All posts by Erik

Tips for Craft Vendors to Make the Most Impact

You have stocked up on your personally made soaps, jewelry, clothing, or other crafts and are ready to display them for the masses. This may seem daunting and can sometimes create anxiety for crafters, especially for the first time. However, there are some tips out there that can help give you a great, profitable experience as a vendor.

Put your creativity to good use; put up a display and a storefront in your vendor space. It’ll catch the eye more than just a splayed out table. Be approachable and smile at people who stop by at the booth. It might seem weird and uncomfortable at first, but if you approach with positivity, it’s likely other people will be positive back to you. Lastly, you might want to give in-booth demonstrations or work on a current project as you are selling your wares. This gives potential customers an idea and an appreciation of how these crafts are made. These tips should give you a good start for the next craft fair or expo. Read a full article on this topic here:: Little Known Ways to Sell More at Market

Avoid Zippers and Make Your Own Throw Pillows

Throw pillows are a great accessory for a couch, chair, or bed. They also make great gifts or can be a quality addition to your online shop. With some fabric, pillow material, and sewing machine, you can make a nice throw pillow (without pesky zippers) in less than one hour. Read a complete tutorial on how to make a no-zipper throw pillow here:: DIY Simple No-Zipper Throw Pillow

Oust the Orange Spots Out of Your Soap

Cold process soap makers often have to deal with orange spots ruining the look of their soap. These orange spots can appear due to many factors: the soap’s oils have turned rancid due to age, there were heavy minerals in the water used to make the soap, there is high superfat within the soap, and so on. Avoiding those issues could keep your soap spot-free. Learn more causes of orange spots and how to prevent them here:: Dealing with Dreaded Orange Spots

Your Good Student Behavior Might Create Bad Craft Business Habits

The theory told in school that good students that get good grades will become successful adults. As you probably know by now, that’s not always the case. In fact, many of the good habits you’ve learned in school have prevented you from forming better habits for your craft or soap business.

At school, we’re told that solid preparation is key: study for the exam, write notes for your oral presentation, etc. However, in life one must be ready to improvise in case plans change. There is no teacher around to automatically see you doing good work in real life, so you not only have to make good work but make an effort to make it visible to others. While you were told to just listen to your teacher, in life there are times when you need to challenge authority so your ideas have impact. Breaking the timid habits of school can add quality skills to your business repertoire. For a full article on this topic, click here:: 3 Habits You Learned in School that Could Be Hurting Your Biz

Add Some Fall Flair with Thanksgiving Linen Napkins

As Thanksgiving draws near, there are only a handful of weeks to create a decorative environment for the big meal. One way to class up with color is to make you own linen napkins with fall colors. Once made, they can be reused year after year or they can make a lovely gift for your Thanksgiving guests. For a full tutorial how to sew Thanksgiving napkins, click here:: Linen Thanksgiving Napkins

Wash Away and Fill Wallets with Money Soap!

Soap makes a great stocking stuffer for your adult friends who enjoy the scent and for little kids if you put a small toy inside the bar or shape the bar into an animal. However, making soap that appeals to older kids might be tough. So bribe them! Create a soap bar that contains cold, hard cash inside to give teens a little bit more interest in hand washing. For a full tutorial on how to make money soap, click here:: Stocking stuffer gift: Money soap

Add to Your Marketing Strategy by Asking Outsiders’ Opinions

In any industry, whether it is in crafts, soap making, or otherwise, you develop marketing techniques based upon what you’ve seen and has been taught to you by your peers. While those may be great general rules of thumb, it can also limit your scope. It is hard to see other possibilities if you keep yourself inside your industry’s bubble. So what’s the solution? Talk to people who aren’t like you and aren’t in the crafts industry.

On the surface something like car sales, restaurants, or other businesses might not have anything to do with how to sell your wares. However, the differences in personality and approach might give you addition tools and sales strategy that might not have been considered. Like anything, take and try what could work, and leave the rest behind. For a full article on this topic, click here:: Seek Advice From People Who Aren’t Like You