SF Etsy Team Member Kiva Endorsement: Mac Cutting Boards

Hello SF Etsy Teammates! 

Happy Monday! It was such a great way to wake up this morning and see that our team had successfully helped Josie and Bart from Mac Cutting Boards fund their small business loan through Kiva Zip!!!

Our Trusteeship with Kiva just began a few months ago and we are so very proud to already have two of our SF Etsy team members take advantage of this amazing micro-funding loan process to help them grow their businesses. 

Learn more about SF Etsy's Trusteeship by reading this blog post. 

I wanted to take this time for all of us to get better acquainted with Josie and Bart from Mac Cutting Boards. If you haven't met them in person, you should definitely introduce yourself when you see them at a show. They are truly some of the best humans you could ever meet. 

Enjoy this interview, along the way, we've included photos of their amazing and creative work :) 

1. Tell us a little bit about the people behind Mac Cutting Boards

Bart and Josie McHale are the owners of Mac Cutting Boards.  A family owned business since 2009.  We handcraft custom made wood cutting boards from repurposing and upcycling unused scrap hardwoods that we sourced from woodworkers such as cabinet makers, furniture makers, hardwood flooring companies and moulding companies.  

2. How did you first get started as a maker in the handmade community?

In 2009, we decided to include our whole family in making Christmas gifts for our friends and family. We decided on cutting boards and made 28 of them. They were so well received, we started getting orders for more and we never stopped making them. 

3. What do you find most exciting about being a maker and working with makers, entrepreneurs, and artisans?

Taking something like the scrap wood we use and turning it into something beautiful and useful is what keeps us going. We recently moved into a co-op shop with 5 other craftspeople. Being around them on a daily basis is so inspiring.  Not to mention the ability to learn from them on a daily basis is endless. 

4. What do you find most challenging about owning your own business? 

Owning your own business is a 24-7 commitment. At times it can be difficult to obtain funding when large orders come in and we need to purchase raw materials. 

5. Tell us about another special maker/artisan you've met while working on your business?

Brady & Liz from West Kept Secret http://westkeptsecret.com/.  They make and market metal calendars and to-do boards. You can personalize your calendar with numerous choices of magnets. There based in Phoenix Az and travel the west coast selling and promoting their products. In between shows there in their shop producing more inventory. 

6.  How did you learn about SFEtsy?

We met Marja Huhta from Glass Elements at a craft fair in Los Altos. She took the time to tell us about SF Etsy and she was instrumental in introducing us to SF Etsy members. 

7. What is one of your primary goals for your business in 2015?

We'd like to see continued growth of our company and an increase in our product line. We just hired a part time person to assist us in the shop and we'd like to add another person by the end of the year. 

8. What’s the one online tool you've discovered that can help makers propel their business?

Today there are many options for online growth. Are favorite is Instagram. It gives us the ability to market our business to a worldwide audience.  

9. Do you have any words of wisdom to help makers sell more in person at events?

Be engaged with potential customers. Tell them your story. We're always amazed by crafters who do not engage each and every person that passes by there booth. Remember that each person is an opportunity to practice your technique and perfect your performance.  

Use that few seconds to pitch your product and make a sale.  Ask for help.  You'll find that our community alone will come together to help each other out.

10. Where can we find you online?

Maccuttingboards.com

Instagram:    http://www.instagram.com/maccuttingboards

Facebook:    http://www.facebook.com/maccuttingboard

Twitter:         http://www.twitter.com/maccuttingboards

Website:       http://www.maccuttingboards.com

Pinterest:     http://www.pinterest.com/maccuttingboard

Linkedin:      http://www.linked.com/maccuttingboards

A HUGE Thank you to Josie and Bart! We are so very proud to have you on the team and we look forward to seeing you continue to grow and blossom!

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, visit Our Team Page about joining SFEtsy!

Captain's Log: Interview with Marlo Miyashiro, Leader of Seattle Handmade

Hello Team!
Here we are, officially Spring and wrapping up Q1 for 2015!

SFEtsy has been super busy this first quarter and one of the really fun things we did was to host a watch party at CreativeLive Studios here in San Francisco.

We gathered together to watch our friend from Seattle, Marlo Miyashiro as she taped two courses (Etsy 101 and Etsy SEO) in CreativeLive's Seattle studio.
If you missed this meet-up, no problem, you can purchase and watch either (or both) of these classes on CreativeLive's Craft Channel.
We will be doing another meet up in April at CreativeLive, so stay tuned for more information about that very soon!

Hi Marlo! Can you share a bit about yourself?

Hello! I'm Marlo Miyashiro :) I live and work in Seattle, WA creating hand-fabricated sterling silver jewelry for my imakecutestuff.etsy.com shop. I've been in the craft retail and wholesale business for a long time (20+ years) and these days I use all of that experience to help emerging artists start and improve their creative businesses with my work at CreativeArtsConsulting.com and smallobjectphotography.com. I'm also one of the organizers of Seattle Handmade (formerly etsyRAIN) - the Seattle area Etsy team (find more about our group at SeattleHandmade.com). 

How did you become part of the maker community?

When Etsy started their teams initiative (originally called "Etsy Street Teams") I noticed a new meetup group online founded by a local craft maker here in Seattle. She had originally intended the group to be an online-only group but with a bit of persistence, I convinced her let us have our first in-person meeting. After a few more insistent emails wanting more events and meetups, she kindly asked me if I wanted to take over the group - and I quickly accepted the offer! That was in 2007 and I've been team leader / captain / organizer - and now co-organizer ever since :)

What do you find most exciting about working with Makers, Entrepreneurs and Artisans?

My favorite part about working with artists and makers has always been that moment when eyes light up and smiles draw across faces making it clear that they truly understand that their dream of creating their own business can transition from idea to reality. It's immensely gratifying to know that the things I help them with can bring them a bit closer to having a business around doing the things that they love. 

What do you find most challenging about working with Makers, Entrepreneurs and Artisans?

I think it is in the nature of creative entrepreneurs to question everything - it's what gives us our ideas and makes us who we are. With that curiosity comes a certain level of hesitation that can sometimes hold us back from finding our way toward our goals. 

There is a fine line between procrastination and patience and an even finer line between researching and learning. There's a tendency to want to have all the "for sure" answers before moving forward, but with creative endeavors that is rarely the case. As a consultant and mentor, my goal is always of provide compassionate and supportive advice rooted in the reality that growth and change can be uncomfortable especially just before the goal is reached.

Tell me about a special maker/artisian you’ve met while working on your business

One maker I truly admire is my team co-organizer, Kayce of WorldofWhimm.etsy.com and NuetoMe.etsy.com - she makes amazing stuff for kids and I'm continually in awe of her creativity! That's the thing that makes creative entrepreneurs and craft artists truly special - their insatiable need to create. Even if they aren't making their actual product, they are busy working on their company brand, updating their websites, improving their online shops, designing new products, researching new trends, keeping up with others in their field - all with one eye toward the future. 

The amount of inspiration and drive it takes to pull together a creative business is incredible. The most successful artists I know are always thinking, planning, and moving forward. It's truly impressive. 

How did you learn about SFEtsy?

I first heard about SFEtsy when etsyRAIN (now Seattle Handmade) was just getting started. There were many regional teams starting all over the place and I kept a keen eye out for the teams on the West coast. I finally met one of your former leaders, Steph Cortes at the 2011 Conference for Creative Entrepreneurs. Ever since then, I've wanted to figure out some way to connect our two teams for some mutual West Coast support :)

What is one of your primary goals for your business in 2015 and for SeattleHandmade? 

For my own business, I have some fairly large projects in the works for 2015 that I have been trying really hard to get off the ground for the past year but unfortunately things are taking much longer than I had originally anticipated. I'm not at liberty to say much more about that at the moment, but if any of my "big secret projects" come through, you can be sure I'm going to be shouting it from the rooftops! 

As for Seattle Handmade, we have a website revamp in the works that will give us an updated online forum board and betters ways to connect our members with each other. We are working on plans for some sort of Holiday Show as long as we can find a suitable venue for our show sometime soon. Needless to say, I am starting my year off with pretty much everything in the air so I'm just doing my best to keep my feet on the ground and pointed squarely at the future! 

What’s the one online tool you’ve discovered that can help makers propel their business?

The best online tool that I think all creative entrepreneurs should take advantage of is whatever social media community fits best with their business model. Whether that is Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or any number of others. Blogging fits in this category too, but only if the maker has the time and talent to create great content that fits their market. The more connections we can create for our businesses and the more diversified we can be in the way we present our work to the public, the better chance we have at weathering the storms of uncertainty that hit every small business at one point or another.

Do you have any words of wisdom to help makers in their businesses?

My best advice based on personal experience: It's fine to have big dreams and lofty goals, but nothing will ever get done without some sort of plan. Consider where you want to be in the next year, two years, five years, and maybe even all the way out to ten years. Use that creative imagination of yours to craft a plan that guides you in that direction. Revisit your plan regularly and make changes as your company grows. Get outside help and advice to make sure you are always ready for your next best thing. If making a plan feels like too much work, imagine trying to play catch-up when your business takes off because of some sort of fluke and you're not ready for it. Do yourself a huge favor right now and take some time to think about the future. It's totally worth the effort and will save you tons of stress in the future!

Thanks Marlo for sharing your knowledge and experience with our community!

Follow Marlo online:
Etsy
Instagram
Facebook

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, visit Our Team Page about joining SFEtsy!

5 THINGS EVERY MAKER SHOULD DO

The secret to smoother sailing for your business.

Getting sales is powerful. Just knowing somebody wants what you created can instantly turn a bad day into one of the best days ever!

But, without the proper foundation, you’ll probably end up in a headspin not knowing what steps to take to either get more sales or meet your current demand. 

To avoid a meltdown, I’ve created a to-do list for your maker business. 

 

1. Talk With Customers

Today, consumers face an abundance of choice. To get traction in this crowded marketplace, you MUST understand your customer. The good news is that people love to give their opinion. But, not everything they say needs to be taken into consideration. The secret is asking open-ended questions so that you get to the insightful bits.

So, get in the habit of reaching out to your customers (yes stockists are customers too) to gather feedback. As an example, you could ask how they might describe your product to someone else. Or, whether they bought it for themselves or as a gift and what the occasion was.  This information will not only give you a better understanding of who your customer is, but also how they search for similar products. Then, you can tailor your keywords and product descriptions to get better results.

2. Design Your Brand Experience

Brand is the mental image someone has of your offering. That image is formed over time as consumers are exposed to your business, either directly or via an intermediary, like the press. Brand is a powerful differentiator and a key component of consumer marketing.

The easiest way to consider your brand is to personify it. In other words, specify the body of your brand (product, packaging, logo etc.), the backstory (name, narrative, mission, etc.), and the personality (communication style, voice, values, etc.). Then, outline your brand and determine the ideal customer experience across every touch point a consumer could have with your business – i.e. your social media accounts, email interactions, online shops, fulfillment, store presence, etc.

Your goal is to ensure that anyone exposed to your brand walks away with a clear and memorable image of your offering.

3. Figure Out Your Cost Structure

Simply put cost structure equals your expenses, and it’s fundamental to your business. Your cost structure will inform your pricing, your sales targets, and your return.

Costs are broken into two groups: variable and fixed costs. Variable costs are the per unit costs associated with making your product - such as material, labor, and packaging. Everything else (marketing, administration, etc.) would go in the fixed costs bucket because these expenses don’t fluctuate with your output.

With your cost structure at your fingertips, you’ll be able to determine how many units you would need to sell to turn a profit and whether that’s even sensible.

4. Plan Your Pricing

Pricing is challenging for everyone. Even über successful MBA-laden corporations like Apple have encountered pricing mistakes. But, that doesn’t mean you should go willy-nilly on your prices.

First, you need to make sure your prices have sufficient margin to cover ALL your expenses. You should also think about how your prices correspond to the perceived value of your product and how the price of each product relates to others in your assortment. Finally, you should compare prices with your competitors.

The idea is to view your pricing from all angles to avoid any surprises down the road. Sadly, I see many makers undercutting themselves to the point at which they are losing money on wholesale orders. That’s certainly not gratifying, nor sustainable. 

5. Leverage Analytics

Online retailing has opened up a whole new world of consumer data, and it can be quite overwhelming. Luckily, you don’t need to go that deep to find valuable insights. At this stage, you’ll want to track where your traffic is coming from, which items are getting the most engagement, and which key terms consumers are using to find your products.

This information is useful in determining your next steps for outreach. For example, if your customers tend to find you through certain channels, you might concentrate your efforts on those ones. Likewise, you can test the effectiveness of changes by comparing previous results with your current performance.


Brandy Davis-Balsamo is a business consultant who specializes in marketing/merchandising strategy. She works with SFEtsy member and local bag maker, furuKawa | Direct: www.furukawa-sf.com, Etsy Shop: KFBags

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, visit Our Team Page about joining SFEtsy!

Captain's Log: Interview with Sharon Fain from the Academy of Handmade

Happy February Team! 

Is it just me or is anyone else having a mild panic attack about the speed at which 2015 is progressing?

Try as we might to slow down a bit in January and give ourselves and our businesses time to rest and recover from the holiday season, February comes so soon! My head is full of Valentine's Day gifts and projects that I need to finish.

Even though it seems to breeze past, the first quarter of the year is a great time to work on projects that have been collecting dust and spruce up your online brand.

This past Saturday, the SF Chapter of The Academy of Handmade held a workshop to help small business owners spruce up their "About Me" sections. Led by Caitlin Bacher of Little Farm Media and yours truly, Rebecca Saylor of OodleBaDoodle, we created a worksheet to help jolt some creative writing juices. Attendees then had the opportunity to meet one on one with Wendy Steiner, writer at The Bold Italic to brainstorm and edit their story.

I'll link to a post with more in-depth information about this workshop in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you might be wondering "Who is the Academy of Handmade"?
So I recently sat down with The Academy of Handmade Co-Founder Sharon Fain to share with you how she's helping the creative business community thrive. Sharon is a great person to know and to connect with and has brought many wonderful connections to San Francisco and the creative small business community. I know you will enjoy getting to know her better.

You can follow Sharon and the Academy of Handmade online here:

Website: http://academyofhandmade.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/academyofhandmade/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/acdmyofhandmade
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AcademyOfHandmade
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/1/105243486470322449713/about

1. Hello Sharon, let's start by you sharing a little about yourself:

Hi! I'm Sharon Fain, co-founder and director of Academy of Handmade and the owner of Right Brain PR. I've been working with creatives since college and have a passion for supporting creative entrepreneurship. I live and work out of Long Beach, California along with my fiancee and two rescue dogs. 

2. How did you first get involved in with makers and the small creative business community. 

Academy co-founder, KC, was starting her handmade business and I was working with her on launching it and making it happen. From there, I had several opportunities to work with makers including helping the new Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles with marketing.

3. What do you find most exciting about working with makers, entrepreneurs, and artisans? 

I find that they are much more open to new ideas in their businesses and aren't bogged down by tradition. I also like that you have to be very "high touch" with customers and get to develop very strong relationships that you can't typically do with a big brand.

4. What do you find most challenging about working with makers, entrepreneurs, and artisans? 

When you are learning to run a business there is a lot of info out there that doesn't apply to you because not every business is the same. I find that there a lot of "gurus" who will tell you "this is the way to run a business because this is how I got successful" and that is not often applicable to makers and even if it were, there are still makers whose businesses wouldn't fit that mold. So I think a lot of what we try to do is present information as unbiasedly as possible and leave it up to makers to decide for themselves.

5. Tell me about a special maker/artisan you’ve met while working on your business? 

Oh man, there are so many. One of our earliest members Miriam Dema has really blown me and KC away. She's a very savvy business lady and an amazing artist who started to branch out into scarves this last year. 

6.  How did you learn about SFEtsy? 

I cursory knew of the group, but was encouraged to link up with Rebecca Saylor (thanks Lisa Spinella!) when I was at Craftcation last year. It wasn't until I was going to be up in San Francisco for a business trip that an actual meeting occurred. 

7. What is one of your primary goals for your business in 2015? 

The Academy turns two this year. We are still in our infancy and figuring things out, which can be rough for a Type-A like myself, but I really want to figure out how to better build our online community support and resources.

8. What’s the one online tool you’ve discovered that can help makers propel their business?

I think knowing your business inside and out is huge and there are so many great CreativeLive's that I think can help makers. And also, obviously, get plugged into a supportive community like Academy of Handmade. :)

9. Do you have any words of wisdom to help makers sell more in person at popup events? 

One thing that drives me nuts when I go to shows is that signage is scarce on their table, which means when there's a crowd in front of your table your signage disappears. OR the sign is at the back of the booth which makes it distant/hard to read and doesn't let people who are coming down the aisle know who you are. Have MULTIPLE ways to announce your business' name and always remember flow and how that could affect it. 

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, visit Our Team Page about joining SFEtsy!

Captain's Log: Meet SFEtsy Community Supporters - Interview with Popupsters

Hello Teammies!

It's 2015, can you believe it? 2014 was a BIG year for our team. This year, we have a team goal to help you reach your business goals and help you take your business to the next level. One of the ways we are doing this is by talking to handmade supporters and leaders in our community and interviewing them for this blog. Several of our SFEtsy team leaders will be writing here too so you will get to see many facets of the handmade and maker community.

As a team, we were out in the community more than ever - all over the Bay Area! One of our big events was the 2nd Annual Indie Holiday Emporium. Along with Popupsters, we hosted nearly 200 local artisans (and over 40,000 shoppers!) at the historic Pier 35 in San Francisco.

When we were planning the Emporium, we searched for an event partner that really gets the handmade community and the spirit of small, artisan businesses and makers. Aaron Lander from Popupsters fit the bill and we are honored to have him as part of our SFEtsy community.

Recently, I sat down with Aaron and we talked about his role in the artisan community and a little bit more about Popupsters. I know you will enjoy getting to know Aaron and Popupsters and it will inspire you to connect with him online and see how Popupsters can help you take your business to the next level :)

I know you will enjoy this interview!
Rebecca Saylor
SFEtsy Co-Captain

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself as a human in the world? 

I'm Aaron Lander, CEO of PopUpsters www.popupsters.com - you can find me online @popupsters & @aaronnizzie. 

I was born, raised and educated in the great State of Iowa before coming to the Bay Area in 2011 where I've worked in the local food and agricultural industry (Marin Sun Farms, Fatted Calf, AgLocal) before starting PopUpsters.  

2. How did you first get involved in with Makers and the Handmade Community?

I don't know if I can pinpoint a specific instance when I got involved with the maker community but I do know that I've respected the community since I was a child when I would help my aunt with her crafts. 

3. What do you find most exciting about working with makers, entrepreneurs, and artisans? 

I find the passion and creativity that makers, entrepreneurs, artisans and anyone with a talent, skill or craft to be very exciting. Whether I'm working with one maker or hundreds, there's an energy that's contagious. Listening to people's stories, the intricacy of their product and their vision for their business keeps me moving forward.

4. What do you find most challenging about working with makers, entrepreneurs, and artisans? 

I think the most challenging thing for me is more about my personality than the makers themselves. I am a passionate person that has a sincere desire for everyone to succeed so I tend to take it personally when a maker doesn't have their expected outcome at an event. I've even been known to hit the streets myself when a show is slow to bring in shoppers. 

5. Tell me about a special maker/artisian you’ve met while working on your business? 

I think all the makers are special but one of the first people I met & continuously pops up in my mind, is Paul from Paulcity Goods. 

Paul Jansen is a prime example of the types of makers we are trying to help out. He is an extremely passionate and talented leathersmith, making his products from grassfed hides. Paul is constantly explaining the differences in grassfed vs conventional leather and then shows you through a microscope - this type of hands on experience is something that has left a lasting impression.

6.  How did you learn about SFEtsy? 

I was lucky enough to stumble upon SFEtsy in a twitter feed. (Author note: Shout out to our social media Guru - Lisa Spinella for connecting our community)

7. What is one of your primary goals for Popupsters in 2015? 

Our biggest goal is to host more events with groups like SFEtsy so your members have more opportunities to PopUp! The next is making it easier for you to host events on our website. 

8. What’s the one online tool you’ve discovered that can help makers propel their business?

Besides PopUpsters, I think Instagram is an extremely valuable tool for bringing visibility to your product. Combine that with your existing sales channels and you can really increase your business. 

For instance, having a PopUp? Take pictures of your products before, let people know when and where to find you and offer a discount for people that mention the post. Some people might not see the post until after the PopUp so make sure to include the link to your Etsy store in the post.

9. Do you have any words of wisdom to help makers sell more in person at popup events?

One of the things I can't stress enough is don't hide from your customers!

I see too many vendors sit behind a table while texting. If people are coming to a PopUp event it's because they want an intimate experience, which means they want to talk to you and learn about what makes your product special. Your story is why people buy from you so get it in front of your potential customers. Oh and make sure to promote your events - the more people promoting your event, the better.​

Thank you Aaron! Next up we interview Sharon - Co-Founder of The Academy of Handmade

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, visit Our Team Page about joining SFEtsy!