Holiday 2019 Business Prep Challenge Week 4 Emails

Week 4, Day 1:

Good morning: I can't BELIEVE this is the beginning of week 4!

I hope you have been enjoying the challenges so far and that they have helped you to get a kick start to your online holiday sales season. To review, we talked about email marketing in week 1, social media in week 2, eCommerce last week, and now this week we will talk about all things SHOW related! In particular, we will touch on show display tips, packaging tips, and product pricing. 

Today's task: Take a look at your schedule for the rest of the year: do you have enough packaging on hand? Bags, boxes, tissue, etc? You will save money by purchasing your packaging in bulk, and now is the time to get it all ordered before the holiday season. No one loves running to the dollar store the night before a show to get bags!

One of the great things about our group is that we are all here to share and learn from one another. Great packaging sources are something that can be helpful to everyone: feel free to come over to the group to share your ideas/sources/questions and maybe you can connect with someone who could even "buddy up" with you on some bulk packaging orders. 

Click Here To Talk About Packaging!

See you in the group!

Week 4, Day 2:

Good afternoon: it's a rainy, dreary day here in Pittsburgh, so I've been working my little fingers off trying to get some "clerical" work done. Not gonna lie: this part of business ownership kind of stinks.

This week, the challenges are all about product packaging, show display, and pricing your products appropriately. Yesterday's challenge was to talk about WHERE and HOW we are packaging materials, and there were a lot of comments and questions that came up about shipping. It got me thinking: how can I help to make this easier for everyone?

Today's task: I would like to know HOW you are shipping right now (and if you even are!), meaning, are you packing up your items at home and taking them to the post office? UPS/Fed Ex? Are you printing your shipping labels from home and scheduling a post office pickup? Click below to post in the group: shipping was a hot topic and I think that this is the perfect time to learn some new tricks.

Let Us Know HOW You Do Shipping!

I would love to get some more clarity on this and share with everyone how shipping can be faster and easier, ESPECIALLY since you have just done all of this work to polish up your website for the holiday sales rush. This will be a good one.

See you in the group!

Week 4, Day 3:

no email today

Week 4, Day 4:

Good morning! Hopefully you have had a chance to take a look at your packaging and shipping options this week. This is a great time to look forward to your show schedule and anticipated online sales and take advantage of bulk/wholesale supply pricing by ordering supplies for the season in one order.

We have talked about so many of the things surrounding the sale of your handmade product, so now it's time to talk about the actual PRICING of it. Yes, yes, this is a sticky and uncomfortable topic. Handmade sellers in particular are notorious for not charging enough for their items, and I'm here to tell you: if you aren't charging enough, you are blurring the line between "business" and "expensive hobby". 

I have put together a basic guide to help you undertstand what costs you need to take into account when you are calculating your product sales price. The important thing to understand is that cash flow does NOT equal profit. What I mean is, lowering your price for quick sales does not make you more money: in fact, you LOSE more money if you are selling products at a price that does not cover your costs.

Today's task: Download the free product pricing guide here, then open up a spreadsheet and start a list of your static and variable costs. Figure out your cost per bag, mailer, bead, ingredient, etc...and put the real number in the spreadsheet. This is going to be the beginning of your pricing worksheet that is going to elevate your business from hobby seller to a profitable business. 

Get Your Handmade Pricing Guide Here

This is another one of those "not so fun" tasks...but bear with me. It's a necessary part of running a real life business, and if you can get yourself a solid pricing stragey set before the holiday sales kick in, you will see your profits steadily climb as you grow. 

See you in the group!

Week 4, Day 5:

Good morning, and Happy Friday! I am SHOCKED that this is the last Friday in October: how did that happen?!

This week, we have talked all about the details of physically getting your products into your customers hands.

The last week of our challenge wraps up with some tips on how to "level up" your craft show display. This challenge was all about getting ready for show season, and your display is your literal storefront where your customers will have their in-person shopping experience with you. This is why it is so critical to have an amazing display: you will be using your craft show to capture your customer's email address, and you want to be able to recreate your booth experience for them in your online storefront. 

Today's Task: download this craft show display tip guide, then take a look at your display and see if there are any areas where you can tweak or make changes for the next show. Maybe you can add some interesting display pieces, organize your products into matching bins, or re-arrange your layout into a more shopper-friendly configuration!

Download Your Show Display Tip Guide Here

Once you have taken a peek at the guide, please feel free to come over to the group and share some pics of your booth display 

See you in the group!