one delightful business: podcasts

Remember when I ambitiously started this series and then got too tired and pregnant to blog at all...I can't say I am going to keep it up weekly at this point, but I wanted to share some of my favorite business podcasts. I love podcasts because they give me something to enjoy while on a walk (or run some day). Sometimes I'll listen to them while doing mindless business work or folding laundry.

The Art of Simple // Tsh Oxenrider  // This has been my favorite podcast for awhile and I am currently enjoying her new book. Tsh has well-known bloggers like the Nester and small business owners like Gussy or Lisa Leonard. I enjoy all the archives too if you start from the beginning. Encouragement for simple living, and motherhood, but I find some good business info in there too because she brings in people that I generally know an admire.

Elise Gets Crafty // Elise Blaha Cripe // I have only listened too a few of these (and its a new podcast), but so far, very tangible tips for business owners.

Inspiration for Motherhood // Kat Lee // I have only listened to one of these, but enjoyed it.

How They Blog Podcast // Kat Lee

There's a start for you to get your feet wet with some fun podcasts...do you have any you would add to the list? It took me awhile to find any good ones besides Tsh's and sermons online so I would love any feedback.

one delightful business: packaginggggggg

on this series: I have thought for a little while that it might be fun for me to share some things I have learned from owning my own small business. There is certainly a lot I do not know, but I have been running one delightful button for over four years now (hard to believe!). And I feel like there are a lot of tips and tricks and lessons I have learned along the way.

This is one of my hills to die on for small craft businesses. If I am going to buy some thing from someone that makes items themselves, I still I want it to look like I bought it from someone else and did not just make it myself. If I wanted to make something for a friend, I would make something. And sometimes the packaging itself sells the product more than the product itself.

My first cards were scrapbook paper cut in small squares and then with hand-stamped letters spelling my website. They weren't terrible, but my main beef is it took too much time. I was stamping each letter myself. I used dollar store jewelry boxes and printed clear labels with my business name on it. It worked, but I knew it was a temporary solution.

Next I started to order kraft jewelry boxes, embellished them with washi tape and then put a clear label on again.

I was still not super satisfied by that, even though I do love wash tape and a reason to buy it.  I now do a simple kraft box with my logo hand-stamped. My logo is stamped on a shipping tag. I have stuck with that same simple look for a few years now because I like the shipping tag and I like the extra touch of all the hand-stamping.

I have done all the logo design myself. I used to have photoshop, but now use pixelmator, which is a knock-off version that works fine for me. However, I took a class in high school where I learned photoshop - otherwise, I don't know if I'd invest in it. It is not the most intuitive thing. Picmonkey is a great site if you are not super familiar with graphic design and is free! 

Include promotional materials such as business cards...My new business card...

You could do a handwritten note...

Embellish the package cute stickers...

Tie it up with baker's twine or fabric...

Washi tape...anywhere...everywhere...

Just a few ideas...so many ideas on pinterest that I am sure you have pinned. My point is going the extra mile with packaging will make your item more memorable and giftable. 

one delightful business: take good photos

I have thought for a little while that it might be fun for me to share some things I have learned from owning my own small business. There is certainly a lot I do not know, but I have been running one delightful button for over four years now (hard to believe!). And I feel like there are a lot of tips and tricks and lessons I have learned along the way.

One of my first lessons was to take take good photos of my products. I can say in no way that I have mastered this, but I have improved. On my first post I shared a picture of my first etsy sale. I thought I needed a white background so I used a clean bed sheet. I frequently took pictures at night. Early on, I went into an etsy forum and asked someone to review my site because I was starting to feel good about it. I remember she commented on a pictures mentioning that they needed to be taken during the day in natural light. I was somewhat offended, but this was really great advice. 

Here's a few things I have learned about taking good photos of your products....

• If you are selling online all someone has to go off of is your description of your item and your pictures. Clearly, the pictures are really important because someone may not read your description in detail. 
• Take pictures during the day, but in indirect sunlight. This is one of my night photos. Its hard to see the product well. 

This was taken during the day...indirect sunlight and on a book page, nice and simple. 

• Use consistent background for your photos. Also, do not take a photo of your product on something unappealing or that overpowers attention to your product. The background can help to define what the vibe you want your products to give off. For example....the doily was a nice idea below, but I think that the earrings would have looked better with a simple background instead of the linen and doily.  

• Take a picture of your packaging. This is huge for me. If I am buying handmade, I do not want someone to think that I made it. I want a nice tag on the earrings I purchased and potentially a cute box, too. 

• If there are important features to your product, make sure they are can be seen in the photo. (i.e. I just upgrade my earring backs to nicer posts and try to make sure every listing has a picture of the new posts)

• I really like this resource: fotofuze for editing the background out of photos. However....it is not always perfect. 
• Lastly, if you are selling something unique for $3 and have to photograph and edit it every time, it may not be worth the trouble. I like that I can reuse my photos because I sell several of the same style of earrings. The photographing and editing and uploading and listing process is not always a quick one so reuse photos when you can. 

Hope this helps! Any thoughts or tips you would add? 

one delightful business: lessons learned

I have thought for a little while that it might be fun for me to share some things I have learned from owning my own small business. There is certainly a lot I do not know, but I have been running one delightful button for over four years now (hard to believe!). And I feel like there are a lot of tips and tricks and lessons I have learned along the way.

So, my hope is weekly to share something with you.

For my first post though, I will just share some about how I began selling crafts. In 2009, I heard about etsy for the first time. I was working a full-time job with Young Life, but had no kids and some free time. I thought it would be fun to have some sort of craft to make and sell. I was some what crafty already - I liked making cards for friends and in school I loved projects that required some sort of poster or display so I could make it pretty. I also started this blog around that time (under a different name) and I shared about a chair I reupholstered here.

But I didn't really have a "thing". I barely knew how to sew. I had just some random supplies and an idea to start a craft business for fun. (Sounds a little odd to me, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's how a lot of people began on etsy).

In the fall of 2009, I found a jar of vintage, discarded buttons at my favorite antique store in Norfolk, Virginia called "Country Boy". If you live nearby, go. It's the most unrefined antique store and walking through it is like an adventure because there are things piled up everywhere.

I bought the jar and googled "things to make with buttons." This is pre-pinterest era, people. I started then making button earrings and some other accessories surrounding buttons. Soon, I expanded to the fabric button and took some sewing lessons.

I posted on etsy basically immediately after testing out my product to make sure it was wearable. My business name: k bowling designs. Sure, why not? I had my first sale shortly after opening. God bless that woman, I have no clue why she bought these earrings that I photographed under yellow lighting on a white piece of paper.

I continued with etsy, started doing craft shows, began approaching shops about wholesale and consignment, and really started to develop my niche as the button girl. I now sell on an e-commerce site called big cartel (more on that later) and have continued making and selling jewelry and accessories as we have moved from Virginia to Massachusetts. 

I hope some of the things that I have learned will help a reader or two out who is considering starting a craft business or is continuing with a shop they own already. 

Thanks for reading!