1. She invested a lot of time into growing a following on social media, but this didn't contribute much to her success 2. Media outreach - getting her products into blogs or magazines that get a lot of traffic, by reaching out and sending them products 3. Paid ads, but only do this if you already have the budget for it 4. Dicthing etsy and having your own website so you're not at their mercy 5. Be kind to customers even if they complain to promote good worth-of-mouth recommendations 6. Make products that people consistently want to buy, she did this by doing custom orders for people and then just making more of the idea if this went well and continuing to sell it to others
Another issue with Etsy is that even when you bring in your own customers, Etsy sabotages you by suggesting other creators and vendors right beside or below your product. “Oh, you like that, what about all these other vendors? You might like them better!”
So true! This is one reason why having your own website can be so beneficial-you get full control over the shopping experience and can keep your customers focused on your unique offerings.
If you listen to podcasts like How I Built This with Guy Raz, media outreach is exactly the next step founders take when trying to scale up and make it big. Listened to the Drunk Elephant episode, and she sold exclusively online on her own website until she was able to get into Sephora.
This is one of the few channels I've seen talking about business that feels genuine. A lot of them are like "just do this and get rich" but your tips feel actionable, realistic, and not like youre trying to sell us a get rich quick idea that will never pan out.
It may be genuine, but it’s lacking a lot of info. 122k sales is just sales. She hires out a lot, cost of materials, what kind of margin is there? What is profit out of 122k. Actually coughing up all the numbers would be more helpful.
@catsgomiauw and she has a business selling her ideas to people who want to strike it rich as a business owner. I don't trust those types of people at all. If she was just a youtuber, then sure. But not when she's trying to sell us the answers. 🙄🫠
3:54 I had to pause this to say "thank you." Not sure if this is a "loss leader" video, but I love that you didn't spend a lot of time giving zero information, and a big word salad to a pitch for some e-book/course you offer. You may yet pitch something, but it is truly nice to feel like you are genuinely sharing ideas with people. SO, thanks!
You described my situation with Etsy perfectly. I started there as a hobbyist in 2020 and now I want to get more serious. I had good sales for the first couple years but now I'm lucky to see a few. I learned so much with your video and this was the needed push I need to get my own website running for a shop. I also had no idea about magazines and media outreach!
I came for the business advice & found myself completely enamored by that snowcone necklace. And they’re * scented * ?? That is so adorable & creative 😮
This is such a smart way to go about things - the old school way of getting press. I wanted to start my own business but really was not sold on having to do social media again. But i do love writing pitches to publications! So, thank you, I think you just solved a really big problem for me!
I clicked because of the cute art on the thumbnail, stayed because of the great tips. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, and your art is really beautiful, hope you continue to see success in your endeavours 🌟
Okay... get control over my life, start a creative business, got it. One year out from this lmao but this is now my life goal, would love to make jewelry of some kind. Heck yeah. Wtf it's really that simple, it isn't easy but I think your advice really speaks volumes.
My mom just started make soap and she makes some really luxurious stuff but she’s just been sending it out to her friends for free and so she has an entire room of all of this super expensive soap that she’s made with high-quality oils and she doesn’t know how to start. I’ll have to send her your video thank you!
That’s so awesome! It sounds like she’s got an amazing product already-she just needs to get it out there! I hope the video helps her get started. Tell her I’m cheering her on! 😊
I actually started a bit differently. I went straight into paid advertising and that's how I got my first few sales. I also would like to mention that Shopify can also close you down so hosting your own store would probably be a better and cheaper option in the long run.
I'm so glad you brought up the point about good customer service because I feel that it's a must for small business owners. I do a lot of custom work so I do tend to get a lot of frustrating customers. Offline I will complain about them to my family who tell me I should just drop them. Online though, I always remain polite and try my best to work with them. More often than not, I have been rewarded for my efforts. The customers leave happy and sometimes they even come back to buy more things or recommend their friends. If I had listened to my family's advice, I would have lost tons of sales. I really pride myself on my customer service skills and feel that being professional has really helped my business grow.
Thank you for defining the business side of creative work. I was a successful artist for a while and I met plenty of talented artists that could not wrap their head around simple business concepts. The most successful artists I met had a talent for business and/or had a partner that focused on the business side on their behalf. Customers can’t buy what they can’t see. Many artists abhor sales activities, which is fine IF you still tend to it by hiring it out, but even doing that feels like “selling out” to most artists, relegating them to years of bitterness and poverty. I wasted a lot of my own valuable time trying to share the knowledge with folks completely unable or unwilling to manage the business side of art. (Love your charms, btw!)
Thank you for sharing your experience! Balancing creativity with business is tough, and not everyone is comfortable with both. You're right that getting help, whether through a partner or hiring out, can make all the difference. It’s about valuing your art enough to get it to the people who will appreciate it. Thanks for the love on the charms! 😊
Normally I put these kinds of videos on in the background but I will say your video is one of the ones that actually kept me engaged and was really really informative
Thank you... I didn't even considered having a media feature! I sell crochet and art as a side hustle as a student. I'll definitely try the blogs and magazines :) My favourite parts of the business are the creativity and contact : so making my creations and talking with customers. Not the marketing unfortunately.. So when I'll grow, it's the marketing agent that I will hire hahaha
omg…. I’ve been sitting and sitting thinking.. 🤔 churning out media doesn’t seem to work and I was wondering about reaching out to companies.. this was so nice to stumble on thank you!
Great stuff! My husband is constantly trying to lowball his work and he makes meticulous custom knives. I'm trying to help with the website and I just knew Etsy wasn't the only way to go. Thanks!
Could you please make more videos talking about how you handle those difficult customer interactions for lost broken packages and or just difficult interactions in general? Im worried about selling physical items (I crochet so I’m leaning towards selling digital patterns) because I’m not sure how to navigate this part of the business side. Is it better to completely replace the item for free? Offer them a future discount? Etc. thank you too for this video, I have already learned so much
Hi! I think customer service is very important, but I generally try to balance good customer service with protecting my business. For difficult customers, it’s important to stay calm and professional, no matter what. Listen to their concerns, show empathy, and offer solutions. A replacement, future discount, or partial refund can help smooth things over.
Insure all your packages (build the cost into your pricing), so that if anything is damaged or lost, you can open an insurance claim, refund them their money or make a new one and you won’t lose anything out of your own pocket.
this was a lovely video especially because i am someone looking to start my own polymer clay business soon. the points in the video were concise and also easy to understand. it also taught me things i’ve never considered business wise so i feel more confident and prepared for when i do open up shop. thank you for this insight!!
This vid keeps showing up in the recommended page. So i figured, what the hey, maybe this person might have a different response than all the other social people out there. And boy, howdy! 😆 I'm glad you're reminding people that business survived and thrived long before social media existed. I don't know any who are teaching that to the young ones. Or maybe they are and I haven't found them yet.
168k a year is pretty good. I have no idea how to run a business, I also have ADHD and I struggle to focus and stay in a routine. I just wish there was a way I could make money like this easily. I have no idea what I am doing.
the adhd makes it so hard. i know what to do, i start, i get lost, i get too tired to research. my best trait is making the million dollar ideas, i cant sell it though or track profits.
I was the same for a decade, a dozen million dollar ideas and not much happening on the outside. What we need is to learn to ground our ideas, it’s pretty much energy work. Try fire breathwork, yoga, qigong, learn about your energies and how to properly channel it. Commit yourself for two years to perfect one thing/business, expect nothing, remove ALL emotions from it make it a habit literally like brushing teeth or hair ❤
Thank you so much for generously sharing things that helped you! Even though I am not a shop seller I got a lot of value out of your video. I’m realizing that as a transformational singing coach I can do media outreach by researching magazines where I could share my story of going from shy musician to stage performer on the other side of the world. I had not considered this form of marketing before but your video gave me the idea!!! Thanks ❤
You're so welcome! I'm thrilled to hear that the video gave you some new ideas. I’m excited for you to explore that opportunity and see where it takes you. Thanks so much for your kind words, and best of luck with your journey! ❤
hello, Mei..Jessica's here...😃 I already watched your vids since several years ago (when you often say that you dont put any ads on there 😁).. just wanna say thank you so much for sharing so many things to us online..❤️
Is the $1.6 Million profit or revenue? I’m always confused when creators say “I’ve made [insert amount here]”, because they never clarify if it’s profit or revenue.
Great video, very honest, no nonsense. You're speaking my language here. I'm always concerned about too much social media effort. And online ads are expensive, the ROI is not great. Also, I have friends who run businesses without too much social media or online ads. They find other avenues in which they market things. BTW, I got an ad on your channel which was your own ad for your course! So maybe check your TH-cam Ads settings. Maybe it was deliberate, but just making sure. I mean, you're already advertising that on this video. Why would you pay TH-cam to advertise this again? I'm already watching.
I just started making polymer clay earrings,charms and keychains and would love to make it into a business. I started with social media as well and thought about selling on Etsy,I'm glad that I watched this video and gave me some very helpfull tips. Pro for me is that my husband is a website designer so getting my own website has been my plan from the start. I'm only focusing on fb page now for my things and will add a website soon after taking some photos of my products as well.
2:58 this is so true, i just finished my publics relation course and what was really emphasized was the type of target media your service/pitch/product can appeal to. Your brand may sound amazing, but what's in it for your target media? will associating with your products boost their reputation, or will your services emotionally resonate with that media's target audience and intersect with their values? Why should they trust/invest their attention and time with you, essentially haha thank you for sharing these tips!!
Fantastic knowledge share here! You are so generous for sharing your hard-earned experience. I'm in a totally different area of business (software) and I still learned so much from this. Your piece on strategic pricing.... brilliant! Know your worth. Thank you!
That is very helpful, thank you so much for sharing this! I am a travel advisor and get paid commission but only a small percentage goes to me. I don’t charge a planning fee and often I feel frustrated with how much time/effort I put into my work with very little reward. I find that referrals in my industry have been the most effective way to build my business, I am trying to specialize in higher end products now because I find them amazing, I aspire to travel in this way and hope to have fewer clients with a more reasonable compensation. I will try to implement some of yours tips. Ps: social media wasn’t particularly effective for me either.
It's great that referrals are working for you, and as you move towards premium offerings, those referrals can become even more valuable. Social media can be tricky, so focusing on networking and word-of-mouth might be more effective in the luxury market. Best of luck with your business!
This is such a brilliant idea and I am glad that I came across this video even though I don't create anything physical. I am in an industry that now has a lot of LinkedIn influencers - but they are not doing "media outreach". I am still setting up everything up, and once set up, I am going to follow this approach. This will be so much easier to build up my business that annoying LinkedIn posts that make people cringe. Your advice applies to so much more than just products.
This! I think anyone selling a course based on how they made money making something and can help you learn that, they should also be willing to share their financial statements. I want to see that Profit & Loss Detail. How much are you actually getting paid after all the cost of goods/services and expenses. So, Yes, the Net Profit Margin, as well... not the Gross Profit Margin.
Her net profits have nothing to do with this video and would only pertain to someone who wants to do what she’s doing - sell polymer clay charms. Anyone else, selling anything else, would need to do their own homework. The value of this video is in her process, not her details. Telling her financials would only persuade, or dissuade, someone into selling polymer clay charms and that’s not what she’s trying to do. It’s about people growing their own business, not copying hers.
@@NiaLaLa_V 🤣 hahaha… I don’t have time to respond to this at the moment, because Life, ya know, but I’ll get to it later… just know… you’re funny… and misguided. ✌️
I mostly want to learn how to become a creative assitant! I would love to be the one who makes to charms - I don't have the brain for thinking how to do the business aspect but I want to craft for work. :) great video though!
Becoming a creative assistant sounds perfect for you if you love crafting but don’t want to deal with the business side. Keep following your passion, it’s amazing what opportunities can come up! And thank you so much for watching and sharing!
Wonderful tips. I’m preparing a plan on how to sell my product atm so this has given me some great insight. Thank you so much. All the best to everyone.
I've been setting money aside to launch my own business in a similar "miniature" department next year. I am so excited to build some connections and open new job opportunities as well ❤ the world needs more small businesses! :) corporate greed takes out the soul!
Wow this video helped me so much more than the last 10 years of watching people talking about passive income online. I mean THANK YOU so much for "gifting" your viewers WITH ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE FOR FREE! Amazing work! New subbie here.
How much do you pay your team to make these? How much does each person make per hour? Are these fair trade? Also, it would be helpful and interesting to see a breakdown of your income and expenses, as well as how much time you spend on each task per week. Thanks! Super cute charms...cool idea.
I'd like to know, as well. I make realistic food charms, jewellery, and necklaces, myself, and I do wonder if your workers are also reaping the benefits of your newfound income and limited working hours (as I know the average, well-made piece can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to make).
😂😂😂. Really? These questions of yours, basically its none of your bussiness. Its called bussines practice and telling everyone all the details is something youre not privy to. So, How much do YOU make every year? Whats your bank accnt balance, do you have health insurance, own a home, are you married, do you cohabitate and share bills? 😂😂😂 JHC……youre post is such a downer. She built a small bussiness, created from scratch and supported by real customers, 1000% percent better than mass production in China or Cambodia. “Fair trade”. 😅😅😅
@@firefeethok_tui2355 Perfectly legit question of someone who makes a video saying that she will "share the exact strategies she used to grow her charm shop". and that she is "spilling the tea on how she consistently makes $122k a year so you could do this for your handmade business too." Also, as a potential customer, I would want to know if she's paying the actual makers a decent wage. I thought I'd give her the benefit of the doubt, which is why I asked instead of assuming. In my opinion, it could bump up her sales if she were to show that she practices fair trade.
@@firefeethok_tui2355 Perfectly legit question of someone who makes a video saying "I'll share the exact strategies I used to grow my charm shop" and "I'm spilling the tea on how I consistently make $122k a year so you could do this for your handmade business too." Also, as a potential consumer, I'd want to know that she's paying people a decent wage for making the charms. I thought I'd ask rather than just assume. In my opinion, she could bump up her sales if she shows that she's practicing fair trade.
@@firefeethok_tui2355 Perfectly legit question of someone who makes a video saying " I'll share the exact strategies I used to grow my charm shop" and "I'm spilling the tea on how I consistently make $122k a year so you could do this for your handmade business too." Also, as a potential consumer, I would want to know that the people actually making the product are getting paid a decent wage. In my opinion, it could bump up her sales if she were to show that she practices fair trade.
Thank you for the feedback and for watching the video! While I aim to be transparent, discussing specific profit details can be a bit complex due to varying factors like expenses, team salaries, and overhead costs.
@@CreativeHiveCowhich is exactly what adds up in costs, bringing the profits down Is there anything to prevent your workers from using the skills you taught them to make the peoducts to launch competitor businesses?
@@soarpurpose this is the mindset of someone who will not succeed. Running a business means looking out for your workers, because you need them. Nobody gets to the top by pushing others down. Truth is, most people don't have the capacity to manage a business successfully, if they did, then every worker would just start their own business after learning how to make products. Business management is a lot of work, more so then just creating a cute product. Successful businesses start small, take care of the humans involved, both customers and workers, and reinvest most of the money back into the business. The last person to make money is the person at the top, and they get only a portion of the profits after all taxes and everything else is paid. And when you own your own business you pay on your taxes every quarter, instead of once a year, and you have to be proactive about it to not have trouble with the government. It doesn't pay to have a scarcity mindset. And there is no such thing as easy money without work.
@@roflpill It depends on many factors. I used to run a successful pet sitting business when I lived in Australia. Until I got burnt out & had a mental health crisis. The pet sitting (taking care of pets in their own homes) model seemed to originate in the USA. Business owners in the US also could legally pay their employees much less comparatively than Australia. Some also used contractors to avoid obligations for employees such as superannuation, sick leave & holiday pay. And it's actually quite common for workers in such businesses to start their own competitive businesses (which doesn't have to involve hiring). And if someone is paying a decent wage to their employees, such as required in Australia, then can ultimately be running a business to mainly be supplying a few jobs to others, while not actually making much of a net profit. While bearing all the extra obligations & stresses such as paying taxes etc (if hiring employees). Even the people who boasted 6 figure pet sitting businesses in the USA, didn't really make more than working at a fast food outlet, by the time wages etc paid. Having a dose of reality isn't "pushing others down". It's having a grip on reality about whether it's sustainable. Or just burnout city.
@@roflpill dunno where my reply went but your comment sounds like you are naively assuming workers will stay loyal. Also the business owner is essentially bearing extra risks to provide others with jobs, if don't get paid even the equivalent of the wages themselves. It's actually super easy to start a small business without employees or contractors.
i would LOVE a crafty job from home like the people you spoke of working for you , how would i word it exactly when looking for such a job ? i do ebay full time and need a lil part time something from home immediately. so its a for sure pay check
@XenosFiles is right. Platforms like Fiverr and Upwork can be great for finding freelance crafting opportunities. They allow you to showcase your skills, set your rates, and connect with clients looking for specific services. It’s a good way to find flexible, remote work that fits around your current commitments.
Oh wow this came up at the right time for me... I didn't even think about this stuff, especially magazine outreach. Now I just have to find my focus~ 😭
All my products are handmade with care. I do have a small team who helps me out with some of the non-creative tasks, which lets me focus on the designing and creating side of things. It’s been a great way to keep up with demand while maintaining quality!
What I dont really understand is how you get the flow of customer to your website, especially when its still new. I started building my shop but stopped when I thought that i might not get any orders at all, and still have to pay 40usd for shopify. Im soon 2 years into Etsy and really want to make more sales to eventually have it as a fulltime job. Great video, elegant with great content. Thank you!
Hi Mei Pak! Thank you for all the valuable information, we love your ideas and can't wait to start working on media outreach. I have a question though, in the beginning of the video you mentioned that you would focus on 1 social media platform for a year and another the following year. What did you do with the other platforms, did you stop posting or just do maintenance posts to keep the audience? I am just curious how you managed the multiple existing platforms and the ones you chose to focus on for the year. Thanks once again for all the helpful info ❤
Great question! When I decided to focus on one platform for the year, I didn’t completely abandon the others-I just scaled back. For the non-focus platforms, I would do “maintenance mode” posting, which means sharing occasional updates, repurposing content, or just engaging with comments/messages to keep things alive without putting in too much effort. The idea is to not let those platforms go cold but also not spread yourself too thin. Once I got into a good rhythm with my focus platform, it became easier to add more energy to the others later. Hope this helps, and good luck with everything!
Wow, I'm so glad to hear that! 😊 I love when something new sparks inspiration or a fresh perspective. Thank you for watching and sharing your excitement!
Was thinking about making something simple with clay a round waffle charm and you have it in your thumbnail. It's very populair in the Netherlands and Belgium
Wow, I have seen a few of your videos and always found you so engaging! I came upon this one and I am so very glad I did! I can see how much time and energy you have put forward to get where you are and that is so refreshing to see. I so admire your positive attitude and how strategic you are committed to being. Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing these tips. I cannot believe I found one successful person who is strategically bucking the trend, so to speak and took a different path for success. I too have a Shopify store and will likely reach out for some insight. Thank you so, so much!
Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m really glad you found the video helpful and that my approach resonates with you. Stay tuned for more videos coming your way!
Amazing video trulyyy. I’m getting my masters in business and not only was this video extremely informative and well done, but your knowledge and teaching was on par with my PhD professors! Thank you for sharing!
I found my team through platforms like Upwork and Fiverr by posting detailed job descriptions of what I needed. Communication is key-we use tools like Slack or email to stay in touch, and I make sure to set clear expectations and deadlines.
You hire assistants to make the products, pay for advertising, custom chains etc. So what is the net profit from that revenue? I think it's misleading when influencers post revenue, as expenses can hugely reduce that.
Yeah I was wondering how she could make those many charms by hand. I’m trying to do a handmade card business and I can’t figure out how to make enough cards to sell unless I start a whole ass year ahead.
@@DaughterofDiogenes Figure out some ways to 'automate' production. Such as screen printing, or using a jig to cut the same shape over and over again. Figure out clever ways to reuse elements aka, the circle on one card might be a balloon or it might be a sun on another card. Think about what tools could possibly help you speed up certain elements, like a Cricut, and how can they most effectively be used aka you don't need a Cricut to cut rhombus shapes, you can use a standard paper slicer. And can you upgrade any of the tools you already have to more powerful versions (and does it make sense). You might be doing all those already and if you are, the best advice is practice as speed will naturally come with time too!
It all started for me with a genuine love for crafting and creating unique pieces. Selling food charms felt like a natural extension of that passion, and I realized there was a fun niche for it. Once I saw how much joy they brought to others, it just made sense to turn it into a business. Thanks for your kind words!
Thank you so much for providing this info! I’m currently working on getting better at polymer clay charms and eventually will open up a store :) definitely will be subscribing!
Interesting! Etsy is ok in the past but not recently. I recently just started Shopify like 2 weeks ago and haven't got any sales yet. I decided to do it anyway cuz my Etsy is dying, only 2 sales since the beginning of this year2024. I won't close Etsy just yet as I haven't made any sales yet in Shopify. Sometimes it's like I am almost giving up but when I found video like yours, I guessed there's still a little light at the end of a narrow tunnel. Thank you, hope is what I need right now 💜
This is an excellent video, thank you so much for the information... very encouraging. I had a physical shop that I closed last year and am just now feeling the urge to create again, huzzah!
This is one of the best video presentations on focusing on your personal online business I have watched... Will definitely watch additional videos. Thank you and best wishes on your future growth. 🤗
For media outreach, I first researched the sections that aligned with my product. Then, I looked for bylines of writers covering similar products or gift guides. When reaching out, I made my pitch concise and personalized. I mentioned why my product would resonate with their audience and included high-quality photos and a link to my shop. It's all about making it easy for them to feature you.
I think she is underestimating the power of having a good social media presence, audience and her own website to backup the traditional media outreach. I think about my own purchasing habits: I hear about something from a channel or media and then go look at it online to get the full details, and look for a second recommendation. When I hear of something but I can't find a website for it or any reviews then no sale. Also I don't think she mentioned it much in the voiceover but she showed photos of a market stall, so her early days organic growth might have been boosted by in person sales in the local community.
You can do outreach as soon as you open your store. And it doesn't have to be a big magazine or a huge influencer with millions of followers. It could be a blogger or someone with a smaller following. You can also optimize your store for searches online (SEO) to help bring in organic sales. You don't have to post everyday on social media to gets sales. Mei teaches how to leverage building relationships with people who already have an engaged audience because it's a more effective use of time and can get really great results. She posts occasionally on her own social pages to show people that her business is still active, but she focuses most of her time on connecting with others who want to help promote her products. I know because I've taken some of her courses.
Thank you for your kind words! At the start, I focused on building a solid foundation for my store and connecting with my target audience. While I did start doing media outreach eventually, I initially concentrated on optimizing my product listings and leveraging any existing networks. 😊
1. She invested a lot of time into growing a following on social media, but this didn't contribute much to her success
2. Media outreach - getting her products into blogs or magazines that get a lot of traffic, by reaching out and sending them products
3. Paid ads, but only do this if you already have the budget for it
4. Dicthing etsy and having your own website so you're not at their mercy
5. Be kind to customers even if they complain to promote good worth-of-mouth recommendations
6. Make products that people consistently want to buy, she did this by doing custom orders for people and then just making more of the idea if this went well and continuing to sell it to others
Thank you for watching!
Thank you for the notes. :D
shhh im trying to watch the video
Thanks for the summary. Most useful.
a true hero amongst us common folk. thank you
Another issue with Etsy is that even when you bring in your own customers, Etsy sabotages you by suggesting other creators and vendors right beside or below your product. “Oh, you like that, what about all these other vendors? You might like them better!”
So true! This is one reason why having your own website can be so beneficial-you get full control over the shopping experience and can keep your customers focused on your unique offerings.
Good point!
And all of the pointless fees.
😂😂😅wow that's bad.
Shopify can still kick you off their platform too. That's why I use woocommerce on my own website
If you listen to podcasts like How I Built This with Guy Raz, media outreach is exactly the next step founders take when trying to scale up and make it big. Listened to the Drunk Elephant episode, and she sold exclusively online on her own website until she was able to get into Sephora.
She also did a fantastic job of getting various celebs to use and promote her products. ❤
Thanks!
Thank you! Just listened and it was great!
Thank you for watching!
Yes!! I love this podcast and listen to it obsessively. Will have to check out that episode.
This is one of the few channels I've seen talking about business that feels genuine. A lot of them are like "just do this and get rich" but your tips feel actionable, realistic, and not like youre trying to sell us a get rich quick idea that will never pan out.
Thank you so much for your kind words!
It may be genuine, but it’s lacking a lot of info. 122k sales is just sales. She hires out a lot, cost of materials, what kind of margin is there? What is profit out of 122k. Actually coughing up all the numbers would be more helpful.
@catsgomiauw and she has a business selling her ideas to people who want to strike it rich as a business owner. I don't trust those types of people at all. If she was just a youtuber, then sure. But not when she's trying to sell us the answers. 🙄🫠
3:54 I had to pause this to say "thank you." Not sure if this is a "loss leader" video, but I love that you didn't spend a lot of time giving zero information, and a big word salad to a pitch for some e-book/course you offer. You may yet pitch something, but it is truly nice to feel like you are genuinely sharing ideas with people. SO, thanks!
Aww! Thank you so much for your kind words! I appreciate it ♥️
@@CreativeHiveCo You are more than welcome. I sent the link to this forward to a few of my friends. We really appreciate the information. Best wishes.
Check the description. She's definitely trying to sell her info.
i love the reminder of "work for free at first in order to earn later."
Yep, this is very very important thing in business world
Thank you for watching! I'm glad that resonated with you!
I’ve been “working for free” since my business started. At what point to customers actually agree to pay for the work?
You described my situation with Etsy perfectly. I started there as a hobbyist in 2020 and now I want to get more serious. I had good sales for the first couple years but now I'm lucky to see a few. I learned so much with your video and this was the needed push I need to get my own website running for a shop. I also had no idea about magazines and media outreach!
Best of luck with your website-I'm sure you'll see positive changes and growth! Thanks for sharing your experience!
getting a media feature isn't something I've even considered, thank you for sharing
You're welcome, and thank you for watching!
Your own local news station will feature stories on businesses just ask!
I came for the business advice & found myself completely enamored by that snowcone necklace. And they’re * scented * ?? That is so adorable & creative 😮
Awww, thank you so much! Also, they're so fun to make! 😊
This is such a smart way to go about things - the old school way of getting press. I wanted to start my own business but really was not sold on having to do social media again. But i do love writing pitches to publications! So, thank you, I think you just solved a really big problem for me!
Thank you for watching!
I clicked because of the cute art on the thumbnail, stayed because of the great tips. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, and your art is really beautiful, hope you continue to see success in your endeavours 🌟
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
As someone who does online art commissions and not sell figurines, this was genuienly helpful for leaning how to price art commissions!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
Okay... get control over my life, start a creative business, got it. One year out from this lmao but this is now my life goal, would love to make jewelry of some kind. Heck yeah. Wtf it's really that simple, it isn't easy but I think your advice really speaks volumes.
Thanks for watching and good luck with your journey!
I love how serious you are about this. Great no BS advice🎉
Thank you for watching!
My mom just started make soap and she makes some really luxurious stuff but she’s just been sending it out to her friends for free and so she has an entire room of all of this super expensive soap that she’s made with high-quality oils and she doesn’t know how to start. I’ll have to send her your video thank you!
That’s so awesome! It sounds like she’s got an amazing product already-she just needs to get it out there! I hope the video helps her get started. Tell her I’m cheering her on! 😊
I actually started a bit differently. I went straight into paid advertising and that's how I got my first few sales. I also would like to mention that Shopify can also close you down so hosting your own store would probably be a better and cheaper option in the long run.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Paid advertising can be a powerful way to jump-start sales. It's great to hear that it worked for you!
Yup. I know people who sold conservative based items and when 2020 came rolling around, shopify closed a bunch of their sites down.
@@angelrebekah9153 really sad! That could really crush people's dreams.
I'm so glad you brought up the point about good customer service because I feel that it's a must for small business owners. I do a lot of custom work so I do tend to get a lot of frustrating customers. Offline I will complain about them to my family who tell me I should just drop them. Online though, I always remain polite and try my best to work with them. More often than not, I have been rewarded for my efforts. The customers leave happy and sometimes they even come back to buy more things or recommend their friends. If I had listened to my family's advice, I would have lost tons of sales. I really pride myself on my customer service skills and feel that being professional has really helped my business grow.
I completely agree! Thank you for sharing your experience!
Thank you for defining the business side of creative work. I was a successful artist for a while and I met plenty of talented artists that could not wrap their head around simple business concepts. The most successful artists I met had a talent for business and/or had a partner that focused on the business side on their behalf. Customers can’t buy what they can’t see. Many artists abhor sales activities, which is fine IF you still tend to it by hiring it out, but even doing that feels like “selling out” to most artists, relegating them to years of bitterness and poverty. I wasted a lot of my own valuable time trying to share the knowledge with folks completely unable or unwilling to manage the business side of art.
(Love your charms, btw!)
Thank you for sharing your experience! Balancing creativity with business is tough, and not everyone is comfortable with both. You're right that getting help, whether through a partner or hiring out, can make all the difference. It’s about valuing your art enough to get it to the people who will appreciate it. Thanks for the love on the charms! 😊
Normally I put these kinds of videos on in the background but I will say your video is one of the ones that actually kept me engaged and was really really informative
Awww, thank you so much! I appreciate it!
Thank you... I didn't even considered having a media feature! I sell crochet and art as a side hustle as a student. I'll definitely try the blogs and magazines :)
My favourite parts of the business are the creativity and contact : so making my creations and talking with customers. Not the marketing unfortunately.. So when I'll grow, it's the marketing agent that I will hire hahaha
You're so welcome! I'm glad the idea of a media feature sparked some inspiration for you!
omg…. I’ve been sitting and sitting thinking.. 🤔 churning out media doesn’t seem to work and I was wondering about reaching out to companies.. this was so nice to stumble on thank you!
Thank you so much for watching!
Great stuff! My husband is constantly trying to lowball his work and he makes meticulous custom knives. I'm trying to help with the website and I just knew Etsy wasn't the only way to go. Thanks!
Thank you so much for watching!
Could you please make more videos talking about how you handle those difficult customer interactions for lost broken packages and or just difficult interactions in general? Im worried about selling physical items (I crochet so I’m leaning towards selling digital patterns) because I’m not sure how to navigate this part of the business side. Is it better to completely replace the item for free? Offer them a future discount? Etc. thank you too for this video, I have already learned so much
Replace the item .
Hi! I think customer service is very important, but I generally try to balance good customer service with protecting my business. For difficult customers, it’s important to stay calm and professional, no matter what. Listen to their concerns, show empathy, and offer solutions. A replacement, future discount, or partial refund can help smooth things over.
Insure all your packages (build the cost into your pricing), so that if anything is damaged or lost, you can open an insurance claim, refund them their money or make a new one and you won’t lose anything out of your own pocket.
After roaming through endless videos of “get rich” schemes, youre video was finally a video worth watching thank you, liked and subscribed ❤
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching!
this was a lovely video especially because i am someone looking to start my own polymer clay business soon. the points in the video were concise and also easy to understand. it also taught me things i’ve never considered business wise so i feel more confident and prepared for when i do open up shop. thank you for this insight!!
I'm glad you find it helpful! Thank you for watching and I appreciate your kind words!
This vid keeps showing up in the recommended page. So i figured, what the hey, maybe this person might have a different response than all the other social people out there. And boy, howdy! 😆 I'm glad you're reminding people that business survived and thrived long before social media existed. I don't know any who are teaching that to the young ones. Or maybe they are and I haven't found them yet.
Thanks for watching, and I’m thrilled you enjoyed the approach!
I have been binge watching your videos for the last 3 weeks since i discovered you!
That's awesome! Thanks for hanging out with me these past 3 weeks, I hope you learned a lot!
168k a year is pretty good. I have no idea how to run a business, I also have ADHD and I struggle to focus and stay in a routine. I just wish there was a way I could make money like this easily. I have no idea what I am doing.
me too
Me too. I decided to sell popcorn. High profit margins and easy to sell 😊
the adhd makes it so hard. i know what to do, i start, i get lost, i get too tired to research. my best trait is making the million dollar ideas, i cant sell it though or track profits.
I was the same for a decade, a dozen million dollar ideas and not much happening on the outside. What we need is to learn to ground our ideas, it’s pretty much energy work. Try fire breathwork, yoga, qigong, learn about your energies and how to properly channel it. Commit yourself for two years to perfect one thing/business, expect nothing, remove ALL emotions from it make it a habit literally like brushing teeth or hair ❤
Same. I just keep trying.
Thank you so much for generously sharing things that helped you! Even though I am not a shop seller I got a lot of value out of your video. I’m realizing that as a transformational singing coach I can do media outreach by researching magazines where I could share my story of going from shy musician to stage performer on the other side of the world. I had not considered this form of marketing before but your video gave me the idea!!! Thanks ❤
You're so welcome! I'm thrilled to hear that the video gave you some new ideas. I’m excited for you to explore that opportunity and see where it takes you. Thanks so much for your kind words, and best of luck with your journey! ❤
Thank you for so generously sharing the wisdom that you have learned from years of hard work. It is very sensible advice that I will take to heart.
I appreciate that! Thank you for watching!
This is the first time I've seen actual marketable advice along these lines.
Thank you for watching!
Truly advice I don’t hear talked about! Thank you for this
Thank you for watching!
hello, Mei..Jessica's here...😃
I already watched your vids since several years ago (when you often say that you dont put any ads on there 😁)..
just wanna say thank you so much for sharing so many things to us online..❤️
That’s incredible, Jessica! Thanks for sticking around all these years. So glad you’ve found the content helpful. ❤️
@@CreativeHiveCo you're welcome ❤️ you're amazing, Mei 😃
This is a lot of info to take in very quickly...! But as someone who struggles with social media, I'm glad I found this video. :)
Thank you so much for watching!
Is the $1.6 Million profit or revenue? I’m always confused when creators say “I’ve made [insert amount here]”, because they never clarify if it’s profit or revenue.
Wow! I'm really glad I cam across your video. So many useful information! Thank you so much!!!! ❤
So glad this was helpful, thanks for watching!
Great video, very honest, no nonsense. You're speaking my language here. I'm always concerned about too much social media effort. And online ads are expensive, the ROI is not great. Also, I have friends who run businesses without too much social media or online ads. They find other avenues in which they market things.
BTW, I got an ad on your channel which was your own ad for your course! So maybe check your TH-cam Ads settings. Maybe it was deliberate, but just making sure. I mean, you're already advertising that on this video. Why would you pay TH-cam to advertise this again? I'm already watching.
I'm glad you found the video helpful! I'll double check my TH-cam Ads settings, thanks for the heads-up!
I just started making polymer clay earrings,charms and keychains and would love to make it into a business. I started with social media as well and thought about selling on Etsy,I'm glad that I watched this video and gave me some very helpfull tips. Pro for me is that my husband is a website designer so getting my own website has been my plan from the start. I'm only focusing on fb page now for my things and will add a website soon after taking some photos of my products as well.
Awesome! You got this!
2:58 this is so true, i just finished my publics relation course and what was really emphasized was the type of target media your service/pitch/product can appeal to. Your brand may sound amazing, but what's in it for your target media? will associating with your products boost their reputation, or will your services emotionally resonate with that media's target audience and intersect with their values? Why should they trust/invest their attention and time with you, essentially haha
thank you for sharing these tips!!
Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts!
A really good down to earth no hype guide! Thank you!
Thank you so much for watching!
Fantastic knowledge share here! You are so generous for sharing your hard-earned experience. I'm in a totally different area of business (software) and I still learned so much from this. Your piece on strategic pricing.... brilliant! Know your worth. Thank you!
So glad this was helpful, even for a totally different industry! ❤️
That is very helpful, thank you so much for sharing this! I am a travel advisor and get paid commission but only a small percentage goes to me. I don’t charge a planning fee and often I feel frustrated with how much time/effort I put into my work with very little reward. I find that referrals in my industry have been the most effective way to build my business, I am trying to specialize in higher end products now because I find them amazing, I aspire to travel in this way and hope to have fewer clients with a more reasonable compensation. I will try to implement some of yours tips.
Ps: social media wasn’t particularly effective for me either.
It's great that referrals are working for you, and as you move towards premium offerings, those referrals can become even more valuable. Social media can be tricky, so focusing on networking and word-of-mouth might be more effective in the luxury market. Best of luck with your business!
This is such a brilliant idea and I am glad that I came across this video even though I don't create anything physical.
I am in an industry that now has a lot of LinkedIn influencers - but they are not doing "media outreach". I am still setting up everything up, and once set up, I am going to follow this approach. This will be so much easier to build up my business that annoying LinkedIn posts that make people cringe.
Your advice applies to so much more than just products.
Thank you for watching! Wishing you the best of luck with setting everything up! I'm excited to hear how it works for you! 😊
Gross revenue is good.
Net profit is better.
It would be more persuasive to give the ad costs, etc...
This! I think anyone selling a course based on how they made money making something and can help you learn that, they should also be willing to share their financial statements. I want to see that Profit & Loss Detail. How much are you actually getting paid after all the cost of goods/services and expenses. So, Yes, the Net Profit Margin, as well... not the Gross Profit Margin.
Her net profits have nothing to do with this video and would only pertain to someone who wants to do what she’s doing - sell polymer clay charms. Anyone else, selling anything else, would need to do their own homework. The value of this video is in her process, not her details.
Telling her financials would only persuade, or dissuade, someone into selling polymer clay charms and that’s not what she’s trying to do. It’s about people growing their own business, not copying hers.
Thank you for watching and for your feedback. I appreciate it!
@@Jenlightenment You sound way more entitled than enlightened.
@@NiaLaLa_V 🤣 hahaha… I don’t have time to respond to this at the moment, because Life, ya know, but I’ll get to it later… just know… you’re funny… and misguided. ✌️
I mostly want to learn how to become a creative assitant! I would love to be the one who makes to charms - I don't have the brain for thinking how to do the business aspect but I want to craft for work. :) great video though!
Becoming a creative assistant sounds perfect for you if you love crafting but don’t want to deal with the business side. Keep following your passion, it’s amazing what opportunities can come up! And thank you so much for watching and sharing!
Wonderful tips.
I’m preparing a plan on how to sell my product atm so this has given me some great insight. Thank you so much.
All the best to everyone.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
I've been setting money aside to launch my own business in a similar "miniature" department next year. I am so excited to build some connections and open new job opportunities as well ❤ the world needs more small businesses! :) corporate greed takes out the soul!
That is awesome! Best of luck with your business! You can do it 😊
Small businesses have greed as well. With exorbitant prices calculated using the capitalist formula
This is actually good insight from a small business owner.
Thank you for watching!
This video has amazing value for anybody starting a business of any kind.
Thank you for watching!
This is amazing! The information is like a paid seminar. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
Wow, what a generously content-rich vid. So well presented, too. Just crammed with valuable, actionable info. Thank you, but also brava!
Thank you for your watching and for your kind words!
Wow this video helped me so much more than the last 10 years of watching people talking about passive income online. I mean THANK YOU so much for "gifting" your viewers WITH ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE FOR FREE! Amazing work! New subbie here.
Great to hear! Thank you so much for watching!
You’re so eloquent and wise about this! Thank you for your insights.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really glad you found the insights helpful. And thank you for watching!
This is probably the first video on this topic I've seen that gives real actionable things to do to improve business. Thank you for this!
You're most welcome, and thank you for watching!
How much do you pay your team to make these? How much does each person make per hour? Are these fair trade? Also, it would be helpful and interesting to see a breakdown of your income and expenses, as well as how much time you spend on each task per week. Thanks! Super cute charms...cool idea.
I'd like to know, as well. I make realistic food charms, jewellery, and necklaces, myself, and I do wonder if your workers are also reaping the benefits of your newfound income and limited working hours (as I know the average, well-made piece can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to make).
😂😂😂. Really? These questions of yours, basically its none of your bussiness. Its called bussines practice and telling everyone all the details is something youre not privy to. So, How much do YOU make every year? Whats your bank accnt balance, do you have health insurance, own a home, are you married, do you cohabitate and share bills? 😂😂😂 JHC……youre post is such a downer. She built a small bussiness, created from scratch and supported by real customers, 1000% percent better than mass production in China or Cambodia. “Fair trade”. 😅😅😅
@@firefeethok_tui2355 Perfectly legit question of someone who makes a video saying that she will "share the exact strategies she used to grow her charm shop". and that she is "spilling the tea on how she consistently makes $122k a year so you could do this for your handmade business too." Also, as a potential customer, I would want to know if she's paying the actual makers a decent wage. I thought I'd give her the benefit of the doubt, which is why I asked instead of assuming. In my opinion, it could bump up her sales if she were to show that she practices fair trade.
@@firefeethok_tui2355 Perfectly legit question of someone who makes a video saying "I'll share the exact strategies I used to grow my charm shop" and "I'm spilling the tea on how I consistently make $122k a year so you could do this for your handmade business too." Also, as a potential consumer, I'd want to know that she's paying people a decent wage for making the charms. I thought I'd ask rather than just assume. In my opinion, she could bump up her sales if she shows that she's practicing fair trade.
@@firefeethok_tui2355 Perfectly legit question of someone who makes a video saying " I'll share the exact strategies I used to grow my charm shop" and "I'm spilling the tea on how I consistently make $122k a year so you could do this for your handmade business too." Also, as a potential consumer, I would want to know that the people actually making the product are getting paid a decent wage. In my opinion, it could bump up her sales if she were to show that she practices fair trade.
Wow~Sales by selling charms. impressed...Thank you for the video. ^^
Thanks for watching!
Fantastic video, would love some more transparency around profit though , especially with a full team
Thank you for the feedback and for watching the video! While I aim to be transparent, discussing specific profit details can be a bit complex due to varying factors like expenses, team salaries, and overhead costs.
@@CreativeHiveCowhich is exactly what adds up in costs, bringing the profits down
Is there anything to prevent your workers from using the skills you taught them to make the peoducts to launch competitor businesses?
@@soarpurpose this is the mindset of someone who will not succeed. Running a business means looking out for your workers, because you need them. Nobody gets to the top by pushing others down.
Truth is, most people don't have the capacity to manage a business successfully, if they did, then every worker would just start their own business after learning how to make products. Business management is a lot of work, more so then just creating a cute product. Successful businesses start small, take care of the humans involved, both customers and workers, and reinvest most of the money back into the business. The last person to make money is the person at the top, and they get only a portion of the profits after all taxes and everything else is paid. And when you own your own business you pay on your taxes every quarter, instead of once a year, and you have to be proactive about it to not have trouble with the government.
It doesn't pay to have a scarcity mindset. And there is no such thing as easy money without work.
@@roflpill It depends on many factors. I used to run a successful pet sitting business when I lived in Australia. Until I got burnt out & had a mental health crisis.
The pet sitting (taking care of pets in their own homes) model seemed to originate in the USA. Business owners in the US also could legally pay their employees much less comparatively than Australia. Some also used contractors to avoid obligations for employees such as superannuation, sick leave & holiday pay.
And it's actually quite common for workers in such businesses to start their own competitive businesses (which doesn't have to involve hiring).
And if someone is paying a decent wage to their employees, such as required in Australia, then can ultimately be running a business to mainly be supplying a few jobs to others, while not actually making much of a net profit. While bearing all the extra obligations & stresses such as paying taxes etc (if hiring employees).
Even the people who boasted 6 figure pet sitting businesses in the USA, didn't really make more than working at a fast food outlet, by the time wages etc paid.
Having a dose of reality isn't "pushing others down". It's having a grip on reality about whether it's sustainable. Or just burnout city.
@@roflpill dunno where my reply went but your comment sounds like you are naively assuming workers will stay loyal.
Also the business owner is essentially bearing extra risks to provide others with jobs, if don't get paid even the equivalent of the wages themselves.
It's actually super easy to start a small business without employees or contractors.
you are absolutely amazing at explaining
Thank you! 😃
i would LOVE a crafty job from home like the people you spoke of working for you , how would i word it exactly when looking for such a job ? i do ebay full time and need a lil part time something from home immediately. so its a for sure pay check
I was thinking exactly the same thing. Where would you look for and find a job like that?
I would definitely be interested in this too!
Fiverr or Upwork
@XenosFiles is right. Platforms like Fiverr and Upwork can be great for finding freelance crafting opportunities. They allow you to showcase your skills, set your rates, and connect with clients looking for specific services. It’s a good way to find flexible, remote work that fits around your current commitments.
Love you Mei
Commenting for the algorithms
Awwe, much love back to you! 💖
Another value packed video! Thank you! ❤
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! ❤
I paid for a one year subscription. I loved the surprise every month.
Awesome! Thank you so much!
this was a really well put together video , im impressed !! :D
Glad you liked it! Thank you for watching!
How good of you to share what you have learned
Thank you for watching!
Oh wow this came up at the right time for me... I didn't even think about this stuff, especially magazine outreach. Now I just have to find my focus~ 😭
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
How do you keep up with demand? Are they mass produced or hand made by you?
All my products are handmade with care. I do have a small team who helps me out with some of the non-creative tasks, which lets me focus on the designing and creating side of things. It’s been a great way to keep up with demand while maintaining quality!
I like your tip to go outside the box for media outreach. Got my wheels turning.
Glad it sparked some ideas! ✨
What I dont really understand is how you get the flow of customer to your website, especially when its still new.
I started building my shop but stopped when I thought that i might not get any orders at all, and still have to pay 40usd for shopify. Im soon 2 years into Etsy and really want to make more sales to eventually have it as a fulltime job.
Great video, elegant with great content. Thank you!
Try influencer and email marketing! This is what I teach my students in my program too!
Hi Mei Pak! Thank you for all the valuable information, we love your ideas and can't wait to start working on media outreach. I have a question though, in the beginning of the video you mentioned that you would focus on 1 social media platform for a year and another the following year. What did you do with the other platforms, did you stop posting or just do maintenance posts to keep the audience? I am just curious how you managed the multiple existing platforms and the ones you chose to focus on for the year.
Thanks once again for all the helpful info ❤
Great question! When I decided to focus on one platform for the year, I didn’t completely abandon the others-I just scaled back. For the non-focus platforms, I would do “maintenance mode” posting, which means sharing occasional updates, repurposing content, or just engaging with comments/messages to keep things alive without putting in too much effort.
The idea is to not let those platforms go cold but also not spread yourself too thin. Once I got into a good rhythm with my focus platform, it became easier to add more energy to the others later. Hope this helps, and good luck with everything!
oh I just saw your packaging it's so cute! ok bye now haha
Haha I’m glad you liked it! 😂
WOOO I'M EARLY
EDIT: I'm less than 5 minutes in so far and you've already blown my mind that I have genuinely NEVER considered these!!
Wow, I'm so glad to hear that! 😊 I love when something new sparks inspiration or a fresh perspective. Thank you for watching and sharing your excitement!
This makes a lot of sense. Subscribed.
Thank you so much!
Was thinking about making something simple with clay a round waffle charm and you have it in your thumbnail. It's very populair in the Netherlands and Belgium
Waffle charms are so fun to make! Thank you for watching!
Wow, I have seen a few of your videos and always found you so engaging! I came upon this one and I am so very glad I did! I can see how much time and energy you have put forward to get where you are and that is so refreshing to see. I so admire your positive attitude and how strategic you are committed to being. Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing these tips. I cannot believe I found one successful person who is strategically bucking the trend, so to speak and took a different path for success. I too have a Shopify store and will likely reach out for some insight. Thank you so, so much!
Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m really glad you found the video helpful and that my approach resonates with you. Stay tuned for more videos coming your way!
vraiment très clair et bien fait ce vidéo! merci pour l'info :)
Thank you for watching!
Amazing video trulyyy. I’m getting my masters in business and not only was this video extremely informative and well done, but your knowledge and teaching was on par with my PhD professors! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for your kind words! That's such a huge compliment!♥️
Love this! Thank you so much, this actually helped a lot!
I'm so glad this was helpful for you! 💖
How did you find your team online? Could you go into more detail about how you work with them?
I found my team through platforms like Upwork and Fiverr by posting detailed job descriptions of what I needed. Communication is key-we use tools like Slack or email to stay in touch, and I make sure to set clear expectations and deadlines.
@CreativeHiveCo Thank you so much for the response. Very helpful ☆
My sister sent me this. This is actually really helpful.
Thank you for watching!
You hire assistants to make the products, pay for advertising, custom chains etc. So what is the net profit from that revenue? I think it's misleading when influencers post revenue, as expenses can hugely reduce that.
Also i'm guessing the workers get a decent pay...hopefully 😂
Yeah I was wondering how she could make those many charms by hand. I’m trying to do a handmade card business and I can’t figure out how to make enough cards to sell unless I start a whole ass year ahead.
@@DaughterofDiogenes Figure out some ways to 'automate' production. Such as screen printing, or using a jig to cut the same shape over and over again. Figure out clever ways to reuse elements aka, the circle on one card might be a balloon or it might be a sun on another card. Think about what tools could possibly help you speed up certain elements, like a Cricut, and how can they most effectively be used aka you don't need a Cricut to cut rhombus shapes, you can use a standard paper slicer. And can you upgrade any of the tools you already have to more powerful versions (and does it make sense).
You might be doing all those already and if you are, the best advice is practice as speed will naturally come with time too!
Great advice and I love how you put your videos together 💕🧡💚
Thank you so much!
Mel,
You are one smart cookie__great presentation! 💖🙌😺
Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed it!
How much of that revenue has advertising expense? At the end of the day, the net profit matters more than the gross profit.
I love the analogies and the way you explain things. How did you decide on selling food charms as a viable business model to begin with?
It all started for me with a genuine love for crafting and creating unique pieces. Selling food charms felt like a natural extension of that passion, and I realized there was a fun niche for it. Once I saw how much joy they brought to others, it just made sense to turn it into a business. Thanks for your kind words!
Logistics and packages for those small things are really interesting 📦
Thank you for watching!
Thank you so much for providing this info! I’m currently working on getting better at polymer clay charms and eventually will open up a store :) definitely will be subscribing!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
Interesting! Etsy is ok in the past but not recently. I recently just started Shopify like 2 weeks ago and haven't got any sales yet. I decided to do it anyway cuz my Etsy is dying, only 2 sales since the beginning of this year2024. I won't close Etsy just yet as I haven't made any sales yet in Shopify. Sometimes it's like I am almost giving up but when I found video like yours, I guessed there's still a little light at the end of a narrow tunnel. Thank you, hope is what I need right now 💜
You've got this!
This is an excellent video, thank you so much for the information... very encouraging. I had a physical shop that I closed last year and am just now feeling the urge to create again, huzzah!
Embracing that creative spark is such a positive step. Best of luck with your new projects!
Wow, what an incredibly valuable video. Thank You So Much!! I really appreciate your generosity offering up this info. ❤❤❤
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
Fantastic advice, thank you for taking the time to make this ❤❤
Thank you so much for watching!
This is one of the best video presentations on focusing on your personal online business I have watched... Will definitely watch additional videos. Thank you and best wishes on your future growth. 🤗
Glad it was helpful! Thank you so much for watching!
I would be interested to see a shopify tutorial or tips and tricks video at some point! Thank you for sharing your tips on your channel❤
Thanks for the suggestion! A Shopify tutorial sounds like a great idea-I’ll definitely consider it for a future video. 😊
It looks i found another great channel, that i will put in my favourite ecommerce list ❤
Wow, thank you! I appreciate it!
Thank you. Very helpful.
I'm so glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
For the media outreach, how did you submit your product to Huff post? How did you find the right people to reach out to?
For media outreach, I first researched the sections that aligned with my product. Then, I looked for bylines of writers covering similar products or gift guides. When reaching out, I made my pitch concise and personalized. I mentioned why my product would resonate with their audience and included high-quality photos and a link to my shop. It's all about making it easy for them to feature you.
@@CreativeHiveCo Ooooh got it! So smart thank you
Thanks for your insightful videos. But how did you get those organic sales at the beginning? Did you do media outreach since the beginning???
I think she is underestimating the power of having a good social media presence, audience and her own website to backup the traditional media outreach. I think about my own purchasing habits: I hear about something from a channel or media and then go look at it online to get the full details, and look for a second recommendation. When I hear of something but I can't find a website for it or any reviews then no sale. Also I don't think she mentioned it much in the voiceover but she showed photos of a market stall, so her early days organic growth might have been boosted by in person sales in the local community.
You can do outreach as soon as you open your store. And it doesn't have to be a big magazine or a huge influencer with millions of followers. It could be a blogger or someone with a smaller following. You can also optimize your store for searches online (SEO) to help bring in organic sales.
You don't have to post everyday on social media to gets sales. Mei teaches how to leverage building relationships with people who already have an engaged audience because it's a more effective use of time and can get really great results.
She posts occasionally on her own social pages to show people that her business is still active, but she focuses most of her time on connecting with others who want to help promote her products.
I know because I've taken some of her courses.
Thank you for your kind words! At the start, I focused on building a solid foundation for my store and connecting with my target audience. While I did start doing media outreach eventually, I initially concentrated on optimizing my product listings and leveraging any existing networks. 😊
I was looking through the links, do you just sell courses now? There's no more actual clay art?
I still sell handmade jewelry! Here's the link if you want to check it out: tinyhandsonline.com/
You are very informative and nice ❤❤❤thank you for sharing this
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
This is gold. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for watching!
This is very valuable information. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!