In this article, we’re talking about the power and opportunity of email newsletters: using email to engage with your community and build relationships.

When considering wholesale marketplaces there is no shortage of options these days. Many of the marketplaces are similar but small differences can mean large impacts on makers and independent brands. In this article we review a newer wholesale marketplace, Creoate, and give you the information you need to decide if it’s a good fit for your wholesale strategy.

If you’re working to grow wholesale, your wholesale line sheet (or wholesale catalog) is one of your most important tools. It’s a single, cohesive way to present your line, products, pricing, and wholesale terms in a format that lets you tell your story to store owners, exactly how you want to.

Our guide to making quick, affordable changes to your wholesale line sheet — for makers and small product lines.

Editor’s note: Originally, Candid started at well under $100/month with unlimited users. But as of March, 2024, Candid’s price increased to a minimum of $179/month. For many small makers and brands this may be well out of range as a fee that makes sense. This article was originally written when the tool was more affordable, but at that higher price, think carefully about whether it makes sense for you before proceeding.

For years, Abound was a major player in the wholesale marketplace world – and a major competitor to Faire. So for many small brands, Abound was a marketplace they had considered selling with.

In 2023 and 2024, though, Abound made an abrupt business model transition and then (effectively) closed altogether. In this article we wrangled all the details of that evolution – and we’ll give you the details you need for Abound, Droply, and their Droply’s parent company, Carro.

Reviews and tips about Bulletin wholesale marketplace from makers and small product companies, pros and cons of using Bulletin, and an interview with the co-founder getting her thoughts and how to decide if it is for you.

Honest reviews of Handshake from makers and small product companies, the key things you need know to decide if Handshake is for you and how to use Handshake to grow wholesale.

Honest reviews of Faire from makers and small product companies, tips for succeeding on Faire Wholesale, and the key things you need to know to use Faire to grow wholesale.

So much of running a creative business boils down to words on a page. What you write in your outreach to stores, social media captions, wholesale marketplace listings, “about” page, and other materials are where the rubber meets the road. These are the places where your vision and dream and work touch the people who can support that work.

A few afternoons per week, I sit with a phone and a cup of tea and do coaching calls with folks across the country. And with each new person that comes on the line, there is a dramatically different experience. Some of the people I talk to are struggling financially, emotionally, and spiritually. Other makers are bright with their excitement and can’t believe how much they are thriving right now. The contrast is striking.