Sep 20, 2016 |
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 Course
Dana Malstaf – Boss Mom – Free Trello Course
Shipstation
Shipstation 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 Rank
Analyzes 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
Mailchimp
Need 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
Sep 20, 2016 |
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.
Sep 20, 2016 |
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.
Sign up for Kelly’s free Etsy Course here: http://www.helloworldpaperco.com/etsy-seller
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.carolinecreaies.etsy.com
www.creatingbizness.com
Sep 20, 2016 |
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.carolinecreaties.etsy.com
www.creatingbizness.com
I used to be able to do the splits. – Kelly
Find out what Kelly & Caroline’s answers to the rapid fire questions + bonus sound bites
Sep 16, 2016 |
We can’t wait to launch our podcast on September 20th! To get ready, we thought this would be a great time to get to know us!
Kelly Parker Smith is a retired third grade teacher who had a big dream to make pretty things and help people in need. Kelly’s love of a simple life with moments of total awesomeness has spilled over into stamp and stationery collections that give back with a goal of building a school with Pencils of Promise. Kelly creates all of the designs herself working with pen and ink, typography, watercolor, and pattern design. She is inspired by nature, clean lines, and of course, Harry Potter. Kelly lives in Belleville, IL (20 minutes outside of St. Louis, MO) with her husband, three boys, and their rescue kitten, Katniss. You can find her through her stationery shop Hello World Paper Co. and her independent design studio Kelly Parker Smith, Surface Pattern & Design.
Designer and Owner of Caroline Creates, Caroline Hull has a background in music and was a ballet dancer at the University of Oklahoma before finding her niché in design. Originally from Texas, Caroline now resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband Chip and daughters Fiona and Maeve. When she’s not designing, you can find her checking out the latest indie music sensation, trying to recycle everything in sight, buying more pens and most likely stalking a coffee shop. Caroline also has a passion for helping other small business owners like herself through her side hustle Creating Bizness.
We can’t wait to meet all of you! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when we launch!
