Creative Biz Rebellion

Latest Episodes:

Episode 9 - Getting ready for the Holidays. PART 2: GET YOUR LIFE READY Oct 20, 2016

Show notes

Caroline and Kelly talk #allthingsholiday part 2: getting yourself ready! Yes, it is only October, but it is never to early to be prepared! Are you ready to tackle these next crazy holiday shopping months? No worries! In this episode Caroline and Kelly will help you get your holiday shit together by giving you great tips for preparing your etsy shop!

Take care of your health

Caroline and Kelly give great tips and ideas for keeping yourself and your family healthy this holiday season! You can't run a shop during this busy time and be sick. So How should you take care of your health? From eating well, to keeping your same lifestyle routine, and using essential oils…..Caroline and Kelly try #allthethings to stay healthy this holiday season and so should you!

I will be immune to all the things -Caroline.

Schedule Your Holiday Calendar

Caroline and Kelly talk about why it is important to schedule your holiday! We all know how quickly the holidays approach us, but yet we never seem to be ready! Well it is never to early to start scheduling your holiday events with your family and get them on the calendar now! Don’t forget your favorite holiday traditions, maybe add a few new ones and most important is don't forget to enjoy them! Learn about what favs Caroline and Kelly have for the holidays!

It sounds a little OCD -Caroline

Get Your Holiday Shopping Done ASAP

Caroline and Kelly give great advice and fun ways to get your holiday shopping done early! Learn about the many ways to beat the holiday crowds! Caroline has a great master gift list she uses to make sure she gets everything she needs for her holiday. How does Kelly get most of her shopping done all in one weekend? Holiday shopping can be stressful, get it done early and enjoy the holidays with your family! Do you or your children create wish lists for the holiday season? Click here to get started creating your Amazon wish list or here for the Toys R Us wish list!

Online shopping is my best friend -Kelly

Set Up A Meal Plan

Planning out your meals can really be helpful before you head to the grocery store. Caroline and Kelly talk #allthings grocery shopping and how to make it as easy as possible! Does your area have an online grocery delivery service? This has become Caroline's life saver! Meal prepping has become very popular these days as well! Be ready to take on the busy work week and still provide the family with a healthy tasty dinner! How do you prepare for your meals?!

Kroger Click List Amazon Grocery Shopping.Walmart Grocery

It's a good time of the year to spend more time with family and friends -Kelly

Take a weekend off

Getting away for a while can be so rejuvenating. It may just be what you need to do before the crazy holiday shop season! Kelly and Caroline talk about what they do to unwind and get away and why it is so important for your health!

Giving Back

This one is very important! Why you ask? It gives you warm and fuzzies and is a great pick me up! Kelly and Caroline talk about how important it is to give back this holiday season! Giving back is very motivating and help get you in the holiday mood! Giving back is such a great part of their business model. What other important advice does Kelly give for your biz? How is Caroline going to get her own kids involved this year? Remember how blessed and lucky you are!

If you have a second please jump over to iTunes and leave us a review!

You can find Kelly online at:

www.helloworldpaperco.com www.kellyparkersmith.com www.helloworldstamps.etsy.com www.helloworldpaperco.etsy.com

You can find Caroline online at:

www.carolinecreates.com www.carolineannhull.com www.carolinecreates.etsy.com

Episode 8 - Getting ready for the Holidays. PART 1: GET YOUR SHOP READY Oct 18, 2016

Show notes

Caroline and Kelly talk #allthingsholiday for getting your shop ready! Yes, it is only October, but it is never to early to be prepared! Is your shop ready!? Are you ready? No worries! In this episode Caroline and Kelly will help you get your holiday shit together by giving you great tips for preparing your etsy shop!

Assuming that your product line is done, Kelly and Caroline give great tips on how to update your online shop by giving it a holiday makeover! Etsy shop owners be sure to click on the link below to grab the new updated holiday merchandise guide!

Etsy-Holiday Merchandising Guide

Give Your Listings a Refresh!

Caroline and Kelly give great tips to help you get the most out of using tags and give great examples of keywords to use for this holiday season. Setting up collections for the holidays are a great way to help your customers find what they need for their special someone!

Brainstorm, Brainstorm, Go to Etsy and see what's popping up -Caroline

Line up Holiday Help

How do you tackle the busy holiday season and stay sane while running your shop?! Kelly gives great tips on how you can recruit help during the holiday season without having to hire someone! Be prepared in advance and do not be afraid to ask for help from family and friends. Dont stay up all night packaging your orders….GET HELP!!! Do you have kids home with you during the day? Caroline talks about how lining up extra care for your kiddos is necessary to get work done!

People can do things, just show them the way -Kelly

Stock up on supplies

Kelly and Caroline talk about how important it is to not run out of supplies this holiday season! You don't want ot have to make a supply run and pay more for them! Check out Kelly’s Holiday Stock Up Checklist below to make sure you have what you need for your shop! Kelly also talks about her favorite label maker!! It is the shipping tool that has changed her life!

Holiday Stock Up Checklist

Setting your order/shop deadlines

How do Kelly and Caroline handle the Christmas rush and their shop deadlines? Kelly and Caroline give great tips on setting up shop deadlines and why having these deadlines in place is so important. For help on setting those shipping date deadlines, visit USPS, FedEX, and UPS to see their holiday deadlines and adjust your shipping times to fit your needs! Kelly talks about the different shipping options she offers for her shop, how they work, and how she has them set up. Caroline gives great tips on using sliders on your website and what important information should be included on them.

You have got to put boundaries on holiday time -Caroline

I had to immerse myself in a sugar cookie comma -Kelly

Give Your Customers A Little Holiday Magic

Who doesn't like a little holiday magic or surprise?! Kelly gives great tips how to spruce up your holiday packaging and give it that WOW factor! Do you offer something special with your packaging? Kelly and Caroline talk about the different ways they thank their customers with a little gift in every package they send out! A little change can make a big difference! It is important to talk to your customers and find out what they need! Find out what big piece of advice Caroline has to offer to keep her shop and life running smoothly!

Links/Websites Mentioned

USPS.com Dymo Label Maker

If you have a second please jump over to iTunes to subscribe and leave us a review!

You can find Kelly online at:

www.helloworldpaperco.com www.kellyparkersmith.com www.helloworldstamps.etsy.com www.helloworldpaperco.etsy.com

You can find Caroline online at:

www.carolinecreates.com www.carolinecreates.etsy.com www.carolineannhull.com

Episode 7 - Blogging Yay or Nay Oct 11, 2016

Show notes

Caroline and Kelly talk #allthingsblog. Should you or should you not have a blog? How important is blogging for your business? Learn why Kelly is so excited to hear all about how Caroline uses blogging for her business. Caroline talks about why she fell in love with blogging, how she uses it for her business, and how is planning on changing her blog. Kelly talks about how she is planning to add blogging to her list of to dos!

Key Tips to Blogging

Caroline talks about how finding a balance is key. Caroline gives great tips on how blogs can generate more traffic to your website. With your blog you can showcase your product in many different ways and show your customers behind the scenes of how you package your product! Your customers and fans love to see how things happen in your biz!

Have a checklist, have a schedule -Caroline

Ideas for Blogs

What five ideas does Caroline give Kelly for her product based blog? Maybe these ideas will work for your product based business or maybe they will spark some new, creative ideas for your blog! What are some fun ideas/pictures to incorporate into your blog?

It's all up in my head, it's just having time to do it -Kelly

Set a Schedule

Kelly gives ideas on how to set a weekly blog schedule to keep you on task with blogging by using Trello. Caroline talks about how you should Choose a schedule that works for you and stick to it! Your customers will expect it and want it

People buy your product because they love you and your product -Caroline.

Fav. Product Based Business Blogs

Caroline and Kelly talk about some of their favorite blogs, why they love them, and what their blog about. They talk about how they can learn other outlets for their blogs from some of their favorite bloggers! Reading other blogs can be inspiring for your own blogs. Your blog should complement your brand.

This is like a big o love fest -Caroline

Don't be afraid of blogging, you can do it -Caroline

Blog on with your bad self -Kelly

Sites/Blogs we mention in this episode

https://acolorstory.com/https://vsco.co/store/app trello http://www.toms.com/stories/http://ashleybrookedesigns.com/blog/ http://1canoe2.com/blogs/news http://blog.lilyandval.com/ http://shopmiguez.com/blog/https://julieannart.com/blog

If you have a second please jump over to iTunes and leave us a review!

You can find Kelly online at www.helloworldpaperco.com www.kellyparkersmith.com www.helloworldstamps.etsy.com www.helloworldpaperco.etsy.com

You can find Caroline online at www.carolinecreates.com www.carolinecreates.etsy.com www.carolineannhull.com

Episode 6 - How to Be a Creative Rebel Oct 04, 2016

Show notes

Caroline and Kelly talk about how to be a creative rebel and how this is the basis for the entire podcast. Learn how Caroline and Kelly work together as business owners and what they want this podcast to represent! Caroline and Kelly talks about how they “never followed the crowd” and how they carve their own way for their business!

Becoming Rebels!

Break Rules and Take Risks:

Kelly talks about how she was always a rule breaker even as a young child and Caroline talks about how she did not become a “rule breaker” until she became a young adult and got tired of following “the norms!” Being a rule breaker is the leap you need to start your own business and be your own boss! Are you ready to take leap?

I truly believe every entrepreneur is a rebel -Kelly

Being a creative rebel is just a little bit cooler -Kelly

How Our Journey Started:

Caroline and Kelly talk about how to sparkle and stand out as rebel. Kelly talks about her new love, creating patterns, and Caroline talks about how her business got started by taking a hand lettering course. From trying something new and getting out of their comfort zone, Caroline and Kelly talk about how it is important to do what you love and not to always focus on making money!

I fell in love with a pen -Caroline

I did it because I love it -Caroline

Ways To Be Creatively Rebellious:

From standing out and being yourself, to not doing what is popular Caroline and Kelly talk #allthings rebellious. Rebelling against what is trendy has worked well! Make your business “unique” and make your brand “you.” From taking big risks in your business to not following the norms, learn how rebelling helps you stand out! What BIG news do Caroline and Kelly have in store for their biz in the near future?!

Sometimes you just gotta jump -Kelly

You learn and grow from experiences-those are not wasted-Caroline

Haters are gonna hate-Kelly

If you have haters, then you have made it-Caroline

First Big Rebel Move:

Are you unhappy with your current job, looking for an excuse to get out but to afraid to take the leap and venture out to start your own biz? Caroline and Kelly talk about their first big rebel move and why they did it. Learn how they left #allthethings from their past jobs to do what they love! Learn how to not be the person who hates their job and comes home everyday angry. You do not need money to make things happen, you just need to want it bad enough!

It was the craziest thing, but the best thing I ever did -Kelly

Happiness is more important than having all the cash -Kelly

Doing what makes you completely and totally happy is the ultimate rebellion -Caroline

I want to help “little me” eight years ago -Caroline

Be creative, take the leap man, join the rebellion..Woo Hoo -Caroline

Sites/Products we mention in this episode

Brickyard Buffalo Spoonflower

If you have a second please jump over to iTunes and leave us a review!www.creativebizrebillion.com

You can find Kelly online at:www.helloworldpaperco.com www.kellyparkersmith.com www.helloworldstamps.etsy.com www.helloworldpaperco.etsy.com

You can find Caroline online at: www.carolinecreates.com www.carolinecreates.etsy.com www.carolineannhull.com

Episode 5 - Boundaries Sep 27, 2016

Show notes

Having trouble finding boundaries between your life and biz? Caroline and Kelly talk all about boundaries for your biz and how important they are in your life. From working from and working with people in boundaries are an important necessity! Caroline and Kelly talk all things boundaries and how to set them in our lifestyles!

Let's Talk Schedule

First up, Setting office/shop hours:

Do you have office hours, if so how do you set them? Despite working from home and the need to be working all the time, set hours for yourself and keep them. Customers will expect you to be there for them if no times are set. Learn how Caroline and Kelly set boundaries for their shops and how they stick to their schedules! Don't forget to set your shop policies, this is very important for setting boundaries! Don’t stress out over responding immediately to your customers, it is physically impossible to answer everyone.

Learn how Kelly takes care of her etsy convos and why it is working so well!

I am not Amazon….I don't have a 24 hour customer care hotline -Caroline

Processing for Keeping Boundaries:

Learn how Kelly handles her etsy convos and why it is working so well! First step…..Turn off those esty and email convo notifications! Caroline and Kelly talk about how to set boundaries with emails and etsy! Find out how Caroline uses boomerrang to help schedule her emails for her biz! Setting hours makes such a difference in your life.

You really feel like you could breathe and enjoy time with family -Kelly

Do You Set Weekend Boundaries?

Learn how Kelly and Caroline balance their biz and family over the weekends? Do you take time to spend with your family? Taking Saturdays off for family time or just creative processes for themselves keeps them energized and ready to start the next week!

Kelly talks about her strict processes she uses for her business. Keep to your processes for you business! Doing so helps maintain boundaries you have set for your biz! Learn shortcuts to help frequently asked questions! Using snippets with etsy?? If not, find out how and why they are important for your sanity!

Setting Personal Boundaries

Do you have personal boundaries set in place? How do you let your customers and client treat you? Don’t let customers disrespect you and don't be afraid to set boundaries! Learn how Caroline and Kelly balance their customers by being upfront with them and letting them know right away their shop policies. Setting boundaries and policies will help you maintain your insanity!

You have to be okay when your customers say no -Kelly

You cannot be everything to everybody -Caroline

Now we are ending this podcast by setting boundaries -Caroline

If you have a second please jump over to iTunes and leave us a review!

You can find Kelly online at: www.helloworldpaperco.com www.kellyparkersmith.com www.helloworldstamps.etsy.com www.helloworldpaperco.etsy.com

You can find Caroline online at: www.carolinecreates.com www.carolinecreates.etsy.com www.creatingbizness.com

Episode 4 - Online Tools for a Seriously Creative Business Sep 20, 2016

Show notes

Are you overwhelmed by all the online tools there are to choose from to help you be more productive and run your shop smoothly? From productivity tools to shipping tools and everything in between Kelly and Caroline break down what they love and why so that you can save a ton of time trying out #allthethings.

Here are our favorite online tools.

Trello We had a Trello love fest.Kelly and Caroline talk all things Trello and why it works so well for them. Keeping everything in one place keeps us on track while organizing our businesses and working on the Creative Biz Rebellion Podcasts.

It was love at first sight - Caroline

Resources for Learning Trello: Get Trello - Think Creative Collective - Trello for Business CourseDana Malstaf - Boss Mom - Free Trello Course

ShipstationShipstation works will many platforms including Shopify, Etsy, and Squarespace. You can print labels directly from their website and they will even alert you when you can combine orders.

Etsy RankAnalyzes your Etsy shop and helps you to optimize your Etsy listings including your photos, tags, titles, and a calendar of upcoming holidays and events that could affect your online biz.

I love free-Caroline

Email File Management:

Drop Box:

Oh My God your life will change-Kelly

Worried about having to delete files on your computer? With dropbox you can keep all your files on your computer in one spot and never worry again about not having enough space. No matter what program you are using, your computer will automatically save your files in dropbox. Caroline and Kelly talk about how important dropbox is for your business and how easily you can share folders and files with others.

Google: There are so many different ways you can use google for your business. Within google you have email, google docs, google sheets and calendar. Google for Work is also a great option. Kelly talks about how she loves using google sheets and docs to keep her business organized. Another bonus with using google is you do not have to worry about space on your computer.

Design:

Creative Cloud

Caroline and Kelly talk all things adobe and the different aspects of the software you can purchase based on your business needs for a small monthly fee. Investing in technology is important and can change and grow your business. Listen for the special way you could get a discount for this software!

We love illustrator - Caroline

Illustrator: That’s my work wife - Kelly

Your computers and tools make a difference - Caroline

MailchimpNeed a game changer for your business??? Learn how to reach out to your customers by using mailchimp. Caroline talks about how the automation setup will email your customers for you and keep them update to date on your latest products. Learn what automations in mailchimp can do for and your business and all about email marketing for your biz.

The automations have been game changing-Caroline

Accounting:

It’s kinda like that beast that you just have to deal with-Kelly

The one component of our biz we all are faced with but dread…..Crunching numbers and staying on top of your money. We all want this process to be as easy as possible. Learn about the different programs/resources that Caroline and Kelly use to keep their businesses on track and make their lives less stressful!

Go Daddy Wave Accounting

Don’t fear the IRS, they are super helpful-Kelly

If you have a second please jump over to iTunes and leave us a review!

You can find Kelly online at: www.helloworldpaperco.com www.kellyparkersmith.com www.helloworldstamps.etsy.com www.helloworldpaperco.etsy.com

You can find Caroline online at: www.carolinecreates.com www.carolinecreates.etsy.com www.creatingbizness.com

Episode 3 - Rocking Mom Schedules & Epic Mom Fails Sep 20, 2016

Show notes

Being a boss and a mom can be a little crazy. Caroline and Kelly dive into a discussion about the back to school craziness. Caroline home schools her kids and Kelly’s sons started high school and kindergarten this year. Between orientations, first days of school, sports practices, carpooling, worrying about what’s for dinner, and home school lessons, how does your business not take a backseat to the looney toons schedule?

Having a plan and giving yourself grace is key. Listen in to find out how Kelly and Caroline handle on the craziness and also what they do when they have an epic mom fail.

You have to be very intentional about your time. - Caroline

You don’t have to be on 24/7 - Kelly

I’m trying to give myself more space. - Kelly

You just physically can’t do it all. - Caroline

Sometimes you will not get everything done and your to do list is a mile long, but just give your life a little perspective and realize that the next day isn’t so far away and we promise it will all get done. Deep breaths.

LINKS Kelly’s Monitor Notepad Trello

Episode 2 - There is No Perfect Platform Sep 20, 2016

Show notes

I don’t want to explode or anything - Caroline

Are you overwhelmed by all the blog posts, FB posts, and articles about the various platforms you can use? Etsy, Squarespace, Shopify, Wordpress, maybe a custom build, where do you start? What is best? Who should you listen to?

Let’s break it down…

Starting with perfection is too hard. Just start with something, somewhere and then learn and grow to where you want to be. You will make mistakes. It will be messy, but you will learn and grow along the way.

Why do we love Etsy?

I wanna be where the people are. - Kelly (In her best Little Mermaid singing voice)

Caroline and Kelly chat about why they love Etsy and why it’s a great place to start. Millions of people flock to Etsy everyday without you doing a thing - it’s up to you to get them to notice you.

Everything costs money. No matter what platform you use or if you build your own site, they all cost money. You cannot avoid online transaction fees, platform/listing costs, or advertising expenses. Honestly it all probably evens out in the long run so it’s best to choose a platform that you are comfortable with and makes sense for the way you want to run your shop. Researching for information is great, but don’t feel the need to use a platform just because someone said it’s “the best!” Do what is best for you!

If you build it, they will not necessarily come. - Kelly

Getting the traffic is completely 100% up to me - Caroline

Starting your ecommerce journey is hard and messy. It is not as easy as slapping up a Shopify site and sitting back and waiting for the sales to roll in. Your platform will not create and market for you. You have to do the work, put in the time, create more than you consume, and overall treat your new shop like what it is - a serious business.

If you have a second please jump over to iTunes and leave us a review!

You can find Kelly online at: www.helloworldpaperco.com www.kellyparkersmith.com www.helloworldstamps.etsy.com www.helloworldpaperco.etsy.com

You can find Caroline online at: www.carolinecreates.com www.carolinecreates.etsy.com www.creatingbizness.com

Who Are Your Rebels? Sep 11, 2016

Show notes

Caroline and Kelly had a secret long distance relationship that neither one of them knew about! They stalked each other from afar and finally started to chat through their mutual love of stationery and running in the same biz circles including Society of Creative Founders and Black Sheep Bride among other biz groups. They are so excited to chat with you about all these product based business.

And then the planets aligned. - Caroline

Kelly’s Back Story

Kelly was a third grade teacher who started making handmade cards and charity favor cards on Etsy in 2009 as a hobby for friends and family. She fell in love with wedding stationery and stamps and in 2014 opened another Etsy shop which took off so fast she was able to quit teaching that same year. Now 10K + sales later and she’s not stopping. Like ever.

It felt like it was a good idea, but it turned out to be an awesome idea! - Kelly

You can find Kelly online at:

www.helloworldpaperco.com

www.kellyparkersmith.com

www.helloworldstamps.etsy.com

www.helloworldpaperco.etsy.com

Caroline’s Back Story

I came home and I was just lost. - Caroline

After a hip injury in college sidelined her ballet dreams, Caroline got a real job at a marketing company and learned InDesign. Soon she was creating ads for that same company and used her new skills to design her own wedding stationery. She then built her business as a custom wedding stationery designer, but has since overhauled her brand to reflect her true self, selling greeting cards and paper products in the retail and wholesale online space.

You can find Caroline online at:

www.carolinecreates.com

www.carolinecreates.etsy.com

www.creatingbizness.com

Find out what Kelly & Caroline’s answers to the rapid fire questions + bonus sound bites

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected