Designing your Business Logo and Identity!
by Jason Dirks / Setting Up Shop
What was the first decision you made when you started your business? Besides deciding on what you're going to sell and how much money you can make...I'd be willing to bet it was the name of your business, I know it was for me. Why? Because it's fun, creative and it is the one thing that sets us apart from everyone else. Some of us choose our own personal name, some choose to simplify it based on the products they sell and then of course some choose something so random you don't know what to make of it. The truth is, the name is only a piece of the puzzle to successfully branding your business...another important piece is your business identity or logo.
How to Brand Your Twitter Profile
by Justine Smith / Setting Up Shop
Twitter is a powerful social networking tool that allows users to send 140-character messages to followers and friends. With more than 5 million Twitter users out there, it's important to stand out – especially if you're using Twitter as a business tool.
The Keys to the Store: Selling Handmade to Retailers and Wholesalers
by Alicia Kachmar / Setting Up Shop
Those coiled copper earrings and plush octopi in your neighborhood boutique? They didn’t just magically appear there after coming off an assembly line—they were conceptualized from start to finish by a creative professional like yourself, potentially in a home-based studio.
How to Embed a Document in Your Blog
by Justine Smith / Setting Up Shop
Imagine dazzling your customers with a retail catalog or free tutorial that's viewable right on your website. I am so excited to share this Byte-Syze Learning with you on how you can showcase any document, by putting it right on your website or blog for free.
Everyone Wins: Why You Should Enter Contests
by Alicia Kachmar / Setting Up Shop
It used to be that you entered a contest or competition because of the prize(s) at stake and the accompanying glory—"in it to win it", as the saying goes. But, when it comes to online craft and design contests, everyone participating essentially wins. That's why my cowboy safety cones are smiling.
Handmade Sellers: 10 Ways to Please Your Customers
by Courtney Dirks / Setting Up Shop
Have you ever taken a step back to consider what draws you to the places you love to shop and why you always want to go back for more? Here are some ideas you may want to incorporate into your handmade creative business to keep your customers happy and coming back for more.
How to Package Flat Products Beautifully
by Dionne Christiansen / Setting Up Shop
At Meylah, we love getting feedback from our readers. A few weeks ago, I posted a Byte-Syze Learning on how to make unique packaging for your products, and one of our readers, Amie, asked if we had any ideas on packaging flat items like photos and cards. Since Amie was wondering about flat packaging ideas, we figured there might be more of you out there who would be interested in a Byte Syze Learning post – so here it is!
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Creating a Promotion for your Store: 6 Things to Consider
by Jason Dirks / Setting Up Shop
Are you trying to grow your business? Of course, we all are! One of the best ways to attract new customers is to offer a promotion, but word to the wise, make sure your promotion matches your business goals. For example, if you just want to get more customers and you create a promotion to offer $10 off every purchase, it may certainly get you more customers, but if your profit is usually only $5 per item, then you’re losing $5 on every new purchase.
What's Your Name Again? How to Name Your Online Store
by Mary Beth Eastman / Setting Up Shop
It's got to be cool, unique — but not too weird — pleasing to the ear, with a certain memorable je ne c'est quoi. Man, forget naming a kid, naming your shop is hard! There are various approaches: some tie their business to their own name, some focus on the type and style of product they're selling, while others go with a catchy word that has nothing to do with them or their product.
Bookkeeping for Your Creative Business: Interview with Holly Neitzel of Accounting SPOT
by Jason Dirks / Setting Up Shop
A few weeks ago, Justine wrote Vendor Benders: Top 5 Mistakes Online Shop Owners Make and the number 1 mistake was putting off paperwork. Well, we want to help you avoid that mistake and start this year off right so we connected with Holly Neitzel, MBA and Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor of Accounting SPOT to cover all the proper steps to get your bookkeeping and accounting in order for your creative business. She offers some great tips in our discussion with her today:
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How To Create Your Business Cards using MOO
by Jason Dirks / Setting Up Shop
We all know that branding yourself and your business is important so to get you off on the right foot in 2010, we wanted to show you how to create your own business cards using MOO, an online printing company that "loves to print." We collaborated with the wonderful folks over at MOO to create this Byte-Syze Learning and they generously agreed to provide a 10% Discount on your first order! All you have to do is use this promotion code: 3WMYYE before March 1st and you'll get the discount...so follow the steps below and have fun creating these incredibly innovative business cards!
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Spousal Support: Say "I Do" to Your Partner's Creative Business
by Dionne Christiansen / Setting Up Shop
Dionne Christiansen is a graphic designer based in Houston, TX. She is the face behind the Etsy store City of Dionne and writes at her blog Notes From Dionne.
Embedding a Survey into Your Website or Blog Using Impressity
by Courtney Dirks / Setting Up Shop
Have you ever wanted to embed a survey into your website or blog, but don't know how? If you answered yes, I’d like to share an easy (& FREE) resource, Impressity, to get you on your way to building your survey and embedding it into your website or blog.
Six Tips for Balancing Your Business and Your Babies
by Mary Beth Eastman / Setting Up Shop
I was sewing patchwork coasters, one of my favorite things to make. I had a mouthful of pins, the machine was whirring, and I was whipping out patchwork blocks like a dervish. I must have been working like this for forty minutes or more, fairly absorbed, when something brought me back to myself. I'm guessing it was the shrieks.
Pricing Your Products: What You Need To Know
by Courtney Dirks / Setting Up Shop
Pricing your products is like walking on a tight rope, where you don’t want to lean too far to one side or the other, meaning you don’t want to under or over price your products. You want to maximize profitability without undercutting or overvaluing your products.
Pursuing a Creative Career: Things to Think About Before Quitting Your Job
by Jessica Howard / Setting Up Shop
Lots of creative types want to quit their jobs to pursue their passion full time. Easier said than done! Often, mortgage payments and corporate health benefits conspire to keep us in our cubicles. But, there is hope!
How To Package Your Product
by Dionne Christiansen / Setting Up Shop
I am drawn to pretty packaging. In my post earlier this week, I showed you examples of gorgeous packages, and explained the importance of presenting your products well. This Byte-Syze Learning will show you step-by-step how to make your own unique little package.
The Whole Package: How Creative Packaging Can Set You Apart
by Dionne Christiansen / Setting Up Shop
Everyone loves a pretty package. Unwrapping, opening, unfolding – customers enjoy the experience of receiving a package almost as much as the product itself. Your product packaging is your best way to make sure that your customer’s first impression of your business is a good one.
New Year, New Calendar
by Jessica Howard / Setting Up Shop
It's Day 1 of a new year! With all the talk of resolutions and starting with a clean slate (or even a clean desk, or a clean outfit, or just a clean cereal bowl), Meylah will be bringing you lots of articles to help get your creative pursuits on track.
How to Hold a Sale that Sells: Five Tips
by Alicia Kachmar / Setting Up Shop
Now that any lingering gingerbread men have been polished off and the crunching of wrapping paper is but a distant sound byte of a memory, here we find ourselves in the proverbial post-Christmas sale period. Both online and brick-and-mortar shop retailers are taking inventory and deciding how to move their merch. As a vendor, you may be wondering the same thing: Should I have a sale? Should I slash prices or offer up incentives? Where do I even begin now that prime buying-time seems to be over?
Selecting an Online Marketplace for Handmade Products Part 2
by Courtney Dirks / Setting Up Shop
As promised on my previous post, Selecting an Online Marketplace for Handmade Products, I wanted to share a few more items you should consider when you are narrowing down the list of potential suitors! Now, if I had only done this much homework on some of my past boyfriends, maybe I would have met my husband sooner! Here are a few more topics to consider...
How To Make a Memorable Product Tag
by Dionne Christiansen / Setting Up Shop
As I outlined in my post earlier this week, having a product tag is an essential part of branding and packaging your products. It's all part of your branding suite, along with your logo, business cards and stationery. Today's Byte-Syze Learning tutorial will take you step-by-step through making a simple, but memorable, product tag. (Psst: Even if your craft business isn't up and running yet, you can use this tutorial to make holiday gift tags!)
Even Crafters Need a Vacation: How to Close up Shop
by Mary Beth Eastman / Setting Up Shop
Mary Beth Eastman is a contributor for TrueUp, writes about sewing and life at Supafine, and sells sustainable and handmade objects for grownups, tots and home at Supafab.
Product Tags and Labels: How They Can Help You Sell More
by Dionne Christiansen / Setting Up Shop
As crafters and artists selling our own products, we all really want to get our name out there. We want people to see our logo and recognize it instantly, but there are only so many ways that we can advertise without starting to spam people.
Selecting an Online Marketplace for Handmade Products
by Courtney Dirks / Setting Up Shop
With so many options for online marketplaces to sell your art and handmade goods, how the heck do you choose which one is best? Or how do you decide if you want to move to a new marketplace or manage shops in multiple marketplaces? With many great options on the market, it is difficult and somewhat overwhelming to narrow it down. We all experience different challenges and have varying opinions about what is most important to us in making this decision. For those of you trying to decide, here are a few important areas you may want to consider before you take the plunge:
Handmade Wire Jewelry - Love at First Sight
by Courtney Dirks / Setting Up Shop
I remember the first time I set my eyes on a pair of handmade wire earrings. It was love at first sight. I was at a girls’ night out dinner party when a friend pulled out a bag of earrings she had made to sell to the group. Her designs were fun, stylish and affordable. I was fascinated that she made them all herself. A few weeks later, my mom came home with a few pairs of earrings similar in style, which she had paid a small fortune for at a retail store. I decided then and there that I had to learn, so I bought a book called Getting Started Making Wire Jewelry and More. It outlined the supplies I would need, with step-by-step instructions and photographs.
The Anatomy of a Great Product Shot
by Kelly Hall / Setting Up Shop
Imagine walking into a store and the lights are off. Everything is dark and you can barely see anything around you. How would you find what you want? How about a similar scenario in an online store? What if you went to a website to purchase items and the photos were too dark or confusing? Would you purchase something if you couldn’t really see it?
Surveys: The Importance of Listening to your Customers
by Ram Dutt / Setting Up Shop
You may hear what they have to say, but do you really listen? For me, hearing means registering the information but not doing much about it. Listening, on the other hand, means understanding and reacting in a meaningful manner. I realized the power of listening when working with customers. I learned that they always had the answers to the challenges we faced -- all we had to do was to listen. Listening is a fascinating art and, when done correctly, it can deliver tremendous and surprising outcomes.
Throwing a Home Jewelry Party
by Courtney Dirks / Setting Up Shop
Let’s face it: Women are always looking for an excuse to get together and throw a party!
A few years ago, I was invited by a colleague to a handmade jewelry party hosted by her friends. The timing was perfect, because I wanted to throw my own handmade jewelry party, but wasn't sure how to get started. It was a great opportunity to soak up some insight from seasoned professionals. Now that I've hosted some of my own, I’ve learned that jewelry parties are a great alternative to selling at art festivals or craft fairs. Guests come to see your work, so you won’t get lost in the competition at the big shows. Jewelry parties are not only great for building relationships, they are also lucrative: I have made as much as $1,200 at my own parties.
Six Things I've Learned in Six Years of Crafty Blogging
by Mary Beth Eastman / Setting Up Shop
Hey, welcome aboard! My name is Mary Beth (but you can call me MB; everyone else does.) I've been writing my blog, Supafine, for six years. I run two etsy shops ( Supafine and Supafab) and regularly contribute to the fabric blog True Up. Just this spring I shook hands with Amy Butler. (Life? Complete.)
Welcome to Meylah!
by Jason Dirks, Ram Dutt / Setting Up Shop
Once upon a time, a couple of creative guys named Ram and Jason – who, perhaps like you, hold down serious day jobs – decided it was time to create a new kind of creative community. Having found that it is hard to get your bearings in the online creative world, we imagined a place for like-minded people to share and advance creatively, while getting step-by-step directions to turn our passion into a business.