Academy of Handmade

[academyofhandmade]

Flashback to one of our very first events: an epic Etsy craft party! We have so loved having fun with and nurturing the maker community through all kinds of events and programming. As we close our doors, we have discounted our library of programs in an effort to continue to help as many maker businesses while we still can! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ CHECK OUT THE SALE HERE (or click the link in the profile): bit.ly/hellogandoodbye http://bit.ly/2GzE1Lv

[academyofhandmade]

Getting a little nostalgic with less than two weeks to go before we shut everything down. We're remembering some of our favorite events and activities, like this workshop we did at @makecollectives a couple years back! If you haven't heard the full story or haven't shopped our DEAL-ICIOUS fire sale yet, head over to bit.ly/hellogandoodbye or at the link in the profile. http://bit.ly/2KON0he

[academyofhandmade]

Hey! We have some big news... we're going to no longer be working on Academy of Handmade. BUT, good news... we've got a massive sale happening right now. Check it out here bit.ly/hellogandoodbye or at the link in the profile. http://bit.ly/2P6EtoB

[academyofhandmade]

My freshman year of college I, like most freshman, insisted I worked better under pressure and at the last minute. I would finish my papers, that had been assigned long before, the night before they were do. It was fun staying up with friends all night who were doing the same. We enabled each other with treats of coffee runs and hanging out at all night at Denny's (the poor servers who just kept refilling our coffees for sad tips all night!). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I would inevitably end finals week exhausted. When I would reread what had been written, I would cringe at that the errors and mixed-up thinking. Even though I was a "good" student who could pull things out of you-know-where and mostly get away with it, I remember a particularly red-ink-soaked paper that still earned me a good grade but there was obvious disappointment from the professor. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I finally realized in my junior year that the theatrics were not making me a better thinker or writer. That my desire to just merely get the good grade while exerting the least amount of forethought was not the right way to go about something I was paying a lot for. It wasn't fully participating in my education. I see the same thing in maker businesses-- that the thrill and exhilaration of the holidays will carry them through. And it can, but not usually for long. When you realize your business is a year-round operation and you have to be in better shape in January than you have been, holiday preparedness becomes crucial! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We're doing all we can to ensure that you will be the boss of this holiday season. We are throwing resources at you with our FREE video series AND are guiding you through the entire holiday process in our Holiday Game Plan. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ More info here 👉ahas.info/holidayshapeup https://ift.tt/2OdtQD9

[academyofhandmade]

WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW, YOU DON'T KNOW The last week we've been talking about the cost of growth in your business and how you can pay with time or money (or often you are paying with both!). But there are costs associated with NOT growing your business. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ MONEY Obviously growing your business usually means more money (we can talk about how there are different ways to measure "growth", but here we're talking about growing profits). When stagnation sets in in a business, you start to tread water, but eventually you're going start regressing. All of this has an impact on your sales, revenue and profit. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ TIME Stagnation and confusion costs you time because you start to lose momentum. It takes longer to get to where you want to go. You can also spend more time fixing problems because of that lack of momentum. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ MENTAL STRESS Along with the big two we already mentioned, what really can be worrisome is the mental stress stagnation and confusion can take on your business. It's bad for creativity. It's bad for morale, which can drain more time. It can have you avoiding your business so you don't add to the mental stress. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ THE CLARITY CURE Clarity gets you back on the path to growth. You stop spinning your wheels. You move forward with purpose and confidence. And that is why we created Jumpstart. We saw maker businesses struggling with what to do next. They were unsure of doing it right. They didn't understand why what had worked before wasn't working now. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It's easy to think you can't take a break or afford the time, but when will it be? When can you devote the time to working on your business, not just in it? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What's holding you back from joining Jumpstart? Let us know by replying to this email so we can answer any of your questions! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ HOTSEATS START WEDNESDAY and we don't want you to miss them. You must sign up by tomorrow, September 11 at 3pm PT to join! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Join us 👉ahas.info/jyhbinfo https://ift.tt/2xau2rF

[academyofhandmade]

We've been having some good discussions about the taboos around money in our Facebook group, so we thought we'd bust some common maker myths. Have you believed any of these? Are we missing anything? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 1. Successful Maker Businesses Are Full-Time: This is absolutely NOT true. There are flourishing part-time maker businesses. There are also people that have dived into full-time right away and this caused lots of problems. This myth is a big reason we created Jumpstart, so that you could understand what success looks like for you AND how to go after it. If this myth is one you struggle with, take our quiz to see what kind of business you have and what kind you want. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 2. Success Is A Linear Progression: WRONG! The path to success is not only filled with ups and downs-- it can also change. A lot of people get to a place they thought was success but soon realize it's not what they want. This happens a lot when makers get far away from the making that caused them to fall in love with their business. It can make success seem elusive, but it just means you need clarity AND a willingness to change direction when it's called for. Also-- ignore everyone who has a different version of success and tells you to go down the path not right for you. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 3. You Can Tips & Tricks Your Way To Success: All the courses in the world aren't going to make success happen. Neither is chasing after the latest marketing trend. They can be helpful, but success comes from a combination of clarity, action and education. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We are here to help with the clarity part (and maybe a sprinkling of education and also some butt kicks into action). If things have been cloudy in your business, Jumpstart will get you to a place where you understand how to keep doing what's right for your business. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Check out Jumpstart 👉ahas.info/jyhbinfo https://ift.tt/2wQPi6f

[academyofhandmade]

Are you paying attention? I love that it's called "paying attention." In business, you are indeed paying for attention, but you are paying a lot more when you "ostrich"-- AKA burying your head in the sand so you can pretend like everything is fine. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You can easily get yourself going on a path you don't want to go on! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ LET'S LOOK UNDER THE HOOD! When I feel stuck and unsure of where to go, my tendency is to immediately home in on something not working right and try to fix that. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s not the worst instinct. Hitting wall and losing momentum makes me fidgety and I can feel trapped. And in my effort to make that feeling go away as soon as possible, I can look for quick fixes. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s like knowing there’s something wrong with your car, but instead of really trying to figure out what’s wrong, you keep taking it to the car wash or just rotate the tires… but there’s actually a major engine malfunction. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Sometimes the problem is beyond the scope of just another “how to” course. Sometimes we need to take a step back and critically evaluate what’s happening. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Is Jumpstart right for you? 👉ahas.info/jyhbinfo or click the link in the profile https://ift.tt/2NeFnAL

[academyofhandmade]

MONEY DOESN'T JUST APPEAR. I know, we'd like it to! But when you have a good understanding about the fundamentals of your business AND put systems in place to understand it, you create the structure for a business to flourish and meet your goals. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Our Maker Business Type quiz will help you understand what's needed next to create the business you've dreamed of! Take it here 👉ahas.info/mytypequiz ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ https://ift.tt/2LCwvQs

[academyofhandmade]

Wow... it's the last week of August. Appropriately, we are going "Back to the Future... of Your Business" on this week's YHBTV. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Isaac is cranking up the Delorean and will be focusing on systems. I promise it all ties-in together. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Also, we'll be doing a Q&A, so make sure to leave your questions in the "Ask a Question" section! Open to any and all burning questions. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Join us! 👉ahas.info/YHBTVaug18 or click the link in the profile https://ift.tt/2PeZlIV

[academyofhandmade]

There's a lot of pressure to discount as maker. Your product is naturally more expensive than mass produced items. There's also A LOT of advice telling you about not discounting. We wanted to explore the finer points of discounting and when to consider it! Listen 🎧here 👉 ahas.info/todiscountornot or click the link in the profile https://ift.tt/2ocYKvP

[academyofhandmade]

He will always be a Master Maker to us! We're so bummed to see @robert_mahar go on @nbcmakingit and vehemently disagree with the judges decision. We didn't give him a patch, but you can read about the one time we honored him at our our awards show here 👉ahas.info/mastermaker16 📷by @lehuanoelle https://ift.tt/2P3xITf

[academyofhandmade]

Is there something haunting your business? Maybe it's your insecurity about how to handle money. Or a regret over a missed opportunity. Or you made a bad decision and you can't let it go. These are all #bizghosts! And we are here to bust them today on YHBTV at 2pm PT/5pm ET. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Join us! ahas.info/YHBTVaug18 or click the link in the profile ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Register for this one YHBTV and you can watch all of August's. :) Plus, it's always free! https://ift.tt/2BFxv6R

[academyofhandmade]

Why does @ibwatsongram look like a dork (more than usual 😂😎)? The mystery will be revealed when you check out last week’s YHBTV. Link in the profile! https://ift.tt/2OUZhPs

[academyofhandmade]

What is that you think makes other business successful? Often I see people looking at success as:⠀ 🔺Having enough followers⠀ 🔺Perfecting a sales funnel⠀ 🔺Being the best at Etsy⠀ 🔺Being the best at wholesale⠀ 🔺Creating the perfect product⠀ None of these things are bad. But resting your success on them is... probably not a recipe for success. That's why we created a mastermind SPECIFICALLY for #makers ✂️🎨! ⠀ ⠀ 👯‍♀️We believe that when you have a supportive community baked into a program expertly designed for thriving makers, you will grow your business beyond what you could have ever done on your own. Check it out here 👉academyofhandmade.com/mastermind https://ift.tt/2Gepwed

[academyofhandmade]

While you get into your creative messes this weekend, consider listening to some YHBTVs. Each week we talk for about 30 minutes on maker-related topics like wholesale, manufacturing, selling, pitching and more! This week we talked about our mastermind that's happening very soon. Sign up for May and watch here ahas.info/may18yhbtv https://ift.tt/2KZXhTM

[academyofhandmade]

GET YOURSELF TO THE STATE OF MAKING STAT! 👩🏼‍💻🏃🏽‍♀️You have only until tomorrow at 12pm PT/ 3pm ET to register for #stateofmaking18 for free 😍. After that it's gonna cost you 💸 (I mean it's still totally worth it, but obvi free is better! ;)). So don't wait. Head over to academyofhandmade.com/thestateofmaking and sign up. You'll get access to the replays for-ev-er! https://ift.tt/2KGS7fo

[academyofhandmade]

"When creating a product line, It's important to have a clear customer in mind so you can stay true to your brand and make sure the line as a whole is cohesive and attractive to your target market." --Adrienne Wiley of @coveted_frolick⠀ ✨✨✨⠀ TOMORROW! We kick of two days of chatting with amazing and insightful guests like Adrienne! Don't miss it-- even if you can't watch live, you can watch the replay. Register now ⠀ ✨✨✨⠀ MORE ABOUT ADRIENNE:⠀ Adrienne Wiley is a self taught jewelry designer who left her corporate job at a Fortune 500 insurance company in 2005 to pursue her jewelry business, Frolick. After successfully learning the ins and outs of wholesale, Wiley grew her jewelry brand into a line carried at over 800 retailers. She also opened a retail boutique in San Francisco called Covet, that is celebrating 9 years in business. ⠀ ​⠀ Wiley is also the author of Adventures in Wholesale, a book helping product based businesses navigate selling wholesale. Adrienne also recently launched Creators & Adventurers, a consultancy to help creative entrepreneurs launch, grow, and level up their businesses with tools, resources, and networking with like-minded lady bosses. With over 22 years of combined experience in both the wholesale and retail industries, Adrienne has a unique perspective that is invaluable in growing a successful brand. https://ift.tt/2HJRQdI