Dear Handmade Life

Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast we talk with Jennifer Priest who owns digital marketing consultant brand Smart Creative Social and the blog Smart Fun DIY about creating a winning Pinterest Strategy. We chat with Jennifer about using Pinterest as a market research tool, to forecast trends and as the ultimate search engine to drive traffic to your site plus the best ways to use secret boards, the importance of solving a problem with your product or service, how to stand out from the competition, why fighting the social media algorithms is futile, optimizing your Pinterest content and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes.

Welcome to another episode of the DHL podcast I’m Nicole and today we’re talking about Asserting boundaries and using your voice on social media with our guest Jen Hewett who is a printmaker, surface designer, textile artist, author and teacher living in San Francisco.

Nicole talks to beauty and wellness expert and owner of natural skincare line Dame Body Butters and Scrubs, Sannae Hopson. They discuss why we should aim to build work-life harmony (not balance), how to discover and stick to your own personalized wellness routine,  why you shouldn’t aim for perfect, and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

On this episode of the Dear Handmade Life podcast Nicole talks to business coach, author and founder of the digital media company, Living Over Existing, Alisha Robertson. The women discuss keeping your brand fresh, finding your niche, pushing past fear and anxiety, discovering your values and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

Dear Handmade Life Podcast will be on a hiatus until mid-summer after Patchwork Shows are wrapped up. Until then, visit dearhandmadelife.com for more episodes.

Delilah and Nicole talk to fine artist, illustrator and author Lisa Congdon about prioritizing yourself in your business. They chat about busyness, being a workaholic, the process of relearning how to relax, why downtime is key for creativity and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes.

Delilah and Nicole talk to Michelle Ward, the When I Grow Up Coach. They discuss how to recognize the signs that you’re not in your ideal job or business, how to figure out if your standards aren’t high enough, the extreme importance of authenticity, zeroing in on your niche, and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

Delilah and Nicole talk to experienced marketing strategist and business coach Linsi Brownson of Spark Collaborative. They discuss Linsi's belief that everyone is born creative, how to tap into that natural creativity if you’ve lost your connection to it, what areas of your business and life you need to evaluate, the importance of starting small, and more! Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes. If you'd like to enter to win one of Linsi's five free coaching sessions just leave us a review on iTunes and visit www.sparkcollaborative.com/handmade...

Delilah and Nicole talk to Mallory Whitfield of Badass Creatives. They discuss how to combine a 9-5 type job with your passion, negotiating the hours your want, balancing a full or part time job with a creative business, the ever-evolving definition of success, and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

Delilah and Nicole talk to Danielle Spurge of The Merriweather Council about how to make Etsy work for your business. They discuss the relevance of Etsy in 2018, the role of trends on the platform, tips for standing out in a sea of competition and more!  Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

Delilah and Nicole talk to fine artist and embroidery designer Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching about the evolution of the handmade movement. The ladies discuss what the DIY movement looked like two decades ago, how it has changed, and what is easier and harder about being a maker today.  Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

Delilah and Nicole talk to Shae Whitney of DRAM Apothecary about how she she built her business to be environmentally conscious from the very beginning. They discuss how sustainability can be chosen at every level from sourcing to packaging, the importance of knowing yourself before knowing your brand, how raising your prices for the right reason can create more business, and why our demand for convenience gives us inferior products. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...    

Delilah and Nicole talk to Megan Green of Craftin' Outlaws, Midwest Craft Con and Stinky Bomb Soap. They discuss positive and negative experiences while reaching out to competitors to collaborate, getting through the fear of pitching, dealing with copycats, and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

Delilah and Nicole talk to storyteller and coach Michelle Khouri about how successful marketing weaves a story into branding. The ladies chat about brand narrative, implementing it into a marketing strategy, metrics, the trend of imperfection on social media, authenticity and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

Delilah and Nicole talk to Craftcation Conference presenter Adrienne Wiley of Frolick Jewelry and brick-and-mortar shop, Covet, in San Francisco. The ladies share tips for makers to start wholesaling their products, the importance of diversifying income streams, the evolution of tradeshows, what retailers are looking for and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

Delilah and Nicole talk to Eric Gorges, host of the Create channel's 'A Craftsman's Legacy' and owner of motorcycle shop, Voodoo Choppers. They discuss work-life balance, learning how to say no, apprenticeships, the importance of traditional craftsmanship, transitions and much more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes and check out 'A Craftsman's Legacy' on the Create channel in early 2018...

Delilah and Nicole talk to Arianne Foulks of branding and design company, Aeolidia. They discuss how to know when it’s time to rebrand, creating long-lasting branding, the importance of good design, why packaging is important and more! Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

Delilah and Nicole talk with brand strategist Olivia Omega about the value of analytics and going with your gut, demographics vs. psychographics, researching ideal customers, and being authentic in your marketing message. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

Delilah and Nicole talk with Megan Eckman of Studio MME about how she created some passive income streams which have not only brought in money, but also helped her grow her brand and business. They discuss that sometimes, from marketing, to bookkeeping to creating the original products, passive income can feel like anything but passive. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...

Delilah and Nicole talk just the two of them about how to utilize your time when business is slow. They discuss getting your finances in order, planning, goal setting, building community, self-care and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...