Shownotes
Resources for Growth of Your Handmade Biz
5 Rookie Mistakes Webinar (FREE) Start with Confidence Networking Ninja Content for Makers Inspired! Daily Planner Makers MBACheck out the Merch Shop
Gifts for you or your biz friends that will make the days brighter and add a touch of inspiration and happiness. Enter the shop here.Join our community of handmade product makers
Gift Biz Breeze is an active and inspiring group of creators at all levels of business development. Ask questions, see what others are working on, and learn new things - it's all there and we're waiting for you to join us!Finally, would you please leave a review? Thanks!
It helps other makers like you find the show and build their businesses too. You can do so right here: Rate This PodcastTranscripts
Well, hi there.
Speaker:I see that you've made it over here to the new
Speaker:tips and talk portion of the podcast.
Speaker:These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and
Speaker:things that I'm observing in the world of handmade product,
Speaker:small businesses let's get right to it.
Speaker:One huge mistake that I continue to see with handmade creators
Speaker:who are turning what's always been a hobby into a business.
Speaker:So they've decided to jump the fence if you will,
Speaker:and monetize something that they make.
Speaker:Here's what happens when this mistake occurs.
Speaker:First off,
Speaker:very few sales start coming in at all.
Speaker:And that's the main reason they're doing it right,
Speaker:is to sell something.
Speaker:And even if there are sales that are coming in,
Speaker:there's no traction,
Speaker:that's getting established.
Speaker:You know what?
Speaker:The dream is,
Speaker:you have somebody who's not a family or a friend start
Speaker:buying products from you.
Speaker:So you're validating that your products have a market that people
Speaker:want them,
Speaker:but then you need traction.
Speaker:You need someone to buy again from you or tell someone
Speaker:else about you so that you can grow your business.
Speaker:And when this mistake occurs,
Speaker:that traction never happens.
Speaker:The other thing that is a situation with this big mistake
Speaker:is there's a lot of confusion around who you are as
Speaker:a business owner,
Speaker:what your product is.
Speaker:You've just not really set a stake in the ground.
Speaker:So there's not an opportunity or a potential for anybody to
Speaker:talk about you.
Speaker:So now that I have kept you in suspense for long
Speaker:enough, the huge mistake that I see is not claiming a
Speaker:core product to start out with kind of like being the
Speaker:woman of all trades for everything,
Speaker:and to illustrate the point and to make it a little
Speaker:clearer. Let's say you are an attendee at a craft show,
Speaker:okay? So you're not exhibiting,
Speaker:but you're just going into a craft show and you're going
Speaker:around and you're looking at all these different booths and you
Speaker:go from booth to booth and you go to one table
Speaker:and on that table are side full of candles.
Speaker:And then there's a side that has knitted coasters maybe.
Speaker:And then another side that has like water color designed greeting
Speaker:cards. What does that business stand for?
Speaker:What is it?
Speaker:How would you describe that business?
Speaker:The maker is the artist of all of it,
Speaker:but what would you say it's too varied.
Speaker:There are too many different products that they're representing.
Speaker:So they're like a master of everything,
Speaker:but an expert at none.
Speaker:And this is a real problem with handmade creators because let's
Speaker:face it.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:if you are a creator first off,
Speaker:you're a very special breed.
Speaker:Only half of the population has that creative edge to them.
Speaker:But then for you to go on and make products and
Speaker:then decide to sell you're in a very unique group.
Speaker:But the problem is what do you sell?
Speaker:You make so many things you,
Speaker:so you paint,
Speaker:the original theory would be well,
Speaker:I'm going to do all of them because that way I've
Speaker:opened up my opportunities to more people.
Speaker:If people don't want the watercolor breeding cards,
Speaker:then maybe they'll want the handmade knitted coasters,
Speaker:or then they may want the candles.
Speaker:So I'll have all of them.
Speaker:No, no,
Speaker:no, no,
Speaker:no. This is the mistake.
Speaker:And it's a mistake.
Speaker:Why it's a mistake because you are then representing yourself out
Speaker:to the community as an expert at none of them.
Speaker:So if you are thinking about monetizing a handmade product,
Speaker:please do not make this mistake.
Speaker:Please don't select all the products that you make and put
Speaker:them out on that table.
Speaker:Let's go back to the craft show.
Speaker:I was just telling you about,
Speaker:you looked at that one table and you saw all those
Speaker:products and maybe you bought something that was awesome.
Speaker:But then you go to the next one table down and
Speaker:on the,
Speaker:at the next table down,
Speaker:there is a woman who is also the maker,
Speaker:but on her table are knitted baby booties and knitted,
Speaker:winter, scarves,
Speaker:and mittens.
Speaker:And she has all different types of stitching.
Speaker:So there's all different types of applications that are included in
Speaker:all these products,
Speaker:of course,
Speaker:different colors and all of that.
Speaker:What is her specialty and what is she an expert in
Speaker:obviously knitted products.
Speaker:So she starting to build a name for herself and to
Speaker:become known as somebody who is an expert with knitted products.
Speaker:And this is what you want to get to.
Speaker:You want to get to the point where people,
Speaker:when they say your name,
Speaker:they say,
Speaker:Oh yes,
Speaker:she makes the most beautiful baby booties.
Speaker:I bought some for one of my friends and she loved
Speaker:them. And I'm going back the next time.
Speaker:There's a craft show.
Speaker:Cause I saw a really cool hat that I love from
Speaker:her. And then you're able to go on and say who
Speaker:the name of the artist is and what the company is,
Speaker:et cetera,
Speaker:but much more difficult to go back to that first booth
Speaker:and recommend them because,
Speaker:Oh yeah,
Speaker:it's the company that has will.
Speaker:They have a bunch of different things,
Speaker:water, watercolor cards.
Speaker:Cause some crocheting,
Speaker:see there's no expertise there.
Speaker:So that is the biggest mistake.
Speaker:So if you're starting your business,
Speaker:it's against what you're feeling like you should do.
Speaker:I know because you're thinking I want to offer everything.
Speaker:That's my most potential for sales.
Speaker:When really the most potential you have for sales is if
Speaker:you niche down,
Speaker:we're all hearing the word now,
Speaker:right? That's like a key term that everyone talks about.
Speaker:Find your niche,
Speaker:niche down.
Speaker:It's a key word because that's exactly what you should be
Speaker:doing is niching down because then you find the perfect customers
Speaker:who will buy your perfect product and you are recognized as
Speaker:the specialist.
Speaker:And when you do this,
Speaker:what will happen is you will be talked about you'll gain
Speaker:traction because people who've liked and bought what you had will
Speaker:come back to you.
Speaker:You'll get repeat customers and then you'll build your business.
Speaker:Now, does that mean long-term that you're strapped in and all
Speaker:you could sell is knitted scarves.
Speaker:No. And let me give you an example,
Speaker:Sonia paws,
Speaker:she's known for her artwork that has this theme of pop
Speaker:art for years.
Speaker:This is all she did once she narrowed in everything that
Speaker:she made was along the same thing.
Speaker:So not only was she an artist,
Speaker:but she had a certain style to her art.
Speaker:Now she sold coasters,
Speaker:water bottles,
Speaker:framed art,
Speaker:key chains.
Speaker:If you're out on the West coast,
Speaker:you'll see her art in lots of the airports.
Speaker:As she grew and built her business,
Speaker:she was in business for years.
Speaker:Then another love came about for her and totally different,
Speaker:totally different realm than her art.
Speaker:That new love of hers was jalapeno peppers.
Speaker:And so now she has a whole line it's called Sonia's
Speaker:sweet and spicy jalapeno peppers that she now also market.
Speaker:So it's another brand of hers,
Speaker:I guess what's happened because she was such a specialist.
Speaker:So well known,
Speaker:built a following around her pop art.
Speaker:She had a ready-made audience that many of them followed her
Speaker:into her new venture.
Speaker:So now she's doing two different things,
Speaker:her new venture of her sweet and spicy jalapeno peppers.
Speaker:Very delicious,
Speaker:by the way,
Speaker:I just have to add that in.
Speaker:So always start with that core product.
Speaker:As your business focus,
Speaker:start with one thing,
Speaker:become the specialist and the expert and known about one thing.
Speaker:And then you can move forward from there.
Speaker:That's a wrap.
Speaker:I'm a get to the point kind of girl.
Speaker:And this is what you can expect from these quick midweek
Speaker:sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream
Speaker:of yours.
Speaker:Share your handmade products with us.
