What to Wear to a Craft Fair to Boost Sales
Asking what one should wear to a craft fair is sort of like asking “what should I wear to work?” The answer would depend greatly on the type of work, the environment and who you interact with in a day. There isn’t a straightforward answer to “what do people wear to craft fairs?” because it…
How to Turn a Failing Handmade Business Around in 5 Steps
A little over a year ago, I felt completely hopeless about my business. I started each day with a pit in my stomach and went to sleep each night with sweaty palms. Made Urban was a failing business and I didn’t know what to do. I had one big light bulb moment that turned…
5 Greatest Lessons Learned from a Failed Business
I honestly love reading stories like this one because they help me realize that every business goes through struggles and none are an overnight success. So I hope this story will inspire you too and show there are many failed business attempts, mistakes and years behind successful businesses. If you’re looking for advice on…
Make This Difficult for Shoppers & You’ll Boost Sales
In most cases, you should be making your customers’ lives easier. But in one aspect, you should be making it more difficult. To explain, I’m going to tell a story about a septic tank and an outhouse. Not very glamorous, I know. But it’s a true story that taught me an important sales…
How to Sell More at Craft Fairs
My handmade business started when I sold at my first craft fair. I used them as a staple to grow my business and was always on a quest to sell more at craft fairs, so I went to work on several aspects of my business. I chose a name I liked, had logos, business cards,…
How to Sell More Handmade Products (Online or at Craft Shows)
Who doesn’t want to sell more handmade products? Of course, that’s what every handmade business owner is after. But there’s a common misconception when it comes to sales. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from business owners when wondering why they don’t sell more handmade products: People love my work, but they’re…
10 Unique Branding Ideas for your Craft Show Booth
There’s a lot that goes into defining and communicating your brand; first you must know what your USP (unique selling position) is, then you must be able to sum up the vibe of your brand and then you must determine how you’ll communicate that vibe. Your brand should come through in even the…
Monthly Plan & Checklist for a Handmade Business
“Organization” may not be at the top of everyone’s goal list by I’m sure “making money” is. In order to make money and run a profitable business…you must be organized. You should have a plan well before you go into a month and have implemented tasks that are going to bring you sales. Sales…
8 Mistakes Handmade Businesses Make with their USP
A USP is a unique selling position and should be considered an important aspect of your handmade business. Starbucks vs. Dunkin’ Donuts, Pepsi vs. Coke, Lululemon vs. Nike; each company is selling something very similar to the other so they must have a product feature that stands out or market their products in a way…
3 Big Legal Mistakes Crafters Make
Most handmade business owners don’t check or follow the legal steps they must take when they start selling their crafts. It begins as a hobby, sewing bags, making some jewelry, knitting a few scarves, etc. and then the idea comes along that money can be made selling these crafts. The crafter signs up…
April Checklist & Planner for Small Handmade Businesses
Since April 2018 has come and gone, the original content is no longer relevant. But fear not! I have improved the article and made it evergreen so the advice applies no matter which month it is and you can grab the most current checklist and planner. Please visit MONTHLY PLAN &…
Hot Items to Sell at Craft Shows in 2018
Every handmade vendor wants to know what the hot items are to sell at craft shows each year. There are so many factors that affect which booth is the busiest and there’s no guarantee an item will be a hot seller at every event. But, vendors can follow trends, put their spin on them and be…
How to Boost Sales by Limiting Options
Selling is not a strength of mine. But when I worked as a regional merchandiser for a major retailer, I participated in selling workshops because there were times I had to help customers and during busy shopping holidays, everyone had to sell, regardless of position or title. So I learned a sales technique or…
March Checklist & Planner for Small Handmade Businesses
Since March 2018 has come and gone, the original content is no longer relevant. But fear not! I have improved the article and made it evergreen so the advice applies no matter which month it is and you can grab the most current checklist and planner. Please visit MONTHLY PLAN & CHECKLIST…
How Much Money can you Make at a Craft Show?
It’s the question everyone wants to know: how much money can you really make at a craft show? It’s not an easy one to answer and of course there are SO many factors that can affect the total but I’m going to give a general idea here. You don’t want to know how much…
Handmade Business Checklist & Planner for February
Since February 2018 has come and gone, the original content is no longer relevant. But fear not! I have improved the article and made it evergreen so the advice applies no matter which month it is and you can grab the most current checklist and planner. Please visit MONTHLY PLAN & CHECKLIST FOR A…
5 Steps for When your Handmade Products Aren’t Selling
Those of us who create, often have a strong desire to. We didn’t start making bags, jewelry or scarves because handmade became trendy; we started because it excites us. But what do you do when your handmade products aren’t selling? It’s hard when your passion and hard work isn’t validated through sales. Even…
4 Easy Ways to Revive a Dead Facebook Page
Sometimes, we can fall a little bit out of love with our Facebook pages, right? Sometimes it can just feel a bit laborious and we lose our mojo. At the time of writing this it’s early January. Most of us are feeling full from overloading on mince pies and chocolate, plus we’re…
How to Increase Handmade Sales in February
February holds one of the first major gift-giving holidays of the New Year: Valentine’s Day, which is a great holiday to boost your handmade sales. To impact sales in February, you must start planning and marketing in January…at the latest. The further ahead you can plan, the better off you’ll be, ensuring you’re prepared…
How to Set Up a Sales Funnel for your Handmade Business
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here. In the past couple weeks there have been two products appear in my Facebook feed that have piqued my interest. One, I instantly purchased after visiting their…