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Hi there,
Speaker:it's Sue and thanks for joining me for Tips and Talk
Speaker:Day. These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions
Speaker:and things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small
Speaker:business. If you'd like to submit a topic,
Speaker:DM e over on Instagram at Gift Biz Unwrapped.
Speaker:We've covered so many facets of a handmade product business over
Speaker:the course of the years,
Speaker:and today is no exception.
Speaker:We've talked about how to start and grow your business stories
Speaker:from many of you who have done just that.
Speaker:How to choose and use social media sites,
Speaker:build your website.
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:there is just so much information here for you,
Speaker:but not necessarily at your fingertips.
Speaker:So I've made a tool for you that categorizes by topic
Speaker:the episodes of this podcast,
Speaker:but only the ones that stay relevant over time because yes,
Speaker:let's face it,
Speaker:there are past shows that just don't work anymore for us
Speaker:today. The world is changing so fast,
Speaker:right? You can use this tool to zero in on whatever
Speaker:topic you need at the moment.
Speaker:Do you wanna hear from others in your specific industry?
Speaker:How about details on Pinterest or setting up an email strategy?
Speaker:You can now easily find the right episodes and create your
Speaker:priority listening roster.
Speaker:Consider this your Gift Biz resource center at a glance.
Speaker:It's a Google Sheet best viewable on your computer versus your
Speaker:phone. Make sure to look on the bottom where there are
Speaker:five separate sections for easy topic reference,
Speaker:kind of like chapters of a book.
Speaker:It makes finding the shows to help you with what you're
Speaker:working on right now.
Speaker:So much easier.
Speaker:To access this free resource,
Speaker:go to gift biz unwrapped.com/topics
Speaker:X. I've heard it said that the answers you seek in
Speaker:life are only as good as the questions you ask because
Speaker:so much goes on in our heads.
Speaker:Sometimes our thoughts are trying to answer the wrong questions,
Speaker:or you get in a brain spin and ideas go round
Speaker:and round randomly without even attempting to answer a specific question
Speaker:to make some sense of this random thought behavior.
Speaker:I decided to put together sets of questions to ask that
Speaker:will help reflect on your handmade product business journey.
Speaker:Some won't apply to you at all,
Speaker:some you've easily got covered and some may poke at you
Speaker:and perhaps make you uneasy.
Speaker:Each year I pick a focus word to help guide my
Speaker:actions for the next 12 months.
Speaker:You may have heard this strategy before.
Speaker:I've personally found it very useful in the past.
Speaker:Some of my words have been growth,
Speaker:personal development,
Speaker:and visibility.
Speaker:This year,
Speaker:my word is reflection.
Speaker:It's what led me to this question list,
Speaker:and I've already run through this exercise of answering these questions
Speaker:for myself too.
Speaker:It's a way to keep my life in alignment with what
Speaker:I want to see,
Speaker:where there are areas that could use revisions or changes,
Speaker:and it definitely underscored my word of the year reflection,
Speaker:so I thought I'd share it with you.
Speaker:The best way to work through this is to listen to
Speaker:the entire podcast first.
Speaker:Then go back and write down the questions that resonate with
Speaker:you the most,
Speaker:or the ones that you know deserve some time to ponder.
Speaker:Believe me,
Speaker:the answers don't always come easy.
Speaker:I've broken this into six different sections.
Speaker:These questions aren't meant to get to the nitty gritty of
Speaker:running your business.
Speaker:We've been doing that in every single one of these podcast
Speaker:episodes. Some of the questions are meant for you to look
Speaker:at overriding feelings and thinking that are going on for you
Speaker:right now.
Speaker:It's meant to identify things that are worth considering to help
Speaker:you move forward or enlighten you on what's holding you back.
Speaker:These six sections include overall business,
Speaker:product creation and development growth,
Speaker:the day-to-day personal enrichment,
Speaker:and the future.
Speaker:All I'm gonna do here is read these questions without adding
Speaker:in my own 2 cents,
Speaker:because I want you to extrapolate from each question the angle
Speaker:that's relevant for you.
Speaker:I've also left it in the first person just as I
Speaker:had created them for me,
Speaker:so they feel personal as if you're asking them to yourself.
Speaker:Ready? Here we go.
Speaker:Section one,
Speaker:overall business.
Speaker:What exactly is my dream and has it changed over time?
Speaker:How does my business fit into my life overall?
Speaker:Am I committed to the real work required to realize this
Speaker:dream? What am I afraid of?
Speaker:Why haven't I done this yet?
Speaker:Section two,
Speaker:product creation and development.
Speaker:Who is my product for?
Speaker:What does my product offer a customer?
Speaker:Does this result matter deep down?
Speaker:Am I proud of my creations and what they provide?
Speaker:Section three growth.
Speaker:What is the one thing I should be focusing on now?
Speaker:Am I showing up consistently where it matters?
Speaker:Do I present my authentic self or do I show up
Speaker:how I think others want to see me?
Speaker:How do I know if it's working?
Speaker:Is growing bigger worth it?
Speaker:Section four,
Speaker:the day-to-day.
Speaker:Do I get excited most days to work on and in
Speaker:the business?
Speaker:Is my workspace comfortable,
Speaker:organized and motivating?
Speaker:Do I need to get some help?
Speaker:Do I have an organized method for prioritizing all the tasks?
Speaker:Am I often trying to save a buck versus finding a
Speaker:smoother and faster way?
Speaker:Are there things I can stop doing to save time?
Speaker:Am I documenting how I do repetitive tasks so I don't
Speaker:need to reinvent the wheel each time?
Speaker:Section five,
Speaker:personal enrichment.
Speaker:What do I do to get away and refresh?
Speaker:Am I celebrating the small wins?
Speaker:What am I doing for continual learning and improvement?
Speaker:What one thing can I add to my routine to keep
Speaker:me healthy?
Speaker:Sleep, drinking more water,
Speaker:meditate. Do I check in with myself regularly to make sure
Speaker:all is well and six,
Speaker:the future?
Speaker:Is my product still relevant in today's world?
Speaker:Do I still get joy and satisfaction from what I've built?
Speaker:Do I stay at it because I've invested so much already?
Speaker:How can I switch things up to make it fresh and
Speaker:exciting again?
Speaker:Has this journey run its course?
Speaker:What new things await me if I let this go?
Speaker:Okay, your turn.
Speaker:Now, if the time is right or block out specific time
Speaker:in your calendar to do this,
Speaker:make yourself comfortable.
Speaker:Pour your favorite beverage and settle in for 30 minutes or
Speaker:so. Even better.
Speaker:Get out of your regular environment and go to the local
Speaker:coffee shop.
Speaker:I often find putting myself in a different place helps generate
Speaker:free flow thinking with pen and paper in hand.
Speaker:Re-listen to these questions and write down the ones that apply
Speaker:to you.
Speaker:Once you've got your list of questions,
Speaker:think about and answer them.
Speaker:Take your time,
Speaker:be honest with yourself and journal your answers if that works
Speaker:for you.
Speaker:When you've finished answering the questions,
Speaker:you're not done.
Speaker:If you've found that there are actions to take,
Speaker:you wanna make sure it happens.
Speaker:Designate space in your calendar to create a plan and then
Speaker:follow through with it.
Speaker:Remember, intentions are great,
Speaker:but actions bring results.
Speaker:And finally,
Speaker:there may be some questions that require more time.
Speaker:I know that happened for me.
Speaker:A few of the deeper questions may take days or months
Speaker:to ponder.
Speaker:That's okay.
Speaker:It can be really difficult to get out of a routine
Speaker:that you've been doing for years that no longer serves you.
Speaker:The point with this entire exercise is to make sure you're
Speaker:on track with the path you wanna take,
Speaker:not just in business,
Speaker:but in your life.
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 and they bring us both.
