New Year’s Resolutions? I’m not a fan. 

It’s not that I don’t like self improvement – I love that.  It’s just that New Year’s resolutions seem so big and damning.  I’ve never had much success with big changes. 

If you’ve read any of my little (but growing) blog, you know I’m a big fan of goals (read that post here.)  What’s the difference?  For me, it's about attitude and planning.  Maybe it's just that, in the past, my resolutions have been unrealistic (too big) or not specific enough (no plan.)

When I set goals they are specific, and they are backed up by solid plans. I’m not talking about general goals like “become rich” or “find happiness.”  Setting a goal works when you have a plan behind it.  Yes, most people want to make more money and/or be happy.  It’s the “how” that’s important.  You got to have a step-by-step plan.

So it’s time to set personal and business goals for 2014.  Personal goals are easier for me so I’ll start there.  One personal goal I have is to compete in a swim meet this year.  I’m a 47 year old former collegiate swimmer who is freaking out about diving off the starting blocks (what if I strain my back? What if I belly flop?  What if I simply fall off?)  To address this concern, I’m going to practice.  Seems pretty logical to me.  Practice swimming fast.  Practice diving off the blocks (it’s been a while.)  I’m entering a meet in early February and will report back on how it goes (that should be a funny post, so come back and read it!)

Setting business goals are more difficult for me.  After the busy holiday season, when I participated in my first craft show, I need to regain some focus.  If I’m calling this a business and not a hobby – which believe me, Uncle Sam says it’s a business - then I need to pay more attention to details. 

Business Goal #1: Get a handle on the record-keeping.  I have been pretty hippy-dippy about how much I’m spending vs. how much I’m bringing in.  I know I’m making some money (I’m not THAT hippy-dippy) but I really couldn’t tell you exactly how much.  See that bulging envelope over there? It holds all the receipts (at least I have them!) So that’s my dirty little secret confession and Business Goal #1.  Get the books in order.  (My husband is doing a little happy dance right now.)

Business Goal #2:  Take it a little further.  Expand my horizons. 
I enjoy creating all sorts of things.  I have a well-documented love for fabric.  I like making jewelry.  I’ve fallen in love with my little bird and heart ornaments.  But I want to take it further. 

I want to step out of my comfort zone and exercise a muscle that has been sedentary for too long. I want to paint.  There, I said it.  I have this little voice in my head that says “you need to paint something. Anything.”  The voice is getting louder.  As I swim my laps I have all sorts of conversations with myself – and sometimes with others, but they don’t know I’m talking to them because I’m underwater (an entirely different post.)  Lately, the underwater conversations and images that accompany them are all about art – painting and multi-media specifically.

So goal #2 will include some paint, some paper, some glitter (for sure) and a canvas or two. And if I'm feeling brave I will share it here.  I’m not necessarily going to sell this art, but I’m excited to get back into it.  I’ve done a few multi-media projects in my time and really enjoy the process and outcome.  Friends who hike with me are always curious about the stuff I pick up off the ground, bottle caps, tags, chain.  Now we'll see what I can do with it. 

I’m contemplating participating in an online painting course like this one by Kelly Rae Roberts  or Brené Brown.

Have any of you taken an online painting/creative course?  Let me know what you think.

Business Goal #3  But wait!  There’s more!  Goal #3 will be to have a blast with the fabric that I already have (and I have a lot of it!) and create more scarves (which I still love) and a few other fabric-related products that are on my “to-create” list.  I’m excited about that too.  UPDATE: I just learned that my sewing machine needs to go in for service.  It will be gone for 2 weeks.  Before I send it away I'm going to whip up a few things - using some of the fabric that has been calling my name.  Nothing like a self imposed deadline to get me going!

Goal #4  Finally, Goal #4 is a combo personal/business goal:  Watch better t.v.  Not less t.v.  I love my programs, but I have to kick some (most) of the reality shows to the curb.  I know they are entertaining in a sick fascinating way, but I’m starting to get a bad taste in my mouth whenever I see them.  No judgment here though. You keep on watching them.  I understand the draw.  I’m just going to resist.  I wiped them from my DVR, readjusted the recording options and will stay away from the Bravo On Demand feature.  Plus, Downton Abbey started so I’m happy.  And Revenge. And Nashville. (There’s some stupid stuff, but I love it!) 

The reason Goal #4 falls into the personal and business sections:  I like to watch t.v. while I’m making things.  I look forward to the hand-sewing parts of my projects so I can click on the tube and watch those women be so mean to each other.  Now I will stitch to lovely British accents instead (although Downton has it’s elements of Housewives… that Edith and Mary relationship is messed up.)

One reason I started this blog was to share the joys and challenges of turning my love of making things into a business.  I really am a beginner though, so if you came here for expert advice, well, sorry.  But if you came here to see how I’m doing or are in the same boat, welcome!  Stay a while!  Leave a comment.  We’re all in this together.  Kumbaya. 

-Mary

I participated in my very first craft show a few weeks ago.  It went great! Here, I’ll share the work I did to prepare, my experience at the show itself and what I’d do next time (yes, there will be a next time.)

If you are interested in learning how it came to be – check out my previous post about Goal Setting.

Before I even knew I’d be doing a craft show, I set some goals for my business for the holiday season.  I wrote down how many scarves and headbands I realistically could make on a given day.  I also assigned a specific amount of time to “marketing” – updating my blog, my Etsy shop and Facebook.  I also wrote: “create a new product” on the list. 

Preparation.  When I was invited to do the craft show, I felt prepared because of my list of goals..  If I kept to my schedule, I would have what I thought would be enough inventory.  What I didn’t consider is that I would also be selling items in the weeks prior to the show.  So there I was, making scarves and posting them on my Etsy site, and low and behold, people were buying them.  So I would make more.  It was a great “problem” to have.  I finally decided that about a week prior to the show I would stop posting new items on Etsy and reserve them for the craft show. 

Research - Learn from those that have done it.

 I did a little Google search on “tips for craft shows” and that led me to many great articles.  I especially liked this one from a blog on Etsy.

My big take-aways from my research were these:

1. “You can’t sell what you don’t have.”  Simply put: get sewing girl!  The more you have, they more you have to sell.  The other side to this coin is this: don’t kill yourself either.  You will have enough, and if you don’t, then you will next time.
2. Do your own promotions – toot your horn!  Sound the alarm!  Let everyone know what you’re up to. 
3. Accept credit cards.  I used the SquareUp card reader for my iPhone.  And I accepted personal checks.  (Read on to see how this worked for me.)
4. Have an eye-catching display that draws people in.  Pinterest came in handy here.

Planning for the Craft Show
I worked very hard, not only creating my products, but also considering the details of the event. 

1. Table Design – even though I don’t own a 90” round table, I used my dining table to plan my booth.  I took photos and asked friends their opinions about my layout and got some great feedback (thank you Susan and Michele!)
2. Change. How much change should I bring?  I asked my friend Susan – who is far more experienced than I - and she advised $100 in small bills.  All of my items were priced at either $5, $10, $15 or $20.  This made the change issue easier. 
3. Organization.  I sewed a “vendor apron” to hold my change, my phone and credit card reader (I used Square Up – more on that later) a receipt pad and a pen.  This was great because it kept my hands free and my money close.  I found the tutorial for the vendor apron, and made it the night before the show (gotta love last minute projects.)
4. Packaging.   I thought about how I would package sold items. Days prior, I prepared the bags and tissue paper to make wrapping fast and easy.  I brought my packaging supplies in a separate box that was easy to access and reserved an area in the back of my table specifically for wrapping up the goods.
   
5. Each of my products had a business card attached to it (another prep job perfect for evening t.v. watching)
6. Realities of life. I asked a friend to come sit with me for a bit so that I could have a bathroom break.  Thank you Lauren!  My mom, who was concerned about thievery, brought me lunch and watched over my booth.  It was nice to have the company.  There were no thieves at this craft show.

Involve your friends

The show itself was great fun. I’m sure because it was my first and I had adrenaline on my side, the time went quickly.  I arrived to set up at 9 a.m. (doors opened at 10 a.m.) and Lauren and I were cleaning up at 3 p.m.

Many friends came and I felt very supported.  I sold ¾ of my scarves.  Because I was busy, I did not get to see much of what other vendors were selling, except those directly around me (light-up glass blocks that look like wrapped gifts, purses crocheted using plastic bags and aluminum can pop-tops, custom name plates for kids rooms, homemade jams and lots of jewelry.)  My mom reported that I had the best booth (of course she did, thanks Mom) and I did feel like I had quite a bit of activity.  I think my pricing was right for this audience (a small church community, and of course, my friends.)  I also felt like I had a popular item – the infinity scarves – that no other vendor offered.  That is thanks to the organizers of the event who required vendors to commit to their products in advance, so that no two vendors were selling the same things.  Thank you Calvary Baptist Church!

I also paid attention to what people were saying as they were trying on scarves, looking in the mirror and commenting to each other.  I was in the back of my table, busying my self with a few hand-sewing projects (another great suggestion - this from my sister Beth: “Keep busy so that customers don’t feel like you’re staring at them.”)  Most popular comment: “Oh, that’s cute, but get this one because it will go with more.”  I sold all of my neutral scarves first – the blacks, greys, and creams.  The brighter colors and/or patterns sold well, but not until the neutrals were gone. Scarves displayed on the mannequin always sold.

Sales of my other items (ornaments and headbands) were slow.  The scarves really stole the show, and that’s ok.  I am curious about a different way to market the ornaments and headbands.  I think they have potential, but I need to find the right niche.

Here’s what I wish went differently:

1. I wish the church had advertised a bit more.  I went there the day before the event and there was not a sign to be seen.  There was one small hand made (by a child – cute, but ineffective) sign on the day of the event.  It was posted on a corner far from the actual location.  The location of the church was tricky (requiring a u-turn) so some big banners would have been helpful.  This was only the church’s 2nd year hosting a craft show, so I’m sure they are working things out.
2. I wish that my cell phone coverage was good enough to use my Square for accepting credit cards.  Once inside the gym, I had only 3 bars of coverage – not enough to run the Square.  Other vendors around me had no issues using theirs (Square, as well as other types of credit card readers.)  Each of us had a different cell carrier.  My Verizon didn’t work.  Lesson here: find a different way to accept credit cards. I could look into an old fashion “knuckle crusher” that you slide over the card with carbon paper. Or I could take credit card numbers on the receipt and input the info using the Square once I had coverage (in this case, in the parking lot!)
3. It would have helped to have wi-fi in the gym.  They had it in the church office, but it did not reach the gym.  Having a wi-fi signal would have allowed me to use the Square.  I don’t think I lost any sales over this issue (many thanks to friends Barbara and Missy, who took my phone and customers to the Church office for me!)  The snafu did prompt me to accept checks, which I hadn’t planned on doing. 

But all in all, it worked out fine.

Again, huge thanks to the friends and family who came to help and buy!  It was a lot of work.  I learned a ton.  Would I do it again?  You bet!

Update: After the show I came home and cleaned up the tornado of fabric that took over my house.  I took a few days to decompress and then I photographed everything that did not sell at the show and put it in my Etsy shop.  I also started sewing again.  I am adding new items to my shop daily and they are selling fast -- Go check it out!

- Mary

Next time: New Year, New Projects.  I love my scarves, but I’m itching to fire up my creative brain to try something new. 
Stay tuned for new creative endeavors.