The Merriweather Council Podcast

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4 Big Benefits of Offering Custom Work and Personalized items in Your Product Line Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

In the past TEN years (oh my goodness, y'all), I've filled thousands of custom and personalized orders – and I've learned a ton! It's a whole different ball game to do that kind of work than it is to batch produce something and ship it once it's ordered, as I am sure you can imagine. That sort of work has a it's own set of pros, cons, challenges and nuances, too.

If you are considering offering custom work or personalization in your product line, I hope the insights I'm sharing from my experience will be valuable to you in making that decision and having some foresight to work with as you go.

To get the full show notes and all the links mentioned in this episode, please visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/136

For a complete list of all episodes please visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

Questions to Ask Yourself When Sales are Slow or Stalled Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

No matter what niche you are in, no matter what kind of product you sell... sales becoming sluggish or stalled sometimes is normal. ALL businesses have slow times. Just like all businesses have busy times!

One of our goals here at Merriweather is to empower you to weather storms, deal with challenges and make progress even when things feel hard and I am hoping this episode does help you feel more informed and empowered.

The first thing to do here: remind yourself, it's normal, and it happens.

Next, consider this a bit of a gift. We are all continually trying to find time for things, aren't we? I think most people are looking for some extra time on most days. Consider a slow spell, an opportunity to catch up on something that's been lingering, or a chance to explore something new that's been on your list. You might have tasks that have moved from one month's to-do list to the next several times already. Get those things done! Take the time and make it useful to you. Anticipate that things will not stay slow forever and prepare for things to pick back up.

I know that telling yourself it's normal, and looking on the bright side won't always make your worries about it go away. Likely, that will not be enough, which is why we have a list of questions you can ask yourself if your handmade business experiences a slow spell.

For the complete list of these questions and all the links mentioned in this episode, please visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/135

For a list of all Merripodcast Episodes, please visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

What Your Audience Wants to See and Hear in Your Social Media Content (and What to Avoid) Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

If you feel drained and overwhelmed by social - you are not alone, and there are plenty of reasons that might be the case. One of them is merely feeling clueless about what your audience wants to see from you. I know for a fact that this one question creates a ton of anxiety and lots of hurdles for handmade business owners who use social media with the hope of casting a wider net for their business and connecting with existing fans and customers.

What kind of content should you create for your social media and email audiences? What do your followers want to see from you on social, in their inbox, or wherever else you show up for them?

The great news is this question has a straightforward answer. Your followers and audience members want to see you showing up as a confident, independent, capable, creative business owner.

Better news: there are LOTS of ways to do that. There are many ways for you to show up and exude confidence, independence, and creativity on behalf of your business.

For full show notes and all links mentioned in this episode, please visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/134

For a full list of all Merripodcast episodes, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

Your Business Needs More Than an Etsy Shop the Same Way it Needs More Than an Instagram Account Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

Your business needs more than an Etsy shop the same way it needs more than an Instagram account.

Every business owner who uses Etsy should also build their own branded domain eCommerce shop. Full stop. That is one of the VERY FEW must-do things that universally applies.

I say things like that a lot, in a variety of ways. I believe it is my thesis statement on business.

Having an Etsy shop as part of your business is a brilliant move. Having a branded domain shop as part of your business is an essential move. For more details on the what and how of this episode, or to find all the links mentioned please visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/133

For a full list of all of our podcast episodes and other free resources, please visit merriweathercouncilblog.com

Addressing Your Most Common Etsy Concerns + Hesitations Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

We know that Etsy can be a powerful tool in your business, but only if you feel okay enough to give it a try and use it. That is, of course, the first step to making it work for you! Many Etsy sellers, would-be Etsy sellers or Etsy curious folks have heard loads of stories about Etsy that have thrown them off and discouraged them from trying.

Many current Etsy sellers also have concerns. We are hoping to address some of the most common concerns Etsy sellers have here today so that you can make a better decision for yourself and more effectively tap into Etsy's unique power and leverage it for your business on and beyond Etsy.

As a reminder: we here at Merriweather see Etsy as a tool that you can use in your business, and we always encourage sellers to use Etsy in conjunction with a branded domain site. This means we see you first and foremost as a business owner, not just an Etsy seller.

Additionally, we want to empower business owners to make decisions that suit them best. If that means not using Etsy at all, fantastic! We don't care about which decision you make; we just want you to have the best information as you make that decision. There is no peace in making a decision that you still feel uncertain about. So make your decisions for yourself, but do it with the correct information!

We have covered all of these concerns before but never in one centralized place, until now! These are the top most common concerns that we hear from current or would be Etsy sellers.

For links mentioned in this episode please visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/132.

For a list of all episodes and other free resources, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast.

Disclaimer:

*This content is published by The Merriweather Council. The Merriweather Council is not affiliated with Etsy Inc. Etsy is a trademark of Etsy Inc. We write about Etsy, from our own experiences, not for Etsy.

Choices: Overcoming Self Imposed Business Obstacles...or Not Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

Getting out of our comfort zone is a choice. We can choose whatever we want. Comfort or discomfort. Go out and get it or not.

There is no wrong choice! We just have to accept what comes with that choice.

If you apply this to your business, you can see the connection. You can choose to stay in your comfort zone or NOT.

You can choose to push yourself and break down the barriers you put up for yourself. Or, you can choose not to.

If you placed a hurdle and you're unwilling to break it down, that's okay! But you'll have to accept that you won't be able to reach what's beyond that.

You get to decide, but it comes with owning the outcome of making that choice.

You get to decide what your experience looks like.

For links mentioned in this episode please find our full show notes at merriweathercouncilblog.com/131

To see a full list of our podcast episodes, visit merriweathercouncilblog/podcast

Find us on social @merriweatherc

4 (More) Things I Wish I Had Done During my First Year in Handmade Business Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

Business

There is a post on my blog from several years ago that gets so much traffic. It's honestly a little silly. By the way, this is also a shout out to the power of Pinterest. 90% of the traffic that post gets comes from Pinterest, and Pinterest is sending a lot of traffic to this post every single day for years. So, thank you, Pinterest.

That post is titled four things I wish I had done in my first year of handmade business.

The things in that post are still 100% relevant, and I still wish I had done them.

Even though this makes me feel old, I should mention that I started selling handmade products in 2010…

When I started my handmade business, Instagram wasn't even a thing, so I COULDN'T have done a couple of things sooner, even if I wanted to. That being said, there are some things I should have done sooner or that I would do asap now if I were starting fresh.

Tune in to hear about 4 more things I wish I had done during my first year in handmade business. For the links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/130.

For a list of all Merripodcasts: merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

To learn more about The Council visit jointhecouncilnow.com.

Find me on instagram @merriweatherc.

If Your Business Did Well in 2020, Own It Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

2020 threw us a lot of curveballs. Like, a LOT of curveballs. Ups and downs were happening faster than I think most of us prefer.

Everyone's experience this year was different. But today, I want to chat about what it means if this was a good year for your business.

If your business did well in 2020: own it. If your business did well this year, it's not 'just because of covid."

There was a lot of uncertainty and misery for small business in 2020, no doubt. But there were also a lot of opportunities for businesses that were already established online, especially.

It might be true that people are online more than normal for a variety of reasons. It is ALSO true that If your business is doing well right now, it's not just because of COVID or because people are online more often.

The success your business saw is not a random coincidence.

For more information on the resources mentioned in this episode or to view the show notes, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/129

To see our full podcast lineup, visit: merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

How to Show up and Sell Without Feeling Like an Icky Salesperson Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

Everyone wants to make sales, but no one wants to sell.

That's the short and sweet summary of what I have observed. It has also been told to me many times: "I hate selling; I feel salesy."

Before moving forward, I want to preface this by explaining when I say "selling" in this episode, I am usually referring to the act of selling, the advertising/ marketing/ show-up-and-sell selling. The action the human person takes to make a sale. Not' selling' like, "my items are/aren't selling well." To be clear!

EVERYONE wants to 'increase sales,' and almost everyone feels super intimidated by marketing or showing up in any sales capacity. No one likes that act of "selling" or having to be "salesy."

Connect with me on instagram @merriweatherc

For links and resources mentioned in this episode please visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/128

To see our full podcast lineup, visit: merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

OMG We're Back Again with More Realistic and Concise Advice for Makers in Business! Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

Welcome back to season 7 of the Merriweather Council Podcast! We are so excited to be back for another season of realistic and concise advice for makers in business! Everything we do here at Merriweather Council supports makers in turning their crafty tendencies into profits.

For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/127

For more free handmade business advice, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

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