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14 Parts of Your Story You're Probably Not Telling (But Should)
People are people. So whether you’re selling to a mom in Idaho, a 20-year-old in New York City, or a store owner in San Diego, they will buy from you because both of these conditions are met:
Their head is sold. It is crystal-clear (with no effort on their part) what you are selling, for how much money, and under what terms; and those facts work for them.
Their heart is sold. Your story, journey, or line makes them feel inspired, moved, or excited.
Some Tips if You're Deciding Whether to Pitch Stores Right Now
It’s kind of a hard time to be a human being right now… and it’s definitely a hard time to run a business. As we wrote about last week, many of our makers have seen 60-90% of their income disappear, almost overnight. Some well-respected stores have closed and others are struggling on a day-to-day basis. Even if you’re seeing sales, you’re likely struggling to plan, or source materials, or run your business in a time of uncertainty.
5 Observations about Makers, Product Businesses, and Wholesale in a COVID World
As a country, we’ll be experiencing the effects (and after-effects) of COVID for a long time to come. Most of us have faced severe upheaval to our lives, businesses, and income and that isn’t changing anytime soon. Further, many of us are engaged in a reckoning around race, police, and our vision for our communities in the US. If you are struggling to balance a reinvention of your work alongside caregiving or 24-hour-a-day parenting or attending to the deep hurt in the world and in yourself, you are not alone.
A Note to Makers Considering Wholesale During the COVID-19 Pandemic
First, I hope that you are staying healthy — mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially. Many of you are facing closed markets, drops in wholesale orders, revenue hits, and overall uncertainty in your businesses. Others have increased or maintained sales, but are facing supply, shipping, or production issues. Still others are just starting your business journey and feeling unsure how to proceed. Whatever the specifics of what you are facing, it is true that there is both a crisis and an opportunity in all of this — but the stress and sadness are very real.
What Makers + Stores Are Doing to Adapt During the Pandemic
We started getting emails from makers and stores within days of coronavirus hitting the United States. So many stores began closing. And so many makers saw dizzying drops to their revenues. Day jobs were lost; markets closed and heaps of inventory languished; so many people are taking care of small children and trying to save businesses. And above all, everyone had so much uncertainty.
Newsletter Emails vs Personal Emails For Connecting With Stockists
Today we’re answering a common maker question that seems simple but trips a lot of makers up: Should I use a newsletter-style email or a personal email to keep in touch with my stockists? There are certainly pros and cons to each method, so we’ll take them one at a time.
No Responses from Store Owners? Here’s What to Do.
When it comes to my creative business projects, I tend to work in the shelter of my own space and ideas. I don’t usually ask people for advice, trusting my own vision over what Uncle Ned Who Worked In Business thinks.
7 Simple Things to Do Now, for Wholesale Growth Next Year
Right before the holiday season, many of you are receiving or shipping final orders before you start to hunker down for a well-deserved hibernation for a few weeks. And let me be the first to say: PRIORITIZE HIBERNATION. Sink into it with all the cookies and family and naps you couldn’t possibly make time for over recent months.
4 Things Successful Makers Do With Their Products to Stand Out
The other day, I was coaching one of our newer makers by phone. To get to know her line, I flipped through her product listings to get a sense for what the jewelry was all about. Most of the pieces were ornate, creative, asymmetrical confections that were both vintage and fresh. But part of the line was simple brass jewelry. In our conversation, I asked how she felt about the brass pieces -- is that a direction she was planning to go in?
Two Surprising Wholesale Outreach Tips You May Not Have Tried
Mostly, growing your handmade wholesale business is not a place for cheats or tips or tricks.
Mostly, growing wholesale is a long-term game where “boring” things like consistency, follow-up, respect, thoughtfulness, and gradual improvement of your product line are what work.
Since we spend all day everyday working with makers who are doing wholesale outreach, sometimes we’ll come across a fun tip that just is so simple and works so well that we think, “Gosh, I wish everyone knew about that.”
10 Ways to Grow Wholesale With Etsy Wholesale Closed (Besides Panic)
As one maker friend put it: People were saying for months that a shift was going to happen with Etsy Wholesale. And, well… Shift happened. As you’re probably well aware by now, Etsy Wholesale is closed its doors: July 31, 2018 was the last day of the platform. While few people are surprised -- since Etsy Wholesale had been quietly withdrawing for months -- many makers are understandably frustrated, freaked out, or just… tired.
7 Lessons Learned From a Maker on Her Wholesale Journey
SugarSky is one a maker brand that has found the elusive balance of being very well-respected by peers and customers alike — but also scaling pretty quickly in smart ways.
So we decided to hop on the phone to hear how her business has evolved. What she shared was really inspiring, very actionable, and sometimes surprising.