Your Handmade Business

Sharon and Isaac revisit the five predictions they made for 2018 to see how accurate they were, and make three predictions for the evolution of the maker economy and maker business in 2019.

Isaac heads down the rabbit hole with Francesca Berrini of Unusual Cards and examines her 16 years in business along with the peculiar relationship she has with her customers as she vends primarily at weekend markets and craft fairs.

Is a maker business forever? Isaac speaks to Sierra Bailey, former owner of Manic Trout, about the decision to shut down her successful, 15-year-old jewelry business in response to physical and emotional symptoms of burnout.

Isaac interviews Southern Elegance Candle Company owner D’Shawn Russell about the rapid growth she’s experienced in her business in rural North Carolina, what keeps her moving and motivated, and how she approaches her day to day.

Why is selling all about service, and how can we apply that to maker business? Sharon and Isaac dive into an old cheesy YouTube video about selling to tease out how you can maximize your sales tactics without being smarmy.

Sharon and Isaac dive into five ways that you might be letting great opportunities sneak by under your nose while you’re vending in person at craft shows. This is a great refresher as you prep for your December shows!

What kind of hustler are you? Isaac interviews Sarah Meranda, metalsmith mastermind behind Magpie Mouse Studios, about her work ethic, experimentation, and approach to growing her business, and a whole lot more.

Sharon and Isaac offer a swift kick in the holiday pants to help make sure you’re thinking about the right important things in your business: goal-setting, marketing, scheduling, inventory, storytelling, and so much more!

Isaac interviews artist/maker/designer Robert Mahar with a peek into what it was like to be on NBC’s “Making It”, what he’s been doing since, and how he’s continued to hustle and leverage his 15 minutes of relative fame into what’s next for his business.

Sharon offers 5 tips on getting holiday press that you just might be able to apply today to get in on something last-minute this season.

Review some of the most valuable lessons that we’ve shared over the last 40 episodes of the YHBTV series along with some great questions from our audience and Facebook group members.

You often hear the phrase, “Time IS money”, but have you ever thought about the relationship that time OR money has with your ability to scale and grow your handmade business? And how those relationships might be different from each other?

Now that summer is long over and things are starting to get real as the holidays loom, you might find yourself falling into the trap of thinking only of what’s right in front of your nose. That’s why it’s important to develop systems in your business, rather than letting chaos hold you back.

Fear can hold us back from making progress in both life and business, sometimes egged on by ghosts lurking around the corner. In this episode, Sharon and Isaac identify 5 different types of ghosts that might be haunting your maker business and offer tips for scaring them off.

Even though we spend more and more time online these days, we at Academy of Handmade have always advocated for meeting face to face and getting in-person interactions. In this episode, Sharon and I offer 6 tips for building up your network of support.

We may interact with people on a daily basis, the labyrinth of emotions and opinions in customer service is real. Sharon and I serve as your sign-posts for making your way through the maze and cover some important pointers.

Isaac takes quitting your day job a little deeper down the rabbit hole with Rachel Winter, who quit her job a year ago to take her maker business full-time. We talk decision-making, work habits, and what it takes to make and raise two young children under the same roof.

In this episode Isaac interviews Kimberly Taylor-Pestell, owner of Lacelit, about her recent decision to quit her day job to pursue her handmade business full-time and some of the lessons she’s already learned along the way.

Maker businesses are inherently risky because they’re inherently small and vulnerable to change. In this YHBTV recap, Sharon and Isaac help you understand what types of risks you might be taking in your business and how to evaluate them.

Sharon and Isaac dispel a few myths and offer a few guidelines on how to hone in—”honing” being the operative word—on your own productivity and accepting what works best for you.