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Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue.
Speaker:And thanks for joining me for tips and talk day.
Speaker:These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and
Speaker:things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.
Speaker:If you'd like to submit a topic,
Speaker:DME over on Instagram at gift biz unwrapped,
Speaker:Yes. Go ahead.
Speaker:Let them steal your stuff.
Speaker:People are so concerned that other people are going to figure
Speaker:out techniques,
Speaker:steal a design,
Speaker:copy, something that they're doing.
Speaker:And instead of going on and building their companies,
Speaker:they're limiting their ability to grow.
Speaker:So I say,
Speaker:go ahead.
Speaker:I want you to have the mindset that other people can
Speaker:steal your stuff.
Speaker:I'll hear people saying I'm not going to talk about my
Speaker:products. I'm not going to show anything behind the scenes that
Speaker:I'm doing.
Speaker:I don't want anybody to know because if they know they're
Speaker:going to totally copy my idea and my business won't grow,
Speaker:I won't have a business,
Speaker:but that very thinking of keeping everything so close to your
Speaker:chest is exactly why you won't grow.
Speaker:And let me explain this to you in three different ways
Speaker:that this affects your company and inhibits your ability to grow.
Speaker:If you're just starting out,
Speaker:or if you're already an existing business,
Speaker:you could probably reflect back.
Speaker:You have the idea of starting a business.
Speaker:You don't Know for sure if it's going to work or
Speaker:not. And it's scary,
Speaker:right? Getting started all the anxiety,
Speaker:all that mindset,
Speaker:all that fear comes up.
Speaker:And so what do a lot of people do?
Speaker:I'm not going to tell my friends or my family about
Speaker:this until later until it's up and running and I can
Speaker:tell them over coffee one day,
Speaker:oh yeah,
Speaker:I have this business.
Speaker:Now it's up and running.
Speaker:It's great.
Speaker:What's wrong with that.
Speaker:Your friends and family are the very ones who are going
Speaker:to support you and help you grow.
Speaker:If you're in this situation right now,
Speaker:where you're thinking about starting your business,
Speaker:I want you to tell your friends and family,
Speaker:when you actually open a business,
Speaker:go to your very first craft show,
Speaker:get your website up and running.
Speaker:These are the people who are going to be the most
Speaker:accepting. If something goes wrong,
Speaker:have people who are your friends or family place,
Speaker:a first order so that,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:everything is working.
Speaker:Have people give feedback on your product?
Speaker:Is that class that you used on this shawl,
Speaker:not tight enough,
Speaker:should it be a little bigger?
Speaker:Is it difficult to wear?
Speaker:Because it's scratchy even,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:whatever it is,
Speaker:all that feedback comes so much easier with people who are
Speaker:friends and family.
Speaker:When you're starting business,
Speaker:you don't want to keep it a secret from your friends
Speaker:and family,
Speaker:because they are the very ones that can help you really
Speaker:start to get traction,
Speaker:smooth out your system and get your business up and running.
Speaker:Now, when you are,
Speaker:we're open for business,
Speaker:then there's that fear of,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:everyone's telling me to show behind the scenes,
Speaker:but if I show up the scenes,
Speaker:people are going to know how I actually put things together.
Speaker:Maybe they're going to find out some of my sourcing.
Speaker:If they see my production studio,
Speaker:then they're going to be able to create something just like
Speaker:that for themselves.
Speaker:And then they're going to steal my business.
Speaker:I don't want to talk about how I create the products.
Speaker:I don't want people to see my operations,
Speaker:but here's the thing.
Speaker:Here's why that is a fallacy.
Speaker:And that also inhibits your growth.
Speaker:When people are able to see the behind the scenes,
Speaker:they're also seeing how much it takes to run a business.
Speaker:Let's face it.
Speaker:Not everyone is cut out to do this entrepreneurial owning and
Speaker:running a business thing by far.
Speaker:And when you're able to show,
Speaker:walking into production studio this morning,
Speaker:here's how I get started before I start working on my
Speaker:pottery for the day or here's how I lay everything out
Speaker:so that these decorated cookies are all ready for.
Speaker:When my employees show up to do the decorating,
Speaker:the frosting,
Speaker:most people aren't going to do that.
Speaker:But they're curious.
Speaker:And what you're doing is you're helping develop a level of
Speaker:interest in your business so that people feel like they know
Speaker:you. They trust you.
Speaker:And that behind the scenes deepens the relationship that you have.
Speaker:Even if you don't know some of the people who are
Speaker:following you or watching you on social,
Speaker:reading your blogs,
Speaker:coming to look at your website,
Speaker:they feel like they know you better because you're giving them
Speaker:a peek behind the scenes of you.
Speaker:So instead of keeping everything buttoned down where nobody gets to
Speaker:see the behind the scenes,
Speaker:what you're doing is you're actually inhibiting the ability for people
Speaker:to know you develop a relationship with you and want to
Speaker:buy from you feel comfortable enough to be able to buy
Speaker:from you.
Speaker:There's another thing that happens in social that makes me absolutely
Speaker:crazy. And I guess now would be a good time for
Speaker:me to bring this up to Instagram private accounts.
Speaker:When I see new people following me on Instagram,
Speaker:one of the things that I'll do is look over into
Speaker:their account and see,
Speaker:Hey, is this somebody that I want to connect up with
Speaker:too? So that I have a relationship with them in the
Speaker:future. I can see what they're doing.
Speaker:Are they in alignment with the handmade product industry?
Speaker:But I would say,
Speaker:I'm not even kidding you.
Speaker:Probably 50% of the accounts that I go look at are
Speaker:private. How many people are those accounts missing?
Speaker:And I'm sorry if you're one of them change off private,
Speaker:unless you have a really,
Speaker:really good reason.
Speaker:And aren't looking to attract business,
Speaker:change your account to be not private so that we can
Speaker:see you because no,
Speaker:one's going to follow you if it's private.
Speaker:And if you're worried that people are going to steal your
Speaker:stuff, or if you're posting things that aren't for business eyes,
Speaker:then make a separate account.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:on Instagram,
Speaker:all you do is you connect up accounts via emails,
Speaker:right? So just create another free Google email account,
Speaker:have one for your business.
Speaker:And one for private,
Speaker:if that's the reason why you're private,
Speaker:okay. Enough of that,
Speaker:the other way,
Speaker:that being so fearful about sharing,
Speaker:what you do is limiting you is it's also limiting your
Speaker:ability to expand your product line.
Speaker:One of the things we all know with being handmade products
Speaker:is if you're the one that's making your product and you
Speaker:don't have outside employees right now,
Speaker:then you're limited in how many products that you can make.
Speaker:And there are many people who don't want to hire a
Speaker:staff, but they also want to make more than they're making
Speaker:now in terms of income.
Speaker:So one way that you can do that is expand the
Speaker:products that you present out to the market.
Speaker:One way to do this.
Speaker:And something that you can consider is an online tutorial or
Speaker:direction kit of how you create one of your products.
Speaker:And if you're so worried that people are going to share
Speaker:what you're already doing,
Speaker:you can never take that next step.
Speaker:Another part under product expansion,
Speaker:which I'm seeing a lot of people doing right now is
Speaker:online classes or in-person classes,
Speaker:teaching a very basic product that is in alignment with the
Speaker:main product that they sell.
Speaker:So let's say it's art.
Speaker:You've seen these stores open up around us,
Speaker:where you can go in and you can have some wine,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:sip and draw type things or classes that are done at
Speaker:Michael's or Joann's where you can go in and learn how
Speaker:to make whatever's being offered that day.
Speaker:Well, we could put on those classes too and make additional
Speaker:money teaching classes either online or in person.
Speaker:And I get kicked back when I suggest this sometimes with
Speaker:some of my coaching students,
Speaker:because they'll say,
Speaker:why would I want to teach somebody what I'm selling?
Speaker:Because then they don't need to buy the products for me.
Speaker:Here's the real truth behind that?
Speaker:Most of the time,
Speaker:when you are going to do some type of an online
Speaker:tutorial, you're attracting a completely different an audience than people who
Speaker:would actually devious,
Speaker:analyze what you're making and start a business out of it.
Speaker:They're not interested in doing that.
Speaker:You're going to attract a whole different audience than people who
Speaker:want to come in and learn a little bit of the
Speaker:basics as a form of entertainment,
Speaker:totally different person than the people who are going to come
Speaker:and buy your products directly from your site.
Speaker:So you're able to expand your audience reach when you offer
Speaker:different types of options around your product,
Speaker:you have online products to sell or things that you can
Speaker:sell in the craft shows.
Speaker:And then also,
Speaker:by the way,
Speaker:for those of you who are interested in trying your hand
Speaker:at this candle,
Speaker:making soap,
Speaker:making, join me in my classes,
Speaker:and we can do this together.
Speaker:I'll show you how it's done to different audiences.
Speaker:So you're able to gain new customers who are interested in
Speaker:a different thing.
Speaker:The other thing that happens when you do these online classes
Speaker:is you'll see that they will recognize nice that making the
Speaker:product, which they thought could be so simple,
Speaker:actually takes more skill and talent and time than they would
Speaker:want to invest on a regular basis.
Speaker:So take candles for me,
Speaker:adding the scent,
Speaker:mixing it up,
Speaker:pouring candles,
Speaker:letting it cure all the things that you need to do.
Speaker:Not to mention that I wouldn't have the wax,
Speaker:the wicks,
Speaker:the containers,
Speaker:or any of the tools immediately on hand.
Speaker:It will be fun to do at one time,
Speaker:but then I'm done over.
Speaker:I'm not doing it anymore.
Speaker:I would much rather buy it from somebody.
Speaker:And I appreciate it even more because I understand now what
Speaker:goes into making it so they get hands on understanding of
Speaker:the depth of experience and skill that you need in making
Speaker:your product.
Speaker:And, you know,
Speaker:maybe they'll make their own in a simplified manner,
Speaker:but the more advanced ones sense,
Speaker:the larger ones you're special jars made with your special he'll
Speaker:touch. Those still need to be purchased from you.
Speaker:I'm going to summarize here.
Speaker:Here's how you're limiting your business.
Speaker:If you're so afraid that people are going to steal your
Speaker:stuff. When you're starting shit,
Speaker:they're with friends and family,
Speaker:they're going to be your first loyal.
Speaker:Porter's second.
Speaker:As your businesses open,
Speaker:don't be afraid of showing what you do with the process
Speaker:of your business,
Speaker:behind the scenes.
Speaker:Some of the designing that you're doing,
Speaker:because it's going to endear your customers to you,
Speaker:where they're going to develop a relationship and they're going to
Speaker:want to support you.
Speaker:And then as you're ready to expand your product line,
Speaker:consider adding classes,
Speaker:either online tutorials,
Speaker:online live classes,
Speaker:face-to-face classes,
Speaker:because this is a way that you can bring in more
Speaker:income. It's a different stream of income into your business that
Speaker:you're not doing with just selling your products,
Speaker:worst case.
Speaker:And this is what everyone fears.
Speaker:Someone copies you,
Speaker:you have a certain way that you design the tops of
Speaker:your soaps with lavender,
Speaker:or you add in like,
Speaker:like an embossing or whatever it is that makes your soap
Speaker:special. Someone sees it and integrates,
Speaker:let's say exactly the same thing into their product.
Speaker:Guess what?
Speaker:They still cannot totally copy you.
Speaker:Nobody can be exactly you in terms of the personality that
Speaker:you bring forward,
Speaker:the way you do your packaging.
Speaker:If you do handmade notes,
Speaker:whatever else you do that people wouldn't see if they're just
Speaker:seeing you online and then how you speak,
Speaker:how you show up.
Speaker:Even if I gave you the exact script.
Speaker:If you read word for word,
Speaker:what I've just said,
Speaker:it would still come across differently than the way I come
Speaker:across. This is the same thing with your business.
Speaker:No buddy can copy exactly what you do.
Speaker:Now. Having said all of that,
Speaker:I do have one exception because there's always an exception to
Speaker:the rule.
Speaker:And that is if you're an inventor,
Speaker:meaning you've envisioned specked out,
Speaker:designed and created a brand new product.
Speaker:This is a product that then could be patented.
Speaker:Then I wouldn't share it until you have the proper protection
Speaker:in place.
Speaker:So this is the only exception that I have.
Speaker:And most people who are doing this are having this mass
Speaker:produced in a factory for the most part.
Speaker:So for 99% of the people here,
Speaker:that is not the case because we're specializing in handmade products,
Speaker:but this would be one exception to the rule.
Speaker:Really the reason and the importance,
Speaker:why I bring this up is to adjust your mindset on
Speaker:this idea,
Speaker:that if I show people what I'm doing,
Speaker:people are going to steal it.
Speaker:So I want you to stop that mindset and go the
Speaker:totally opposite direction and say,
Speaker:okay, go for it,
Speaker:steal my stuff.
Speaker:Because truthfully,
Speaker:this is just a fallacy that we're telling ourselves.
Speaker:And when you recognize this,
Speaker:it's so freeing,
Speaker:because then you understand that what you've been telling yourself is
Speaker:not the case.
Speaker:And you can become open and generous in sharing what you
Speaker:do with your products.
Speaker:And what's going to return to you is audience growth and
Speaker:sales, because there's absolutely only one.
Speaker:You, if you are limiting yourself,
Speaker:because you've got this message in your mind that people are
Speaker:going to steal my ideas,
Speaker:they're going to take and copy what I have to offer.
Speaker:This is us talking to ourselves and putting up barriers that
Speaker:prevent us from going after our dreams.
Speaker:So don't do that to yourself.
Speaker:Let them steal your stuff.
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.
Speaker:Go out and fulfill that dream of yours.
Speaker:Share your handmade products with us.
Speaker:We want them,
