Do More...

Here's a big burst of color and inspiration to start off the week! 


Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. We sure did- packed up the car with snacks and went for a long drive out in the country (have I ever mentioned this is one of my all time favorite things to do?), walked the local trail that the winds through a historic barn and farm, boxed up odd and ends around the house (you know, to be prepared :), played castle again & again (Jack makes me the queen every time, good boy!), checked out the museum of science (our go-to place for Jack, the budding engineer) and enjoyed some minty hot chocolate by the fire.  

Looking forward to this week...I've got my coffee and am ready to start checking things off my list! Who's with me?  Cheers to a fantastically productive and rewarding week!  xo

{print from Amy Tangerine via Design Editor}

Newness

Been awhile since I shared some new things I've whipped up:

Chevron Clutch in Steely Blue. 

Really can't get enough chevron now can we? 

See? More!

Part of a custom wedding order. Loved the choices so much, I had to make more to put in the shop. 

And the sweet little flowers... 

 ...and more...

...and more.

 New Poppy Brooch color in Cantaloupe. Yum. 

A purple I really love. 

Making organizers in new prints every week! Got some organized buyers out there! 

Love to hear your thoughts and what you've been working on lately. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, xo.

Spring Flowers

Happy Friday! Aren't these flowers lovely? Like a burst of happiness. And, honestly, just what I needed this morning. Long, tough, crazy week.  Going to focus on calm and thankfulness today.  What is your focus for today?


{flower prints from my new favorite artist, Rebekka Seale }

Introducing New Coaching Sessions

Hooray!
I've redesigned my business coaching services and added more sessions - focusing on specific needs for your business.  From concept development to shop review to an overall business boost - I'm your girl.  


It's only been a few months since I began offering business coaching sessions and in that time I've worked with some incredible entrepreneurs.  A few looking to sort out their ideas to launch their dream.  Others needing more of a trained eye to spot areas of improvement. And a couple who were ready to move on - open a brick and mortar shop and enter the world of wholesale.  I am truly thankful to be part of their creative business journey! 


Here's a bit about each:

Bright Idea: Concept Development 

Woo hoo! You’ve got an idea! A little spark of awesome, just bursting to be made into something amazing. In fact, you can probably contain yourself right? So much excitement, but yet, probably a lot of anxiety too. Perhaps, there’s even a good dose of frustration. Because with ideas like this, where do you begin?

Let me help. I’ll take your bounty of big ideas and guide you into developing a strong, viable core concept.  I’ll listen to your dreams and transform them into a practical plan.  I’ll design a customized, just-for-you report with feedback on your concept, sustainability, areas for growth, and an action plan to catapult your idea into reality.

Double Take: Shop Review

So, you’ve got your shop up and running and can’t seem to figure out what’s holding you back? You make and create, try and try again but your shop appears stuck. That’s where I come in. I know what I’m looking for-- the marks of a successful shop. I’ll give your shop more than just a once over, I’ll pore over item descriptions, review branding and logo, dive into your search relevancy, dissect profile and policy pages, evaluate photography, and look for overall cohesiveness.

Oh, but I’m not just going to tell you what’s not working! Oh no, I’m going to give you at least 20 actionable steps you can apply to immediately take your shop from ho-hum to heck-yeah!

Go and Grow: Business Boost

Waving to you on that business plateau! Looks like you need a little push in the right direction to grow and build. Maybe things have been going well but you just feel like there's got to be more. Well, pull up those boot straps, because we're gonna do some serious work. We're going to talk growth, sustainability, profit margins, revenue streams...and lots of other big time topics. 

With this session you'll take that leap from small fry to business savvy entrepreneur. So watch out world! And don't worry, I'll hold your hand if you want.

________________________________________________________________________________

I've fielded a lot of questions lately about my business coaching, I thought it might be helpful to answer them here as well:


1.  Is business coaching just for big, already successful shops? Not at all! In fact, they might not even need the extra boost. Coaching is for folks who take their idea and their business seriously. They are committed to making it successful and want a little (or big) push in the right direction. 


2. I'm just starting out. Do I need help now or later when things are up and running?  If you're confident in your starting place then go ahead and try things out. But unless your concept is refined and you have a plans for launching, building, and marketing I'd suggest investing in assistance now.  


3. I know I need help but coaching can cost a lot of money.  I'm with you. I felt the same way. But 4 years later I can say this, 'the cheap comes out expensive.' Meaning, had I invested a bit in my business to begin with I would have saved myself thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours, and a lot of disappointment.  Hiring a business coach is making an investment. It's saying, my talent and ideas are too valuable to just throw things out there and see what works, I'm going to go forward with a plan.  


4. I'm a little embarrassed, are coaching sessions going to judge me.  No way! At least not with me.  When I take on a new client, I keep an open mind, think of each person as a colleague, and respect the fact that they are sharing something personal and amazing with me - their business!  


-> There's more information on each of the sessions on my Business Coaching page and I'm happy to chat more in the comments or individually  allisa.jacobs [at] gmail.com 


Thanks again to everyone who stopped by yesterday's business chat on establishing your shop. Look forward to seeing you next Wednesday! 

{image credit julien denoyer}

Let's Talk Business - Establishing Your Brand

{happy deliveries}

Hello friends! Happy Wednesday, thanks for stopping by to chat some about business. I really enjoyed last week's discussion about creating passion-driven business models. Today, I'm addressing a concern that came up several times from readers, how to establish your shop online...whether it's Etsy or otherwise. I'll offer my suggestions and I'd love to hear what you all have to say as well. I'll be around all day to answer questions- anticipating multiple coffee refills today!


So, how do we do it? How do we make our mark? I've shared before that when I initially opened my shop on Etsy, I had the "make it and they will come" approach. I also subscribed to, "I'll just throw it out there and see what happens" kind of philosophy. Which, actually worked for a bit. Until it didn't.  Because in the middle of being all creative and such we also need to have a plan. 


We need a strategy that is more than just getting found in the search results, it is about being remarkable. 


{why don't we go ahead and read that sentence again.}


Being remarkable means you make/give/share/show something worthy of remembering, worthy of being talked about. 


So what might it look like in practice? Here's some thoughts on making your mark to establish your shop, yourself. 

• Be You.  We want to hear from you, in your voice. When I think of the shops/sites I love (and remember!)...they are so genuine it seeps from the computer screen. 
• Be Cohesive.  From your products, to photography, to branding make them yours and make them consistent. In practice cohesion looks like clear branding images across the board (shop, social media, invoices, etc.) and your products are designed from a point of view (not a mish mash).  Choose a style for your photography - make it crisp and awesome, then stick with it.  All this makes it easy for folks (buyers, magazine editors, Etsy admin....) to recognize your shop...again and again. 
• Be Choosy.  Carefully, thoughtfully, strategically, and heartfully decide where to connect. You don't need to be visiting every blog, every forum, every team, every social media outlet. Figure out what works for you, your target market, and what is smart for your shop.
• Be Good.  Whatever you do, do it well. If you're going to retail fabric, cut some straight lines. If you design stationery, use the best paper. If you create handbags, sew impeccable seams.  These details get noticed....and remembered.

These are just a few ways to establish your shop. What else can we add to this? 

How do you do it? How do you make your mark?  

{Have a business concern? Post your burning question below and I'll add it to the list to be discussed on one of our Wednesday chats!} 

Loving Your Business Enough..and such

Happy Monday! 


Despite crazy baby schedules, a rainy forecast, blog comment failures, and the usual surplus of ideas but deficiency in time....(I know you guys can relate to some of this, right?) I'm feeling pretty darn good about this week.


There's some exciting stuff going on; 
Today - meet me over at Oh My Handmade where I share my views on loving your business enough. It's a little dose of tough love for ya...and I really look forward to hearing your thoughts. 


Tomorrow - fingers crossed and baby schedules willing, I'm announcing a few new business coaching options. Serving up some goodness to get us all in the direction of our dreams! 


Wednesday - Let's Talk Business. Round Two of our discussion focusing on all those things that keep us creative business folks up at night. (topic to be announced soon :) 


Friday....planning a super cute fabric flower tutorial, with a twist or two. 


Have a lovely week! 
xoxo

Color Wonder

{design seeds - morning light}

Hello and happy weekend! 


So the house hunting continues (ps. thank you for all the fabulously insightful advice last week, totally invaluable! I'm going to want to invite you all over for the house warming celebration!)...and as many of you can probably relate, looking at houses sort of makes you really look at yourself.  I mean, this is not just what dreams are made of, this is like, the real thing.  I've been trying to look at each property as a slate and imagine what color, what feeling, I see there. 


Of course I've been obsessively perusing Pinterest, Design Seeds, Better Homes back issues and color palette generators and color quizzes. More than usual anyway ;)  I stumbled upon a color personality quiz I just have to share from Pittsburgh Paints, Voices of Color. It's the most thorough questionnaire I've found...it took about 10 minutes. But I actually enjoyed the whole process (it almost seemed a bit like guided introspection) - it asked questions about what room you'd feel most comfortable in, what sense of smell you respond to, which musical soundtrack you most like, how would your friends describe and so on. 


Well, I ended up being "Honey & Almond" - guess the yellows and oranges are no surprise :) 

The color of the sun, yellow signifies good faith and confidence and therefore, where there is yellow, there is light! 

....Known to stimulate the intellect, yellow also improves concentration and sharpens memory, making it ideal for the study, home office, and children's rooms. With its positive effect on mood, the joyous nature of yellow promotes harmony and a sense of vitality, making it a welcome addition for kitchens, where family and friends gather. In mellow shades or invigorating hues, yellow suits nearly any room.

If you end up taking the quiz, I'd love to hear the results and compare! 


And, speaking of comments, I'm working on updating this blog o' mine so that we can better connect via comments, a true reply and discussion area - yippee! So excited for this, just hoping I can settle down and figure it all out. 


Anyhow, enjoy the color loving! xo