The Summer 2024 magazine is live!
I am very excited to share more about this quarter’s magazine release! We actually ran out of room to cover everything we wanted to talk about, so we have added some additional videos and interviews on our YouTube channel and website to support several of our featured articles.
Our featured cover artisans share their years long journey building Outlaw. From crowdfunding, moving locations, and doing all the scary things they have built this business to over $1 million revenue today. Danielle shares an authentic look at just how challenging it is to scale a handmade company.
I also had an amazing set of guest authors this issue of the magazine- I am so incredibly grateful for all the support in putting together this magazine! The support of the handmade community is simply amazing.
This one bar of soap inspired us to create products that bring back cherished memories.
Here's a preview of what you'll find inside this issue
The rebellious journey behind building a million-dollar business
Our featured artisans are Danielle and Russ Vincent from Outlaw. @outlaw
Growing small businesses is hard. Seriously hard. Their story is an amazing one of growth over time. From running crowdfunding campaigns, to growing out of locations several times, they have seen so many things. All while being just a little bit spicy.
Make sure you stay tuned on social media as well as we are going to be sharing some exciting new about Outlaw coming soon. There are so many interesting facets to their journey and we are delighted to be part of it.
Danielle also shared two videos we have on our YouTube channel. If you have ever wondered if crowdfunding would work for your business, definitely check these out:
Using market research to understand your target customer
Sometimes as small businesses we think we sell to everyone. But we really don’t. You may have heard the adage about identifying and selling to your target customer. But how do you figure out who that is? Nina Christy shares approaches you can use based on available data you already have to figure out how to better understand your target customer. Use this five step approach to actually create a profile of your target customer.
5 questions with Jane Nickerson from KnitFit
Ever bypass a pattern because you weren’t sure you were a size that would fit? Or have you wanted to make your patterns more size inclusive but are intimidated by the process? Or looking for a new place to sell your patterns? Learn more about how KnitFit might be the solution you are looking for.
What story is your business data telling you?
Believe it or not, but your business data is telling you a story. Do you know what yours is saying? Steph from Handmade Bosses shares valuable insights into a simple process to measure how your business is really doing. Get an easy to understand approach and how to get started doing this for your business.
Creating community at h+h americas
Check out our recap of the 3rd annual h+h americas trade show. More importantly, learn about it from the perspectives of those that were in attendance.
Hear from Scarlet Stitch Studios, Dakota Fiber Mill, and the Loose Ends project on their experiences.
Here we also have a bonus interview with Darrin Stern. Darrin shares a look from inside h+h americas trade show. Why was it created? How do we know it will stick around? Who exactly is h+h americas?
Bubbles of Wisdom from soap packaging artisans
This is our final piece in our series. This year we have explored many types of creative soap designs to spark your creativity. Now check out these packaging ideas from artisans in four countries (US, UK, Australia, and the Philippines). Get inspired from their practical advice to create beautiful designs.
Thank you so much to all the artisans that participated in this article: Soap Daze Devon, Pine Creek Soapworks, Evergreen Soap Company, Soap Artisan Ph, White Pine Bath Brew, and Soap Cult Australia!
If you would like to read the previous articles in the series, find those here:
13 Soap packaging design ideas
Building community to drive traffic to your handmade retail store
Meagan Rodgers from Stitchcraft Marketing shares a great set of practical advice on building traffic to your store by building your community. If you have struggled to figure out how to incorporate community into your brand, this will give you a wonderful set of practical ideas for getting started.
Amazon Handmade 101
Dana Midkiff has built multiple successful businesses on Amazon Handmade. She shares more about what Amazon Handmade is today, and who should and should not sell on the platform. This is great advice if you’ve been considering exploring Amazon Handmade.
The Newsstand
Catch up with the latest industry news! We share the latest reports on Etsy’s quarterly revenue, Michael’s new MakerPlace Retail pilot, and more!
We also have bonus content on our website related to Michaels MakerPlace. See our article about attending a MakerPlace pop up event in their retail store.
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