Fear of rejection is probably one of the biggest obstacles to creating your dream products and/or business. But, instead of hiding from the fear, let’s look at learning from rejection. Here are some of the things I have learned, as…
Effective email marketing is a learned skill that anyone can master. Pitching your products through an email marketing campaign is a bit more challenging than pitching in person, but it can be done. Carolyn Edlund of Artsy Shark lists some…
One of the best ways to develop credibility for your company and your products is to share testimonials from satisfied customers on your website. According to Carolyn Edlund, Artsy Shark website: Testimonials are positive, unbiased statements made by real people…
Having to deal with copyright infringement is a frustrating and irritating dilemma to face. You work hard on your materials, designs, and products only to find that someone copied and is marketing your work as their own. As a sales…
Making the decision to move your business from selling your products direct to consumers to selling wholesale to retail buyers requires some thought and planning. Not all products fit the wholesale model and not all companies or producers are able…
Wholesaling to large retailers uses a different strategy than selling to smaller independent stores. It was fairly easy for me, during my road rep days, to visit a store and connect with the buyer on the spot. Larger retailers, in…
Having products in several retail outlets is a dream come true for many professional crafters, small-time producers and artisans. But wholesaling is an entirely different business with different needs, procedures and focus. First, wholesaling is a business model that involves…
A couple weeks ago, I published an article: Starting 2019 with a New Website. As a follow up to the article, I would like to share a checklist from Artsy Shark (by guest blogger Sandi Dettman) on important website updates…
Creating your products is just the beginning of having a thriving product-based business. Marketing, which is the next important component in your business, encompasses a wide range of techniques and tips that I will not go into here. Let’s just…
Website and web marketing has exploded in the 16 years since I created my first website! At that time, web templates were expensive and greatly limited to those, like me, who did not want to hire a webmaster. Today, most…
I am not an authority on press releases. Malcolm, my husband, takes care of most of our press releases as he worked for a local paper many years back and knows the ropes. The expert on getting your products in…
In the gift industry, eye-catching packaging typically sells the first item, so adding extra value to your product packaging greatly increased the likelihood that it will sell well. What do I mean by adding value? Personalized packaging and labeling can…