Shownotes
Business Building Insights
- All craft fairs are not created equal. Figure out which ones attract your customer by interest and price point.
- Smaller scale items sell best on Etsy and at craft fairs.
- Prioritization is the key to time management and progressing with your business.
- Letting people interact with your products leads them to the sale.
- Dream big. Don’t limit yourself to what you can see today.
- Make it easy for people to purchase both in person and online.
- Promote and let people know what you do.
- Believe in what you’re making. Only then will your passion shine through.
Contact Links
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Join our FREE Gift Biz Breeze Facebook Community
If you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. That helps us spread the word to more makers just like you.
Thanks! Sue
Transcripts
You're listening to gift biz unwrapped episode 213 I wonder if
Speaker:I need to start smaller and just build up from there
Speaker:and get my confidence up so that I don't get in
Speaker:my own way.
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 to 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,
Speaker:Sue moon Heights.
Speaker:Hi there,
Speaker:it's Sue and I.
Speaker:I am so happy to be here today and also have
Speaker:you joining me.
Speaker:It feels great to be back behind the mic again if
Speaker:you've been following me.
Speaker:You know that I have been gone for the last three
Speaker:weeks. My husband and I took a trip over to Africa.
Speaker:We went through South Africa,
Speaker:Zimbabwe and Botswana and Oh my gosh,
Speaker:you guys.
Speaker:The animals are spectacular.
Speaker:We had lots and lots of close encounters of the big
Speaker:five and more.
Speaker:The people were amazing.
Speaker:Their lifestyle is Oh so different than ours.
Speaker:And if you follow me on Instagram stories,
Speaker:you already know everything because I was sharing it as much
Speaker:as I could when we had wifi access.
Speaker:That is,
Speaker:but now that I'm back in the office behind the mic,
Speaker:number one,
Speaker:it feels so great to be back.
Speaker:And number two,
Speaker:that world feels a lifetime away just in terms of where
Speaker:they are in terms of their culture and how they live
Speaker:their daily lives.
Speaker:And I feel very fortunate to be able to have been
Speaker:there and experienced the people and the animals,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:I'm kind of thinking I might do a podcast about it
Speaker:because there are a lot of learnings that I got kind
Speaker:of reemphasizing good business point,
Speaker:but having nothing to do related to business.
Speaker:So it's kind of interesting.
Speaker:I'm still kind of battling in my head whether I'm going
Speaker:to do that or not.
Speaker:So you might see a little bit of a different episode
Speaker:coming up in the future.
Speaker:You know how it is when you're out of your regular
Speaker:environment. Everything looks a little bit different.
Speaker:And I encourage all of you too.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you might not be as elaborate as going on a vacation
Speaker:to Africa,
Speaker:but even just getting out of your current work environment opens
Speaker:up new opportunities and makes your brain think a little bit
Speaker:differently. So I,
Speaker:for one,
Speaker:I always remember this when I get back from vacation and
Speaker:then I get into the swing of things and never do
Speaker:it. But I'm really gonna make a concerted effort to get
Speaker:out of the office more and walk around and be in
Speaker:other environments because it brings up all these different and new
Speaker:creative ideas.
Speaker:But the one thing I have to tell you,
Speaker:shutting down the whole Africa topic is I'm so happy to
Speaker:be back.
Speaker:And it just reinforced to me how much I love what
Speaker:I'm doing,
Speaker:how much I love working with all of you,
Speaker:sharing information about makers who are doing some amazing things out
Speaker:here and helping you along the way as you're growing your
Speaker:businesses. So it's very fulfilling to know that I missed it
Speaker:so much and I'm so happy to be back.
Speaker:Let's jump right into a couple of announcements that I have
Speaker:for you.
Speaker:First off,
Speaker:if you're not part of the gift biz breeze Facebook group,
Speaker:this is our community where we all work together and help
Speaker:each other grow our businesses.
Speaker:If you're not already there,
Speaker:jump in right away because I have a post sitting there
Speaker:that talks about mother's day.
Speaker:Although the group is not one of the groups where people
Speaker:are promoting themselves.
Speaker:This is not a salesy group.
Speaker:This is a group where we really want to help encourage
Speaker:each other,
Speaker:provide solutions,
Speaker:advice, direction for people to grow their businesses.
Speaker:But there are times when I do want people to promote
Speaker:their businesses because we can all support each other in some
Speaker:cases financially as well.
Speaker:And there's a thread in there right now about mother's day
Speaker:and the promotions that people have up for mother's day.
Speaker:If you join now,
Speaker:you can jump right in.
Speaker:You can add your mother's day promotion to that post and
Speaker:potentially pick up a new customer or to my second announcement
Speaker:is now that I'm back,
Speaker:I'm not just easing into business calmly and lightly,
Speaker:but I have some big things going on the end of
Speaker:this month.
Speaker:I have a new master class that I'm going to be
Speaker:announcing and it's unlike any that I've done before.
Speaker:The details will be coming in next week's podcast and if
Speaker:you're part of our newsletter you'll also see it in an
Speaker:email and I'll be running ads to it as well.
Speaker:It's going to be big and I don't want you to
Speaker:miss it.
Speaker:There's a lot of information about this industry that you may
Speaker:not know as much about or I'm approaching this from a
Speaker:different angle that I think you'll find very interesting,
Speaker:so keep your eyes open for that and meanwhile I'm going
Speaker:to be back here busily getting everything put together,
Speaker:everything ready and prepared for this new masterclass that's coming out
Speaker:later this month.
Speaker:Enough on that for now.
Speaker:Let's talk about our guests today.
Speaker:Elaine has a full time job and is also looking at
Speaker:building her business on the side.
Speaker:Probably very similar to a lot of you who are listening.
Speaker:She has an amazing product and I'm not going to go
Speaker:into it right now because she's going to describe it for
Speaker:us in detail,
Speaker:but from my vantage point I see some huge opportunities for
Speaker:her. Her style is so unique that I see an opportunity
Speaker:for her to recreate and redefine a style that she can
Speaker:name and claim as her own.
Speaker:That might not make a whole lot of sense right now,
Speaker:but we get into it.
Speaker:I think you'll understand and this could be huge for her
Speaker:and her business,
Speaker:a definite differentiator for her.
Speaker:We also talked about a number of different types of industries
Speaker:that she hadn't been considering before that could be perfect for
Speaker:her product and again,
Speaker:break the opportunities that she has in front of her wide
Speaker:open. I see so much potential with what Elaine's doing,
Speaker:her product and her spirit and her drive and how she
Speaker:talks about her business,
Speaker:that I'm really,
Speaker:really looking forward to what she's doing in the future.
Speaker:Additionally, and one thing I also really want you to listen
Speaker:in for is she analyzes how craft shows have performed for
Speaker:her. She's done different types and different levels of shows and
Speaker:she's very good at analyzing what's happening in there,
Speaker:which shows are the right ones for her,
Speaker:how to create her booth so that she gets optimal customer
Speaker:interaction and potential sales,
Speaker:all of that.
Speaker:So I think that will be a very interesting portion of
Speaker:this podcast for you as well.
Speaker:So without me rambling on and on,
Speaker:it's time for my on air coaching call with Elaine.
Speaker:Elaine cook grits is a trained visual artist and makes paintings
Speaker:as well as smaller craft works.
Speaker:Currently she seen success selling painted laser cut puzzles.
Speaker:These are smaller,
Speaker:more tactile versions of her paintings.
Speaker:Elaine loves working with bright colors and making cheerful pieces that
Speaker:bring people joy.
Speaker:She's excited about the possibility of spending more time doing what
Speaker:she's passionate about so she's focusing on making her business more
Speaker:profitable. Elaine,
Speaker:welcome to the gift biz unwrapped podcast.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:I'm glad to be here.
Speaker:I was thrilled to see your name on an application to
Speaker:be one of our on-air coaching calls and I cannot wait
Speaker:to dive into your business.
Speaker:We're going to start out in the way that I always
Speaker:do and that is by having you describe yourself through a
Speaker:motivational candle.
Speaker:So if you were to share with me what color your
Speaker:candle would be and what a quote would be that would
Speaker:really resonate with you,
Speaker:what would your candle look like?
Speaker:So I was thinking about this and I'm actually not a
Speaker:huge candle person,
Speaker:so I was thinking about this and I think my candle
Speaker:would be more of a candle holder that would have little
Speaker:cutouts in it that would cast interesting shadows on the wall
Speaker:or the table or whatever it's laying on just to get
Speaker:people to kind of look at it differently.
Speaker:I think a lot of people when they respond to my
Speaker:work are like,
Speaker:wow, that's interesting.
Speaker:I never thought of that or I haven't seen things done
Speaker:this way.
Speaker:So just to get people to think differently about what they're
Speaker:seeing. And then my quote would be more of a mantra
Speaker:than a quote.
Speaker:It would just be be calm or also don't freak out.
Speaker:I think it's really easy to get frustrated with setbacks and
Speaker:if you just go with the flow and don't fight it,
Speaker:you'll be a lot better off.
Speaker:So that would be my motivational candle or candle holder.
Speaker:Perfect. And I just love that idea of just staying calm,
Speaker:dealing with whatever it is,
Speaker:because you probably come up with better resolution anyway and you
Speaker:don't give yourself a heart attack.
Speaker:Exactly. Yeah.
Speaker:So let's dive right into your business.
Speaker:Elaine. Share with us a little bit how you got started.
Speaker:I know that being a visual artist is something that you've
Speaker:done for a long time.
Speaker:So take us back to when you found that passion and
Speaker:how that's evolved now into your business.
Speaker:Perfect. So I started making art in college.
Speaker:So I have a degree in visual art from Brown and
Speaker:I've always been kind of an artist.
Speaker:I've always made drawings and stuff,
Speaker:but once I decided to declare that major,
Speaker:that was when I really thought of myself as an artist.
Speaker:So I've been out of school for about six years now,
Speaker:so my business or art practice has taken a lot of
Speaker:different forms since then.
Speaker:I've moved around a lot since graduating,
Speaker:so when I first graduated,
Speaker:I really had this vision of like very traditional art making,
Speaker:making paintings,
Speaker:selling them in a gallery,
Speaker:things like that.
Speaker:And then as time happened and I moved around a lot,
Speaker:didn't necessarily have the studio space to make those big paintings.
Speaker:My practice evolved a little bit too,
Speaker:so I started making some digital works.
Speaker:I use apps like procreate and art studio for iPad to
Speaker:make these digital drawings and paintings.
Speaker:And so I've started printing them on cards.
Speaker:The biggest thing that I've done recently that I think is
Speaker:probably my most unique selling point would be these puzzles that
Speaker:I make.
Speaker:So they're very similar to the paintings that I make.
Speaker:They're these little interlocking shapes and it's like a two-tone item.
Speaker:I think it would be best if we had a photo,
Speaker:but they're very unique.
Speaker:I've sold them at craft shows and things like that.
Speaker:And the feedback that I always get from people is like,
Speaker:wow, I've never seen this before.
Speaker:At this point in time,
Speaker:I feel like that's my most unique items.
Speaker:They're easy to sell to just because they're a much lower
Speaker:price point than a painting and they're easier to make.
Speaker:I live in Washington D C now,
Speaker:and I haven't found that studio space to make big paintings
Speaker:or paint with oils.
Speaker:So it's been a lot easier for me to make these
Speaker:smaller scale items and sell them on Etsy and craft fairs
Speaker:and things like that in my current state of mind.
Speaker:So my business is always evolving,
Speaker:but I think that that's kind of where I'm at right
Speaker:now is smaller items that sell easily and we'll kind of
Speaker:see where it goes year to year.
Speaker:Right. And so you've got puzzles and you've got the greeting
Speaker:cards, right?
Speaker:Those are the two items currently,
Speaker:Yes, and I do have some paintings in my inventory that
Speaker:I can also sell,
Speaker:but I am a little bit confused as to where would
Speaker:be a good place to sell those.
Speaker:So I would say those three things.
Speaker:Greeting cards,
Speaker:puzzles, paintings And the paintings.
Speaker:The Same style of art as your puzzle?
Speaker:Yes, for the most part there are these interlocking shapes.
Speaker:They're cut holes into painted canvas and then underneath it is
Speaker:a stitch quilt.
Speaker:So it's this two layer painting.
Speaker:I'm always interested in ways to combine craft work and sewing
Speaker:with more traditional painting.
Speaker:Okay. This is important and I didn't get this as I
Speaker:was looking at your website and your Etsy site,
Speaker:and this is a good question because I was looking at
Speaker:the puzzle and some of them,
Speaker:when the pieces come out,
Speaker:there is a design underneath and you're saying that a quilt
Speaker:For the puzzles,
Speaker:there's no quilts underneath.
Speaker:But if you look at my Etsy shop,
Speaker:the in the cover photo,
Speaker:there's like a bluish purple painting with red and that red
Speaker:layer underneath that's quilted fabric,
Speaker:Quilted fabric.
Speaker:Okay. Got it.
Speaker:That's very unique.
Speaker:So your whole style really is something I've never seen before,
Speaker:which is a huge opportunity for you and give biz listeners
Speaker:just so you can follow along on the show notes page
Speaker:will be links to Elaine site,
Speaker:both our Etsy site and her website.
Speaker:So you can take a look and understand what we're relating
Speaker:back to and talking about.
Speaker:So your three products,
Speaker:your paintings,
Speaker:your puzzles,
Speaker:and your greeting cards all have the same feel to them?
Speaker:Correct? Yes.
Speaker:Perfect. Okay.
Speaker:So in our intro information you gave me a lot of
Speaker:different avenues of concern.
Speaker:So let's get into that in a second.
Speaker:But before we do that,
Speaker:how does this business relate to your overall life right now?
Speaker:Yeah, great question.
Speaker:So I work full time in marketing.
Speaker:So this at the moment I would classify as a side
Speaker:hustle. So typically my job is going to take priority.
Speaker:So I think for me the challenge that I face is
Speaker:that I don't think that a lot of the,
Speaker:like the ideas that I have for the site and I
Speaker:probably, the recommendations that you'll make are especially difficult.
Speaker:I think it's just a matter of time management and prioritizing
Speaker:what's going to be most impactful.
Speaker:So that's been a really big struggle for me.
Speaker:Just making the time when it's not the holidays,
Speaker:when there aren't as many craft markets to really hammer in
Speaker:on my goals.
Speaker:Okay. And we're going to get to that for sure.
Speaker:But back to your current position,
Speaker:what types of skills do you have from your marketing job
Speaker:that you see will transfer over to your business?
Speaker:So I work as an SEO specialist.
Speaker:So I currently work at an agency,
Speaker:so I optimize websites for a list of clients.
Speaker:I do think that there's overlap between what I do at
Speaker:work and what I can do to optimize my website.
Speaker:I think sometimes there's a blind spot when you're promoting yourself,
Speaker:I think you miss opportunities.
Speaker:So it's really easy for me to identify opportunities on other
Speaker:people's sites.
Speaker:Sometimes I look at my own site,
Speaker:I get stuck.
Speaker:It's so true.
Speaker:No matter what we do,
Speaker:it's hard for us to turn the mirror bound and do
Speaker:it for ourselves.
Speaker:I see it all the time.
Speaker:I'm guilty of it myself,
Speaker:so I totally agree with you there.
Speaker:But being an SEO specialist is a great opportunity for you
Speaker:as you move forward and enhance and even if some people
Speaker:have to say,
Speaker:Hey, you know,
Speaker:Elaine, are you doing this for yourself?
Speaker:You at least know and understand all the applications behind SEO,
Speaker:which is great.
Speaker:Let's talk a little bit more about what you've seen at
Speaker:the craft shows.
Speaker:Tell me more about how your booth was set up and
Speaker:what you're seeing in terms of the interaction.
Speaker:You talked a little bit about it already,
Speaker:but the interaction and the feedback that you were getting from
Speaker:customers at craft shows.
Speaker:Yeah, so I've done a handful of craft shows.
Speaker:They've all been around the holidays and I found that the
Speaker:craft shows that are a little bit more focused on visual
Speaker:arts are more successful for me.
Speaker:And I think it's because when you go to a craft
Speaker:fair that's a little bit more art focused,
Speaker:people are expecting to spend a little bit more money.
Speaker:They're expecting something unique and handmade.
Speaker:I did a popup market at a beer garden here in
Speaker:DC and I definitely sold some work,
Speaker:but I think people had a harder time with the price
Speaker:points of my puzzles.
Speaker:So the way my booth was set up,
Speaker:the ones that I've done this past Christmas,
Speaker:so around 2018 they were focused only on puzzles and greeting
Speaker:cards. I didn't bring any paintings because it was too much
Speaker:to carry them,
Speaker:but also it seems like those are harder to sell,
Speaker:just sight unseen.
Speaker:So I focused on the smaller dollar,
Speaker:but more of my inventory and I think that was the
Speaker:right move for these types of venues.
Speaker:Did you see that puzzles were moving more than cards?
Speaker:Yes, I did this season.
Speaker:I really didn't sell that many cards.
Speaker:It was mostly puzzles and I think it's because I set
Speaker:them out kind of in a line where people could actually
Speaker:interact with them and play with them before purchasing them.
Speaker:And I think the cards,
Speaker:I mean cards are,
Speaker:they're just a lot more available,
Speaker:so it's not as much of a unique item as a
Speaker:puzzle that people haven't seen before.
Speaker:So I think allowing people to interact with them and then
Speaker:the fact that they're more unique really helped move those more
Speaker:quickly. Right.
Speaker:It's hard to tell online,
Speaker:but how big is a puzzle?
Speaker:The ones I currently have are eight by 10 inches,
Speaker:but I can do pretty much any size.
Speaker:I actually designed a puzzle guest book for my sister's wedding
Speaker:this past year and that was about 18 inches by 24
Speaker:so that may be an area that I expand into is
Speaker:more custom puzzles,
Speaker:things that people can write on and interact with a little
Speaker:bit more.
Speaker:Okay. I actually liked the fact that it's smaller because it's
Speaker:really portable then and you're seeing that a lot of people
Speaker:are interacting with it by way of your experiences.
Speaker:At the booth.
Speaker:Are you seeing that people,
Speaker:there are a certain type of people who are coming in
Speaker:buying a certain age group or have they said anything about
Speaker:like certain people that they're buying for?
Speaker:No, and that's where it gets a little bit confusing to
Speaker:me because I've definitely read a lot about picking your ideal
Speaker:collector or customer and for the puzzles they really,
Speaker:it seemed like they went for everyone.
Speaker:So I had one guy,
Speaker:he was a middle aged guy who was like,
Speaker:I'm buying this for my elderly mother so that she can
Speaker:have something to fiddle with during the day.
Speaker:I also have,
Speaker:they're really popular with kids,
Speaker:like kids who are like the six to middle school age.
Speaker:I would say they love to come by and just like
Speaker:play with the puzzles.
Speaker:So and then I also have like 20 somethings who come
Speaker:over and are like,
Speaker:this is cool for my coffee table.
Speaker:I think it would be really neat to have.
Speaker:So so far I haven't really identified any one in particular.
Speaker:I think the only uniting factor for me is people who
Speaker:know me or people who came to my booth and are
Speaker:probably interested in arts and crafts.
Speaker:Okay, so one thing I want to say right here,
Speaker:because I don't want to forget,
Speaker:I'm taking notes while you're talking any lane,
Speaker:but one thing I wanted to say because it'll be easier
Speaker:just to say it right here instead is you're already getting
Speaker:some really valuable information in terms of how to market.
Speaker:So when someone is saying they're interested in it for their
Speaker:elderly mother,
Speaker:that's a marketing approach.
Speaker:So that's something you could use when you're talking about your
Speaker:product to certain groups of people.
Speaker:Same thing with four twenties or thirties coffee table puzzle.
Speaker:Yeah. When people are hanging out and they're having a beer
Speaker:or when you're drinking,
Speaker:whatever, just to pull it up and interact with it,
Speaker:write down these things that people are saying because it's great
Speaker:for Instagram quotes,
Speaker:Instagram photos even.
Speaker:Okay. Because then you're starting to target the different audiences and
Speaker:then you can also pick up the conversation.
Speaker:Like if some kids are coming by and then their mothers
Speaker:eventually follow them over,
Speaker:you can say,
Speaker:yeah, kids are really loving this.
Speaker:It's something they get to do after their homework or whatever
Speaker:the story is.
Speaker:But capturing the information from your current customer is so valuable
Speaker:and you're already doing it.
Speaker:Cause you just told me about a couple.
Speaker:Does that make sense?
Speaker:Yeah, it does.
Speaker:That's absolutely true.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:Yeah. So do you have some more craft shows coming up?
Speaker:The fine art?
Speaker:No, I don't.
Speaker:So that's kind of,
Speaker:I would say a challenge is getting myself on a better
Speaker:schedule because I tend to push everything into the holiday season
Speaker:and there's obviously more opportunity throughout the year.
Speaker:So just getting myself on a better schedule there.
Speaker:Yeah. Well whatever fits into your schedule and you're going out
Speaker:to craft shows,
Speaker:again, think about capturing more information from people as they're coming
Speaker:by to like get into a conversation when someone's buying.
Speaker:Oh, I'm so glad.
Speaker:This is one of my favorite ones.
Speaker:I love these colors.
Speaker:What are you thinking about with this puzzle?
Speaker:Is it for you?
Speaker:Is it for someone else?
Speaker:And continue to pull in information from them cause then it'll
Speaker:help you get really clear on not only your customers but
Speaker:what their uses are.
Speaker:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker:So I would definitely do that.
Speaker:So clearly Elaine,
Speaker:it's going to take a little longer to grow because you
Speaker:have a full time job,
Speaker:but that's fabulous also because you're not in a position where
Speaker:you're super stressed out about,
Speaker:I have to be making money right this second,
Speaker:right? Yes.
Speaker:So you can think that you can kind of put it
Speaker:on a scale and there's pros and cons to it,
Speaker:but I think it's really more a pro because you can
Speaker:be more strategic.
Speaker:You can go steady.
Speaker:You don't have to have the pressure of feeling like,
Speaker:dang, I got to get this out there and I've got
Speaker:to land it right away.
Speaker:Get has to be perfect right away cause I need that
Speaker:money. Because when people do that,
Speaker:then they get kind of a little too eager,
Speaker:almost looking needy almost.
Speaker:They're not saying these words,
Speaker:but please buy this.
Speaker:Please buy this where that's not the case for you.
Speaker:Yes, but it does clearly mean that you'll need to go
Speaker:slower because you have a job with benefits and now that
Speaker:I'm quite sure,
Speaker:so you want that in your life and it's okay to
Speaker:go slower.
Speaker:So have a little grace with yourself about that.
Speaker:But when you start talking about,
Speaker:well, I don't have the next craft show coming up,
Speaker:but I should well yet you'll want to get that scheduled
Speaker:in somewhere if that's the Avenue you're taking.
Speaker:But it's okay because you're balancing two things at one time,
Speaker:right? Yes.
Speaker:Oh, I was going to say one other thing about the
Speaker:craft shows that you've done so far since you're saying that
Speaker:they were always around the holidays.
Speaker:Your cards aren't holiday specific in terms of greetings.
Speaker:So that might have been a reason why people weren't buying.
Speaker:Because in holidays people are thinking Christmas cards throughout the year.
Speaker:People are thinking birthday cards and other,
Speaker:so it'd be interesting to know when you do another show,
Speaker:if it's not holiday season,
Speaker:if your cards move faster.
Speaker:That's a good point.
Speaker:Yeah. So just something to consider there,
Speaker:but let's stay focused for right this second on your puzzles
Speaker:because they are so unique and so cool.
Speaker:Are you feeling good about your price point?
Speaker:Mostly yes.
Speaker:So right now on my Etsy shop,
Speaker:they're 40 I've gotten a lot of feedback on the pricing
Speaker:from people and when I was at,
Speaker:I did a show called wham winter holiday art market when
Speaker:I was living in Houston and that's a very art focused
Speaker:market and I had people telling me they were being sold
Speaker:for 50 at that fair and they were like,
Speaker:that is way too low.
Speaker:You should sell these for more,
Speaker:that's great.
Speaker:But then when I did the wonder garden,
Speaker:that was the beer garden market here in DC,
Speaker:I had people who I lowered the prices just because they
Speaker:were really moving there.
Speaker:I lowered them to 30 and I still got pushback from
Speaker:people on that being too much.
Speaker:So I think that probably indicates that it's about right at
Speaker:40 to 50 but obviously if there's any special features on
Speaker:them, if they're custom,
Speaker:if any of the coloring requires more effort than I'm going
Speaker:to raise that price to reflect that.
Speaker:But I think it's okay.
Speaker:Unless you have some different thoughts on that.
Speaker:How do you feel about the breakout?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:how much it costs you to make one of those puzzles,
Speaker:right? Yeah.
Speaker:Okay. And you,
Speaker:I'm thinking at this point you're not having to redesign cause
Speaker:each of the puzzles,
Speaker:the cut out basic is the same,
Speaker:right? Yes.
Speaker:Are you hand-making each of these or you're having it done
Speaker:somehow? They are laser cut.
Speaker:So I work with a studio in Houston called post studio
Speaker:projects. They will ship to me here in D C so
Speaker:when I was in Houston I could go and pick them
Speaker:up. But now they can actually send it my way.
Speaker:So what I've been doing recently is I'll send that they
Speaker:have the drawings.
Speaker:So whenever I'm ready for a new order I just ask
Speaker:them to redo it.
Speaker:They print it for me.
Speaker:And quote it and then send it to me.
Speaker:Okay. So then when you look at your pricing,
Speaker:so when you look at your $40,
Speaker:make sure you have the cost of what that product is
Speaker:per puzzle.
Speaker:So all of those laser cuts,
Speaker:I'm not sure how it comes together with the fabric in
Speaker:the back or if there's a different fabric.
Speaker:Do you do that then or does it come to you
Speaker:finished? I'm just going to clarify here really quickly.
Speaker:So the puzzles don't have any fabric in them.
Speaker:Those are laser cut.
Speaker:They're wood laser cut.
Speaker:And then the paintings that I make are actually hand cut.
Speaker:So I'll cut into canvas,
Speaker:which is going to be more fabric.
Speaker:Easier to cut.
Speaker:Just to clarify the difference between those two.
Speaker:Okay. But you do have some hands on work that needs
Speaker:to be done to create the puzzle.
Speaker:Yeah. So once I get the puzzle,
Speaker:the top and the backing,
Speaker:there's some assembly,
Speaker:there's some painting at the tops of it.
Speaker:So yes,
Speaker:there is.
Speaker:In addition to the cost of the base materials and the
Speaker:printing, there is going to be that labor element to it.
Speaker:Okay. All right,
Speaker:perfect. So it'll be good for you if you haven't already,
Speaker:just to confirm,
Speaker:especially now that you've changed locations because you now have an
Speaker:added cost of getting that shipped to you cause that's part
Speaker:of the cost of your product.
Speaker:So getting it laser cart,
Speaker:the shipping to you and then your time for assembly and
Speaker:all of that.
Speaker:And then some type of margin on top of that,
Speaker:which is your profit.
Speaker:Okay. Don't add together the cost of your time and margin
Speaker:together. So you'd put in whatever the quote was to get
Speaker:all the laser done,
Speaker:the shipping to you,
Speaker:and then by our calculate how much time it takes you
Speaker:per puzzle.
Speaker:And maybe it's only a portion of an hour,
Speaker:I'm not sure.
Speaker:And then assign some type of labor charge to that.
Speaker:You might say your time is worth $50 an hour.
Speaker:I don't know how technical it is,
Speaker:what you have to do when you grow.
Speaker:And if you end up having people do that for you
Speaker:because you're just sending out so many puzzles,
Speaker:your labor charge will go down because you're able to hire
Speaker:people less expensively than you would hire yourself as the artist.
Speaker:Yes. If that makes sense.
Speaker:So let's just say it took an hour just to be
Speaker:really super easy.
Speaker:And let's say you valued your talent at 50 okay.
Speaker:I don't know if that's lower high,
Speaker:but let's just say 50 which would be way high because
Speaker:then you're already over the price of your product.
Speaker:So that's probably a bad example.
Speaker:But then even on top of that,
Speaker:then you have some type of margin you want to build
Speaker:in. Yeah,
Speaker:that's a great point.
Speaker:So let's back that up and let's say it took you
Speaker:15 minutes to put one together.
Speaker:Okay. And your or 10 minutes,
Speaker:that'll be even easier.
Speaker:So 10 minutes,
Speaker:that means your cost is $10 an hour of your labor
Speaker:product, time shipping,
Speaker:and then some type of margin on top of that.
Speaker:So as long as all of that can fit comfortably into
Speaker:your $40 that's good.
Speaker:But you need to know what that number is.
Speaker:Okay. I kind of backed into it.
Speaker:Does that make sense,
Speaker:Elaine? It does.
Speaker:I think my question then is I think I'm afraid to
Speaker:raise it because I'm afraid that if I raise it too
Speaker:high, then people won't buy it.
Speaker:So do you have any advice for that?
Speaker:Where are you looking at going overall for the business?
Speaker:What is your goal?
Speaker:Like if you were to say,
Speaker:okay, this business is a success,
Speaker:what does that look like?
Speaker:And you couldn't dream big.
Speaker:It's okay to dream big.
Speaker:Like where would you want to take this?
Speaker:I probably need to spend some more time on that because
Speaker:I think I do like the idea of dreaming big and
Speaker:I think sometimes I get caught up in,
Speaker:okay, well if I want to take in like let's say
Speaker:that for this business I want to take in $10,000
Speaker:a month in profits.
Speaker:I think where I'm getting stuck on that is I think
Speaker:I get freaked out by like,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:if I need to hit 10,000
Speaker:a month,
Speaker:I have to sell like thousands of puzzles or I need
Speaker:to sell like one really large painting to cover that cost.
Speaker:So I think where I'm having a hard time just even
Speaker:creating those larger goals is getting hung up on the day
Speaker:to day.
Speaker:Like, Oh my gosh,
Speaker:I need to sell this many puzzles.
Speaker:And I think I sometimes get in my own way of
Speaker:being like,
Speaker:Oh no,
Speaker:I don't have time for that.
Speaker:So I wonder if I need to start smaller and just
Speaker:build up from there and get my confidence up so that
Speaker:I don't get in my own way.
Speaker:Yeah, I mean you absolutely do want to start smaller and
Speaker:to the point that you're balancing this with something else,
Speaker:but what it sounds like you're saying to me is that
Speaker:because not everybody wants that.
Speaker:Elaine and I'll share a quick story in a second,
Speaker:but you might have said to me,
Speaker:no, I want hands on to my products all the time.
Speaker:I don't need to make a lot.
Speaker:I want to be able to have some extra money on
Speaker:the side because I also really like my full time job.
Speaker:That's all I want for the business and that would be
Speaker:perfectly fine.
Speaker:So when I say dream big,
Speaker:it's like don't limit to what you can think of today.
Speaker:But what I think I just heard you saying,
Speaker:and you may want to give this some more thought is
Speaker:yeah, I would like to make this as big as it
Speaker:could be and sell as many puzzles as I possibly can,
Speaker:which then makes your business ultimately later look totally different.
Speaker:You'll have to have people working for you.
Speaker:Right. Which way do you think you're going more hands on
Speaker:or you'd like to see if this can explode and be
Speaker:as big as it could be?
Speaker:I definitely want to think big and I definitely want to
Speaker:sell a lot of these.
Speaker:I think that they're unique and I believe in what I'm
Speaker:making here.
Speaker:I'm just not sure what the future holds yet,
Speaker:so I'm not sure what the answer to that is.
Speaker:It's still kind of being resolved over time.
Speaker:Okay. And it's more to be used as directional versus making
Speaker:every single decision off of that because obviously things change.
Speaker:Your life might change,
Speaker:you might move again,
Speaker:which means your costs might change,
Speaker:your job might change like all of that,
Speaker:but it's nice to have a feel for where at this
Speaker:point in time you believe you're going and the reason I
Speaker:wanted to get into that conversation is then in regard to
Speaker:pricing, one thing you could do is go back to the
Speaker:people who are doing the laser cutting for you and say,
Speaker:okay, I know what my price is right now for this
Speaker:volume. If I were to ever go to this volume,
Speaker:how does my price change?
Speaker:Because then when you look at the formula we just outlined,
Speaker:even though you might not be making those types of margins
Speaker:now, you'll understand that based on the $40 price you have
Speaker:right now,
Speaker:when you get to X amount in volume,
Speaker:you will be making that margin because your costs have gone
Speaker:down. Okay?
Speaker:So that's why,
Speaker:and that's a little plain with the numbers and working a
Speaker:little bit underneath your pricing.
Speaker:So something to think about and consider moving forward.
Speaker:Now I just want to make comment,
Speaker:and Elaine,
Speaker:I told you when we first started talking that I wanted
Speaker:us to forget that there was a whole audience here because
Speaker:I really want this to be for you.
Speaker:People get to listen in and maybe they can apply it
Speaker:to their business,
Speaker:but I want it to be for you.
Speaker:However, I also want to make mention that,
Speaker:and this is for everybody.
Speaker:Success of your business does not mean you always have to
Speaker:be huge.
Speaker:I had somebody just yesterday message me and she is doing
Speaker:a fabulous business,
Speaker:but she's like,
Speaker:what if I don't want like have you written a blog
Speaker:article or is there any information about what if I don't
Speaker:want to be bigger?
Speaker:What if I love what I'm doing right now?
Speaker:I don't want to build a website and sell online.
Speaker:She's making an income for herself and her husband through craft
Speaker:shows and everyone's telling her she should be bigger.
Speaker:There are people coming to her wanting to produce her products.
Speaker:And she's like,
Speaker:I don't know that I want that.
Speaker:Because your life really changes.
Speaker:You change from being hands on with your product,
Speaker:interacting with customers to then working with employees and working with
Speaker:factories, like your job changes.
Speaker:So it's something to think about as you move forward if
Speaker:you really want it or not.
Speaker:And my advice to her was,
Speaker:no, if you think you're gonna grow yourself out of loving
Speaker:your business,
Speaker:that's terrible.
Speaker:Then you got chains because you're making money with your business
Speaker:but you don't even like it anymore.
Speaker:So it is something to think about.
Speaker:And that was also the reason why I'd asked you that
Speaker:question, Elaine.
Speaker:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker:So, alright,
Speaker:so back to it.
Speaker:Any questions so far with all of this?
Speaker:I think I'm okay for now.
Speaker:Okay. So I have to say I see a huge opportunity
Speaker:and idea for you.
Speaker:Are you familiar with the artist Sonya paths?
Speaker:No, I don't think so.
Speaker:Okay. So Google her,
Speaker:she was on my show recently.
Speaker:It's S O N.
Speaker:Y. A.
Speaker:P. A.
Speaker:Z. Okay.
Speaker:I hear you typing over there.
Speaker:Did you just put it into your computer or something?
Speaker:I did.
Speaker:Okay. Pull her up.
Speaker:She has a very unique style.
Speaker:She's pretty well known artist.
Speaker:She's from the San Jose area.
Speaker:I see her stuff in airports like I've known about her
Speaker:style and her art for years and finally had the opportunity
Speaker:to get connected with her and know her,
Speaker:but she has a very unique style and any time you
Speaker:see any product with that style,
Speaker:you automatically know it's hers.
Speaker:It's like obvious.
Speaker:That's kind of how it is with Lilly Pulitzer and some
Speaker:of these other brands that have a style as something that's
Speaker:very unique.
Speaker:You already have this with what you're creating.
Speaker:I've never seen a style like this before and this is
Speaker:a huge opportunity for you.
Speaker:Did you pull her up so you can kind of see
Speaker:her style?
Speaker:Yeah, I definitely feel like it's very bright,
Speaker:very fun.
Speaker:I see what you're saying about,
Speaker:I think it's one of those things where you can tell
Speaker:right away that it's hers And I think the same thing
Speaker:can happen for yours.
Speaker:I'm not suggesting you go into key chains and mugs and
Speaker:like all the stuff that she's doing.
Speaker:Maybe, maybe sometime,
Speaker:but I think your style is so unique that you should
Speaker:play off of that in a way you already are because
Speaker:you're saying that your paintings are the same style as your
Speaker:puzzles are as your cards are,
Speaker:but now I think you should make a rate of name,
Speaker:like name your style,
Speaker:if that makes sense.
Speaker:Yeah, and I'm not good at creative names,
Speaker:but something where you would be known for this imagery no
Speaker:matter what medium it's on right now it's puzzles and I
Speaker:think that's what you really get known for,
Speaker:especially right off the bat,
Speaker:but you are the founder of this style of art or
Speaker:the only person of this style,
Speaker:but have a name for it and that could even be
Speaker:the name of your company.
Speaker:Yeah, especially for like the more product oriented items,
Speaker:like the original paintings I almost see as a separate entity.
Speaker:Then the puzzles and the cards,
Speaker:they're just different in my mind in terms of what they
Speaker:are. So yeah,
Speaker:So I could see that like naming the style and then
Speaker:transferring that into a business name.
Speaker:Yeah, it could be.
Speaker:I mean like I think this could be so big because
Speaker:then what happens is you bring that over into your marketing,
Speaker:what you put on your website,
Speaker:and maybe it's not the business name,
Speaker:maybe it stays your name,
Speaker:but creator of X style or somehow you would put,
Speaker:if you can find a real fun name,
Speaker:I think you need to gather like a group of your
Speaker:friends together and just brainstorm fun names or something,
Speaker:something really catchy,
Speaker:totally relatable,
Speaker:some type of a name,
Speaker:because then that could go through all of your marketing,
Speaker:all of your social media,
Speaker:because that's how you get,
Speaker:and if you look and see a little bit what Sonia
Speaker:is doing,
Speaker:you'll see that her style is everywhere.
Speaker:Okay. So that's just,
Speaker:I think,
Speaker:a huge potential opportunity for you.
Speaker:So does she name her style or is that she calls
Speaker:it a certain type of art.
Speaker:I don't know that she's named her style.
Speaker:Okay. Per company is her name.
Speaker:But just look at it and see,
Speaker:and I'm just feeling like you could be really catchy for
Speaker:you or you name your puzzle something.
Speaker:I'm not exactly sure cause like I said,
Speaker:that is not my area of expertise.
Speaker:Being creative with names.
Speaker:I freeze.
Speaker:But I wanted to put that out there as an idea
Speaker:for you.
Speaker:Okay. Okay.
Speaker:Yeah. Now the other thing that I know is,
Speaker:so we've talked about your pricing of your product just to
Speaker:make sure you're feeling comfortable with it and even if you're
Speaker:not making a lot of margin,
Speaker:now do a little research to figure out where that turn
Speaker:point would be in terms of volume,
Speaker:where your prices would drop,
Speaker:where you are making money.
Speaker:Okay. Cause at some point,
Speaker:unless you want to do this just as a hobby,
Speaker:you want to be making money and you can't just do
Speaker:it and say well your time that you put in equates
Speaker:to your margin because the more product you sell,
Speaker:the more time you're going to put in and then you're
Speaker:going to have no life.
Speaker:Yeah. Right.
Speaker:So look through all of that.
Speaker:And like I said,
Speaker:even if you're feeling based on your feedback,
Speaker:and I think your methodology is sound that that's the price
Speaker:point. At least for the time being,
Speaker:because when the puzzle's become more in demand than you can
Speaker:raise the price too,
Speaker:right? Yeah.
Speaker:But as long as you feel you have a good plan
Speaker:for that price,
Speaker:then I think let's just go with it.
Speaker:Even if you're not making as much profit as you'd want
Speaker:because you see the future and the ability to get there
Speaker:to the margins you like down the road.
Speaker:Yeah, I think that makes complete sense.
Speaker:Okay, so now let's talk about your audiences you've already defined,
Speaker:which I think is fabulous that you are better in terms
Speaker:of selling your product and you're attracting the right audience when
Speaker:you go to more fine art type shows.
Speaker:Yes. Yeah,
Speaker:and that makes sense because when you say a puzzle,
Speaker:puzzles can be 99 cents,
Speaker:right? Yeah.
Speaker:Not with your materials and all of that,
Speaker:and I'm not your product,
Speaker:but so the mindset at a farmer's market type show is
Speaker:more, Oh,
Speaker:I'm going to buy something for less expensive.
Speaker:Two three bucks,
Speaker:five bucks,
Speaker:I'm going to get some recycled something.
Speaker:That type of thing.
Speaker:But I think the mentality of a fine art show,
Speaker:just like what you're seeing is a higher price point,
Speaker:so you're attracting people who number one are going to probably
Speaker:have a quality of style that's different that relates more to
Speaker:your product and are going with the mindset to that show
Speaker:to spend more.
Speaker:Yes, so that's perfect.
Speaker:We were talking a little bit earlier about getting wording and
Speaker:ideas from customers about how they use your product.
Speaker:Before we jumped on the call,
Speaker:I was trying to think of other less thought of audiences
Speaker:who could use your product.
Speaker:Like I'm wondering physical therapy.
Speaker:Yeah. I don't know if I say relearn how to use
Speaker:their hand or like they've had some type of a movement
Speaker:thing if your puzzles,
Speaker:I don't know if they're too small and intricate or not,
Speaker:but I'm wondering if that could be a potential audience for
Speaker:you. Also schools,
Speaker:so I would suggest you think outside the box a little
Speaker:bit. Not to go after all these audiences at once,
Speaker:but just to start making a list of boy who else
Speaker:could be potential besides just selling to a general customer base.
Speaker:Cause one of those alone,
Speaker:let's say it was physical therapists,
Speaker:they started having one puzzle or two puzzles in their locations.
Speaker:How many physical therapists are there in the world?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:if you got 2% of them,
Speaker:that could be an interesting way to target market.
Speaker:Yeah, I really liked that idea at the school thing really
Speaker:rings true for me because I've heard that from people before
Speaker:where that was another,
Speaker:I guess customer profile is at least one teacher,
Speaker:at least one physical therapist has been like,
Speaker:yeah, this would be great for my students.
Speaker:I'm going to try and put this in my classroom.
Speaker:So yeah,
Speaker:I think that's a really great point.
Speaker:So just kind of start making yourself a list of different
Speaker:industries and then what you would do the,
Speaker:Oh, another industry that I was thinking is senior centers.
Speaker:Some seniors might be able to use it,
Speaker:but so could visitors,
Speaker:you know who are there.
Speaker:The person they're visiting isn't as interactive so it gives them
Speaker:something else to do while they're spending quiet time with somebody.
Speaker:Yeah, I liked that a lot.
Speaker:And these are all again things when you start talking with
Speaker:people in the craft shows,
Speaker:you might even pick up more ideas.
Speaker:So just start keeping running lists of all of those.
Speaker:Yeah. And once you have your list then like don't get
Speaker:overwhelmed, just start saying okay I like this idea of the
Speaker:schools or the physical therapist or whichever one and just take
Speaker:one at a time and start seeing if,
Speaker:if you start to get some traction you don't have to
Speaker:address all of them at one time.
Speaker:Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker:Take it chunk by chunk or industry by industry.
Speaker:Yeah, cause then you can really focus.
Speaker:You also get to know more about the industries to see
Speaker:where they could use it or not use it.
Speaker:And one way to decide which ones to do first is
Speaker:where do you have ins in the industry.
Speaker:If you know people,
Speaker:if some of your friends teach at schools or are physical
Speaker:therapists, then those would be great places to start because you
Speaker:already have the end.
Speaker:Yeah, that's a really good point.
Speaker:I know that that's always something that I hear is like
Speaker:kind of work within that work that you have,
Speaker:but I certainly know teachers,
Speaker:I certainly know people at hospitals.
Speaker:So yeah,
Speaker:that's a really good point.
Speaker:And then also you might be able with those,
Speaker:I don't know so much about hospitals,
Speaker:I guess it just depends.
Speaker:But you could also then get some pictures of people interacting
Speaker:with the puzzles or whatever the reason is.
Speaker:Then it's for a medical purpose,
Speaker:so you might be able to get some of that.
Speaker:And that's all good information for your website.
Speaker:So often hard for other people to think of the way
Speaker:to use your product.
Speaker:You have to tell them,
Speaker:Yeah. You know,
Speaker:it seems obvious to you cause you're around it all the
Speaker:time, but it's not as obvious.
Speaker:We have to be told that's just like online when you
Speaker:have to say,
Speaker:click this button to enter.
Speaker:Right. No,
Speaker:just same type of thing.
Speaker:Yeah. Okay.
Speaker:Boy, I have so much to talk about with you.
Speaker:Let's just talk about two other things I think as I'm
Speaker:looking at the time here,
Speaker:social media,
Speaker:your Instagram account.
Speaker:Talk to me a little bit about that.
Speaker:Yeah, so Instagram I would say is probably my primary place
Speaker:for advertising my work.
Speaker:I also have a Facebook page.
Speaker:Obviously Facebook,
Speaker:Instagram are the same company,
Speaker:so you have to have them linked up to get the
Speaker:business account,
Speaker:so I have that.
Speaker:I think there's probably more that I can do there.
Speaker:Especially what you've been kind of talking about in terms of
Speaker:showing my products being used and things like that.
Speaker:I think maybe where I'm stuck right now is I feel
Speaker:like some of my photos are not that great of quality,
Speaker:so I've really been trying to work with what I have
Speaker:and come out with some nicer photos,
Speaker:but I don't think I'm 100% there yet.
Speaker:Okay. Let's talk about the photos real quick.
Speaker:Are you near a school?
Speaker:Because I'm wondering if you could get somebody like an intern
Speaker:where you don't have to pay them,
Speaker:but you reciprocate by giving a review or write up at
Speaker:the end of their work that they can use for college
Speaker:application, something like that.
Speaker:But someone who is in the photography department or the marketing
Speaker:department who has an expertise with photos,
Speaker:cause that could be an easy way and cost-free Like a
Speaker:university or university City or a high school.
Speaker:Okay. Because they then they worked with you.
Speaker:This is the brand,
Speaker:this is the online,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:they have all of that.
Speaker:Then they could point to as they're doing college applications,
Speaker:if they're pursuing that as they move forward or just extracurricular
Speaker:of things that they've done.
Speaker:Yeah, that's an interesting thought.
Speaker:Yeah. I guess I hadn't thought of that before.
Speaker:Just an idea for your photography,
Speaker:but I want to stay on your Instagram account real quick.
Speaker:What is your Instagram account?
Speaker:I think it's just my name.
Speaker:Elaine cooker.
Speaker:Okay, so that's the only account you have right on Instagram?
Speaker:Correct. Okay,
Speaker:so I went over and I looked at the account.
Speaker:Just an idea for you.
Speaker:When I went over to that account,
Speaker:I wasn't really sure what you did cause you have personal
Speaker:on there even though you turned it into a business account.
Speaker:I think you also link in your intro to your cute
Speaker:little puppy.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:Yes, but I had done the same thing.
Speaker:I did the same thing when I first started on Instagram.
Speaker:I would suggest to you to leave that as a personal
Speaker:account and make a professional business account for each account.
Speaker:You need a separate email so you would need to have
Speaker:access to another email but make an account that's just your
Speaker:brand only so that when people come to it,
Speaker:they see all this imagery.
Speaker:Like they see you at a craft show,
Speaker:they see these people coming up and playing with the puzzles
Speaker:at the show,
Speaker:right? Like all these pictures that you can do and that
Speaker:helps solidified your design style.
Speaker:And that may be where you do Elaine cooker,
Speaker:it's arts or Elaine cooker it.
Speaker:And then if you do define your design style,
Speaker:something like that.
Speaker:But that way it becomes very clear.
Speaker:And then when people land on the account,
Speaker:they really understand what you stand for and what you are.
Speaker:So do you think that it would make sense to create
Speaker:a new personal one or a new business one?
Speaker:And I asked that because you know I have built up
Speaker:a following over time.
Speaker:And so I guess the question is do I preserve my
Speaker:current account as the business account with all the built up
Speaker:audience and things like that or should I start fresh and
Speaker:just rebuild that?
Speaker:You can do a couple of things and I speak from
Speaker:experience because I did this two ways to do this.
Speaker:What I did is I changed my personal account or what
Speaker:is my name back to a personal account.
Speaker:So I rotated it back cause you can only have one
Speaker:business account.
Speaker:And then I direct people to my business account from my
Speaker:personal account.
Speaker:Well I actually have three accounts but I don't use them
Speaker:all because that's just super confusing.
Speaker:Yeah. So that's one option is just cause if you want
Speaker:Instagram, if you want to connect,
Speaker:um, I forget your dog's name.
Speaker:But if you want to have that as part of your
Speaker:thing, that's probably better on personal.
Speaker:And it doesn't mean that you don't ever put your art
Speaker:on personal too,
Speaker:but your business should be totally a hundred percent your business
Speaker:with a little personal.
Speaker:So when someone goes to the account,
Speaker:they get it,
Speaker:they understand totally what you're doing.
Speaker:Okay. So there's two ways to do this.
Speaker:One way would be convert what you have back to your
Speaker:personal and then create another account that's a business account.
Speaker:And the reason you want to turn on the business as
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:is you can get all of the analytics underneath,
Speaker:right? And then I'd have in your bio something your business
Speaker:and then you can do the link tree like you're doing
Speaker:and, and your imagery would be so that when someone lands
Speaker:on it,
Speaker:they know exactly what's going on.
Speaker:And then if you do that,
Speaker:then you can tell people over on your personal,
Speaker:Hey, I started a new business specific account.
Speaker:Make sure to follow me over there too.
Speaker:Right. Something like that.
Speaker:Yeah. My guess is that there's a lot of people on
Speaker:your current account who are there because they know you and
Speaker:they're friends with you and they're not all business either,
Speaker:so you won't get everybody over to the new account.
Speaker:Yeah. You know,
Speaker:you know that,
Speaker:but I found it was a smart way to do it
Speaker:because I also keep it cleaner,
Speaker:but then I have both the other way to do it.
Speaker:If you like having the social proof of your number of
Speaker:how many followers you have,
Speaker:then just start now putting more business in.
Speaker:Yeah, and making it heavier weighted to business.
Speaker:Yeah. I think that's a really good point because I have
Speaker:definitely especially more recently added more personal content on there and
Speaker:I think you're correct that it may confuse people.
Speaker:I think my feeling is that,
Speaker:especially for like an artist,
Speaker:I think some personal content makes sense when it's strategic.
Speaker:But I think I understand what you're saying is that for
Speaker:a new user looking at my page,
Speaker:they might not really know that it's geared towards a business.
Speaker:It may just look like a personal account,
Speaker:Right? Or they're saying,
Speaker:Oh well she's just doing this on the side.
Speaker:Right? It's just like a fun little side thing versus more
Speaker:of a very targeted,
Speaker:strategically specific business.
Speaker:Yeah, that's a great point.
Speaker:Sell. And you could go either way with that.
Speaker:And the other thing is,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I haven't looked at anything over on Facebook,
Speaker:but to keep trust with a customer,
Speaker:especially if you agree that with the thought of really starting
Speaker:to get people to relate you to your beautiful style is
Speaker:that they need to be able to see that on every
Speaker:single platform they land on.
Speaker:So if they see you at a craft show and they're
Speaker:like, Oh my gosh,
Speaker:I want to see what all she has and they go
Speaker:to your website or Facebook page or Instagram,
Speaker:they need to be seen something similar there because that trust
Speaker:issue. Yeah.
Speaker:And if they don't see something kind of similar,
Speaker:it doesn't have to be copycat.
Speaker:Right. But if they don't see the same feel with the
Speaker:same style and the same design,
Speaker:even if they don't think it in their head subconsciously,
Speaker:it's like,
Speaker:wait a minute,
Speaker:something's not fitting together anymore.
Speaker:Yeah. So I just wanted to make mention of that on
Speaker:your website.
Speaker:Same thing,
Speaker:but you want almost front and center your style and who
Speaker:you are.
Speaker:Yeah. And think of when you do and are looking at
Speaker:your website and thinking about your website,
Speaker:why would people be going there and what are they looking
Speaker:for? They're probably going to understand more about you.
Speaker:This would be a great place as you develop different audiences,
Speaker:physical therapy,
Speaker:schools, coffee tables like that to be able to put the
Speaker:different, different ways people are using it.
Speaker:Because people like to see anywhere really people like to see
Speaker:what's in it for them versus telling people this is what
Speaker:I do,
Speaker:this is how it is.
Speaker:This is how I learned.
Speaker:This is why do I care about that?
Speaker:I care because I want one of those on my coffee
Speaker:table or Oh man,
Speaker:you know my dad's in physical therapy,
Speaker:I'm going to get him one of these cause this could
Speaker:be great for him at home.
Speaker:Like to relate to and think of it as someone,
Speaker:not you coming to the site and what should they be
Speaker:saying? And some of it is your story for sure too.
Speaker:Yeah. So approach your website with that kind of a thought
Speaker:as you start looking at it and what changes and enhancements
Speaker:and if you get new photography also that can help lead
Speaker:you to pictures to put up.
Speaker:I'm actually in the process of working on a Shopify site
Speaker:because I want to give people the option to purchase things.
Speaker:Mostly paintings.
Speaker:At this point.
Speaker:I haven't figured out how the puzzles will fit into this
Speaker:versus a platform like Etsy,
Speaker:but I think that giving people that option will allow me
Speaker:to make some more online purchases,
Speaker:especially if I guide them to the site through my email
Speaker:list or some of my social media and things like that.
Speaker:I think that some of what I run into is that
Speaker:people who I know through work or friends or whatever aren't
Speaker:really aware of what I have to offer,
Speaker:but once they see my essay shop or my website,
Speaker:they're like,
Speaker:Oh, this is cool.
Speaker:I'd be interested in getting one.
Speaker:So I think making it easier for people to purchase and
Speaker:easier to,
Speaker:like you say,
Speaker:no, my story right away is going to help.
Speaker:So right now I have a very basic WordPress site that
Speaker:I think it shows who I am and it has pictures
Speaker:of my work,
Speaker:but I don't know that it's as complete as I'd like.
Speaker:And I think especially with some of the ideas you just
Speaker:mentioned about the applications where this could actually live in your
Speaker:home or your business,
Speaker:that's also really brilliant.
Speaker:I think that could work really nicely on a new site.
Speaker:I think it could too.
Speaker:And there's nothing wrong with having stuff on two sites.
Speaker:A lot of people who have Etsy sites also have their
Speaker:own, whether it's WordPress,
Speaker:I mean WordPress is a great platform,
Speaker:but it's more programming and more work.
Speaker:Shopify is a little easier and search on Shopify is pretty
Speaker:good too.
Speaker:So which you know way better than I do.
Speaker:So you'll know how to tackle that one for sure.
Speaker:But yeah,
Speaker:I think so.
Speaker:So, and I'm looking at the picture right now that's connected
Speaker:up with your Skype account where you're standing in front of
Speaker:one of your wall hangings.
Speaker:That would be a great picture right on the front homepage.
Speaker:Like if you do a scrolling first home page,
Speaker:I don't know what other photos you have,
Speaker:but that's a really cute picture.
Speaker:If it's big,
Speaker:like let's say to the left of you is just the
Speaker:art and then you could put words there.
Speaker:Yeah. And that lets people know that I'm a real person
Speaker:too, for lack of better term.
Speaker:So, you know,
Speaker:I think that's a lot of times what people value about
Speaker:buying something homemade is made by a real person.
Speaker:We got to know the artist.
Speaker:So think that that's also,
Speaker:it puts that trust in that here's the person actually making
Speaker:this into the website.
Speaker:Absolutely. And the other thing about a Shopify site,
Speaker:let's say you take pictures and you put them up on
Speaker:Instagram, or maybe you do an Instagram story when you're at
Speaker:a craft show,
Speaker:boy, if you're not in this area and I can't meet
Speaker:you live,
Speaker:jump over to my website and you'll be able to see
Speaker:these products and get one for yourself.
Speaker:Even if you're not here at the show,
Speaker:you can lead people to all these different places.
Speaker:Do you want to see different ways to use our puzzles?
Speaker:Jump over to my Instagram account,
Speaker:blah, blah,
Speaker:blah. Yeah,
Speaker:on direct people to different places.
Speaker:And that will help build your audience in different places and
Speaker:you're following,
Speaker:right? Well we could go on and on because I love
Speaker:your style.
Speaker:I think it's so unique and I think you have a
Speaker:huge opportunity in front of you.
Speaker:Yeah, I'll be interested to see what you do.
Speaker:So we've talked about,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:we've talked about everything.
Speaker:We've talked about how you have your full time jobs,
Speaker:so this has to fit in with everything else you have
Speaker:going on.
Speaker:So don't expect and don't stress yourself out that it's not
Speaker:all going to be done tomorrow.
Speaker:It's not going to happen.
Speaker:Right? So don't put that pressure on yourself.
Speaker:We've talked about pricing and how you can look at that.
Speaker:We talked about craft shows and getting more information and more
Speaker:value from the show and capturing what people are saying because
Speaker:that gives you more information and content ideas.
Speaker:We talked about looking at different audiences over and above what
Speaker:you're already doing.
Speaker:We talked about your website,
Speaker:social media,
Speaker:and I think the big play is really getting people to
Speaker:say your name and whatever your style is as synonymous.
Speaker:They're one in the same.
Speaker:Yeah. That's a huge play for you.
Speaker:So I'm really excited about it.
Speaker:How are you feeling about our talk?
Speaker:I feel good.
Speaker:I think there's a lot of stuff that I hadn't considered
Speaker:before and so I really appreciate having someone else take a
Speaker:look and give some different insights.
Speaker:It's been my pleasure.
Speaker:I love doing it.
Speaker:And do you have any final questions before we say goodbye?
Speaker:I don't think so.
Speaker:I think we covered a lot today.
Speaker:I think so too.
Speaker:Well listen,
Speaker:if you do have other questions,
Speaker:I know you're part of my private Facebook group,
Speaker:gift biz breeze listeners.
Speaker:If you're not there yet,
Speaker:what are you waiting for?
Speaker:Come join us over there and I know Elaine,
Speaker:that a lot of people who are in that group are
Speaker:going to be listening to the show,
Speaker:so if you have further questions,
Speaker:feel free to post over there as well.
Speaker:Yeah, that sounds great.
Speaker:We can continue the conversation there.
Speaker:You will be getting a recording of this and I'm going
Speaker:to send you the unedited recording,
Speaker:so give biz listeners not what you're hearing.
Speaker:You're just going to get all the raw stuff where we've
Speaker:repeated ourselves or anything like that.
Speaker:You'll have the whole audio all Elaine.
Speaker:Okay, perfect.
Speaker:I'll be sending that over to you a little bit later
Speaker:today. Awesome.
Speaker:That'll be helpful.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Thank you so,
Speaker:so much for being on and being one of our on-air
Speaker:coaching calls.
Speaker:I've really enjoyed it.
Speaker:You have so much opportunity in front of you.
Speaker:I'm super excited as I said before and I really appreciate
Speaker:you taking the time and being on today.
Speaker:Awesome. Thank you much,
Speaker:Sue. Oh my gosh.
Speaker:Do you see what I mean?
Speaker:So much opportunity for Elaine and her business and multiple fronts
Speaker:as she moves forward and you know when we go through
Speaker:these coaching calls and even when we talk with established businesses
Speaker:that we have as other guests,
Speaker:not just coaching calls,
Speaker:I always want you relating this back to yourself.
Speaker:How could you apply some of these learnings,
Speaker:some of the things that are working for others into your
Speaker:business after all,
Speaker:that's the whole point of this podcast,
Speaker:I think every single week.
Speaker:I tell you that I'm really excited about the next guest
Speaker:that I have coming up and that's honestly because I am
Speaker:after all,
Speaker:I'm not going to include a guest on the show that
Speaker:I don't think is going to provide you some type of
Speaker:value, a new learning that you can apply to your business
Speaker:or something else that's going to be useful,
Speaker:which is the whole reason you're listening to the show.
Speaker:Next week's guest,
Speaker:I am super excited.
Speaker:He said,
Speaker:here I go again to introduce you to her because she
Speaker:has built her business around something that is hot,
Speaker:hot, hot right now and that is live streaming.
Speaker:You're going to see how she applies it to her very
Speaker:uniquely positioned business,
Speaker:how she's growing her business through live streaming and I think
Speaker:you're going to find some tips and tricks that you're going
Speaker:to be able to use yourself.
Speaker:That's all coming up next week and I look forward to
Speaker:us being together again then.
Speaker:Bye for now.
Speaker:This podcast is made possible thanks to the support of the
Speaker:ribbon print company.
Speaker:Create custom ribbons right in your store or craft studio.
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