Recorded webinars has been extremely helpful for small business owners to learn tip and tricks to manage their online business.

Meylah did 4 top notch small business webinars and everyone loved it. With popular demand, we are making it accessible for you. Download the ebook to get access to 4 cool webinars:

• Facebook Marketing Made Easy!

• Meylah Store features and functionality!

• Empower your customer to take action on your store!

• Wholesale Selling made easy! First 10 minutes is black screen due to computer glitch.

Register for a New Webinar : Amplify your Facebook marketing to attract more Customers and Sales. The webinar is on Friday 24-May-2013 at 9AM PST.

Open your Meylah Store so you can relate to all the tips and techniques that will be shared during the webinar. The webinar is optimized to help Meylah members to attract new customers and sales. If you have any questions, feel free to send email to meylah@meylah.com.

There are more than 1.2 billion people using Facebook every day. Facebook offers more than just a way to stay connected to friends and family; it is an essential tool in the marketing toolbox for small businesses.  

Fan gating is an innovative and targeted approach to build your business’ following through Facebook.

Creating a fan gate provides an incentive to people that are not currently your business’ fans to become a fan. Fanpageology makes it easy for small business to create their fan gate to attract the right customers at the right time.

Download the 21 point checklist today!

Meylah has been a key customer of Fanpageology. We have seen a significant uptick in our fan following and adoption of webinars. Here are some examples of our fangates:

• Free Ecourse

• Craft Show Checklist

• And many webinars

Fanpageology provides 19 customizable features that you can use to create new ways to connect with others while on Facebook.  The possibilities are endless!  Now, Small Businesses can increase their fan following by

• Create an about page for their business.

• Run promotional giveaways on Meylah stores.

• Give away coupons using Meylah coupons.

• Add emails to their email list by sharing free resources.

• Share stories with text, pictures, and videos about their business.

If you can dream it . . . you can do it on Facebook with Fanpageology! Download the 21 point checklist today!!

Here are some resources related to Fanpageology:

• 11 simple ways to help your fanbook fan page thrive 

• How Meylah Sellers are using Fanpageology to get more traffic and sales 

• Checkout how Meylah Coupon + Handmadeology Collection are working together on Fanpageology

   

Today we're excited to feature Handmadeology Collection Winner, Susi Ryan, the Owner of The Felted Gnome Knows and we're happy to share her story with you today:

A Peek Into Susi Ryan's Business - The Felted Gnome Knows (Visit her site today!)

Sheep’s wool is what most people would consider an unlikely medium to express a feeling or perception but that is what felting and wool sculpting is for me. It gives me the power to express my worldview through a natural substance. My journey combines both a new way of manipulating wool, through needle felting or sculpting wool and an ancient tradition, wet felting. It combines Art and Craft.

Through felting the transformation is magical, whimsical and powerful. The fleece becomes what I see or want to see in the world while staying firmly rooted in the natural world.

All that is important to me is an inspiration. My daughter’s strong belief in magic and magical beings, the noticing of titmouse’s visit to the bird feeder, the curvy softness of my body growing older…these all come out of the wool.

Whether it be a piece of functional art such as hand felted slippers decorated with my impression of snowdrops to a Red bellied Woodpecker to a soft woman’s body emerging from a sheepskin it brings me an indescribable feeling of anticipation, excitement, joy and power.

Describe the process you use to create your products?

 I use two techniques for my work. The first is needle felting or needle sculpting, as I like to call it.  

Needle felting is a process which uses barbed needles to interlock wool fibers to form a more condensed material.  Wool fibers have scales which when rubbed against each other catch and lock into place to create this denser material called felt.  Felting needles are used to entangle the fibers.  As the felting needle is moved up and down into the wool by hand, the barbs on the needles catch the scales of the wool and entangle them into place. I use this method to make my figurines, playhouses and to implement my designs onto my slippers, scarves and hats. It takes hours, sometimes even days to make a figurine.

The second method I use is wet felting: Wool fibers are stimulated by friction and lubricated by hot water and soap to force the scales of the wool to interlock and compress thereby creating a wool felt cloth.

I layer local Vermont unspun wool roving, add soap and water and then rub, roll, slam, and beat into submission to shape the hat, slippers or mittens. Then it is air dried, a design is needle felted onto the item and it is wet felted a second time to lock in the fibers. I use this method to make hats, scarves, mittens and slippers. It is very labor intensive.

One pair of slippers takes up to 3 days to make.

What is your typical weekday like?

I try to make something everyday so depending on what it is, it can keep me busy all day. I network with my customers through Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. I am also trying to maintain a blog but it is difficult for me since I rather be creating or be with my family then writing. I have a terrific community of women artists in Vermont that I spend time with, so at least a couple times a week I try to touch base with them to share ideas, get constructive criticism or just to get fresh air.  We live in the beautiful amazing state  of Vermont and I am blessed with a terrific little girl. I feel strongly that it is my responsibility to expose her to the farmers that raise our food and provide me with my wool, share with her the forest, rivers and lakes as well as the amazing art we have in Vermont.

How are you engaging online and offline with your communities to become customers?

I have no shame and hand out my business card everywhere. I encourage my customers to share my information with their friends and families as well as network with other artists both in person and online. I am currently applying to various galleries and competitions so that my work gets seen in other areas. I just recently had a group show in Burlington Vermont for our First Friday Art Walk and I currently have two of my birds in a special exhibit at the Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington, Vermont.

When participating with Handmadeology Collection Contest, how did you engage your community to make you win?

I asked all my friends and customers to vote for my collection at the Handmadeology collections site and they were terrific at supporting me!

What has been your highlights working with Meylah and Handmadeology?

The highlights of working with Meylah and Handmadeology is being involved in something that is fresh and new and that is growing. I am a grassroots type of person and love to participate in making things happen.

Meylah particularly has been very responsive to the needs of artists (small businesses) and I love the personal touch and interactions with the Meylah staff.

Any wisdom for the creative folks in your community? 

Don't be afraid to put yourself out there, shake hands, ask for feedback and show people what you create. Be passionate about your work and it will reflect the love and care you put into it. 

We at Meylah are really excited to have her part of our community.  Thanks so much for taking the time to know her more. Visit her site today!

We all are accustomed to promotions as a small business owner.  These promotions are a great way to attract new customers, generate new sales and engage with our audience.

Who does not love a sale?  We all do and so do our customers.  We at Meylah are excited to share with you that now you can create your own coupon codes/discount codes especially for your storefront and energize your marketing machines.

Each storefront can create up to 5 coupon codes.  Each coupon code can be either a % of total purchases or $ off total purchases.  It is very easy to create, edit and mange the coupon codes.  This tutorial will show you the steps of creating, managing the coupon codes.

Make your customer happy by offering a coupon and ask them to shop on your Meylah Store!!

New to Meylah!! No problem, open your Meylah store and share your first coupon in minutes with your customers. If you have any questions, feel free to send email to meylah@meylah.com.

Nakea and Meylah announced today, a strategic partnership that many are calling a game changer for small businesses in the digital age. The two companies have entered into a joint venture that bundles their core products and provides small businesses and organizations a comprehensive solution for building, managing and marketing their business online.  

The new partnership is expected to spark innovation by maximizing the product development talents and resources at both companies, while driving scale and efficiency in the small businesses.

The partnership is a strong strategic fit, leveraging the two leading companies’ respective strengths, across three main areas:

• First, the Nakea and Meylah partnership will provide a complete digital platform for small businesses to manage website, inbound marketing, social commerce and business insights all in one place.

• Second, the combined services provide powerful customer engagement and flexible transaction capabilities building customer loyalty and making it easier to conduct business online.  

• Finally, in addition to providing a robust suite of tools all businesses need, from website and email marketing, to contact management, eCommerce and analytics, the social media marketing features expose a whole new customer base through a strong viral marketing model.   

“Today’s announcement with Nakea is another solid step in our journey to provide a complete solution to Small Businesses and become a leader in the new digital era,” said Ram Dutt, CEO. “This partnership will help us fully deliver on our Connected Digital strategy by enabling strong website, customer engagement and email marketing platform. Nakea has been touted as one of the most powerful, flexible and user friendly services of its kind and we are very excited about the partnership”

Chris Nakea, CEO of Nakea, said, “The relationship with Meylah represents a great opportunity for Nakea to significantly expand our social commerce footprint and extend our community. Meylah has clearly demonstrated its ability to lead in online and social commerce space. We’re excited to partner with Meylah as we focus our combined energies serving a broader range of customers.”

The joint venture is aimed to enable complete digital solution for Small Businesses at an affordable pricing, world-class support experience and all in one solution to enable ecommerce.

About Nakea

Since 2005, Nakea has been creating powerful and simple-to-use web content publishing and interactive tools for small and medium size businesses. The company's flagship product, Nakea Site Manager, is considered by many to be best-in-breed for Web Content and User Experience Management Tools for SMBs. The company is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. To learn more about Nakea, please visit our site at www.nakea.net.

You heard it right? Meylah's will again partner with American Express to work on Small Business Saturday Campaign to infuse money into local communities through local commerce.

You might have missed it, but wedged between Black Friday and Cyber Monday was Small Business Saturday. It has only been around since 2010, so we can understand why it doesn't have the same name recognition. Expect it to gain traction in coming years and grow into a year-round "shop small" initiative. 

Small Business is Getting Bigger

Small Business Saturday was pioneered by American Express. Over the last three years the list of sponsors has grown to include brands like FedEx, Clear Channel, Facebook and Twitter. Meylah is also one of the key partners this year. 

American Express reports that consumers aware of the campaign spent $5.5 billion with independent retailers on November 24, 2012. As awareness grows, the impact of the event is also expected to grow. 

"It always needs to be about small business, frankly, whether they accept our card or not,” American Express spokesman Scott Krugman told Bloomberg Businessweek.

Keeping small businesses in business is good for the economy and therefore benefits all of the major sponsors of Small Business Saturday. The company focuses on a high level of customer service to encourage small business owners to use their card for cash flow.

Your Dollars Stay Local

One of the most startling statistics for consumers is offered by the Retail Merchants Association. It estimates that 45 percent of every dollar spent at a local business is reinvested in the community. Compare that to a maximum reinvestment of only 15 percent for purchases at non-local vendors. 

Aside from the pure economic benefits of shopping local, there is the inimitable charm and joy of shopping with local businesses who care about the community. 

Meylah Focuses On Keeping Money In Your community - Make It Happen

Meylah's social commerce platform enables independent and small businesses with a social storefront to sell their products and services in multiple community powered marketplaces. Meylah also enables communities to create their own destination commerce portal to connect buyers and sellers easily. This helps you attract customers and keep the money local and in your community. Here are some ideas to help:

• If your community hasn't embraced the "shop small" movement, it's time to mobilize! Work with fellow small business owners to let consumers know that wonderful businesses already exist to serve their needs. Bring your small business online using Meylah's free storefront. It will take less than an hour to come online.

• Refer, refer, refer! Word of mouth networking can make a big difference and your fellow business owners should be happy to reciprocate.Become Meylah's brand ambassador to support small business in your community.

• Talk to local politicians about advocating for small businesses.Use your local chamber of commerce to spread the word about the shop small movement and network with your peers.  See Sammamish Marketplace in action!!

• You are all allies, band together and utilize the resources at your disposal. Share an example how Meylah's marketplace can help your community leaders to infuse money into small business through online commerce. Contact us at meylah@meylah.com for more information.

For most of the year, it will be a grassroots movement, but it's well worth your time and effort to educate the public and keep our local community ALIVE!

Each artist who would like to maximize the exposure of their artwork needs to have some type of online presence.  It is best to utilize both a website as well as social media pages/accounts but today we will focus on what elements need to be on an artist’s website.  Some people may think that making sure that an artist has an online gallery with high quality photos of their work is the most important element to an artist’s website but that is not true. 

Yes, that is one of the most important elements but there are many other pieces of information that are just as important for the website to have.   For each photograph details about each picture should be included with size, medium, year created and the price (if artwork is going to be sold through the website).  It is also nice to have a short write-up about what inspired the artist to create each piece.

An artist should have a well-written biography, their artist statement and a list of where they are currently exhibiting their work.  In the biography, artists should share a little bit about their childhood and then more about their involvement in the world of art.  Their artist statement should include what they want to express about their artist process, what message they are conveying about their artwork or about an upcoming collection that they are putting together.  This helps visitors to the website to feel that they have stepped into the world of the artist.  Listing all of the places that an artist’s work can be purchased at local and other galleries and/or retail stores is very important as well as anywhere else the artist is currently exhibiting their work. 

These days, the online world is full of videos because people love them.  Artists should place tutorial videos about their process or a few step-by-step features showing how the different stages of creating various pieces of artwork from start to finish.  This can be done by just a page with a group of videos or through a blog that the artist can update regularly that should include video, commentary and written content about the process.

Providing the convenience of purchasing artwork directly from an artist’s website is also a great way for an artist to not only sell their work but keep collectors coming back in the future for purchases as well as to follow their career. 

A website allows people from all over the world to be exposed to an artist’s work and when a website is full of all the right elements, it can help an artist connect with not only more people than they could without an online presence but it can also help an artist connect with viewers of their site on a deeper level than by people just seeing their work in a gallery. 

For the next two weeks, I am offering my website review consultation for $50, a $25 discount off of the full price.  During my one hour website review, I will highlight your website’s strengths and offer you advice on how to make improvements that will give your visitors a more pleasant viewing experience and provide them with the right type of information they will enjoy learning and knowing about your work. 

You can order a website review from my Meylah online store at the following link: http://meylah.com/FusionArt.

 Picture Credit : Evelyn McCPeters Art

Today, Intricate Beads launches to provide an exclusive experience for bead lovers on Meylah’s Marketplace platform.

Intricate Beads knows that exposure is the number one thing that drives an online business. Our mission is to create One-Of-A-Kind experience for Bead Lovers around the world while helping creative business owners successfully sell their beaded items online. The launch of Intricate Beads marketplace is aimed to support the handmade artists a new way to market your creative products and services through online, and social channels effectively.  We would LOVE for you to be involved.

To get involved:

• Apply to join Intricate Beads Marketplace and complete your application. 

• To participate in Intricate Beads marketplace, your store must be customer ready. Download the 10 point checklist which helps your store become customer ready. Also watch the video on getting your customer ready.

• Be sure to like Meylah and Intricate Beads on Facebook to get engaged!

Here are some featured stores on Intricate Beads Marketplace:

• EBL Designs: Stylish Wirewrapped Jewelry

• Tamaz Jewels: handcrafted Jewelry  

Feel free to collaborate with Heather, Owner of Intricate Beads to participate and promote your products and services in a new market!

It used to be that the only way to win press exposure for your brand was a press release. You could write your own and send it using a distribution service, or pay a copywriter and then pay to send it out. Both methods cost more than most artisans have to spend. That’s why I found a better way.

Why the press release doesn’t work– and what does

Journalists receive so many press release emails every week that most don’t even read them anymore. It’s not that they’re not looking for stories, but that press releases rarely tell a good story. At best, most broadcast a product without offering the reporter any a story.

After the disastrous attempts I mentioned above, I sat down to think about what it is journalists must be looking for when reading a press release. First and foremost reporters are storytellers, and that’s what their constantly looking for, good stories to sell their products.

See your products in the media

While I thought about the types of stories I could offer reporters it occurred to me that most magazine targeting my ideal customers (women) featured gift guides for mother’s day, grad presents, Christmas and more.

 I flipped through my favorite magazines and websites to come up with a list of publications that I wanted to feature my shirts. My parameters were that the publication had to be read by my target market, publish holiday gift guides and commonly feature products like mine. I collected the names of the journalists and editors in charge of the guides and created my own media list.

I wrote a pitch about my product being a gift that gives back, as I planted a tree for every shirt I sold. Nearly dozens replied! My shirts were featured in several high profile magazines and my efforts added $20,000 in revenue to my holiday season.

 Steps to get press for your products

 1)     List the TV shows, blogs, online and print magazines you want to contact. Don’t be afraid to dream big, but also don’t overlook trade publications geared toward storeowners.

2)     Track the topics each publication covers so you can aim your pitch at its audience. Most publication run past months’ content online. You can also flip through physical magazines at your local Barns and Noble.

3)     Find each publication’s editorial calendar, which lists the topics will be covered in each issue and its publishing deadlines. The best way to do this is to Google the “publication’s name + editorial calendar”. In addition to topics and deadlines, many will offer contact information for specific editors. These offer you better contacts than info addresses.

4)     Edit your pitch to suit the publication. Mention specifically why your product is a good fit.

5)     Email your story ideas to the addresses from step 3. Keep in mind most magazines nail down their coverage 4-6 months in advance. Add reminders to your calendar for holidays and guides that appeal to you so you won’t miss out.

 This method of getting the press your products deserve is wonderfully free. Even better, it really works. If you just follow the five steps above, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll be able to accomplish by the 2013 holiday season.

Picture Credit: RobotSkirts

The wealthy often stay wealthy because they make use of tax benefits offered to them by the federal government. The government gives away over $1 trillion per year in special tax exemptions, credits, deductions, and other benefits that generally only the super wealthy can qualify. Nevertheless, small business owners can take similar action to maximize the money they keep by exploiting and taking advantage of certain federal tax policies. Consider the following tips that help small business emulate the wealthy and take full advantage of the tax process:

Employer-provided healthcare – The federal government offers a tax exclusion for employer-provided healthcare that creates the largest tax break offered in the United States. Each year the federal government loses almost $1 trillion dollars in lost tax revenue by effectively subsidizing this form of healthcare. The employer-based health insurance systems provides incentives to pay more for health costs and benefits (since they are tax-free) and pay less from their salaries, which is taxed by the IRS. For small businesses, adjusting the numbers on how your company divvies out health benefits could work to your advantage at the end of the year – perhaps, even, with a happier employee base!

Capital Gains – Selling capital assets that belong to an individual or company for over a year are considered “long term capital gains” by the US government and are taxed at a flat 15 percent rate. The US government loses around 250 billion over a span of five years by not taxing capital gains up to 35 percent—the rate at which it taxes salaries, rents, and interests. Small businesses that invest money and obtain valuable capital assets can sell them later at low rates to increase the size of their savings accounts. According to Bankrate.com, “Americans with an annual income of $1 million or more, or 0.3 percent of all taxpayers, enjoy 70 percent of the capital gains benefit.”

401(k) contributions – The federal government incentivizes business owners to encourage saving for retirement, not only for the business owners themselves, but for their employee base. As such, the government provides people with certain tax exemptions on contributions to a 401(k) plan. Those who are smart and wealthy think in long-term financial solutions, and making a small to medium tax-free investment now can pay off in multiple times over in the future. Employers who also take advantage of matching 401(k) contributions can also maximize the amount of capital they can claim against taxation.

Charity – Businesses and individuals can claim the charitable-giving deduction while Uncle Sam rewards then with a tax break. The system here is flawed, rewarding the wealthy over the middle-class or poor. How? Consider the math: if John gives $1000 to a charity organization while in a 10 percent tax bracket, he gets $100 back on his taxes; if Becky is in a 35 percent tax bracket, she will receive $350 on her taxes. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see how the wealthy benefit here. In 2011, this federal matching program cost the federal government nearly $54 billion dollars.

Legal, offshore accounts – Holding assets and profits offshore in legal tax havens often found in the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Europe. While lawmakers have come down hard on illicit funneling of monies to offshore accounts, many of these are perfectly legal and held over $40 billion dollars of American money in 2011. Corporate tax loopholes that also be utilized by small incorporated businesses allow legal deposits of taxable income into offshore accounts where taxation is substantially lower or non-existent as compared to hosting profits in a domestic bank account. While often seen as highly unethical, Citizens for Tax Justice reported that “290 of the Fortune 500 companies used tax havens to burnish nearly $1.6 trillion in collective 2011 profits, up from $1.1 trillion in 2009,” resulting in a situation in which “corporations accounted for 26 billion in lost revenue.”

 Angie Picardo is a staff writer for NerdWallet. Her mission is to help consumers stay financially savvy and save money with Backcountry coupons.

Picture Credit : 401(K)2013

Did you know, 65% of small businesses don't accept payments on their website and 63% of them don't have tools to monitor their online traffic. This is a lost opportunity!! Meylah has the answer to solve this problem. 

We also understand, there's lots of information about Meylah and some folks want to see it in action. If that's you, we have just the solution: a free webinar lead by Chai and Tim Adam.

Learn about the many features of Meylah's Innovative Platform for Small Business and ask questions. You'll see first-hand how we can help you create online content in minutes to sell your products and services online.

Sign up now and learn why you need to consider Meylah's innovative solution for your business. During this exclusive small business webinar series you will learn:

• About Meylah's Features and Functionality: Anywhere from Blogging, Generate email list, 4 Ways to Make Money, Analytics and more.

• Learn about Meylah's 30 day challenge program and how you can use it to create effective online business.

• Educate yourself about social marketing and how it will generate referrals on a consistent basis.

Signup now - we only have 50 seats. If you cannot make it, no problem. Sign up to receive a recorded webinar. Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you there!

New to Meylah!! No problem, open your Meylah store and share your first product online. If you have any questions, feel free to send email to meylah@meylah.com.

Did you know, 82% of small business owners have said their main source of new business is referrals.. but how can you continue to feed that referral engine via facebook!!

View Webinar Recording Now and learn how to easily market on facebook, and making your Meylah store work for you!

We had CEO of Handmadeology, Tim Adam to share fanpageology, fanpage insights and techniques.  During this exclusive small business webinar series you will learn: 

• How to generate new likes on facebook easily 

• How to amplify your marketing efforts in 20 minutes every week by using facebook marketing tricks 

• How to use Meylah's store to generate new customers.

View Webinar Recording Now.

New to Meylah!! No problem, open your Meylah store and share your first product on facebook in minutes to attract new customers. If you have any questions, feel free to send email to meylah@meylah.com.

This guest post is brought to you by Outright.com, the alternative to Mint for business. Sign up today and make next year’s tax time less taxing!

 That’s it, you think. There’s absolutely no way I can file my taxes on time. There is just too much paperwork and forms and numbers and I’m sunk. What in the world am I supposed to do?

It’s a terrible feeling, realizing you’re not going to be able to finish on time. You even tried to start earlier than usual just to get a head start on everything. Yet, things didn’t go your way and now you’re facing a deadline you can’t meet.

So is this the end? Will the IRS knock on your doorstep on April 16^th and immediately throw you in jail? How much money will you be paying to the government the rest of your life; will it cripple entire generations of your family?

Tax Extensions to the Rescue 

Luckily, your life is not lost to the government! Surprisingly, the IRS does not want you to fail miserably at your taxes, as it creates more headache and paperwork for them. This is why they’ve installed a safeguard for people in situations like yours. 

All you have to do is file a tax extension by April 15^th and your (tax) life is saved. For an even bigger shock, the form is surprisingly simple to fill out – just grab Form 4868 and fill out some basic info like your name, address, and SSN. Also, you must estimate how much you’ll owe for your taxes and include that info as well. You can even do all this online.

 This is important: you also need to include a payment to the IRS. Wait, you’re thinking, I’m filing for an extension! Why would I pay?

 The extension only works for your paperwork, not for your tax liability. After you send in the payment, you’ll work on doing all your tax paperwork before sending it in. The final amount will undoubtedly be different than what you sent in with the extension. You’ll get a refund or send a check for more money.

Further Details

Again, since it’s the IRS, you assume things won’t go so smoothly. However, filing for an extension is extremely common. In fact, in 2011, the number of tax extensions was up to 5.5 million. If you thought you were alone in not getting your stuff in on time, think again!

As a result, most tax extensions are actually pushed through with no worry or further question whatsoever from the government. As soon as you file you should be granted an extension. Now it’s time to get serious.

What to do after you get the extension? You have six months to finish your paperwork, which seems like a lot of time. However, on January 1^st you felt like April 15^th was a world away and now it’s almost here. So get started!

The first order of business is to get organized. Likely the reason you had trouble filing on time is lack of organization – it happens to tax filers everywhere. Now that you’ve been granted the extension, start putting everything where they need to go. That means keeping track of income and expenses, organizing receipts and invoices, and keeping everything filed away tidily for when you need it.

The good news about this: you can use this filing system for next year’s taxes. This means you won’t have to worry about filling for an extension because you’ll be ready to go January 1^st!

As small business owners, we all have experienced customers leaving our site because the shipping costs was too high. 

There are many strategies to work around this issue. 

The first one is have a flat shipping fees that is acceptable for most, the second one is FREE shipping which everyone appreciates.

Now we are introducing a third option for customers in your community who do not want to pay for shipping fees when they know that they can pick up their order locally. 

Introducing the "Pick-Up In Person" Feature on Meylah Storefronts.

As we focus on local commerce with our marketplace solution, we felt that this new capability will allow all of our members to access local customers.

This feature is only available when there is a physical product that needs fulfillment and after the seller has enabled this feature.  Once the transaction is completed the buyer will receive their confirmation e-mail with the information the seller has specified for the location of pick up.

View the step-by-step tutorial to enable your pick up in person capability for your store.

New to Meylah!! No problem, open your Meylah store and share your first product with local pickup option. If you have any questions, feel free to send email to meylah@meylah.com.

Today, we are super excited to announce the launch of Crave Handmade Marketplace who will super-charge marketing for handmade and creative businesses using  Meylah’s Marketplace platform.

Crave Handmade is a website dedicated to the exploration, promotion and education of the handmade community.  Their number one goal is to help the handmade artisan succeed in selling and promoting their work.

The launch of Crave Handmade marketplace is aimed to support the handmade, artist and digital creative community, giving sellers new ways to market their creative products and services through online, and social channels effectively.  They would LOVE for you to be involved.

 
To get involved:

• Click on "Sell With Us" button located on the upper left hand corner of the site at Crave Handmade Marketplace  and complete your application. 

• To participate in Crave Handmade marketplace, your store must be customer ready. Download the 10 point checklist which will help your store become customer ready. Also watch the video on getting your ready for your customers.

• Be sure to like Meylah and Crave Handmade on Facebook to get engaged!

Here are some featured stores on Crave Handmade:

• Evelyn McCPeters Art (Fine Art)

• Jewels Design Fiber Art

• Maryland Quilter (Digital Quilt Patterns)

• Clipart Corner (Digital Clip Art)

• Essential Elements by Victoria

Feel free to collaborate with Melissa Gray, Owner of Crave Handmade to participate and promote your products and services in a new market!

Did you know that now you can create your own voucher on your Meylah storefront and customize your deals, offers and promotions that makes sense for your business while motivating your customers to engage with you.

Meylah's storefront allows small business owners to easily create their voucher to sell services, giftcards, rentals, events and classess. It takes minutes to create and publish a beautiful voucher.

Download the Meylah eBook today and learn how you can use the voucher feature to attract new customers and motivate them to do business with you.

New to Meylah!! No problem, open your Meylah store and share your first voucher with your customers. If you have any questions, feel free to send email to meylah@meylah.com.

Here are some great examples of vouchers created by our Meylah Members:

• Blogger Bootcamp and Complete Blog Set Up

• 60% off a Personal Meylah Storefront Assessment

• Pinterest Marketing For Meylah Stores

• 50% Off Photography of Your Products

• Referral Marketing For a Business of 20 Professionals

• Costume Rental for Bollywood Dance Performances

• Custom Pet Portrait Gift Certificate

• FACE atelier make up lesson

• Life Coaching

Almost every artist I know wants to sell their artwork.  Whether it be to collectors via private sales, through galleries, online or in retail stores, they want the pieces that they create to find a home somewhere in the world. 

In order to do this, artists must understand that in today’s world of technology, social media and a strong culture of empowered small business owners, they need to utilize several different outlets to sell their work.

 In my January blog post, I listed ten steps to help artists self-manage their artwork . In step #8 was “Sell your work through various outlets” and I cannot stress this enough. 

Although traditional methods of selling artwork through galleries or by advertising in well-known and well-established art magazines such as Fine Art Connoisseur  and American Art Collector, can and still are vehicles that provide a handful of artists with the exposure to help them be successful, but gone are the days when artists need to totally rely on these methods.  Artists must bring an element of variety to the way that they approach getting their work sold.

Even the owners of traditional galleries and the publishers of fine art magazines realize that the Internet and social media play a role in advertising their businesses and in turn the work of the artists they represent because most of them have websites and/or social media pages/accounts of their own. 

Individual artists need to also take full advantage of the Internet and social media.  Creating a quality website to display an online gallery of artwork, sharing their biography with potential collectors and posting an updated list of where their works are currently being shown are key for an artist to successfully display his/her work online.  In addition to having a website, an online marketplace is a great way for artists to sell their work and reach more people than through traditional methods.    

Meylah (www.meylah.com) has created a cutting-edge technology that allows artists, craftspeople and other small business owners to sell their works, products and services through an easy to use online storefront.  The beauty of being able to use this type of platform to sell from is that it is very inexpensive. 

For no upfront or monthly fees, you can sell 100 items/services and all you have to “pay” is a 2.75% transaction fee when someone purchases from your online store !  It is relatively simple to set-up a storefront but for those of you who need help or do not have the time to set-up your store, for the next two weeks, I am offering my Basic (Meylah) Storefront Set-up Package for just $250 a $50 savings! 

Click if you are interested in this special deal..

There are, of course, several other ways to sell artwork - through retailers, group exhibits and art fairs.  I will write more about those options in one of my upcoming blog posts.  Until then, take care and keep creating!

MY SPECIAL OFFER!!

Visit my Meylah store where you can order various art business organization, writing, and consultation services This month,  I am offering my Basic (Meylah) Storefront Set-up Package for just $250 a $50 savings

Picture Credit : George Jennings

 The Handmadeology Collections contest has come to an end! 
190 collections were created during our contest.  Over 2000 items were featured!

The first place winner with the most likes and social media sharing is Susanne from The Felted Gnome Knows

The second place winner is Jennifer from Eighty Million's Photography .

Please congratulate both of them in winning this contest.

It is easy of gain exposure. Head over to Handmadeology Collection and create your own collection.

We just released 3 new tools that will help sellers increase their traffic and sales along with growing their community.

Google Analytics

Now you can easily track all the traffic that is coming to your store. You can see the how well your promotions and marketing efforts are working.  Installing Google Analytics is simple and will start working right away! Also Meylah Marketplace owners can see whic stores are bringing in the most traffic and where the traffic is coming from.

Lead Capture / Newsletter Tool

This feature was in great demand because this would allos our members to gather e-mail addresses in return for a FREE resource.  It is a win-win proposition to our sellers and their community. 

Store owners can now capture leads from giving away a digital download in their shop.  Grow a highly targeted list that will help market your products. Tim Adams and Meylah Resource Center Coaches has tested this feature and found it very effective.  In just a few days Handmadeology Store has added over 30  emails to their list.  You can check out this FREE Resource that was used for yourself:  Facebook Graph Search Checklist

Social Media Sharing

We all know how important social media is when it comes to spreading the word about our products.   Now on every product and blog post you will notice the three important social media sharing buttons, Facebook , Twitter, and Pinterest.

We have few other cool features on the road-map that will help you sell online and offline more effectively.

Build Your Own Storefront in minutes and start tracking your traffic.  Get Started Today!  It is easy and simple!!

This post is brought to you by Outright.com, the alternative to Mint for business. Sign up with Outright today for a less taxing tax time!

 Was one of your New Year’s resolutions to keep better track of your financial records? Unlike our resolution to stop watching so much reality TV, don’t let this one slip away! Well-maintained finances can keep your business running like a well-oiled machine. Here are four ways to improve your recordkeeping today.

1. Save Receipts

One of the easiest and most effective things you can do as an independent creative is to keep better records of your receipts. You need receipts to take tax deductions at the end of the year. Often sellers start off their year telling themselves they’ll do better about keeping records but end up falling to the wayside after a few months. Saving receipts, though, is a year round exercise, something felt – hard – when tax time hits.

So whatever it takes, remember to save your receipts. If you’re tired of keeping them around in a box or filing cabinet, scan them onto your computer and keep a digital copy, or use a handy service like Shoeboxed. It works just the same and you can reap the benefits when filing for a deduction next year.

2. Create a True Home Office

 Did you know there’s a tax deduction for having a home office space when you work from home? It doesn’t count if you’ve set your computer or craft making setup on your kitchen table; you have to have a dedicated spot in your house that only operates as your office.

 Luckily, this is fairly easy, especially since it doesn’t matter where you set the office up. It can be in a closet if you want, just as long as the space is solely dedicated to your business. If you do this, you can not only claim a home office deduction but enjoy other deductions, such as a percentage of the utilities used for your home office space.

3. Use Online Bookkeeping

Tired of keeping up with your financial records all the time? When you’re busy doing a thousand other things it can be a real pain to track every single sale or purchase. Honestly, keeping up with it is a burden for anybody.

Instead of relying on your bank or pencil and paper, switch to online bookkeeping. A service like Outright can free up quite a bit of your time by keeping up with your financial records for you. All you have to do is to import your bank, credit card, PayPal, etc. info into Outright and every transaction is tracked for you, letting you get back to the other important details of your business.

This can also change the way you do taxes. If you  haven’t kept up with income and expenses over the year and want records from your bank it can be a huge task to go through and find the info you need. Online bookkeeping gives you all your financial records at once, allowing you to quickly put your taxes to bed.

4. Get on a Schedule

 It can sometimes seem like taxes are everywhere when you’re running your own business. One of these taxes that can seemingly come out of nowhere is sales tax. If you don’t have a schedule or aren’t sure when you need to pay, it will constantly be on your mind.

 Contact your various local governments (city, state, county) and find out when you’re supposed to pay sales tax for each. Set up times when you should gather information to pay this tax (totals, where to send it). Also, keep in mind certain governments let you pay at different times depending on how much sales tax you owe, so account for that as well.

How confident are you about your business record keeping?

Picture Credit : Christmas Junkie

Did you know you can easily setup your Google Analytics for your Meylah Storefront. It takes less than 15 minutes to setup your analytics.

It’s super easy and here a short tutorial using Meylah's Tutorial capability.  Click on the “Check it out” button below to get started!

Here are the 5 ways the Google Analytics can help you take your business to the next level:

Help Segment Your Website Visitors : Potential customer likes what they see on your Meylah Store, they still might prefer to go to your competitors.  The analytics help you to be aware of the types of visitors you are receiving, which helps by looking at popular keywords you are using to draw in traffic and remove weak keywords that does not intend on buying your products or services.

Understand your Products and Services Quality

Google Analytics helps small business owners to examine their products and services. It helps you to determine what brings traffic to your store. Google Analytics show you “visitor flow visualizations” so you can determine which posts you need to update, and which ones have good quality content. 

Understand why people aren't interested

Google Analytics shows you the top exit pages on your store, the program shows you the frequency at which visitors jump ship navigate elsewhere, all broken down by the individual pages of your site. Based on that report, you can decide whether those ill-trafficked parts of your store should be deleted or just updated

Browsers and operating systems your visitors use

Google Analytics help you understand your customer browsing habits. If you have lot of visits coming from Internet Explorer or Chrome, Analytics will tell you. Your store report will show a breakdown of which browsers are used and how frequently. This helps you optimize your product and service copy so it is easier for your customer to make the purchase.

Build Your Own Storefront in minutes and start tracking your traffic. It is easy and simple!! Get Started Today!

Meylah is excited to announce the launch of a Small Business Resource Center, a place to find advice on how to grow and manage your business. In this new addition to our website we make it easier for you to find earlier and new articles contributed to Meylah by the many coaches and mentors that share their expertise with us. 

 At the Resource Center we also make it easier for you to find the services of Meylah members that can help a small business to brand better, produce things more cost efficiently sell more and manage money like a pro.

Welcome to Meylah Resource Center. 

Here you will find the help of Certified Experts to help you in any area of your businesses that you would like to make better. Here is snapshot of our experts:

• Mariano Pastor founder of Via U! specializes in advertising photography and making it affordable for  small business.

• Sandy Dell co-founder of Gourmet Innovation specializes in selling wholesale to retailers.

• Nakeesa Frazier, founder of Fusion Art Management specializes in writing top notch personal biographies, product biographies and Meylah storefront set-ups.

• Tim Adam founder of Handmadeology specializes in social marketing and community building for your creative businesses.

• Jason Malinak founder of Etsy-preneurship specializes in bookkeeping, taxes, financial tools and the legal side of the business.

• And more in the process of joining the community to support you.

Explore, have fun and let us know how to make this place better.

Happy Learning and Happy Selling!

Call To Our Members!! We are looking for our community recommendations. Something you want to know more about but can’t find? Somebody you think could make great contributions to the Resource Center? Send us email to resourcecenter@meylah.com. Let us know so can we invite them to join.

Today, we are featuring On Fire For Handmade. We recently came to know about them through our community. Here is little more information about them:

On Fire for Handmade is a website supporting Handmade Artisans Worldwide!  They Feature Shops and do Shout Outs, Contests, Promotions, and more to drive exposure to your business. Their mission is to help support Handmade Artisans and share their creations with the world!

They offer On Fire for Handmade Gift Guide. It provides:

1. One Stop Source to access Handmade Shops

2. Your list is your Avatar and 3 items from your shop along with a description about your shop and where we can find  you.  There are several packages available starting at $5.00 per month

Please take time to learn about this cool service by On Fire for Handmade.

The first part of the Handmadeology Collections Contest is over.  In the two week we had 186 collections created equals 2232 items featured.

The two winners are:

• Jennifer with 89 collections created  (her shop)

• Christie with 23 collections created (her shop)

Handmadeology Collections Winners!

Check out what Jennifer and Christie have won.

First Winner

• One Outright Plus subscription through the end of year 2013 – $120

• Handmadeology Advertising – 1 year – $950

• Meylah Store Quality Assessment – $250

• Featured Story on the winner – $500

Second Winner

• Handmadeology Advertising – 1 month –  $150

• Meylah Store Quality Assessment ( you must have a store on the Handmadeology Market or Meylah)– $250

 {Phase two has already begun}

Promote Collections – Feb 18th to March3rd

Winner : The person with the most liked collection.

First Winner

• Via U! – Photography Package Giveaway : $1500 *

• One Outright Plus subscription through the end of year 2013 – $120

• Handmadeology Advertising – 1 year – $950

• Meylah Store Quality Assessment – $250

• Featured Story on the winner – $500

Second Winner

• Handmadeology Advertising – 1 month –  $150

• Meylah Store Quality Assessment ( you must have a store on the Handmadeology Market or Meylah) – $250

How can you win?

http://www.microsoft.com/getsilverlight.

2. Promote…. Promote…. Promote!!!

The collection with the most over all likes will win. (on site likes, tweets, facebook likes, and Google plus)

Good luck to everyone!!!

Organizing your artwork means a lot more than just storing your physical artwork in a safe, appropriate and clean place.  It also means keeping track of your work that is currently on display or stored in your home or studio as well as tracking all of the detailed information associated with each piece of your work.  Below are the three main reasons to keep track of your work:

1. So that you will know what work you have displayed where so as not to promise a piece for display or for sale that is currently not available.

2. So that you will always know what you have on-hand in your home or studio for requests to exhibit or purchase from galleries or collectors.

3. To prepare for a catalogue raisonnè (a French fine art term that refers to a comprehensive and exhaustive book that includes all the art works by an individual artist).

For each of the numbered items listed above, a simple spreadsheet template can be used (I use Microsoft Excel to create all of the spreadsheets I use). 

Each should have its own spreadsheet with column titles that are applicable for what you are tracking.  For item one, you should have columns such as the exhibit location, contact person, drop-off date and names of each piece being displayed.  For item two, list all of your pieces of artwork by name/number and indicate whether it is still physically stored in your home or studio or if it is currently located at a gallery or other exhibit space. 

The spreadsheet for item number three will contain the most detailed information about your body of work which will help with the future preparation of a catalogue raisonnè. 

Although most catalogue raisonnè’s are created by someone other than the artist themselves, it is important that throughout their career, each artist keep all of the information about each of their works for their own records as well as it will be a great reference tool for them to use throughout the years. 

The information that you should include are items such as the name of each piece, the year it was created,  size, medium, price and when/where each piece has been displayed and if any awards were won for each piece.  This will eventually become a very large spreadsheet as your body of work increases. 

SPECIAL OFFER

This month, I’d like for all of the readers of this blog who are artists to commit to organizing their artwork using the suggestions above.  

To help you with this large-scale and important project, I am offering a digital download of the Artwork Tracker template for artists to track their artwork that is being shown in various locations/galleries/exhibits for 75% off! 

Download the Artwork Tracker for just $2.50 (75% off the original price). It is available for only 2 weeks.

Until next month……take care and keep creating!

This guest post is brought to you by Outright.com, the simplest way to manage your small business finances online!

Want to make the most of your taxes as an online seller? While you may be tempted to fly through them as quickly as possible, it’s to your benefit to slow down and do them properly.

There are often a ton of deductions and you could factor into your taxes that can lessen your tax burden or even give you a refund. Some deductions are a little more trouble than others.

But – as with anything in life – the troublesome deductions are usually the ones that make a huge difference in your tax bill at the end of the year.

Some will even mean the difference between paying the government and breaking even, or even getting a refund.  So what are the two troublesome deductions?

 Mileage

Right now you’re probably wondering if everyone at Outright has gone off the deep end. After all, you’re not a traveling salesperson, you’re an online seller. You sit in your home office or in front of your craft table and sell things through the Internet. How in the world are you supposed to take advantage of mileage on your car?

 The main thing to remember about tax deductions is how quickly they can add up. Sure, one little trip to the post office isn’t a big deal. But after two, three, four trips, you start to see some dollars add up – and those dollars are deductions. Plus, you’re forgetting about that one craft fair you went to completely across the state. That was more than a short little trip!   Even if you think you never leave the house for real, you do. Remember when you had to make those endless trips to the craft store when you first started out? Those all count – add them up. Check out this article for the specifics of deducting your business mileage.

Home Office

Last year, we decided to take a look and see how much money small business owners were leaving on the table when it came to tax deductions. Our findings weren’t entirely surprising – many crafters and other small business owners didn’t take the home office deduction. As a result, they were almost literally leaving money on the table and walking away.

The home office deduction is clouded in mystery. Many people hear that it could trigger an audit or other tax consequences. But it’s very true that if you use a specific area in your home exclusively for your office (or storage space), you can deduct it on your taxes, saving you a ton of money. Even better, that can lead to further deductions like office supplies and utilities, a woefully underused deduction. Check out this article for more on claiming the home office deduction.

Fees

We were very surprised to see marketplace fee deductions like you find on PayPal and eBay were only taken by roughly 25% of our respondents. After all, that’s money directly taken out of the money paid by your customers! Make sure to track and add those expenses up and deduct them for a great break on your taxes.  

One last very important thing to remember: make sure you have records for all these purchases. Every tank of gas, every utility bill, every PayPal fee must be logged correctly. If not, the IRS may question your totals. If you’re at all concerned about your taxes, we advise checking with an accountant. You can find many accountants, enrolled agents, professional bookkeepers and others willing to answer your tax questions over at the Outright Community.

Unbelievable collections were created by our community. Here is a summary of the valentine collections.

My Funny Valentine Collection : Funny Valentine, I feel all warm and fuzzy when I see you, Sweet Valentine, how carefully you hold my heart. Happy Happy Valentine made especially for me.

Red Rose Collection : Red Roses for your Valentine

Valentine Bliss Collection :Valentine is around the corner. Surprise your valentine.

Hearts For Valentine's Day Collection : Gifts for your Valentine

Chocolate Lovers Valentine Surprise Collection : Chocolate comes in many shapes and forms.

Red is for Romance Collection : Red is the color of energy, love, and passion. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with your sweetheart with the gift of something red.

Don't Miss Out!! $5000 in prizes

Handmadeology Collection Creative Contest is still going on. Grab $5000 in prizes by participating in this contest.

Picture Credit : The Felted Gnome Knows

Imagine a world where your products are in retail stores. The best part is that it is totally possible with proper preparation. We would like to introduce Sandy Dell, who is a thought leader and a coach to many businesses. She has helped many small businesses to get their products into retail and gift stores effectively.

Customers love her tips and tools. Here is testimonial by Andreea Ayers "If you're looking for insider knowledge on how to work with sales reps for your product line, Sandy's eGuide is a must. I wish I’d read it when I had my t-shirt line. It would have helped me to navigate and understand the world of sales reps better. I really love the specific advice on how to find sales reps and how to exactly work with them to maximize sales. It's not easy to find a sales rep that is a good fit, but Sandy manages to explain how it all works for maximum benefits to everyone involved." 

Here are Top 5 Tips to help you prepare and understand the most effective way to work with wholesale buyers.

Here is a summary of her blog post:

Selling your unique creations to retail store buyers is not as overwhelming as it seems – especially if you are prepared!  A bad first impression is difficult to overcome!  Not only do you look unprofessional, but a poorly planned process may cost you more money than the sale is worth!

1. Retail store buyers are busy people

2. Spend some time developing a relationship with the buyer and their store.

3. You, as the seller, control the situation when you are presenting your products.

4. The store buyer is in control once your products are purchased.

5. Persistence is the key when dealing with buyers!

Want to learn in depth how each tip works, visit Sandy Dell's site : Selling to Retailers today!!

SPECIAL OFFER!!

During the entire month of February, Sandy will be offering NINE free resources for anyone who purchases my "Complete Guide for Selling to Gift Shops."

Bonuses include the following:

• Best Small Business Tools

• Consignment Agreement - Editable

• Introductions to Marketing to the Affluent

• Sample Packing Slip and Invoice

• Sample Sales Flyer

• Sample Sales Flyer - Editable

• Trade Credit Application

• Trade Credit Application - Editable

• Website for Wholesale eGuide

NOTE:  Special bonuses will be email separately from the eGuide!

About Sandy Dell : She is a successful independent sales representative, working in the gift and gourmet food industries since January of 2001. In that capacity, she’s called on over 1200 gift retailers, turning 450+ into customers, while representing up to 45 gift and gourmet producers at a time.

She is also co-owner, with her husband, of Gourmet Innovations LLC, a manufacturer, wholesaler, and distributor of gourmet foods and gift.  Sandy also manages multiple retail and wholesale web sites in the gift and gourmet food niche.

Sandy also authors and maintains several social media site and blogs, and has submitted articles to several different industry sites.

SSSHHHH... BONUS JUST FOR YOU: Visit Meylah's Resource Center to get explore premium resources by top coaches around the world. We are launching soon!!

It is finally here!! Anyone can enter this contest!!

We are kicking off the month of February with an amazing giveaway!  We have teamed up once again with Handmadeology to bring you over $5000 in prizes!

Here’s the deal!

Handmadeology created a Collections tool for the Meylah sellers to attract new customers across the world.  With this tool anyone can create collections of items.  It works just like an Etsy treasury but just for items found on the Handmadeology market and the Meylah market.

Here are the rules of the contest:

1. Head over to Handmadeology Collections.

2. Register on the site

3. Read how to create a collection HERE.

4. Go to the Handmadeology Market and Meylah and find items you love and start making collections.

5. Get people to like your collections!  Spread the word via social media, your blog, and websites.

Here is how you win and what you could win!!!

Create Collections – Feb 4st to Feb17th

Winner : The person who creates the most collections during 2 weeks will win the prizes below.

First Winner

• One Outright Plus subscription through the end of year 2013 – $120

• Handmadeology Advertising – 1 year – $950

• Meylah Store Quality Assessment – $250

• Featured Story on the winner – $500

Second Winner

• Handmadeology Advertising for 1 month –  $150

• Meylah Store Quality Assessment (you must have a store on the Handmadeology Market or Meylah)– $250

Promote Collections – Feb 18th to March3rd

Winner : The person with the most liked collection.

First Winner

• Via U! – Photography Package Giveaway : $1500 *

• Handmadeology Advertising – 1 year – $950

• Meylah Store Quality Assessment – $250

• Featured Story on the winner – $500

Second Winner

• Handmadeology Advertising for 1 month –  $150

• Meylah Store Quality Assessment (you must have a store on the Handmadeology Market or Meylah)– $250

Good luck to everyone!!! We can not wait to see all the amazing collections that you will be creating!

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK TO BE PART OF THE CONTEST!!

What does Art Management mean? For me, the owner of an art management company, it means helping artists with the various aspects of finding places to exhibit and sell their artwork. Many artists do not wish to work with an art manager so for those artists “art management” means managing their own art career. It is imperative that these artists manage their art businesses in a way that will set them up for success. This blog series will help you learn how to manage the various elements of managing an art career based on my personal experiences as an art rep.

Below is a list of the ten steps that are some of the most important things that an independent artist can do to best manage their career.

Step One: Get a business license (and any other documents needed to become a legal business).

The reason you need to get a business license is to make sure that you are legally able to operate as a business. Check with your local State, City, and County for details about what licenses,
documents and fees are required.

Step Two: Organize and appropriately store your body of work.

Caring for your artwork is critical to make sure that your work is always ready to be displayed, sold or photographed. Depending on what type of artwork you create, name (or at least number)
your pieces and store them in an appropriate manner in a place that is dedicated to the storage of your artwork only.

Step Three: Organize all of your paperwork in a hard copy and electronic filing system.

It is important to use a file cabinet to store business set-up documents, contacts, receipts, etc. It is also very important to set-up an electronic filing system to include things like a catalog of your artwork, an electronic picture of each piece, etc.

Step Four: Create a brand to include your business name and logo.

Branding is a critical component of any art business. Especially while you are building a name for yourself, your company’s logo will make your business recognizable to others. To see a sample of my company’s logo

Step Five: Have a written biography, artist statement and resume ready at all times.

Each artist must have a biography, an artist statement and a resume. These items are needed to be part of a professional portfolio and it is important to keep your biography and your resume updated at all times. Because many artists need help with these important items, I offer writing services to artists.

Step Six: Create samples of your work - individual samples, portfolio.

Portfolios, a collection of high quality images or samples of your work are often requested when approaching galleries, retail stores and when entering contests. I always keep portfolios and
samples of my represented artist’s work in my car to have them readily available upon request.

Step Seven: Bring exposure to your work online.

It is critical to have some type of online presence in today’s art market. Create a website, use social media outlets or send out newsletters to your email contacts (get their permission first) to keep people updated on any news related to your work. I have several images showing my represented artists work on my website and I also have links to their individual websites. I also use my Facebook and Twitter accounts to share various types of news, alerts and other information about what my artists are doing. This has led to sales for all of my artists.

Step Eight: Sell your work through various outlets.

Each of my artists has found it important to sell their work through all of the traditional methods and online. The use of online marketplace, websites and by offering deals using social media sites is vital to reach a much more diverse customer base leading to a much larger level of sales.

Step Nine: Create product bios of each piece in your collection - be able to describe your work.

Each of your products must have a description to provide potential customers/collectors of your work with details about each one of your pieces of work. Click on the following link to see how I’ve helped my client George Jennings describe a piece of his work sold through his store.

Step Ten: Connect with other artists.

It is important to be part of a bigger artist community. Some of the best ways to do this are to join an online art group, visit galleries and museums, or attend local art walks and festivals.
These are great ways to share ideas with fellow artists or even get inspired!

Thank you for reading my blog, the first in my Smart Artist Management Series! Many of the steps listed will be written about in more detail throughout the year so check back each month
for more tips and information. In the meantime, work through as many of the above steps as you can to set yourself up for success!

OFFER!!

Visit my Meylah store where you can order various art business organization, writing, and consultation services This month, I am offering all the readers of this blog 10% off my artist biography writing services. Take care and keep creating!

Picture Credit : George Jennings