Oct 18, 2016 |
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
Oct 11, 2016 |
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
Oct 4, 2016 |
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
Sep 27, 2016 |
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
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.
