the beginning stage of your business,
Speaker:I encourage you to watch my free Five Rookie Mistakes webinar.
Speaker:It will warn you about common early stumbling blocks so you
Speaker:have a smoother road and see results faster.
Speaker:That leads into my Start With Confidence program.
Speaker:If you're interested in going further with my trainings there,
Speaker:you'll learn how to validate your plan to ensure a money-making
Speaker:business can be started with your specific product.
Speaker:How horrible is it to have your dreams dashed because nobody
Speaker:will buy,
Speaker:especially when you could have avoided it from the beginning with
Speaker:just a few tweaks.
Speaker:Also available is my Networking Ninja program.
Speaker:This covers all the intricacies of networking events,
Speaker:how to properly use them to your advantage.
Speaker:What to do when you walk into a room and don't
Speaker:know a single person and templates for your elevator speech.
Speaker:I actually actually call this your introduction message because that's really
Speaker:what it is and feels much less daunting.
Speaker:Being able to manage first time conversations about your business is
Speaker:a powerful skill to have,
Speaker:not just for networking,
Speaker:but when you're out at craft shows and even for personal
Speaker:conversations. Do you stumble over your words at a party when
Speaker:asked what you do?
Speaker:If so,
Speaker:networking Ninja is for you on the content creation front.
Speaker:You can take advantage of the Content For Makers program.
Speaker:This will help you with a strategy,
Speaker:topics and wording for social media posts,
Speaker:emails, any even blog articles.
Speaker:The great thing about Content for Makers is that you can
Speaker:buy it once and then use it over and over again.
Speaker:There's no need to purchase it year after year,
Speaker:and it's only $27.
Speaker:Kind of a no-brainer if you ask me there are productivity
Speaker:tools available for you too.
Speaker:Check out my Inspired Daily Planner,
Speaker:which comes with a video on how to be more productive
Speaker:in your days and a hard copy spiral bound daily planner
Speaker:or scheduler if you will,
Speaker:specifically created for Makers.
Speaker:It also has a motivational tip to inspire you each day.
Speaker:It's not dated,
Speaker:so you can start with the planner any time of the
Speaker:year. Oh,
Speaker:and have you gotten my book yet Maker to master Find
Speaker:and Fix What's Not Working in your Small Business.
Speaker:Great guidance no matter where you are in your handmade product
Speaker:business. As I've been told by many and of course my
Speaker:signature program Maker's mba.
Speaker:This is my pride and joy from the Gift Biz Unwrapped
Speaker:side. It's a holistic and detailed course on building your business.
Speaker:Students have gone through the program when they're just getting started,
Speaker:and surprisingly because I didn't expect this when I first rolled
Speaker:it out,
Speaker:many who've been in business for years have gone through the
Speaker:program too to stabilize and strengthen their business.
Speaker:It's a business bible,
Speaker:if you will,
Speaker:offering all the elements you need in place for a solid
Speaker:business foundation for the lifetime of your business.
Speaker:You can reference back to it again and again as your
Speaker:business changes and grows.
Speaker:I'll put all the links to these programs in the show
Speaker:notes of this episode and all the tips and talk episodes.
Speaker:You can also find more details on these programs over at
Speaker:the website,
Speaker:gift Biz Unwrapped,
Speaker:and of course,
Speaker:there's Gift Biz Breeze,
Speaker:our Facebook community,
Speaker:which is available to you if you haven't joined already.
Speaker:An active community,
Speaker:including thousands of makers to learn from,
Speaker:to offer support to and to find new handmade maker friends.
Speaker:I can get lost in there for hours.
Speaker:I can't do this farewell episode without highlighting two fabulous women
Speaker:who've been beside me and have poured as much heart into
Speaker:this show as I have.
Speaker:Michelle Lovingly nicknamed Mish has been editing the audio along with
Speaker:other tasks since 2017.
Speaker:She's a model VA and it's been an incredible business and
Speaker:personal relationship.
Speaker:I've learned about life in the Philippines,
Speaker:seen her family grow to include two adorable little boys and
Speaker:could always count on salad and timely work.
Speaker:Mish, you are the gold standard of virtual assistance and I
Speaker:look forward to staying in touch on a personal level to
Speaker:support you as a friend in any way I can.
Speaker:Someday I still hope to meet you in person versus over
Speaker:Zoom and Valerie of a clever cat.
Speaker:Valerie has been my content manager for the last three years,
Speaker:and my only regret is that I didn't find and hire
Speaker:her earlier.
Speaker:She's taken the show notes,
Speaker:emails and my new Pinterest account to Amazing Heights.
Speaker:I always look forward to finding out which audio clips she
Speaker:pulls for each show.
Speaker:I've learned from her experience and always love our calls because
Speaker:without fail,
Speaker:there is a cat or two walking around in the background.
Speaker:Furry friends of all sorts make me smile.
Speaker:Valerie and her work companions always do that.
Speaker:Valerie, you have been amazing and I'll tell you I'm a
Speaker:little jealous of whoever takes my spot in your client roster.
Speaker:I look forward to staying in touch and may just have
Speaker:to make a special trip down to Texas to see you,
Speaker:so you may be wondering what's next for me.
Speaker:First, I want to confirm that Gift Biz Unwrapped and the
Speaker:Ribbon Print Company are still up and running full force.
Speaker:I have a talented team behind the scenes,
Speaker:actively working as always,
Speaker:and I'm spending time there too.
Speaker:Of course,
Speaker:I love my businesses,
Speaker:but since I have freed up some time,
Speaker:I look forward to balancing my life with personal interests,
Speaker:traveling, as I said before,
Speaker:especially because both my kids live out west.
Speaker:I plan to spend more time in my garden and really
Speaker:truly get to our local farmer's market every week when it's
Speaker:in season.
Speaker:I'm also thinking about pickleball.
Speaker:Do any of you play?
Speaker:I've heard great things about it and look forward to trying
Speaker:it out myself.
Speaker:I used to play tennis and this may be the next
Speaker:new thing for me,
Speaker:and of course there's my new puppy biscotti.
Speaker:He's only 10 months old and already 71 and a half
Speaker:pounds. I look forward to taking advantage of his friendly people
Speaker:and animal loving nature with lots of walks,
Speaker:trips to the dog park and coffee dates with him and
Speaker:tow. You can see him over on Instagram at Biscotti Tales.
Speaker:That's T A I L S if you're interested,
Speaker:and speaking of Instagram,
Speaker:I'm going to be more active on my personal account now
Speaker:too. I had paused it for a long time,
Speaker:focusing only on the Gift Biz unwrapped side,
Speaker:but it feels like a great time to reengage there.
Speaker:I'd love for you to connect with me on that account
Speaker:too. That's at Sue Moon height,
Speaker:and as for podcasting,
Speaker:never say Never.
Speaker:You may just find me one day starting a new show.
Speaker:I don't have any plans for that right now,
Speaker:but there have been some ideas suggested to me that I
Speaker:find intriguing,
Speaker:so we'll see.
Speaker:Finally, I wanna thank you for being a listener.
Speaker:Maybe you've just recently found this show or you've been listening
Speaker:for years.
Speaker:I want you to know how much I appreciate and feel
Speaker:honored that you choose to spend time with me.
Speaker:You may be a coaching client,
Speaker:have purchased products from me,
Speaker:are part of the breeze,
Speaker:or a casual listener I've never met,
Speaker:no matter our level of connection.
Speaker:I'm thankful for you.
Speaker:I'd love to see this podcast continue to be shared and
Speaker:used to help and grow handmade product businesses.
Speaker:The purpose all along has been for makers who have a
Speaker:dream, see it become a reality.
Speaker:You can help me with that by leaving a review on
Speaker:whatever app you use to listen to your podcasts.
Speaker:You see,
Speaker:when reviews are done,
Speaker:the podcast gets seen by more people who are searching for
Speaker:the content that particular show provides.
Speaker:That's why so many hosts ask for reviews.
Speaker:If you haven't already,
Speaker:no matter what the date is,
Speaker:when you listen to this,
Speaker:I'd be grateful.
Speaker:If you do me this favor,
Speaker:I'd consider it a gift that doesn't cost a thing,
Speaker:but a minute of your time to leave a review.
Speaker:You are a handmade product maker.
Speaker:You create something that brings happiness and joy into the lives
Speaker:of those you share it with.
Speaker:By starting a business,
Speaker:you're opening the circle of people you can touch by offering
Speaker:the ability to have and use what you make in exchange.
Speaker:Your life is enhanced financially and emotionally.
Speaker:You make the world a better place and fill us with
Speaker:happiness. Thank you so much for that,
Speaker:and now be safe and well,
Speaker:and I hope to interact with you again outside of the
Speaker:Gift Biz Unwrapped Podcast.