The Create & Thrive Podcast

You know I'm all about no-nonsense advice about growing a creative business - and my guest today is aaaaall about that. Heidi Luerra is the founder and force behind RAW artist showcases, which she founded in LA 10 years ago. She's also the author of the upcoming book The Work of Art: A No-Nonsense Field Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs. In this interview, she describes how RAW came to be (and her background as a fashion designer); how she's grown it into a global organisation; and she shares some tips from her book on how you can be more successful as a creative entrepreneur.

Have you ever wanted to hear the other side of the story? What’s it like to be the partner of a creative entrepreneur? What’s it like working full-time with your spouse in your business? Who does the washing? (Spoiler: not Jess.) We answer all these questions and more in this special, 200th episode of the Create & Thrive Podcast, where I interview my husband and right-hand-man, Nick Bianchi, on the show! I did a call-out for questions… and boy, did you all deliver! So I asked, he answered, and we bantered about our experience working together and sharing all aspects of our lives over the last decade – since before Epheriell even began. We had a lot of fun recording this, so I hope you enjoy listening to Nick’s experiences, and this glimpse ‘behind the curtain’ of a self-employed couple.

So you want to get your handmade products into shops, galleries, or boutiques… BUT – how do you find the right ones to approach? There are a ton of ways to do this – many of which we teach in my newly available course – Wholesale Know-How – but in this episode, I’m outlining just 5 of the strategies you can use to track down potential new stockists who would be a perfect fit for your product. It’s important to get this step right, so you don’t waste time approaching the wrong type of stores. Of course, not every store you approach will say yes (even if you are a perfect fit!) but you vastly increase the likelihood of a store buying from you if you do the research and hard yards beforehand to make sure they’re a great fit.

Do you struggle to set boundaries in your handmade biz? Maybe you feel like you have to respond to every email or message RIGHT NOW. Perhaps you feel like you should ALWAYS be working. Maybe you struggle to focus when there are chores catching your eye around the house. Or do you find it hard to say ‘no’ to family and friends when they want your attention during what should be work time? In this episode, I go into detail about all the different sorts of boundaries you need to set in your handmade business – around your time, your privacy, and much more. I share a few challenges I’ve faced over the years to set boundaries (and why I took Facebook off my phone…), and share many tips about why boundaries matter, and how you can set and enforce them.

Do you have big ideas… but struggle to make them happen? I can’t count the number of projects I’ve never started, or not done properly, or been up at all hours trying to finish by a deadline! Why does this happen?! Because we don’t project manage properly, that’s why. Today’s guest is here to save us from all of that! Kate Hutcheson of the Efficient/Creative has turned her years of project management experience to helping creatives like you and me work out how to get big things done. She outlines a super-simple method for you to follow in order to plan and execute your next project… properly!

Can you be ‘successful’ in handmade business AND have a day job? The question of ‘should I quit my job?’ is not an uncommon one. Answering this question is a tad tricky as there are variables, and the answer will be different for different people. However, there are three points that are key to remember as you ponder this. One, there is no rush! Don’t just quit rashly and end up regretting it. Two, you can hold a day job and run a successful business. Tnd three, perhaps most important, do not compare yourself to anyone else! You can be a successful handmade business owner AND hold down a day job – the two are not mutually exclusive. In this episode I cover a number of key points that you need to consider before you chuck in the day job.

I’m thankful to be able to share this story with you today – the story of how craft – specifically, jewellery-making and metalsmithing – helped SuzAnne Taylor to find new purpose in her life. SuzAnne was a combat medic in the US Army, and after a tour in the Middle East, returned home with a severe case of PTSD. I’ve known SuzAnne online for a few years now, but when I finally learnt the details of her story, I knew I wanted to bring her on the show to talk about her experience, and how finding a craft literally saved her life. This is an incredibly moving episode – SuzAnne is an open book and we dive deep into her experiences over the years since her tour of duty. I want to thank SuzAnne for sharing her experience with us – and sharing her journey towards healing.

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!

Do you have an intentional brand for your handmade business that draws in your ideal customer – and actually repels those who aren’t? People make a split-second decision about your business the moment they see your branding – whether that’s your website, instagram feed, business card, market stall… any touchpoint they have with your business. Are you sending the right message? Are you engaging and enticing your ideal customers with your branding? Or are you making one of many branding blunders that will turn them away? In this episode, I talk to my friend and branding expert Julie Gibbons about all things branding. We discuss: why branding is more about emotion than logic how you might be fading into the noise through haphazard branding the most important first step you need to take in order to craft a compelling brand and much more!

Are you ready to harness the Power of Pinterest? The #PinterestChallenge is happening again in June (more info below if you're new to this) so I have recorded a podcast episode to help you get set up for success! If you are new to Pinterest, this episode will help you set up all the important elements of your account. If you're not new, it will be a great refresher!

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

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.

One of the most common laments I hear from my students is that 'I'm not where I thought I'd be by now'. There are oodles of reasons this may be. Life happens. But one of the most common reasons is a lack of commitment and focus. If you don't commit to carving out the time to do your work - and then actually doing it - you simply won't move forward. Obligation, procrastination, lack of confidence - all of these things can get in the way of us actually doing the work. Goodness knows I've been there myself too many times to count. But the people who succeed... they're the ones that show up, consistently - for years - and just do the work. Over, and over, and over again.

To celebrate the 4th anniversary of the start of The Create & Thrive Podcast, I'm answering YOUR handmade business questions in this episode. I got a ton of great, meaty questions - and I answered a number of them in this episode. If I didn't answer yours, never fear! I do plan on doing a follow-up episode answering more questions in a future episode. I answer questions like: "Should I have a business, or just a self-sustaining hobby?"; "What do I do when I feel I'm at the crossroads of continuing my business of getting a 'real' job"; "How can I get my motivation back?" "How do I overcome the fear of not being good enough?" "I've only got a small number of products - should I open my shop now or wait until I have more?" Huge thanks to everyone who sent in a question - I loved this opportunity to help you out directly.

Do you want to teach your craft? Do you dream of running in-person, live workshops to pass on your knowledge? Or – maybe you already teach handmade workshops, but want to make them even better? My guest in this episode – Dr. Rie Natalenko – is a teacher, writer and textile artist. She’s an expert in the art and science of teaching creative workshops to adults. She has penned a book titled Share Your Skills – An Ultimate Guide to Running an Art or Craft Workshop. If you need the confidence to start teaching creative workshops or you would like to enhance your existing skills, then this episode is for you! This is one from the archives – I first published it a few years ago – but given that I plan on publishing an episode in the near future about how to teach craft workshops online, I thought this would be a great primer for that – because the ‘teaching’ part is the same.

A lot of potential issues with your handmade business customers can be side-stepped through the judicious use of policies. A well-planned policy preempts a lot of issues, and makes sure everything is spelled out clearly to your customer prior to purchase. It also keeps everything fair and transparent, and makes sure you can’t be accused of making up one set of rules for one customer, and another for others. It’s as much about your protection and peace of mind as it is about informing and protecting your customers. In this episode, I discuss the ins and outs of policies – what you NEED to have in there (no matter what platform you use), and give you some Etsy-specific guidance, as well.