So You Want to Start a Handmade Business

FYI: None of the links in this post are affiliates. I am just sharing something I am passionate about and the places I found answers to my questions. 

Hi everyone, I wanted to talk to you today about my other passion...small and handmade businesses. Handmade businesses have really blossomed in the last few years, and there are many sources all over the internet that can give you advice on how to start a business. However, the one thing I have found out in my search to create a "real" business, instead of just an expensive hobby, was finding someone I could connect with on a personal level. It wasn't just about "starting a business"- I needed someone to guide me. 

The first time I even thought of my crochet design business as having the possibility to become "something" was right after I had left a 2-year horribly toxic job and was floating around temp service jobs just to pay the bills and keep food on the table. I came across a Christian Business Counselor name Christy Wright. She is a Dave Ramsey personality, and she had just put out a book called Business Boutique. I pre-ordered and when it came I just absorbed it. She opened my eyes and made me look at my hobby in a totally new light. She made me see it as something that actually had virtue and could be pursued as a business. She asked some tough questions and I decided to answer them honestly...which isn't always easy. You can pretend with others, but pretending with yourself is just destructive. 

click the picture to purchase this book (not an affiliate)

She has created an amazing podcast, YouTube channel, and website since I first started following her. You can get a free Quick-Start Business Plan from her website- no obligation- that can help you decide whether or not what you're doing is something that could be a business. Christy is an amazing encourager and she is very good at helping business owners look inward and make the necessary changes to be a success. Even though I do have several business coaches that I will listen to, I continually gravitate back to Christy because she is so sound and logical.

So, fast forward another year and I'm in another toxic work situation. If I have learned anything from those two jobs it is what kind of manager I DON'T ever want to be. I had really prayed about what to do. I hated my 9-5 job, but I didn't feel like I knew enough to be successful selling my designs. I had watched person after person start a handmade business with crochet and not succeed. And I wasn't interested in being a little factory that wore my arms out making the same toy 100's of times because it's popular. So, one day while I was scrolling through Facebook, this lady named Jennifer Allwood popped out at me. I don't know why. Something in the words she used snagged my interest so I started following her. She was constantly doing lives on Facebook and talking about really plain jane, everyday business stuff. I had never heard anyone talk about business the way she did. She is a Christian, but she didn't turn every talk into a bible study. I grew up in ministry, so bible studies don't bother me, but sometimes you just want to hear "plain speak", if you know what I mean. 

She had created a 7-day crash course in figuring out what areas you should pursue online to increase your business. Should you do online courses? Should you have a membership group? Should you have subscription boxes? Plus, several other ideas. I joined her seven-day course, which was a funnel to her big online course- teaching you 7 ways to make money online. I borrowed the money from my dad to take the course and for the next 6 weeks, I was absorbed in this world of learning. I gained a lot from it, and I have lifetime access to the course I purchased, so I do go back and visit subjects from time to time for refreshers. 

click the picture to purchase a copy. (this is not an affiliate)

This last year, Jennifer wrote a book called Fear is Not the Boss of You. I have only read a few excerpts. I really need to get this on audiobook because I'm not good at sitting down and reading entire books anymore. But, from what I have heard, this book is incredible about helping you get out of your head and not letting fear stop you from moving ahead. That is one of the BIGGEST things that will stop you from pursuing your business...FEAR. I can't tell you how many steps I have taken while building this business, that I did with a huge ball of fear in my chest. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Sometimes you have to push fear aside and just do it...like the Nike commercials. 

Jennifer started her business as a decorative painter of cabinets and tables and garage doors, etc. She did all those specialty techniques with the waxes and rubbed off paint...and all those painting techniques I don't understand but think they look beautiful! Jennifer personally knows what it takes to create a successful business from the ground up and then pivot it to an online platform. She has created her online world from scratch, and she has many useful things to teach you. I was in her business coaching group on Facebook for over a year. I'm thinking about rejoining her group because I'm in a place where I need to pivot again and I could use the insight you gain from being in a group like that. Her group is called Inner Circle and it only opens up a few times a year. So click here to get yourself on her waiting list!  She also has an Instagram, a YouTube, and a podcast worth following! here's her website too. 

Last, but not least, God has recently put me in the path of another business mentor. Her name is Melissa Dickey, and she has created something called the Christian Creatives Retreat. She helps Christian Artisans have a platform to sell their handmade items. She and her husband also have an artisan pottery business called Nunca Solo Pottery. She has a free group on FB called Christian Crafty Entrepreneurs. It is a place for like-minded business owners to gain encouragement and learn business basics. Lastly, she has a business coaching group called The Next Right Step that teaches new business owners how to go from point A to point B in creating their online presence. Melissa has a heart for Christian small businesses and she is a wealth of valuable information. One other thing I will say about Melissa is that she is extremely accessible. She is who I am currently hooked up with. 

Ok, so why did I tell you about these people? Because I have found that as an entrepreneur, as a handmade business owner, as someone chasing my dream and my passion, and as a Christian...I cannot do this alone. Many business owners do not realize how important it is to invest in YOURSELF first! Yes, you have talent. Yes, you make beautiful things. But, that will only go so far. Sure, it's exciting when you get your first sales and things are flying off the shelves because what you are presenting is new or different. But, let's be real...after the first season it usually tones down and all your friends and family have been tapped out, and now what? Learning how to pivot your business and step into new things, do the scary things, and answering the big questions like "should I have a website or just continue to sell through Etsy?" or "Ok, I have the website, now how do I make all of this work for me efficiently?" There is a learning curve when you start a handmade business that we don't always stop and think about. 

I'm encouraging you to seek out mentors. Any of the three that I have mentioned in this post would be a great place to start. I am going to continue to post about small business things because it is a world with which I am deeply ingrained and have a passion. I love seeing entrepreneurs win!!

15 Ways To Increase Your Facebook Business Page Following

Facebook can sometimes seem like an endless struggle for those of us with business pages. They are constantly changing things and creating new algorithms, which only seem to create new roadblocks for us. But, even with the frustration, Facebook is still an awesome place to build your online business presence. It's a great way to create a following and engage with your followers. In today's post I'm going to give you 15 strategies to increase your following on your Facebook business page, and in the process, up your quality. You want to be the page that everyone wants to hang out on. You want to have the posts that people don't want to miss! So, here we go...

15 Ways to Increase Your Facebook Business Page Following

1. Use Great Images! They don't even have to be your own. Just make sure they are captivating and relevant. For example, I tend to share great pictures of people who use my patterns and take excellent pictures. It's free content for me and it shows off the talent of my followers, which they love! This particular picture was one I shared from Instagram to my Facebook business page.

2. Post industry related posts that address pain points and meet the needs of your followers. While it's our business page...it doesn't have to just be about us. Why do you have a business? To meet a need, right? So, use that to be the source! Be the one "in the know"! Show people how to do things that matter! It doesn't have to be fancy, it just needs to answer a question.

3. Invite People! Let there be no shame in your invite game, people. Don't assume that because you invite them to follow your page that you are bothering them. There are businesses built by people with loads of confidence, and there are businesses built by people who are afraid that they are bothering others. You want to be the one with loads of confidence and stop making assumptions. This is coming from former "assumer".  If you flip one thought in your head it will make all the difference in the world. Your invitation is a simple gesture. If people are interested, they will follow. If they are not, they won't. And you'll never know the difference unless you write down every person you invite and stalk them! You can start with friends and family and build from there. Facebook makes these helpful suggestions to you in your notifications, so I use them. If you click on the notification it will take you to a list and show you who you have already invited and those you need to invite. You simply click on the "invite" box and move on with your life. 

4. Cross promote your page on other social media sites. Talk about your Facebook page on your Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc...but make sure you are pointing them to a specific post about relevant content. Just saying "Hey, come follow me on Facebook!"' without giving them a reason why is a sure-fire way to get ignored. This post on Instagram pointed people to my pattern and my CAL Group on Facebook. 

5. Don't just post about your sales. Follow the 80/20 content rule. 80% of your posts need to be about information and fun. Things that make people laugh or show your followers glimpses of the "behind the scenes" of your business. The other 20% needs to be about your business sales, etc. I'm not selling anything but who I am in the next pictures. This is a chance for people to get to know me.

Here my husband is helping me roll balls of yarn while I work on organizing other things.

Here I'm working on other projects while listening to business training videos. 

6. Link, Link, Link! Link from your personal Facebook page, your emails, your other social sites. If you are online anywhere, make sure that people can find you. Don't assume that because people know you that they know what you do. Sometimes even our friends have no clue how to find our businesses, or that we even have a business page. And if you comment on other Facebook pages as yourself, and you say something that causes people to say "Hey, I want to know more about this person"...make sure they can find you!! Here is my personal page. I am linked to my business and to several places that I manage and I want people to know about. Those are all links, people. USE THEM!

6. Keep your posts short and simple: Between 40-120 characters is optimal, depending on which researcher you look at. If you have a graphic with great content or a picture that really does speak a 1,000 words, then let it do the talking for you. It can be exhausting to try and come up with great content all the time. Put a K.I.S.S. on everything you post! Keep.It.Short. & Sweet.

8. Use Facebook Lives!! Oh man, these are gold. Facebook LIKES it when you go live. They will share your post to more people. Why do they share lives better than regular posts? Because Facebook is all about "engagement." They want business pages to be engaging with their followers. And if you are going live one to two times a week...you are investing in that relationship and Facebook helps you. Like I talked about earlier, Facebook's algorithms change constantly, but currently, it favors live engagement over just posting things...so get over your jitters and use the platform to your advantage. This picture is of the first ever live I did on my Facebook business page, and even though I only had about 12-15 people watching me at the time that I did it- it went to more than 500 views in a 24 hour period. 

9. Be Personal! Be Genuine! Let your followers know who you are. People want to know who they are buying from. They want to know that you learned how to paint from your Aunt Martha, and your Grandma taught you how to bake the best cookies on the planet, and your family went on its first vacation in 10 years. People live their lives online anymore. Just think about the people you follow. Why do you follow them? They have something that interests you, don't they? There's a presence, there's a reason. Your best customers/clients will be the ones that connect with you. I tend to share about my family, what I'm cooking, and what makes me laugh...

10. Check your Facebook Insights. Facebook Insights can be a confusing mess of information to try an understand. The things you want to be really cognizant of are: Watch what types of posts have engagement and what time do your followers interact with your posts the most? You want to make sure that you are putting out content that encourages your followers to participate- which they will be more likely to do if you put out things that you know they like. And you want to be aware of what time of day the majority of your visitors visit. You don't want to be posting your content at 8pm when your greatest engagement is at 9am. The best place to look at your insight information is on a PC. The phone app has them, but it's very limited. Below are a couple of examples of the limited information on the app.

11. Schedule your posts ahead of time. Ideally, you should be posting at least four times a day for Facebook to take you seriously and share your page to your followers with frequency. You could sit down one day a week for an hour and bang out all of your scheduled posts. Now, that doesn't mean that you can't post as you think of it in the between times. It just means that you are now not tethered to your phone or computer making sure that you are putting out content at least four times a day. You can go get a massage and get your nails done, instead. Or work on OTHER business building skills. If you are unfamiliar with scheduling your Facebook posts, I have a short photo tutorial coming up. I did it on my phone, which is where I do most of my posting. 

When you click "share" this page pops up asking you when you want to publish your post. Click on the little arrow to the right of the question as shown below:

What will pop up is a scheduler which allows you to choose the time and date.

Once you are satisfied with the date and time click "done" and the next page will pop up. Click on "Schedule"...and you're all done. 

12. Don't use "Boost", instead create your ads. Boost does not get shown to as many people, therefore does not generate very much engagement. If you really want your sponsored posts to stand out create your ad. Facebook has many helpful tutorials to walk you through creating an ad campaign. But, my favorite, just for the sake of growing my page, is a "like" ad. It is literally an ad that you purchase with your budget and your time frame in mind to get your name out there and gain followers. Just like there is no shame in your invitation game, there is no shame in your ad game. Once again, how will they know you're there if you don't tell them?? Facebook is no "Field of Dreams"... just cuz you build it does NOT mean they will come.

13. Share posts from more popular pages than you. You can definitely share posts from pages smaller than you. I like to share from a mix. But, the reason I say share from ones more popular than you is that the more popular pages already have a following. Their share rate is higher, therefore they have more engagement on their posts, therefore your post will be shown to more people because they are already popular. See how that works? Use their popularity for your benefit. That's why they create shareable content, so don't feel like you are doing something wrong by piggybacking or "drafting" off of their momentum.

14. Engage with other pages AS your business page. On the PC you can choose to switch how you are engaging on Facebook. You can post as your business page. This is a GREAT way to be discovered and to gain followers. The picture below shows where you can change how you are posting. Just click on the arrow and change the page. 

15. Last, but definitely not least, Be Interesting! No one likes to see the same thing over and over. Share things, post things, script things that will appeal to people. Give them a reason to like what you do! Below are some pictures of the other things that I share on my page other than my "business" things. I share them because they are engaging and interesting and sometimes nerdy and educational. They evoke my personality, create content that means something to me, and speaks the things I can't always say. 

This is a video about how cowboys used to weave and braid horse hair into lassos.

This list is by no means comprehensive. There are at least another 15-20 things you can do to help grow the following on your business page, but I wanted to share with you the top 15 in my book. These are the ones that have helped me grow and continue to expand my following. The biggest thing about a list like this is: Don't just read it. Implement it. That's how you'll actually see change.

I hope this helps you.

Blessings,

Biz

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Why Use Hashtags?

picture credit vectorstock.com

Social Media for the Tech Challenged Entrepreneur: 

Why Use Hashtags?

Do you ever feel like a dinosaur when it comes to social media and all of its quirks and uses? I know I do. I have always been a step ahead of my parents who are in their 70's when it comes to social media. I mean, I was even ahead of a few of the younger generation. I was on Facebook back in 2006 or 7 when it was still a really new platform. (But, they have far surpassed me since then.)

Then came all the other platforms like Twitter, and Instagram, and Pinterest, and Snapchat, etc. Talk about overwhelming! At the time I wasn't interested in knowing about them or learning about them, and now I'm playing catch up! Now I want to use it and it's like learning to speak a new language. Dios Mio!

So, if you're anything like me, we will learn this together! This week's "Social Media for the Tech Challenged" segment is going to be about those silly little hashtags. I say silly because it's become almost ridiculous in today's society. EVERYTHING is about the hashtag...even when it shouldn't be. Haha!! Take, for instance, this skit by Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake:

Ok, so is there a real reason for the hashtag? Yes, there actually is! Hashtags are meant as a link to gather ideas together in one easy to find location. However, hashtags have different uses across different platforms. I'm going to discuss two of them, only because I understand them the best; Facebook and Instagram.

Let's start with Facebook. Using hashtags on Facebook is still a relatively new thing, although I'm sure you have seen them. They are becoming more popular, but I'm not sure that some of the people looking at them know why they are there. I know I always thought it was just a thing that the "kids did." But, if you click on one of those hashtags Facebook will take you to a place where multiple articles and posts including that hashtag are gathered together for your searching pleasure. Hashtags make your post searchable on Facebook! If you are a business or a brand on Facebook it's not a bad idea to incorporate select hashtags in your posts. 

Reasons to use hashtags on Facebook; First, to conserve space. There is actually a sweet spot in the number of characters you use in your posts on Facebook. Their ideal character limit is between 40 and 80...even less than Twitter! Second, to make your post searchable on a platform that is not easy to "search." There are two ways to search for hashtags on Facebook. Using the actual hashtag itself, for example, #crochet or use this: Facebook.com/hashtag/crochet. So, when you are creating your Facebook post- think about the most important things you want to say about your product, and then maybe think about using a hashtag or two.

So, what do hashtags do on Instagram? Simply put, Instagram is a hashtags playground. Instagram is just a photo blog platform used best through an app on your phone, and hashtags are used for everything. For whatever reason, those hashtags are like a siren song. People love them! Some people tell a whole story using them. Sometimes a hashtag will give a picture its entire context. They do the same thing as Facebook, ie giving you engagement on your post either through clicking or commenting. Instagram uses hashtags to organize the photos and videos according to subject content. 

There are a lot of people who use the hashtags on Instagram to find accounts that post what they are interested in. For instance, I use the hashtags #crochetersofinstagram and #crochetlove a lot on my pictures. I have included a couple of pictures as a reference so you can see what happens when you click on the hashtags- 

And if you notice, you can actually follow those hashtags. People use them to grow their accounts all of the time. I, personally, noticed an increase in engagement on my posts when I finally realized that hashtags weren't just some silly afterthought. Hashtags are another form of SEO for your account! It may only be used within the social media platform itself, but it is still another useful tool that we should be using to increase our engagement and followers. After all, you need to have followers if you plan to have customers, right? 

Anyway, I hope this post was informative for you. I hope it helps you to step up your hashtag game. I know sometimes it's easy to be afraid of what we don't understand. But, I promise you, you won't blow anything up if you hit a wrong button! :)

Go forth and conquer!!

All my love,

Biz

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