by Jess | Interviews, Podcasts
In 2016, Catie Miller started listening to the Create & Thrive Podcast.
Fast-forward to 2019, and she now has a full-time, growing ceramics business! She listened to the show from the start, and used it as a ‘roadmap to success’.
I was so excited to chat to someone like Catie who has actually used this podcast to find success in her handmade business – and she has a fabulous story to share!
Not only has she managed to grow a thriving business – she’s done it all while having babies, building a house, moving studios… not to mention dealing with a broken kiln right when she had a big order to produce!
Catie is a trained artist who chose to focus on ceramics as her canvas – though she’s done other artwork, too – including a large public piece in her hometown of Fargo.
You’ll love this interview with Catie – she’s super down-to-earth, open and honest about the struggles of crafting a handmade business… don’t miss this one!
by Jess | Branding, Interviews, Other, Podcasts
Jill from For Strange Women works with natural ingredients to make perfumes. Which she sells – with wild success – on the internet.
Jill started on Etsy in 2009, and today, she not only sells online, she also has her own store in downtown Kansas City. With over 35,000 sales in her Etsy shop alone, Jill’s business is incredibly successful – and all based on selling something – scent – that people can’t even smell until they’ve bought the product. Jill formulates all her perfumes, and even today, it’s just her and one assistant running the whole business.
So – how has she grown such a successful business? I believe it’s been via the power of her branding and storytelling – and the fact that she’s remained true to herself, even when she was surrounded with doubters.
In this episode, we discuss the importance of being true to you in your business, and the way Jill’s business has naturally grown to where it is today.
If you would like to hear a beautiful and peaceful approach to running a handmade business, don’t miss this one.
by Jess | Interviews, Podcasts, Retail, Shop Design, Wholesale
What is it really like to own a brick & mortar retail boutique in the current economic climate?
My guest today – Meg Sutton of Belle & Union – has an interesting business trajectory.
She was working full-time, doing wedding invitations on the side… and then decided she wanted to launch her own business.
Instead of just opening an online shop, she worked for a full year behind the scenes, then launched her business at a major trade show in the USA.
It was a big success, and her business grew from there – to moving from strictly wholesale to also selling online – to now, where she has been running her own brick & mortar shop in San Antonio, Texas.
In this episode, we discuss her journey, and the realities of owning a b&m business – the ups and the downs.
If you’ve ever dreamt of opening your own shop (and let’s be honest – who hasn’t?!) don’t miss this episode.
by Jess | Interviews, Podcasts
by Jess | Interviews, Podcasts, Products
Like many of us, Jacinta’s business started when she couldn’t buy something she wanted – so she figured out how to make it. Fast-forward a number of years later, and she’s developed a successful niche business making products out of laminated...
by Jess | Branding, Interviews, Marketing, Podcasts
There are so many ways we can market our handmade business – and different methods will work more effectively depending on your business model. For Aidan Mackinnon of Cut Throat Knives, PR has been, by far, the most successful marketing avenue. In this episode,...
