The Handmade Bosses Show: Recent Episodes

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In today's episode I’m joined by Sophie to talk about why listening to one coach is important

Things we talk about in this episode:

• How Sophie has first hand experience of listening to too many Etsy coaches, which subsequently damaged her shop
• Sophie then found Steph, and her advice actually worked, and Sophie started seeing results
• If you find a coach, you need to see their stats, their Etsy shop, and proof that they know what they’re talking about
• Listening to too many coaches can be very overwhelming, and you may find yourself giving up before you get started
• Make sure you find someone who you gel with, and enjoy watching and being taught by
• You won’t like everyone and there will be coaches who annoy you, you won’t learn from these coaches, so move on and find another who you’re happy with
• Every coach has their own way to do things, but if you take advice from multiple sources, you’ll end up confusing yourself and your customers because your brand/ shop will look mismatched
• Don’t take advice from people who are not where you want to be, or don’t have the experience that can teach you how to get there
• The way people teach is key - some coaches teach using worksheets and visuals etc. Find a coach who teaches in a way that helps you understand and take the information in
• We all learn in different ways, so it’s important to find someone who teaches in a style that you get

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m joined by Sophie to talk about being resourceful, and thinking outside of the box in your handmade business

Things we talk about in this episode:

• Being resourceful to save money initially
• Problem solving in your business is a good skill to learn
• Thinking outside the box, how can you save money
• Train your mindset
• Email sequence tips
• How to overcome procrastination
• Free vs paid platforms and which ones you should have
• Breaking the barrier of saving time not money
• Investing in education is the best resource you can invest in for your business

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m talking about why handmade business owners need a funnel to get to $100k

Things I talk about in this episode:

• A funnel is a v shape with the widest part at the top where you gather your people, and then filter them down through the funnel (or the V) to the bottom point where you get a buyer at the end
• A funnel sounds scary, but it’s not. It’s just a way to filter out those people who are not in your target market, and focus on those who are
• You don’t want to become just another Etsy shop, you want to build a brand
• Your funnel creates super fan profit generators (SFPG) through your target market and branding.
• SFPG means that you are connecting with them on another level, they love your brand so much, and they’ll tell everyone about you. They become super fans, they buy from you no questions asked
• You’d rather have 100 super fans who buy your products and become repeat customers, than 1000 people who don’t love your brand, and are not crazy about your products
• You become an expert by using content marketing to show yourself as an authority. This builds trust with your brand, and this is so important to getting more sales.
• You build trust through the funnel, so this is why you need one in place
• Your brand needs to always stay at the top of customers' minds when they need your product.
• Do you feel like you’re constantly on a hamster wheel trying to get new people in and getting views and sales? Then you are ignoring your tribe who have already bought from you
• You are twice as likely to convert those who have already bought from you, than those who haven't’
• The Handmade Bosses Success Academy teaches you how to sell naturally on Etsy and beyond

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m joined by Erik Paul of Rocky Mountain Woodcraft to chat about how the power of knowing his target market grew his handmade woodwork business 10x in less than a year! Erik has recently earned his first 6 figures in a year too!

Things we talk about in this episode:

• How Erik had to choose carefully the products he sells, in order to ship them efficiently
• How the about section, being thorough with the personal story, about the business and being handmade helps to build trust in his brand
• The importance of post sale care to educate the customers on how to care for their products, leads to repeat customers
• How much the business has grown in a year
• How Erik expanded his skill set to improve his craft
• Once he knew his target market, he could create products that he knew they would love and buy
• Erik's customers then told him what they wanted, and he listened and create some best seller products
• The power of knowing your target audience, and how you can use that to build a successful business
• Erik is now looking into wholesale opportunities for the future

Where to find Erik online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rockymtnwoodcraft/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockymtnwoodcraft
Website: https://rockymtnwoodcraft.com/

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m joined by Savannah to talk about how she built a successful macrame business during the covid 19 pandemic.

Things we talk about in this episode:

• Savannah hand makes macrame wall hangings and accessories after losing her full time job due to the pandemic
• Since losing her job, it has been hard to find a new job, so she really got back into macrame and opened up her very own Etsy shop
• Savannah started her Etsy shop in February 2021, and has already achieved so much in her business
• All of Savannah’s products are eco friendly and made out of recycled cotton that would have ended up in landfill
• It started out as a hobby 3 years ago, but the pandemic enabled her to throw herself back into her passion for macrame
• Savannah makes every piece unique by using natural driftwood found on the local beach
• Her husband is a graphic designer, and helped with creating the business logo
• Savannah is confident to say that she owns a business now
• The SEO topic in the Handmade Bosses Success Academy helped Savannah to know she's on the right track when creating new listings for Etsy
• Since taking the course, Savannah’s orders have increased, she has a better price range, and variety of items that her target audience loves
• She is finding social media exciting again after getting to know her target audience, and being able to create a home hub for them to hang out.

Where to find Savannah online:
Etsy - www.etsy.com/shop/knotandolive
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/knotandolive/

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m joined by Sophie to talk about how to invest in your business

Things we talk about in this episode:

• Save your tax money each month in a separate account so you don’t get caught out at the end of the year.
• Have a system in place with your finances before you invest. Pay off debt and get stable before investing.
• Know what you're paying each month, and keep a track on your finances. Get rid of anything that is costing you money that shouldn’t be.
• Invest in your brand. You can do it yourself for the first year, but eventually you will need to get a professional to help you.
• Save money by using free tools when you’re first starting out. For example, use free prints for flyers, and stamp your own boxes.
• Invest in good quality packaging to avoid having to pay again due to damaged items.
• Invest your time into your business. You can’t get it back, and this is the slow method, but this is all you really have when you’re new and starting out.
• Invest your money - the quick method. This is good when you’re already earning an income from your business, and you’ve scaled and need to save your time now.
• Overcome mindset blocks around outsourcing tasks. You can’t do EVERYTHING in your business, and outsourcing isn’t as scary as it seems.
• Invest in high quality equipment to up level your business and bring in more sales.
• Start off with what you have. This trains you to solve a problem and be resourceful.
• Invest in education. This saves time over money - buying the fast pass to know exactly what to do will be so much better financially than wasting 2 years doing something wrong.
• Invest in high quality materials - don’t scrimp on quality, your customers will know.
• Invest in professionals - building a website, branding etc when you need to up level, scale and grow your business and you don’t have much time.
• If you don’t have time to do something properly, hire someone in to do it for you who does.
• Hire an assistant to take the tasks off your plate that take up the most of your time. Such as, emails, social media, box stamping etc.
• Look at what you do in a month, and outsource the tasks that you don’t enjoy/ can’t do etc.

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m chatting about where my top 2 places are to find keywords, for FREE!

Things I talk about in this episode:

• We want to find the perfect keywords for our business to sell our products
• There is no such thing as PERFECT keywords
• Keywords depend on what you sell, your target market and your business
• Etsy search bar is where you should be double checking your keywords, but also finding them
• When typing in the Etsy search bar , it will auto populate with some suggested keywords
• Research your keywords on the platform where you are going to sell your products
• Don’t just use eRank and Marmalead, these just give ideas for keywords
• Look at your own stats
• Look at the stats of individual listings by going to the cog next to each listing
• These are keywords that are bringing people to your shop already

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m chatting about how important it is to be duplicating your listings on Etsy!

Things I talk about in this episode:

• A lot of people don’t know that you can duplicate your listings on Etsy
• Your item can be used for lots of different reasons, and lots of different occasions, and may have lots of different uses
• It is impossible to condense all of those reasons, occasions and uses into one single listing
• Duplicate the listing as many times as you need to, and use different keywords
• Duplicate the listing and use different photos and copy too
• Cater for the person who is buying that item as a gift for someone else. What would they use to search for it?
• For example, a locket necklace can be used for Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, a birthday gift, a family keepsake or a bereavement gift.
• Dive deep into the occasion and reason of the item, and use keywords to target those people looking for a gift for that occasion
• Consider how different people shop, and what their mindset is like when shopping
• Cater the duplications of your listings to the person who is going to be searching for it.
• Duplications are also fantastic to test things out too! Including what photos work best, what tags work best, what copy works best etc.

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m joined by Erik Paul of Rocky Mountain Woodcraft to chat about how he grew his handmade woodwork business 10x in less than a year! Erik has recently earned his first 6 figures in a year too!

Things we talk about in this episode:

• Erik handmakes custom epoxy resin woodwork.
• How his Grandpa influenced his love for woodworking, which was a big part of his childhood.
• How the pandemic reignited Erik’s passion for woodworking, and drove him to start the business in August 2020.
• How Erik creates his own wood conditioner to keep his boards looking their best after purchase.
• Erik now offers personalised engraving, after investing in an engraver.
• Working from home in his garage, but the business has expanded so much, and he has now outgrown this.
• Erik rented a space for epoxy resin to increase the processing time on his orders.
• Found Steph on YouTube in June 2020, and then joined the Facebook group.
• The Handmade Bosses Success Academy worked too well, and he couldn’t get through the entire course because of the increase in the amount of orders.
• The target market section of the HBSA helped Erik the most in business, he knew what upgrades to make and can cater to what his target audience like and want.
• Erik works full time, then started the business, and has spent the first year reinvesting the profits into the business so he can leave his current job.
• Rocky Mountain Woodcraft is a family business which he runs with his wife Kristen who is currently on maternity leave with their baby son.
• How Erik makes and sends wood board butter and care instructions to his customers to maintain the items after purchase.
• Erik plans to run his business full time in a year, upgrade his workshop, bring in staff, and attend live markets and events
• A piece of advice from Erik is to try to limit the products to what is actually selling, and use your target market to influence what to make/ invest in.

Where to find Erik online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rockymtnwoodcraft/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockymtnwoodcraft
Website: https://rockymtnwoodcraft.com/

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m joined by Sophie to talk to about 6 ways to make more money by doing less

Things we talk about in this episode:

• Automate as much as possible.
• Automate your social media by using tools such as Later, or the native Facebook scheduling tool
• Automate emails and Etsy messages by using saved snippets
• Create upsells for your items - offer something to add on to an existing purchase by using your variations
• Create a cross sale - add something of MORE value
• Outsourcing - outsource the things you don’t want to do - for example taxes, social media scheduling, reply to non urgent emails
• Shadow yourself for a week and write down everything you do - and see where you’re wasting time
• Implement the 80/20 rule - where 80% of your results come from 20% of your actions.
• We think we’re busy when we’re not really
• Spend a day batch creating - It’s going to save you time, and money in the end
• Increase your prices - your pricing may be putting your customers off
• Perceived value pricing - show your customers that your items are worth the money

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m joined by Caron from Caron Made to chat about why it’s important to change in business, and trust your gut.

Things we chat about in this episode:

• Things change all of the time in business
• Don’t be afraid to try new things
• Test new things, try them out or you won’t know if they work or not.
• Change and listen to feedback from your customers, use this in your changes
• Ask your customers! Utilise your social media followers too!
• Streamline the process in your business to save time.
• Think outside of the box
• Look at your processes to make it better for you
• Trust your gut - don’t second guess yourself
• Doesn’t always matter what you say, do what your gut says!
• Perseverance - it’s not going to happen overnight!
• Use your time wisely

Where to find Caron online:Website: caronmade.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caronmade.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaronMade.uk/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CaronMade?ref=search_shop_redirect

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m talking about why some handmade businesses thrive, and why some fail.

Things I talk about in this episode:

• Setting big goals.
• Having a dream board so you can see your goals daily.
• Chunk that goal down into actionable steps you need to take to achieve that goal. Reverse engineer it.
• Chunk down further to quarterly and monthly goals so you know exactly what to do.
• Read the book Atomic Habits
• Make small but positive changes each day
• Start small, do it little and often to install a healthy business habit into your business routine
• Every little thing adds up to something big
• Businesses that thrive have to have a big deep inner why as to why you want to do your business.
• Brainstorm, journal and try to find your deep inner why, and write it down.
• How you react to negativity and change in your business is everything
• Write about it in a journal, write the pros and cons out, but don’t voice negativity out loud, because it will become true.
• If you have a negative experience, write 2 things that you have learned from the experience, and the actions you’re going to take to prevent it happening again.

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's mini episode I’m talking about how to tell the difference between anxiety and your gut intuition.

Things I talk about in this episode:

• Are you really suffering from anxiety about going through something outside of your comfort zone, or is it actually your gut intuition warning you?
• It can be very hard to trust ourselves when you are an anxious person.
• Anxiety is coupled with fear whereas, your gut feeling is coupled with a calm sense of knowing
• Anxiety is quick paced and tense, but your gut intuition is usually a deep calm feeling
• Anxiety is noisy - it screams your fears at you, but your gut intuition is like a calm friend trying to help you
• Anxiety makes everything 10 times worse than it actually is, but your gut intuition brings up a feeling of a potential problem, but also offers a potential solution
• Anxiety can usually be fixed with whatever works for you - deep breathing, meditation, laying down, medication etc
• Your intuition won't go away. It will always be at the back of your mind
• A good tip is to journal out what you’re feeling in the moment.
• Write out what's happening in your brain right now, don’t edit it.
• Have a conversation with yourself but on paper
• Then look back over this when you’re out of that phase, and see how you dealt with it, and what you learned.

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's mini episode I’m joined by Sophie to chat about traffic, target market & when to use ads.

Things we talk about in this episode:

• The difference between paid traffic and free traffic
• Free traffic is long term, it's organic, but it's the long game
• Paid traffic is the fast track, you can get traffic quickly, but it could eat into your profit so much it might not even be worth it
• Learn who your target market is before you pay for paid traffic
• Etsy allows you to work out what is working and what is not for free
• Etsy brings millions of customers to you for free each month so you can learn, and change
• Etsy is good at bringing you traffic if you set up your listings properly, you will get sales
• The way to get organic sales to your website now is to make content such as blogging, social media, YouTube etc
• Only use ads when you are already making organic sales
• DO NOT use ads if you are not selling. You will end up paying for terrible keywords that won’t sell, essentially wasting your money

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m joined by Caron from Caron Made to chat about how she was able to leave her ironing business, and work full time selling her handmade jewellery

Things we talk about in this episode:

• How Caron loves that she gets to make earrings for a living
• Why she niched down to earrings, and doesn’t sell a wide range of jewellery
• She had her ironing business for 8 years to work flexibly around the kids
• Caron made earrings as a hobby to explore her creative side, and then made some for her ironing customers because they loved them so much
• Started making face masks during the pandemic, and it went crazy
• Caron’s daughter inspired her to try making polymer clay earrings, and she loved it ever since
• Polymer clay was the thing that stuck out, and was passionate about them
• How as a business owner, Caron wears multiple hats including admin, social media, Pinterest, Etsy, her own website
• Found Steph on YouTube in March 2020, bought the course in May 2020
• Everything was new, she didn't know how to have an online business. The course was really helpful to learn everything like emails, Etsy, target market, branding etc
• After taking the course, she turned her hobby into a handmade business
• Caron became excited about living, and the opportunities that came to step into new world through having a business
• Small business owners are an amazing community, they support and also buy from each other
• Businesses fail if they don’t change. Caron’s business is completely different now from when she started
• How she uses social media when she needs to make a business decision to make a choice - surveying her audience
• Caron is now learning about colour psychology in order to make unique collections
• Caron says to trust your gut, do what you think is right for your business

Where to find Caron online:
Website: caronmade.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caronmade.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaronMade.uk/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CaronMade?ref=search_shop_redirect

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m joined by Sophie and we talk about Etsy vs your own website.

Things we talk about in this episode:

• Steph had her website before her Etsy shop
• Shopify is the best e-commerce platform. It’s easy and you can click and drag
• A website sounds glamorous until the shine wears off after 3 months when you have no traffic
• A website is different to Etsy
• Etsy brings you the traffic who are targeted people ready to buy
• With a website, you have to drive your own traffic
• Despite putting your website link in social media bio’s, you still won’t get sales if they’re not ready to buy. Shoppers come to Etsy ready to buy.
• You need to know your target market, pricing, and branding first before having your own website or it’ll tank.
• We would recommend to start an Etsy shop first
• Etsy helps to find your target market, and research them for free
• Your first year in business is one big A-B test. The benchmark is around 100 sales before you know what works, what people like, what they search for etc
• Etsy fast tracks you through this experimental phase, and can save you a lot of money
• You can use what the customers favourite to inform your product design process
• Free traffic is long term, where you can spend 6 months+ building organic traffic
• Paid traffic is the fast track version, but is it going to eat into your profit?
• If you set up your listings correctly on Etsy, you will make money
• In order to get organic sales to your website, you need content. Whether that’s social media or blogging etc
• Etsy ads will not help if your shop isn’t working organically
• Trust - people don’t trust websites that they don’t know, whereas they do trust big companies like Etsy.
• Etsy have the budget to market themselves and bring us the customers, so fees may be higher than your website, but they are worth it

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m joined by Meg from The Luxe Creative Co and we talk about branding mistakes you might be making

Things we talk about in this episode:

• Your brand story, your business journey, your WHY!
• Be genuine, be yourself
• No need for the rags to riches story
• How do I stand out from the crowd? How can I compete with others charging less?
• You are competing on brand and on YOU!
• Pain points you had and reasons for starting your business is what your customer is going through right now, so use them to attract them!
• Stop comparing yourself - be true to you!
• Connecting with your customers and treat them like they are your friends
• Changes to the brand - having to make changes isn’t negative, it means you are progressing, it shows growth!

Where to find Meg online:

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theluxecreativeco/
• Website - https://www.theluxecreative.co/

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I talk about 7 things you need to do to make 5 figures in your business.

Things I talk about in this episode:

• Focus on money generating tasks.
• Don’t obsess over the smallest things. Things that get you sales
• Focus on one thing. Specialise in one niche and become the expert in it
• The money is in the niche
• Have one theme if you have a few products
• Get support from like minded people. It’s invaluable to have people around you who understand you
• The first year of business is about learning and investing
• Make a plan
• Set monthly goals that gradually increase
• Create a growth plan, what do you need to do to reach your goals in 6 months?
• Do you need to hire someone to help you?
• Put systems in place to take the pressure off yourself
• Focus on building long term traffic sources - especially on social media
• Build a home hub for your target audience to hang out in. This builds trust and rapport
• Don’t focus on the numbers, focus on building a trustworthy brand that gives value to your customers/ followers
• Set boundaries and you can ‘fire’ your customers if they’re not your target market
• Your people are out there, you just have to find them and bring them to you
• What would a 5 figure a month business do?

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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Welcome to a new episode of the Handmade Bosses Show. Today I’m chatting all about money blocks! But, what are money blocks and how can you eliminate them? Keep listening to find out!

Things we talk about in this episode:

• We know about money from what we are taught from childhood.
• Money blocks are born from our opinions on a certain situation throughout our early lives
• Money blocks can also come from what we see on TV, films, and on social media
• A common money block is “I’m not worthy of making this money”
• What are your earliest money memories?
• What beliefs come up from these memories?
• Are they good or bad?
• Money blocks can come from the language our parents (or older relatives) used around us when we were younger
• What opinions do you have about money?
• How do your money blocks affect your business?
• If you are struggling with money right now, chances are there are some money blocks going on behind the scenes.
• Feeling guilty about owning nice things or treating yourself to something expensive is a money block
• Connect the dots between how you act now vs that memory you have about money
• Start to heal. Be aware of your money blocks and be kind to yourself.
• You are not a bad person for having money, or not having money.
• Identify when these blocks come up in your life now, and work through them. Journal about them and figure out how to overcome them
• Tell yourself the truth. Tell yourself that you feel like this because of this memory you have
• Know that at different stages of your business, different money blocks will prop up for you to deal with
• Pay attention to your mental health and your mindset around money

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In today's episode I’m joined by Sophie and we talk about mindset shifts for success

Things we talk about in this episode:

• Setting boundaries with the customer from the start and avoiding problems
• Setting an out of hours reply
• Taking responsibility for the problems you’ve caused yourself by not setting said boundaries
• Ask yourself “What have I put into place to stop this from happening”
• Not copying others when customers send screenshots
• Everyone thinks they are an expert until they are not
• Not your target market when they are sending 30+ messages before even ordering
• They will do it all the right way, praise you, leave reviews, value you if they are your ideal customers
• You have the right to fire a customer if they aren't the right type of person for you
• Protect your mindset!
• Mood hovering
• Change your mindset - switch negative to positive!

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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Today I’m joined by Meghan from @luxecreativeco and we talk about the 5 worst mistakes you can make with your business branding.

Things we talk about in this episode:

• How Meg loved branding so much she made a career out of it
• Brand authenticity to put your values in your business.
• Your brand is your shop front, and what people see first and what they connect with.
• The impact a bad brand has on your business
• Invest your time in learning about your branding, or hire an expert to do it for you to propel your business immediately.
• Be consistent in your content across all platforms
• Thinking that your brand is just your logo or your colour palette
• Tell your customers how you solve their problem
• Having an authentic brand builds trust and credibility, leading to more sales
• Not understanding the power that your brand story has on your customers
• Tell them what you do, why you do it, and why you love it, to connect with them on a deeper level
• Hire an expert to help you level up your brand
• The benefits of working with a brand designer
• Imposter syndrome and losing yourself due to comparing yourself to other brands
• Don’t get into bad habits. Everything you post, make sure it has a meaning, call to action and a reason behind it or you won’t provide value to your followers
• Build trust, build a relationship, be authentic and let people get to know you so that they remember you and come back to you when they want to buy your items.
• Reflect on your brand. Do your values still work? What can you change to make your business move forward? Does your branding still reflect the business you want it to be?

Where to find Meg online:

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theluxecreativeco/
• Website - https://www.theluxecreative.co/

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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Today I’m joined by Sophie and we talk about the mindset shifts that we’ve had to make as business owners, for different levels of success.

Things we talk about in this episode:

• Mindset determines everything about your business and your success
• Until we are selling to other people, and start getting reviews, we don’t know how good we are and this can impact our mindset
• Your differences are your strengths, and you have to play to your strengths
• Focus on you and your business, and your USP (unique selling point)
• People will pay extra when they love a brand
• You’re not going to be the same person you are month from month.
• Plan in advance and look ahead for anything that could go wrong, and prepare for it.
• Life lessons and things you’ve learned from your business as you grow
• Overwhelming tasks that you ignore
• What are you neglecting your customers from by not doing your tasks?
• Are you doing a disservice to your customers by not providing them with your products?
• I am giving my customer a solution for their problem
• What value do you bring to your customers that keeps them coming back?
• You don’t have to do everything everyday.
• Pick 4 tasks to prioritise, and concentrate on them to avoid burnout.
• Hire experts if you can’t do something.
• Constantly develop yourself, grow and learn and invest in yourself.
• You’re the best asset in your business, you need to protect yourself and use yourself wisely.
• You set the boundaries for what you are prepared to put up with. Set up auto replies so customers know what to expect
• Let things go, let people go to protect your mindset
• Protect your mental health by refusing customers, blocking them, and refunding their orders. They are not your target audience.
• Protect your mindset and your energy.
• Change your mindset from I HAVE to… to, I GET to…
• You’re not going to love your business all the time. This is normal!
• Don’t make HUGE decisions on a whim. Sleep on it.
• Get good at listening to your gut.
• Have a support group for help in making business decisions.

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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Today I talk about what to do when you get hate

Things I talk about in this episode:

• I have been on YouTube for two years and have received so many hate comments for; waving my hands around too much, people saying they don’t want to listen to my voice and saying I have a fake English accent.
• Why do people leave hate? Because they don’t have much going on themselves, too much time on their hands, jealousy, don’t have the courage themselves to set up a business and therefore the only way they can express this is through hate.
• I make myself busy so I don’t have time to dwell on the hate and so that my mind doesn’t have time to wander.
• The difference between hate and criticism.
• What immediate reactions you will have to hate and criticism.
• Who you shouldn’t take advice from and how to filter them out.

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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Today I'm joined by Libby Langley (social media coach) to talk about procrastination, fear and imposter syndrome, plus much more!

Things we talk about in this episode:

• Procrastination
• Feeling frustrated
• Quick wins/sales that aren’t a reality Self doubt
• People have too many platforms,
• Determination, longevity and a strategy
• Not millionaires over night
• Social media doesn't work over night
• Compare to other people and wonder why you're not growing your social media
• Start with one channel and master that.
• Self criticism
• The best platform to match your audience
• Fears in business
• Journey of self discovery
• Fear of success
• Imposter syndrome
• Accepting your fears and changing your mindset
• No need to be an expert on EVERYTHING

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Where to find Libby online:

• https://libbylangley.com
• www.instagram.com/libbylangley

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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Today I talk about my story, how I left my awful 9-5 job and how I built up my business

Things I talk about in this episode:

• I have been in the jewellery trade for many years.
• I feel like business has always been in my blood and soul as my dad was a businessman.
• I knew I wanted to have my own business but thought of other jobs like a vet; which I could work part time as due to earning enough money, photographer or a forensic scientist.
• People always put you off having your own business due to saying get a ‘real job’.
• I was stuck in a job that really affected me and pushed me more to set up my own business.
• I began to suffer from anxiety and depression. I was ill every three weeks or so and had to have an emergency operation due to passing out and I had lost all of my energy to even care.
• This taught me not to take life for granted and made me realise that I am responsible for my life and whatever I do, I am responsible for.
• I opened my Etsy shop and within a few days I had my first sale.
• I went back to my job after I had recovered and my mindset had completely changed and I had put up a barrier. I began to not care what people thought and I had a sense of renewed hope and self worth.
• My routine was to wake up and get the bus to work at 6am, it was an hour long drive and I’d just be constantly learning the whole way to work and home. I also used my lunch break at work to do extra learning and then on an evening when I got home, I worked on my Etsy shop and did my orders.
• I critiqued four shops a day, what was good/bad about these shops, their target market and decided what I would do differently.
• By December 2015, I had earned $6200. I knew I wanted to quit but was too nervous and worried about letting people down.
• By April 2016 I was brave enough to leave my job and take my business full time. I knew that now I would be financially better and would have more time on my hands to do my own thing.
• We all have the knowledge and skills to build a business

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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**Welcome back to another mini episode! These mini episodes are packed full of useful, bite sized chunks of information for you to easily, and quickly digest!

This week I'm joined by Sophie to talk about our morning routine tips for success.

Here's some things we chat about in today's episode:**

• Planning out your week in advance
• Procrastination
• Stop putting yourself under pressure to ALWAYS work
• Be easier on yourself
• Getting organised
• Planning your week
• Batching

**To watch the full episode, head over to Episode 07 - Morning Routine Tips For Success

Links from the episode:**

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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This week I'm joined by Libby Langley to talk about overcoming toxic social media cycles.

Just some of the things we talk about in this episode:

• How Libby became a social media marketing expert & what made Libby fall in love with it
• The world is open to us all from our smart phones
• The difference with social media in 2009, compared to now
• Panic posting and procrastination - constantly taking photos and posting all the time because even though it doesn’t work. This leads to self-doubt, criticism, burnout and negativity.
• A vicious cycle that leads to toxic social media cycles
• The fact that all projects start off well due to us being super keen and then feeling like you haven’t got anywhere after six weeks.
• It takes longevity and determination to make social media work
• People expect social media to be an incredible launch pad but that isn’t realistic
• Comparing your business to other businesses and how to make sure your business provides value and it makes a difference.
• The importance of mastering one social media platform and then start branching out to the others.
• Research what platform your audience is on by profiling them, and use that one and focus on it fully.
• Do one, do it well, put all of your energy and efforts into it, build a following, get comfortable in how you create content, and then repurpose that content in other areas
• Don't worry about the numbers! Just enjoy it. We have to start somewhere
• Use the time to hone your craft, get confident sharing content, find out what content works for your audience
• Use the tools that exist and will make a difference to your exposure, in a way that you're comfortable with. Enjoy making content.
• Why it is important to experiment what social media platform is the best platform for our audience and the best things to post for your target market.
• You need to make sure content is valuable and can tell that you’re enthusiastic and passionate.
• Treat your content like you're having a coffee with a friend. It doesn't need to be perfect.

Links from the episode:

• Join the Flourish By Handmade Bosses Live Event - https://www.handmadebosses.com/flourishbyhandmadebosses
• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Where to find Libby online:

• https://libbylangley.com
• www.instagram.com/libbylangley

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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Things we talked about in this episode:

• Overcoming mindset blocks. From fixed mindset to growth mindset.
• Talking about mindset shifts before, during and present in business.
• Having a positive outlook
• Steph's philosophy “turn your hobby into an business”
• Bringing people together “community over competition” vibes
• “There is room here for everyone”
• The market is NOT saturated!

Where to find Jackie online:

• Jackie’s Etsy Shop (Grab Bag Botany) - https://www.etsy.com/shop/GrabBagBotany
• Jackie’s Website - https://www.grabbagbotany.com/
• Grab Bag Botany on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/grabbagbotany/
• Grab Bag Botany Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/grabbagbotany

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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Today we talk about our morning routine tips for success

Things I talk about in this episode:

• Before 9am I don’t check emails or work, just get kids ready.
• Don’t log straight into work at 9am - spend half an hour tidying up after the morning rush
• Work in school hours, not when kids are at home. Be respectful to them and be present when they’re home, that’s why I went self employed in the first place
• How you start your day is how your day carries on. If you’re in a grump in the morning, it puts you in a bad mood, and the rest of your day turns out like that.
• Tea and snacks to hide from the kids
• Always hydrate before you caffeinate in the morning. Drink water before coffee.
• Nurture the first part of your day. Craft the first hour of your day and pack the good stuff in there you enjoy doing first
• Routines have to be baggy. Be able to fit and move in them. Leave yourself a buffer.
  Not too baggy though! Find a middle of baggy bin bag, and tight dress.
• I don’t have an alarm - it puts me in the worst mood. Instead have a bedtime alarm at the end of the day - and wake up depending on how much sleep you’ve had
• Set lots of alarms - to make sure you have different alarms to get things done by.
• Set an alarm for 3pm to remember to pick the kids up from school
• Don’t have a wake up alarm but have alarms for certain things to be done by certain times.
• When starting work - check emails and orders, update spreadsheets. Then do the project or important things
• Plan out your week in advance - when you wake up and don’t know what you’re doing that day, you end up finding things to work on and end up doing things to stay busy.
• Ideas are cheap - execution is expensive
• Batch creating helps massively
• Work on 4 things a week and really focus on them, don’t get distracted. Prioritise
• Plan your week in a loose but structured way so you don’t get distracted.
• Journal what's on your mind.
• Schedule a break or lunch break to have a rest from work.
• Know how you perform best. Understand how your body works and work around that.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get things done. You’ll feel a failure and become a failure because of the wrong mindset.
• If I have a mountain of tasks to do, I do nothing, so I do a brain dump. Get everything out of your head and onto paper for each task. Make it fun and colourful if use on a daily basis

Links from the episode:

• Join the Flourish By Handmade Bosses Live Event - https://www.handmadebosses.com/flourishbyhandmadebosses
• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/

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On today's mini episode we talk about:
• pricing your items, and the damaging effects it can have on your business if you don't get it right from the beginning.
• Can you really make your business grow if you're in a busy niche or saturated market?
• Wrong types of customers and the effects it can have

Links from the episode:

• Join the Flourish By Handmade Bosses Live Event - https://www.handmadebosses.com/flourishbyhandmadebosses
• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

Where to find Sophie online:
•The English Print Co website - https://www.theenglishprintcompany.co.uk/pages/starthere
•The English Print Co Instagram - http://instagram.com/theenglishprintco
•The English Print Co Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/theenglishprintco

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Today I talk about the first thing I wished I’d have invested my first £1000 into

Things I talk about in this episode:

• I wouldn’t advise going out and spending crazy on a new car/ bag etc
• Invest it back into your business
• I made a lot of mistakes when my business was young, so I’m here to stop you doing the same!
• I invested in Facebook ads and a Social Media Manager that wasted both my time and money. Lesson learned!
• Create a business hierarchy list - list all of the hats you wear.
• Create a team chart with you at the top and all of the departments under that. Put all of the jobs you do and split them into the different departments.
• HIRING - it’s not as bad as you think it is.
• Slowly hire from the bottom up. Hire out tasks at the bottom of your list
• For example, your marketing team list. At the bottom will be something like posting on social media - hire it out first and work your way up the list
• The more hands and man/woman power you can get in your business, the faster you are going to grow
• You can’t do it on your own - you’ll only get so far
• If you have an income cap and you can’t break through it - that is likely because you need more manpower in your business.
• I wish I hired out my first role.
• I wish I had hired a Virtual Assistant sooner for tasks like social media and bookkeeping

Links from the episode:

• Join the Flourish By Handmade Bosses Live Event - https://www.handmadebosses.com/flourishbyhandmadebosses
• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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Today I talk about productivity shaming in business

Things I talk about in this episode:

• How ‘productivity shaming’ has been born from this ‘hustle hard’ mentality which meant you had to hustle hard and this has caused damaging mindset shifts.
• How do you feel when you have time away from your business and you’re not working - feel like you’re being unproductive?
• Are you worried about the time you’re ‘wasting’ as you could be spent working on your business?
• Do you feel a sense of guilt when taking time off at weekends etc? This guilt breads this mentality of feeling like you can’t disconnect from your business.
• Do you feel productive, when you’re actually burning yourself out?
• Are you experiencing stress, anxiety and burn out?
• We all dream of building a business that gives us more time with our families and to live a life on our terms, but we end up getting addicted to productivity
• I link my self worth to my work achievements, so if my business fails, I fail too which is so damaging.
• Your body will give you signs to slow down, and if you don’t listen it will make you stop by getting ill.
• Stop linking your self worth to your business achievements!
• Sprinkle some achievements in your life that has nothing to do with your business
• If you use work to escape your personal problems, this is a big warning sign!
• Doing something because you’re stressed or bored like eating? Also a huge warning sign of stress, anxiety and burnout
• Using work as an escape mechanism to avoid things that are going on? Warning sign!
• Start to become self aware and acknowledge if you’re doing the above, and make a plan to stop it.
• Maybe implement office hours, Monday to Friday, 9am - 4pm and stick to them!

Links from the episode:

• Join the Flourish By Handmade Bosses Live Event - https://www.handmadebosses.com/flourishbyhandmadebosses
• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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Today I welcome Jackie to the podcast to talk about how she made $100,000 with her jewellery shop.

Things we talked about in this episode:

• How Jackie binge watched and implemented all of our FREE content which enabled her to make $5000 a month!
• How the Academy enabled Jackie’s Etsy shop to work on its own, so she could concentrate on her website.
• How her father influenced Jackie to start her jewellery business, after visiting the ‘grab bag botany store’
• How Jackie started out learning how to teach yoga, and ended up preserving flowers in resin instead
• How Jackie overcame imposter syndrome and changed her mindset from fixed to a growth mindset
• How another resin maker (who Jackie initially looked up to) had blocked Jackie on Instagram, and this lead to a movement of supporting other makes as there’s ‘room for everyone’
• Why when Jackie became successful, she experienced other makers copying her items and designs.
• How social media enabled Jackie to build a community and communicate with her customers
• How there’s a fine line between helping someone who has their own style who doesn’t know how to express it yet, and someone who just wants to copy you and know exactly where you get your materials from and who your suppliers are
• How to build hype on social media to get people excited before a big launch, without giving away your ideas to other makers
• How Jackie earned $100,00 in less than 17 months in business and is on track to earn her first 6 figure year in business this year
• How the 1:1 coaching with Steph helped Jackie to accelerate her business
• How Jackie wished she knew how Etsy SEO worked at the start of her business, so she didn’t have to go back and change all of her listings
• How having a brand and knowing your target market helps you get more sales
• Jackie says "just start and keep going" when you're starting out and "don’t listen to negative people who don’t believe in what you do".
• How being a business owner has taught Jackie that you don’t need to be an expert in something, you just have to be resourceful to succeed
• How Jackie actually HATED nature when she was younger, and now it’s her biggest passion

Where to find Jackie online:

• Jackie’s Etsy Shop (Grab Bag Botany) - https://www.etsy.com/shop/GrabBagBotany
• Jackie’s Website - https://www.grabbagbotany.com/
• Grab Bag Botany on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/grabbagbotany/
• Grab Bag Botany Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/grabbagbotany

Links from the episode:

• Join the Flourish By Handmade Bosses Live Event - https://www.handmadebosses.com/flourishbyhandmadebosses
• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

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Today I welcome Sophie from The English Print Co to the podcast to talk about how she left her 'safe' nursing job to take her small print business full time.

Things we talked about in this episode:

• How the Handmade Bosses Success Academy transformed Sophie's business, giving her her best year in business to date
• What to do when you're in a saturated niche, and how to stand out
• How pricing your products correctly from the start allows you to earn more money, invest in your business and be a better business owner
• Why having the wrong target customer is "noisy" for your business, and why they take up so much time and energy
• You have the right to cancel orders to protect your own mental health
• Why Sophie fell in love with prints and started her own print business
• How Sophie gave her partner a subtle hint that she wanted to get married using her prints
• How niching down helped stop burnout, and increase sales
• The importance of having a clear brand, and how it makes customers trust you
• How Sophie found her passion by researching ways to help her son (who has oversensitive hearing) by focusing on simple and calm living and bringing it into her business
• How Sophie plans to bring a simple and calm life to the world with her new course
• How to avoid stress and anxiety in business, and take back control of your life with mindset shifts Sophie had to make
• How leaving her NHS job and taking her print business full time enabled Sophie to live a life she is much happier and content in
• Why Sophie left her job to be able to take her children to the park on a weekend, and be a fun mum again
• Building a flexible lifestyle brings a life of happiness from being self employed
• The perks of having complete control of your life by being your own boss
• How Sophie realised she “was made for being a small business owner” after leaving her ‘proper’ job, and how she wished she’d have done it sooner
• How much it costs to sell on Etsy, and all of the fees included
• The difference between having your own stand alone website and an Etsy shop
• You can run a full time handmade business from Etsy if you learn and put the effort in

Links from the episode:

• Join the Flourish By Handmade Bosses Live Event - https://www.handmadebosses.com/flourishbyhandmadebosses
• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Where to find Sophie online:

• The English Print Co website - https://www.theenglishprintcompany.co.uk/pages/starthere
• The English Print Co Instagram - http://instagram.com/theenglishprintco
• The English Print Co Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/theenglishprintco

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THE ETSY STAR SELLER SYSTEM - What it means, my thoughts and what to do going forward

Links from the episode:

• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph - 
  https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In this episode we talk about what to do when sales are slow:

• Sales will be slower in the warmer months as lots of people are out enjoying the sun and the summer holidays
• Focus on your own numbers - don’t go into forums or Facebook groups looking at screenshots of other people’s numbers, it’ll get you down if you compare your shop to other people’s
• Stay away from forums and toxic Facebook groups - join our Facebook group that is a safe and positive space for you to be and learn (we do fortnightly live teaching sessions!)
• What are you willing to do to make your business a successful one?
• Don’t go in and go crazy - don’t change EVERYTHING in your shop. Focus on data not feelings.
• Don’t go into Facebook groups, follow their advice and change everything in your shop based on that advice. That may have worked for them, but it doesn’t mean that it’ll work for you and your shop
• Your shop will fall off the face of the Earth because you’ve made these changes, changed your SEO and not left it 60-90 days or not changed it strategically in line with your business.
  You’ve changed something based off of what you feel, not your data.
• Only change things that need to be changed
• Not getting sales? Then it may be a traffic problem - go into your data and look at what’s wrong
• Focus on connecting with your customers/ target audience - be a fly on the wall in Facebook groups or Instagram accounts. Find out where your target customer hangs out, and make a note of what kind of words they use? What kind of questions are they asking? What kind of people are they? Where do they live? Where do they work? What car do they drive? - really connect with them

Links from the episode:

• Join the Flourish By Handmade Bosses Live Event - https://www.handmadebosses.com/flourishbyhandmadebosses
• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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In this episode we talk about the 5 things most people do wrong in their handmade business:

1 - Not knowing your target market

Your target market is the sun around your entire business, if you don’t know your target market, you’re going to struggle to make sales.

2 - People don’t niche

If you have a general gift shop, you need to niche down!

You can do it for a certain amount of time - but eventually it will turn people off

If you have different target markets in the same shop, niche down and become the expert in one area

3 - Too many social media platforms!

You’ll end up spreading yourself too thin, and not taking time to learn that platform can be damaging (especially if your target market isn’t on that platform)

Open just 1 social media when you first launch, and nail it. It is easily possible to get to 6 figures with 1 or 2 social media platforms, you don’t need them all

4 - Don’t clarify their offer enough

You need to know why your target market buys what they buy from you.

What pain point do they have that your product solves?

What are the possible objections they’ll have to buying from you there and then?

Ask yourself these questions before you list a product (or make a business ideally)

Sit down and clarify your offer/ product

5 - Don’t take advice from too many places

You often head to Facebook, podcasts or YouTube to find advice.

This is actually damaging your shop! Taking snippets of advice from different people who have different shops means that your shop becomes a patchwork of mismatched advice, and no longer a business that’s true to you, your values, your target market, or your brand.

Find one person who you love, who is in the situation that you want to be in (want to earn 6 figures in your handmade business? - find someone who is doing that now) and listen to that 1 person so you can trust their advice.

Links from the episode:

• Join the Flourish By Handmade Bosses Live Event - https://www.handmadebosses.com/flourishbyhandmadebosses
• Interested in enrolling to the Handmade Bosses Success Academy? - https://www.handmadebosses.com/HBSAenrol
• The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate - https://www.handmadebosses.com/conversion
• The 30 Day to A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan - https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days
• Find out more about Steph -https://www.handmadebosses.com/aboutsteph

Handmade Bosses Socials:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadebosses
• https://www.instagram.com/handmadebosses/
• https://www.youtube.com/c/HandmadeBosses

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Stephanie C from Handmade Bosses reveals what it’s like to run a successful handmade business on Etsy and beyond. This podcast is for those of you who are serious creatives, who want to turn your side hustle or hobby into a thriving 6-figure business, so that you can enjoy the freedom and flexibility of being your own boss, whether that's on Etsy or beyond.

Stephanie C is the founder of the Handmade Bosses Success Academy, a school to learn how to set up an Etsy shop, understand how search engine optimisation works, create knockout descriptions with epic tags and keywords, take incredible product photographs, make daily sales on Etsy and also, how to set up email marketing and creating your own website beyond Etsy. It’s everything you need to help you better understand how to run an online handmade business. Whether you are a handmade business owner already, or you’re thinking of starting one, this podcast has you covered.

Featuring:

• Coaching sessions with previous students asking important questions and answering those live!
• Etsy Discussions where you’ll join guest experts (sharing their insights and knowledge), for an honest coffee chat about handmade businesses, including pricing, naming your shop, SEO, branding and target market.
• Mini masterclass sessions with Steph teaching you something you can implement in your handmade business straight away, and see real results!

Steph is dedicated to breaking down barriers and promoting healthy discussion around handmade businesses. You know those Etsy forums and Facebook groups can be a toxic environment to be, so she created this podcast!

Don’t forget you can watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube - @handmadebosses.
Leave a review to help us reach more bosses who need help within their handmade businesses, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @handmadebosses