Earlier this year my 15-year-old daughter, Roxanne, came home from a meeting of one of her afterschool clubs to tell me that they were hosting a fundraiser at Orange Theory. “Will you donate $30 and take a class there to help us raise money?” she asked. How could I say no? As I’ve mentioned here…
How to Develop an Online Persona for Yourself
Photo by my friend, Lisa Neighbors. I was chatting the other day with a woman who is just beginning to build an online presence for her sewing business. She was having a tough time with social media because she just didn’t feel comfortable talking about herself all the time, yet that’s what platforms like Instagram…
Webinar: Take a Peek into Retail Life with Three Brick-&-Mortar Craft Shop Owners
In this era of profound shifts in the retail landscape, independent brick-and-mortar retailers within the crafts industry stand at the forefront, navigating the evolving terrain to ensure their products and store ambiance remain pertinent. Amidst this transformation, the adoption of advanced tools like clientele database software emerges as a vital component for these retailers, facilitating…
On Loving Your Customers
Sarah, Me, Rachel and Lou in the fall of 2004. When I was teaching sixth grade at Brown Middle School in Newton, Massachusetts, I was part of a team of four teachers. Sarah taught math, I taught social studies, Rachel taught science, and Lou was the English teacher. Sarah, Rachel, and I became fast friends….
What Makes a Local Quilt Shop Great?
In September of 2011 my trusty sewing machine of 23 years, a Bernette 330 I’d bought at G Street Fabrics in Rockville, Maryland when I was 13-years-old, broke for good. When the terrible “grrrr grrrr” noise began every time I turned it on, I set aside $500 to spend on a new machine at a…
Creating a Facebook Group to Build Community for Your Business
“The Facebook fan page feels like a podium,” says Jen Hagedorn. “It works for sending one-way messages about new patterns or sales, but it’s impersonal and can feel kind of spammy. The Facebook group, on the other hand, feels like a sewing circle.” Jen started a private Facebook group for her pattern company, Tie…
Should Sewing Patterns Be Certified?
If you’re interested in becoming a sewing pattern designer it’s easier now than it’s ever been. You can learn the skills you need, create a design, test it, and then sell it directly to consumers without a huge investment in formal schooling, software, or printing and distribution. There are online classes in pattern drafting, grading,…
Why It’s Important to Love Your Customers (and What Happens When You Don’t)
In 2003 I was teaching 6th grade social studies at a middle school in Newton, Massachusetts. I was part of a team of four teachers, each in a different subject area. Three of us were women in our 20’s and the fourth was a man in his late 50’s named Lou. A year away from…
“This is How We Do Things Here”: Developing Guiding Principles for Your Business
Should you say yes to being part of an upcoming blog tour? Should you have a Black Friday sale? Should you install Google AdSense on your sidebar? When you have an online business, or even just a blog, you begin thinking about these questions and hundreds more. There are big overarching questions like what kinds…
Is Anybody Out There?: Strategies for Improving Customer Engagement
This post is part of a 3-person blog hop. Head on over to Tara Swiger’s blog and Stacey Trock’s blog to read their perspectives on this topic, too. One of the best, and worst, aspects of running an online business is that you interact with your customers from behind a computer screen. It’s wonderful…