Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show

Stacey Trock is the owner of FreshStitches. After a technical failure during our interview at The National NeedleArts Association summer show in June, we talked over Skype about the success of her kit club and why she is switching to digital subscriptions. We also discussed how and why she's diversified her income and her perspective on pacing her business growth, customer service, social media, and more. About Stacey Trock Stacey Trock, the owner of FreshStitches, recently relocated to Los Angeles with her husband and daughter. Stacey started her business in 2008 selling crochet amigurumi patterns as PDFs and has since expanded her business and diversified her income. She is the author of Cuddly Crochet, Crocheted Softies, and Modern Baby Crochet. She is a nationally recognized knitting teacher (and she explains why in the interview), as well as a crochet instructor of Craftsy/Bluprint classes. She also teaches business classes from time to time. She blogs and sells crochet and craft kits and craft eyes through her website. She designs crochet and knitting patterns. And, she recently transitioned her kit club to a digital ami club. You can find Stacey on FreshStitches and follow her on Etsy, Facebook, Instagram (as @staceytrock and @amiclub), Pinterest, Ravelry, Twitter, and YouTube. About the Episode This episode was inspired by a question Delisa Carnegie, the yarn dyer behind Apocalypse Friday, asked in the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Delisa wanted to hear from someone who had a subscription club, and since Stacey's club was the most successful one I knew about, I reached out to her. (Since the original request for an interview in the spring, Stacey has actually ended her kit club. You can read more about that and watch the video where she explains this to her audience here. Her new digital Ami Club is opening soon.) Stacey shared her perspectives on several important business topics in this interview, including: How and why she diversified her business from exclusively selling PDF amigurumi patterns in 2008 to starting an educational blog, selling individual kits, a her kit club (which has now transformed into the digital Ami Club), selling craft eyes and other supplies, writing books, teaching, and launching a yarn line; Managing a club, starting with understanding your customers, determining your price (and cost), deciding between prepaid and month-to-month subscriptions, being strategic about supply orders, technology for managing payments, inventory, packaging, shipping, and more; Her DIY approach to running her business, how she thinks about scaling, and deciding when and if to bring in contractors and employees to help; Her business philosophy, including her focus on flexibility, customer service, time management, organization, and social media; and Mindset, including speaking your business fantasies into reality. Stacey also answers questions from Delisa at Apocalypse Friday, Angie Doherty at Hooked by Angel, Carmen Nuland at A Simple Homestead, Angela Plunkett at Little Monkeys Design, and Anita Bose Natarajan from NitaB&NishaN. Listen to the podcast for more discussion from me and Stacey. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in November, 2016. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

Dedri Uys is the crochet designer, blogger, author, and teacher behind LookAtWhatIMade. I spent some time talking to Dedri and she was incredibly open and generous in sharing how she is able to work a full time job, be a devoted wife and mother, and still find energy and inspiration for her crochet business. About Dedri Uys Dedri Uys is the crochet blogger, designer and teacher behind LookAtWhatIMade. She is best known as the designer of Sophie's Universe, a stunning continuous square crochet blanket pattern available as a free, 18-part crochet-a-long. She is the author of Amamani Puzzle Balls and the coordinator/author of Big Hook Rag Crochet. Dedri is also a Scheepjes blogger and recently returned from her native South Africa, where she taught several crochet classes as part of a tour organized by BeInspired.Love. Dedri "believes that crochet is more than just a craft. It is a lifesaving panacea, a necessary creative outlet, a calming tool and a rewarding passion." Dedri lives in London with her husband, 3 sons, and a cat. Four days a week, she's a radiotherapist at Charing Cross Hospital. You can also follow Dedri on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Ravelry | Twitter About the Episode In this episode, I chat with Dedri about her business and we cover many topics including: How she started, grew, and diversified her business. The benefits and challenges of growing organically, including how she manages looking back on past projects that may not be "perfect." How teaching keeps her energized, even though she was initially nervous about it. Working full time in addition to being a crochet designer, and her suggestions for time management, involving others in your business, organization, and caring for your loved ones. Building the self-confidence to learn to say no to new opportunities to avoid burnout, stay inspired, and find more time for family, inspired by the C.J. Langenhoven's quote, "Yes is like credit. No is like cash." Learning to be vulnerable and the difference between guilt and shame from Brené Brown. (Dedri especially recommends this interview with Brené on Chase Jarvis Live: Authenticity and Bravery in a Digital World.") Dedri also closes the show with 3 things she wishes she knew when she started her business. Listen to the podcast for more discussion from me and Dedri. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in September, 2016. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

Heather Solos is a director at Feedblitz. I met Heather at the 2016 Snap! conference and we later had a Skype chat about best practices for growing, maintaining, and monetizing your email list. About Heather Solos and Feedblitz Heather Solos started blogging in 2004 and became a professional blogger in 2006. She joined FeedBlitz, an RSS and email marketing company, in 2012 where she built the customer service team. She's now a director at Feedblitz and swims in a sea of email, marketing, and best practices. When she comes up for air, she works for Home-Ec101.com, a site that earned her the blogger dream, a book deal in 2011. Heather is raising four kids, a dog, and a hedgehog with her fiancé in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. She runs on spite, caffeine, and wine and recently picked up a crochet hook in an attempt to resist checking her phone in the evenings. She now has more washcloths than dishes. About the interview In this episode, I talk to Heather about her own experiences with email lists as a blogger and what she has seen through her work at Feedblitz. (If you're new to the topic of email marketing, you may want to list to Episode 55: Email Marketing 101: Or, Why and How to Set Up an Email List for Your Creative Business.) Some of the topics we discussed included: Ways to monetize your email list through advertising, sponsorships, digital or physical product sales, and bundles/special offers for subscribers. The email open rate companies will be looking for before sponsoring a list. When to consider opt-in freebies to grow your list. When it's ok to use a more "salesy" approach to your list. Content ideas for autoresponders. How to approach an email list if you don't have your own website but operate out of a marketplace like Craftsy, Etsy, or Ravelry. How to find out the deliverability rate of your email list. What to avoid in your subject line, format, and email text to stay out of spam filters and when to use different email formats. List hygiene and maintenance. Tips for sending emails more regularly. Listen to the podcast for more from Heather about best practices in email marketing for creative businesses. I also share my experience using with the Feedblitz "test drive" and the service. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in July, 2016. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

Leslie Albertson is the director of marketing at Mixbook. I had the chance to get to know Mixbook in person at the 2016 Snap! conference and was later introduced to Leslie. We scheduled a Skype interview to talk about the best ways to present your creative business to potential sponsors and collaborators, following up after networking events, and more. About Leslie Albertson and Mixbook Mixbook's mission is to help you share and relive life's most important memories through its custom photo products. As director of marketing, Leslie brings her passion as a storyteller to Mixbook's content, community, and customer retention programs across it's portfolio of brands- Mixbook.com, Montage, and Mosaic Photo Books. Her past roles have included driving strategic partnerships with brands including Samsung, Verizon Wireless, and the NFL. Mixbook was founded by Inc 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs from UC Berkeley, and has been featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, TechCrunch, The Verge, Washington Post, New York Times and many other global media outlets. About the interview In this episode, I talk to Leslie about Mixbook's products and brands, networking at in-person events, follow up, and branding your creative business. Some of the topics we discussed included: Tips for approaching brands or potential collaborators at networking events, Identifying which brands would be the best fit for partnership with your business, How to stand out (in a good way) at your next networking event, Leslie's "rule of 3" for follow up after an event, Becoming comfortable with sharing and pitching ideas, and Ways to use Mixbook products as a portfolio, for packaging, and to brand your business in general. Listen to the podcast for more from Leslie about branding your business and working with brands. I also share my experience using Montage for a portfolio. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in June, 2016. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

Alexis Middleton is the crochet designer and craft blogger behind Persia Lou. I had the chance to meet her in person at the 2016 Snap! conference and we later scheduled a Skype interview to talk about the panel workshop, Generate and Pitch Ideas Like a Boss. About Alexis Middleton Alexis is a work-at-home mother of three and a lifelong crafter. She learned to crochet from her great grandmother as a child but put down the hook until a few years ago. She started her blog, Persia Lou, as a place to share her crochet projects and it has since expanded to include other crafts and home decor projects, too. You can learn more about Alexis by visiting Persia Lou. You can also follow Alexis online on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Ravelry | Twitter | YouTube About the interview In this episode, I talk to Alexis about her panel workshop at Snap!, Generate and Pitch Ideas Like a Boss. (Her co-presenters were Colleen from Lemon Thistle and Sarah from Confetti Sunshine.) Alexis also answers listener questions from Angela at Little Monkeys Designs and Carmen from A Simple Homestead. Some of the topics we discussed included: Ways to organize your inspiration, Whether you should consider working for free or for product, How to ask brands to get paid, Creating a cohesive visual brand across your website, Instagram, and other social networks, Staying focused on your business goals, and Taking time off to refresh creatively. Listen to the podcast for more from Alexis about growing your blog and creative business. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in June, 2016. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

If you're like most home-based business owners, you're bootstrapping your business and keeping costs low with a DIY approach. In this episode, I interview author, speaker, and digital entrepreneur, Lorraine C. Ladish, about how she bootstrapped her business. We also discuss when to invest and spend in your business, taking risks, taking care of yourself, and more. About Lorraine Lorraine C. Ladish is a bilingual author of more than 15 books, and a writer, editor, speaker, and digital entrepreneur. Lorraine is the founder and CEO of Viva Fifty!, a bilingual online community that celebrates being 50+. Lorraine is a contributing writer for NBC News, Huffington Post, AARP, BabyCenter, and Mom.me. You can learn more about Lorraine by visiting her website and VivaFifty! You can also follow her online on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter About the interview In this episode, I talk with Lorraine about a variety of topics, including the evolution of her own business, taking risks and gaining confidence, bootstrapping vs. working with investors, staying true to yourself and your mission, and knowing when to spend on your business. Lorraine also talks about defining success and setting goals for your business, writing a book, and how her yoga practice keeps her pain free and reduces the stress of being an entrepreneur. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in April, 2016. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

I interview Elayna Fernandez, author, speaker, and owner of The Positive Mom. About Elayna Elayna Fernandez is an author, international keynote speaker, and a key Latina influencer and storyteller through ThePositiveMOM.com. She lives with her loving husband and her three brilliant bilingual daughters (and home school students) in Fort Worth, Texas. Elayna's mission is to encourage, empower, and equip moms to have more influence at home, more impact in the world, and more income to make it happen. Elayna is also an award-winning Certified Guerrilla Marketing Master Trainer and the creator of the Guerrilla Positioning System™ (GPS) for mompreneurs or aspiring mompreneurs who want to increase their Credibility, Visibility and Profitability™. You can learn more about Elayna by visiting her blog, ThePositiveMOM.com. You can follow her online at Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube About the interview I had the chance to meet up with Elayna in person at the #WeAllGrow Summit by Latina Bloggers Connect in Long Beach, California. She was part of a very inspiring keynote panel. In the interview, Elayna shares her suggestions for involving your family in your home-based business, talks about how she uses her morning ritual to set herself up for success, gives recommendations for dealing with negative feedback and negative energy, and explains the way she organizes her time so she can be more productive. Resources mentioned in this episode Elayna recommends the following: The Four Agreements: A Practical to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz The 5 Love Languages website If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in March, 2016. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

This episode is all about multi-business collaborations, including blog hops, multi-designer make-a-longs, and in-person events. I share 4 reasons you might want to participate in such a collaboration, 7 tips for organization a multi-business collaboration, and 5 ways for being an ideal collaborator when you're not organizing the event. 4 reasons you might want to participate in a multi-business collaboration There are many reasons you may want to participate in such an event, but here are the four major ones: Introduce your business to a new audience and expand your reach. Network with other businesses and sponsors you may not have access to on your own. Earn more money. Develop friendships with like-minded business owners. I share more details about each of these in the episode. So, are you ready to organize one of these collaborative shindigs? If so, here are 7 tips for successfully organizing a collaborative event. Manage your fear of rejection. Decide who's in charge. Choose to curate or have open invitations. Get organized. Invite and follow up. Reach out to sponsors. Keep your word and thank your collaborators. I go into more detail about each tip in the episode. Hmm, that sounds hard. I'd rather participate than organize. Here are 6 ways to be an ideal collaborator that gets invited back again and again. Join groups. Read and follow directions. Ask questions if you're confused or have concerns. Communicate, especially about problems or delays. Promote the entire event/collaboration, not just your participation in it. And, for bonus brownie points, offer to help the organizer(s). I share more details on each way in the episode. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in February, 2016. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

If setting up (or enhancing) an email list for your business is on your list of New Year's Resolutions, listen to this episode. In this episode, I talk about why you should start an email list, how to get started, the different approaches you can take to an email list, and how to grow your subscriber base. Why should you have an email list? Here are just a few reasons why having an email list by benefit your business. It provides you with a direct connection to your fanbase without another platform as an intermediary. People check their email regularly throughout the day, so you can connect with them on their schedule. Your subscribers will have a direct, individual connection to your emails (rather than the feeling of being "broadcasted at" that comes with social media posting). Business report seeing boosts in sales after sending out emails to their subscribers. When your business faces another disruption (e.g., your website goes down), it's a great way of letting your audience know what is happening. How should you set up an email list? The most important thing is to get started, not to develop the most masterful email strategy that ever existed. You can always improve and update over time. I recommend starting with MadMimi or MailChimp, both of which have permanently free accounts for small subscriber lists. Both offer affordable plans for people with smaller lists, as well, so you can grow your list before spending a lot of time researching different companies and features. MadMimi is a bit easier (more "low tech") to use, while MailChimp offers more features in its free plan. How should you approach your email list? There are several simple options to consider for your email list. RSS feed: If you have a website or blog that you update with some regularity, you can set up an RSS feed so that your subscribers are alerted via email to any new posts on your site. Newsletter: You may want to write an email to your list on a regular basis (e.g., weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly). This can include links to your latest posts, original content for subscribers, roundups of relevant information you've found online, and more. Updates: You may choose to send sporadic emails to your list when something new happens in your business (e.g., a new product is released, you're teaching a new class, or there's a sale). Autoresponders: You may choose to set up a sequence of replies that are automatically delivered to your subscribers on a schedule based on when they subscribed. For example, the first email can be sent one day after they subscribe and the second email can be sent two weeks after they subscribe. Listen to the episode for more details about each approach. How do you get subscribers? Once you understand your approach, you can start recruiting subscribers. Consider letting potential subscribers know more about your approach wherever they can opt-in to subscribe. Here are some other ways to grow your email list. Update your website: Include subscription opt-ins in a sidebar, your About and Contact pages, and even in posts on your site. Update your social media profiles: Use the "sign up" option on your Facebook page, and include a link to your email list on your Ravelry, Etsy, G+, and other social profiles. Update your "thank you" message: Change the automatic reply sent to your customers on Etsy and Ravelry (or other marketplaces) to include a link to your mailing list. Giveaways: Some companies offer giveaways to their subscribers as an incentive to encourage people to sign up. Lead magnet: Offer a free ebook, checklist, or other desirable product "in exchange" for a subscription. Tip: Do not get stuck on this. If you don't have a lead magnet, you can still start an email list. Resources mentioned in this episode Listen to Episode 27: Connecting with Your Mailing List and More with Vashti Braha to learn more about Vashti's approach to her email list and how it impacts her business. Read 10 Reasons To Use Email Marketing (As Told By Small Businesses) on Forbes Check out the Useletter by Amy Lynn Andrews as an example of a curated/roundup approach to an email list Read more about (or sign up for) a free MadMimi or MailChimp account If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in December, 2015. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

As creative business owners, we thrive on feeling inspired. But what about those days when you just aren't feeling inspired or creative? I share 5 things that I do when I'm not feeling inspired to keep my business moving forward. Work through it Focus on other crafts Do a "mindless project" Take a break from the creative side of your business Express gratitude to someone else Other resource mentioned in this episode: Interview with Steven Pressfield on The Creative Penn podcast You can listen to the episode for more tips on dealing with a lack of inspiration. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in December, 2015. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

In this episode, I answer a listener question from Caroline Ruzicka from Cherie in Wonderland about using LinkedIn for a yarn-related business. Caroline asks, What about LinkedIn? I didn't see anything on your podcast about it, so I believe you didn't cover it yet. I use LinkedIn a lot in my main job environment (which is not related to yarn) but honestly I'm not sure this is really working in the yarn industry or for networking in this creative environment yet. I had a quick look today and it seems to me that most of the groups are closed and rather small. I actually do use LinkedIn for my yarn-related business, and unless there's a compelling reason not to use it (e.g., you work in another industry full time, and adding it to your profile may harm you professionally in that industry), you may want to use it, too. A few things to keep in mind about LinkedIn: It's a professional networking site, so language tends to be more formal. You will probably find it more useful as a site for professional networking, professional development, or finding business-to-business prospects, and less useful as a way to connect with consumers. It's alright to talk about yourself in third person or in first preson in your profile. Most yarn-related business owners won't need to share update on LinkedIn as frequently as on other social networks. Some of the ways yarn-related business owners might want to use LinkedIn are by: Joining groups on writing, self-publishing, social media, marketing, or other topics that may support the development of their businesses. Writing long-form posts that may help to build a portfolio for freelance writing or coaching. (You can find instructions for share these posts on LinkedIn here.) Searching for contacts at specific companies. Building a professional network. You can listen to the episode for more tips for using LinkedIn for your yarn-related business. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in November, 2015. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

In this episode, I answer a common listener question: How do I get my patterns published in a magazine? Even if you aren't a designer, you may want to listen as the same process is used for submitting tutorial or article ideas. But first, I shared why I was on a 6 week (!) podcast hiatus and my new philosophy about show notes. (Spoiler alert: They will be shorter.) So, how do you submit your crochet or knitting design proposals? First, if you haven't already, listen to Episode 1: Identify the Right Magazines to Target for Your Article, Tutorial, and Design Submissions for more information about choosing magazines that are a better match with your goals and design aesthetic. There's also a document with links to many magazines' submission information. Look for design submission guidelines, mood board, or other documents on the publisher website, and/or scan the Ravelry Designers group for current Calls for Submission. If you have guidelines from the publisher, follow them closely. If you don't have guidelines from the publisher, email to ask for an editorial calendar or to be added to their designer email list. In the absence of guidelines, share a sketch, swatch, romance text/description of your proposed pattern, along with a short bio and links to your Ravelry design page (or project page, if you've never published a pattern before). Fit this onto one page if possible. You can listen to the episode for more details about preparing your sketch, swatch, and romance text. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in October, 2015. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

This week's episode is a special one-year anniversary episode of the Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show. Listeners and former guests share their best advice by telling us the one thing they've done in the past 2 years that has had the most benefit for their businesses. Before we started on the advice, I shared the top 10 episodes from the first year of the show. Can you sense the themes? Episode 32: Journey to 100k Monthly Blog Visitors and More with Sedie Maruska Episode 8: Affordable Crochet and Knitting Fonts with Adriana Hernandez Episode 1: Identify the Right Magazines to Target for Your Article, Tutorial, and Design Submissions Episode 9: Selling on Etsy, An Interview with Ijeoma Eleazu from the Etsy Conversations Podcast Episode 2: 10 Ways to Use Pinterest to Grow Your Business (In Just Minutes A Day) Episode 3: 8 Tips for Organizing Your First Pattern Test Episode 23: Diversifying Your Income and Boosting Your Blogging with Tamara Kelly from Moogly Episode 29: Selling on Etsy, Passive Income, and Using Trending Keywords with Alexandra Tavel from Two of Wands Episode 21: 10 Habits for Successfully "Owning" (or Working) from Home Episode 4: 6 Ways to Engage with the Blogging Community It seems that topics related to blogging, selling on Etsy, and self-publishing patterns are enjoyed by most listeners! And, now on to the advice! Michele Wang Michele is a knitting designer. Michele says: "In regards to my design business, the one thing that has been the most beneficial is outsourcing. I've found a wonderful tech editor to work with, and have also worked with great sample knitters. It's increased my productivity and allowed me to focus more on designing." Joy Grise Joy is a crochet maker and designer. Her business is called Joy of Crochet. Joy's advice is: "Write your patterns! Crochet lends itself to improvisation so easy. Many crocheters can see a picture on Pinterest and they make a similar pattern off the top of their head. They assume that others can do the same and do not write the patterns that they come up with. So if you are making the same thing as everyone else, say you make a Minion hat, write up the pattern and offer it for free. If you make a pattern that fills a need that you have noticed so you made the product, write up the pattern so that others can make the item too. Don't be intimidated by your own skill level whether you are an expert or a beginner. The examples in my own life are my Ultimate Upcycled Owl which is a free pattern and my Half-Finger Fingerless Gloves." Tamara Kelly Tamara is the (mostly crochet) designer, blogger, and teacher behind Moogly. I previously interviewed her on Episode 23. Tamara's advice: "I think the most important thing is to stay true to yourself, and your own voice. It's important to listen to your readers/customers, but you have to keep going with the stuff that made you passionate about getting into this business to begin with. Otherwise it becomes just another "job" - and burnout will follow along soon enough!" Dana Gervais Dana is a knitting designer and owner of Dana Gervais Designs. Dana says: "I have noticed a shift in my business since I made the decision to approach my business with the same attitude and focus that I gave to my prior careers. I have taken the systems and tools that I used successfully in my previous ventures and adapted them to be applied to my knitwear design business. This has given my business structure, routine and made me much more productive." Amy Ramnarine Amy is the blogger and crochet designer behind The Stitchin' Mommy. I interviewed her on Episode 31. Amy's advice: "One thing that I have been doing for the past year or so, that has been the most beneficial to my blog, is sharing my posts across many social media sites. People are constantly on social media. They use it for news updates, to stay in touch, and get inspiration for projects, recipes, fashion, and more. I noticed that by sharing my patterns on different social media sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, StumbleUpon and even Ravelry, I am able to get more exposure for my blog from different groups of people. It has helped me tremendously with my traffic." Anita Bose Natarajan Anita is the knitting designer behind NitaB&NishaN, Inc. Anita says: "Invest in Yourself!!! Learn financial, business and 'your area of interest' skills. If you are starting out and have no funds, learn from all the freebies you can find - internet, people, print articles - anything. If you have some funds, research classes/subscriptions that will really benefit you, check on their pricing regularly and when the prices drop, buy them and learn. If you have funds you can set aside regularly for investing in yourself, keep a listing of nice to have classes/subscriptions, keep tabs on the pricing, and when the price is within budget, buy them and learn. I have always done one of the above depending on my financial situation and managed to move ahead - snail pace, but still ahead." I agree! I talked more about how I invested in myself and my business in Episode 18: 8 Best Investments I Made In My Business in 2014. Lindsay Lewchuk Lindsay is a knitting designer and maker, and the owner of Knit Eco Chic. Lindsay was my guest in Episode 26. Lindsay's advice: "Let your passion and character shine through each design." Joanna Joanna is a crochet designer known as Goddess Crochet. Joanna says: "My business is fairly new so the conclusion I came up with is: I didn't quit. Staying motivated to keep going and not give up is a must when you're dealing with a business that cannot be grown overnight. There are a variety of ways I keep motivated but the most impacting has been listening to podcasts. Listening to your podcast, small business podcasts, mom business podcasts, affiliate marketing podcasts, SEO podcasts, really anything I can get my ears on. Hearing tips as well as other regular people's success stories really motivate me to keep going, and to up my game." Kathryn Vercillo Kathryn is a writer and the blogger behind Crochet Concupiscence. Kathryn's advice: "I thought I'd share my simple-but-true business tip ... The best thing I've ever done for my business is stay true to my heart. It's important and smart to take a strategic approach to business but it's equally important to let your head quiet down so you can hear the beating of your own truth inside, following that towards any changes in business." Ashwini Jambhekar Ashwini is a knitting designer and tech editor. She is the owner of Ashwini J Designs, and she shared her approach to pattern grading in a bonus episode. Ashwini says: "As a newer designer, the two most important things I've done have been to 1) persevere and 2) diversify. I think it's tempting to envision rags-to-riches outcomes in this business, but I suspect that's not realistic, especially in the current climate. Even though sales were dismal at first, continuing to produce high-quality patterns has definitely begun to reverse the trend. There were times I wanted to give up: as I mostly design garments, each pattern is a tremendous amount of time and effort, and there were times it seemed not worth-while. However, I'm glad that I persevered and stayed true to my aesthetic style, as I'm slowly starting to see the pay-offs. Secondly, I've learned various aspects of the business by designing for different formats/ venues. I've published three designs in third-party publications in the last year and half, and all of them have operated a little differently from each other. It has been informative to see how the professional publishers display and promote my work. I also recently completed my first project with yarn support, and the logistics of the promotions and marketing have been different from what I've experienced for self-published designs without yarn support, or for 3rd-party publications. The skills I've learned by designing in each of these settings will be valuable in whichever direction I take my business in the future." Angela Plunkett Angela is a crochet designer and maker, and the owner of Little Monkeys Shop. Angela's advice: "The tip that has made a daily impact on me is about my tools - If I am going to crochet everyday, I need to use the best crochet hooks out there to keep from getting hand cramps, etc. I'm not sure which of your episodes this is from, but after that show I ordered myself a set of the Tulip hooks and love them! They were expensive, but much better than hand cramps! I'm know that I have utilized several other tips that you have passed one, but this tip is the one that stands out to me, probably because it's the one tip I use every day." Vashti Braha Vashti is a crochet designer, indie publisher, and yarn manufacturer. She was previously my guest in Episode 27. Vashti's advice: "I thought the answer to your question would be simple but I ended up with a list of ten things! Then I realized that five of them are all aspects of the same thing: Doris Chan crocheted ALL sizes of a new design in ALL colors of DesigningVashti Lotus yarn. At two CGOA conferences we had "fitting labs" with them, and had them all modeled at once in the fashion show of each conference. This ensured that crocheters got to know the yarn in the best possible way: they experienced the yarn's special drape and sheen as they tried on the garments. They saw all of the colors up close as well as on a runway. They gained lots of valuable and inspiring information about crocheting clothing in a memorable way: how more than one size of a well-designed garment fits fine depending on the look you want (for example, a smaller size may look trendy in a cropped, figure-enhancing way, while a larger size on the same person may have a breezy, swingy, streamlining look). How two people who wear the same size but have different body shapes look different in the same size. What good blocking does for a stylish design. Ideas for altering the pattern, for example, add repeats of the edging, or change sleeve length. (Doris also crocheted some simple variations.) And, they experienced all of this while chatting with the designer directly." Danielle Chalson Danielle is the knitting designer behind Makewise Designs. She also happens to be an intellectual property attorney, and I interviewed her about IP issues in Episode 7. "For me, the one thing that has been the most beneficial is to learn to trust my gut more. By that, I mean: trusting my instincts when a design idea is working or is compatible with my design sensibilities, but more importantly, trusting my instincts when a design idea is NOT working. It could be the shaping, the yarn choice, a stitch pattern, or the whole design altogether. Learn to trust that inner voice that the idea needs to be tweaked or even abandoned. I think that the more I do that, the more my designs will reflect a cohesive aesthetic or "voice" that is hopefully unique!" I don't suppose I could sneak away from this episode without sharing my own tips... Since I made the transition from being the full time employee of an organization with a side business in 2013 to being a fully self-employed person, I've found that there are 3 things that have allowed me to be self-supporting without relying on a full time job for income. Flexibility. I've had to be willing to make adjustments and course corrections to my businesses (while still staying true to myself, of course). Learning. I've had to make frequent investments of time and money in myself to keep learning new things to help my businesses thrive. Diversification. I have more than one business, and within each business, I have activities that lead to multiple streams of income. I've found that each one contributes to the others in unexpected ways. Recent review Kathy Kelly from Crochetbird gave the Show a 5 star review on iTunes. She says, "I am always surprised at the amount of useful information included in these podcasts. Definitely worth the time and an enjoyable listen too." Thanks, Kathy! If her name sounds familiar, it's because I responded to questions from Kathy in two past episodes: Episode 4: 6 Ways to Engage with the Blogging Community and Episode 45: How to Balance Two Creative Businesses. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in August, 2015. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).