My husband could eat a Dairy Queen blizzard almost every day for dessert (for those unfamiliar, it's soft-serve ice cream mixed with a flavor/ingredient of your choice). But he knows my metabolism isn’t quite as fast as his and I’ve (very kindly) suggested he not tempt me with a blizzard every night. So if he really wants DQ, he has to sell me on it…or in other words, ask for the sale.   However, there are plenty of times I’m craving a blizzard and don't need him to sell me on the idea, but rather, simply suggest it.   I can’t just come right out and say I want a blizzard…that would be silly ;)   I want him to pick up on my hints. That way I feel like a blizzard is meant to be and I’..

It kind of amazes me how many handmade businesses start before they know who they’re starting for. No shame. I didn’t know who my ideal customer was when I started my first handmade business.   However, that was over a decade ago and the Internet is much different today; rich with bloggers sharing free advice. Hi :)   I know that defining an ideal customer just isn’t clicking for many businesses. It’s evident by the questions there are surrounding ideal customer profiles (ICP), the number of people complaining that ICP’s are useless and the number of businesses creating products that are for everyone from a soccer mom to video gamer.   I don’t blame you if you’ve had trouble defining your idea..

It’s funny, the day I started this article, I was browsing the Internet in the evening, killing time, and came across a *GQ interview with Steve-O. In the interview he mentions a stunt he was getting ready to pull.   His plan was to sit in a lawn chair, on the roof of a wooden outhouse, and his friend was going to drive a car, at 50 mph, through the outhouse.   He stated, “I’ll fall a good eight feet to the ground, but the idea is we’ll film it in super slow-mo and the car crash will look super cool.”   The interviewer asked “why exactly?” he was doing this stunt and Steve-O said he was partnering with Lyft to promote their app and instead of simply telling his fans about Lyft, he thought..

It’s almost guaranteed your customers are on one of the major social media platforms; Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter, so your business should be too. If your competitors, or businesses similar to yours, are finding success on a social media platform, it’s a good indication that your business can also find success there.   But there are more businesses struggling to find success on social media than those who have found it.   Although I don’t believe social media is the best marketing tool for your handmade business, it is still important. You’re likely spending a lot of time on your social media marketing so you want to be sure it’s working and you’re getting a return on your time or money inves..

I believe everyone has a special talent they’re meant to share with the world. I’ve had an idea of what mine are from a fairly young age since I’ve always loved art and being creative. But it wasn’t until recently that I realized my calling was being creative through writing. It’s easy for me to see what a perfect fit it is for me now, and have developed a signature style of writing, but it wasn’t always that obvious.   I can’t just write on any subject. If you told me to write a fictional short story, I’d be lost. I don’t really have an interest in reading fictional books and have stocked my library with business books.    So naturally, that’s where I’ve found my niche in writing. I lo..

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 depends on the business you’re representing, the event you’re selling at and the shopper you’re wanting to attract.   Someone selling high-end art at an art show would want to dress up while someone selling vegetables at a farmers’ market might want to dress down. A vendor at a craft show selling vintage inspired children’s toys would want to have a much different look than someone selling trendy jewelry.  ..

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 my failing business around and finally got me on the right path.   Now I’m crushing the goals I set, am at a place I thought I’d NEVER be and I have total confidence in myself as a business person.   If you’re feeling like you’re failing in business and are ready to give up, have a read over my story here, sharing the 5 major mistakes I made and how I would correct them if I could go back and do it all over.   And then re..

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 how to turn a failing business around, check out: HOW TO TURN A FAILING HANDMADE BUSINESS AROUND...IN 5 STEPS.       Today, I can confidently say I run a successful business through the Made Urban Blog. But if I said that a couple years ago, I would have been lying. I wasn't confident about how my business was progressing and would pray people wouldn’t ask me what I did or ho..

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 lesson and is proof that, in some cases, making it difficult for shoppers can result in a sale.   Continue reading below...     We recently purchased a cabin. It has a well, running water and a septic tank, which we were assured was emptied right before we gained possession of the cabin.   Long story short, it was not actually empty and we had to pay an emergency rate to have it emptie..

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, product tags, a website, etc. designed to suit my preferences and made products I wanted to make, when I had time to make them.   When it came to craft fairs, I signed up for ones that suited my schedule, were put on by organizers I knew and would be filled with other vendors I loved. I created stock based on what I thought might sell and how much I could fit in before the event.   I created my display based on what was most convenient for me. Baskets f..