418 – Managing Through Life Changes and Updates to Continually Serve You!

Gift Biz Unwrapped,

the Farewell episode number 418.

Attention Gifters,

bakers crafters and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.

Whether you have an established business or looking to start one

now you are in the right place.

This is Gift Biz Unwrapped,

helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.

Join us for an episode packed full of invaluable guidance,

resources and the support you need to grow your gift biz.

Here is your host Gift Biz Gal Sue Moon Height.

Yes, you heard it right.

This is the last episode of Gift Biz Unwrapped.

I sit here behind the mic with mixed emotions.

I love podcasting.

It has energized and fulfilled me personally and professionally and so

many wonderful people have entered my life due to the show

over the last eight years and 545 episodes.

We've covered every topic currently out there that applies to starting

and growing a handmade product business.

We've heard from amazing expert guests who didn't hold back with

their knowledge and expertise.

We've also heard the experiences of small business owners just like

you in all phases of development,

startups and established businesses alike have valuable stories to share,

lessons to learn from,

or points to bring us back to the basics that often

get lost over years in business.

All this guidance is still accessible to you anytime,

which is one of the beauties of podcasts.

I'm proud of the library of content that's been created here.

Most of it is evergreen,

meaning it stays relevant over time.

That was my goal from the start to build up this

resource Bank of knowledge for you,

and I've learned a lot from my guests along the way

too. I'll tell you more about how you can easily find

a specific show or topic you're looking for in a few

minutes. Now,

I realize that the news of my final episode comes as

a surprise.

That's because I hadn't made the final decision until recently.

It's been on my mind for a while,

but I went back and forth about it for months.

I mean,

how do you walk away from something you love and have

put so much time,

money, and energy into?

It's been a difficult decision and I had to follow the

same advice I give you about how to know when it's

time to walk away.

My final decision came when I realized I've achieved what I

wanted to hear.

I'm also finding that my interests are being pulled in a

different direction.

Michael recently retired and we'd like to travel more.

We just returned from a trip to Vietnam.

It takes a lot of planning and organization to leave for

three weeks and still keep the show going.

Plus, we wanted to stay away longer,

but I just couldn't leave the businesses for that long.

That's mostly because of podcasting.

My team can definitely do the rest,

but let's face it,

I'm the host,

so I have to be here and I'm really not one

for re airing past shows as a fill-in.

I've never done that here,

but certainly don't fault Podcasters who do at Gift Biz Unwrapped.

Each and every week you've gotten brand new shows,

guest interviews,

my personal takes on specific topics in tips and talk and

other types of bonus episodes as well.

But while the podcast is ending,

all the resources,

coaching and community over at Gift Biz Unwrapped is still up

and running.

Here's a rundown of what's available for you moving forward.

The Gift Biz Unwrapped Podcast Resource Center.

You may have heard the promo I've been adding to the

shows over the last few months about this.

It's a handy listing of all the timeless podcast episodes.

I've broken them down into various topics so you can easily

find the ones containing information you're looking for at any given

time, whether it's overall business development,

specifics on selling email or setting up your website.

Maybe you're curious about how others developed their business.

You can zero in on your specific industry or check out

other product startup stories too,

and I encourage you to do so.

You'll find that a lot of your thinking first actions and

challenges are similar across all types of handmade products.

It's reassuring to know that others have encountered the same things

that you're facing.

Plus, you'll get ideas from the way they overcame these issues

and there are so many more topics,

pricing platform,

specific details,

and on and on.

You can find this resource center over@giftbizunwrapped.com

slash topics.

If you're at the beginning stage of your business,

I encourage you to watch my free Five Rookie Mistakes webinar.

It will warn you about common early stumbling blocks so you

have a smoother road and see results faster.

That leads into my Start With Confidence program.

If you're interested in going further with my trainings there,

you'll learn how to validate your plan to ensure a money-making

business can be started with your specific product.

How horrible is it to have your dreams dashed because nobody

will buy,

especially when you could have avoided it from the beginning with

just a few tweaks.

Also available is my Networking Ninja program.

This covers all the intricacies of networking events,

how to properly use them to your advantage.

What to do when you walk into a room and don't

know a single person and templates for your elevator speech.

I actually actually call this your introduction message because that's really

what it is and feels much less daunting.

Being able to manage first time conversations about your business is

a powerful skill to have,

not just for networking,

but when you're out at craft shows and even for personal

conversations. Do you stumble over your words at a party when

asked what you do?

If so,

networking Ninja is for you on the content creation front.

You can take advantage of the Content For Makers program.

This will help you with a strategy,

topics and wording for social media posts,

emails, any even blog articles.

The great thing about Content for Makers is that you can

buy it once and then use it over and over again.

There's no need to purchase it year after year,

and it's only $27.

Kind of a no-brainer if you ask me there are productivity

tools available for you too.

Check out my Inspired Daily Planner,

which comes with a video on how to be more productive

in your days and a hard copy spiral bound daily planner

or scheduler if you will,

specifically created for Makers.

It also has a motivational tip to inspire you each day.

It's not dated,

so you can start with the planner any time of the

year. Oh,

and have you gotten my book yet Maker to master Find

and Fix What's Not Working in your Small Business.

Great guidance no matter where you are in your handmade product

business. As I've been told by many and of course my

signature program Maker's mba.

This is my pride and joy from the Gift Biz Unwrapped

side. It's a holistic and detailed course on building your business.

Students have gone through the program when they're just getting started,

and surprisingly because I didn't expect this when I first rolled

it out,

many who've been in business for years have gone through the

program too to stabilize and strengthen their business.

It's a business bible,

if you will,

offering all the elements you need in place for a solid

business foundation for the lifetime of your business.

You can reference back to it again and again as your

business changes and grows.

I'll put all the links to these programs in the show

notes of this episode and all the tips and talk episodes.

You can also find more details on these programs over at

the website,

gift Biz Unwrapped,

and of course,

there's Gift Biz Breeze,

our Facebook community,

which is available to you if you haven't joined already.

An active community,

including thousands of makers to learn from,

to offer support to and to find new handmade maker friends.

I can get lost in there for hours.

I can't do this farewell episode without highlighting two fabulous women

who've been beside me and have poured as much heart into

this show as I have.

Michelle Lovingly nicknamed Mish has been editing the audio along with

She's a model VA and it's been an incredible business and

personal relationship.

I've learned about life in the Philippines,

seen her family grow to include two adorable little boys and

could always count on salad and timely work.

Mish, you are the gold standard of virtual assistance and I

look forward to staying in touch on a personal level to

support you as a friend in any way I can.

Someday I still hope to meet you in person versus over

Zoom and Valerie of a clever cat.

Valerie has been my content manager for the last three years,

and my only regret is that I didn't find and hire

her earlier.

She's taken the show notes,

emails and my new Pinterest account to Amazing Heights.

I always look forward to finding out which audio clips she

pulls for each show.

I've learned from her experience and always love our calls because

without fail,

there is a cat or two walking around in the background.

Furry friends of all sorts make me smile.

Valerie and her work companions always do that.

Valerie, you have been amazing and I'll tell you I'm a

little jealous of whoever takes my spot in your client roster.

I look forward to staying in touch and may just have

to make a special trip down to Texas to see you,

so you may be wondering what's next for me.

First, I want to confirm that Gift Biz Unwrapped and the

Ribbon Print Company are still up and running full force.

I have a talented team behind the scenes,

actively working as always,

and I'm spending time there too.

Of course,

I love my businesses,

but since I have freed up some time,

I look forward to balancing my life with personal interests,

traveling, as I said before,

especially because both my kids live out west.

I plan to spend more time in my garden and really

truly get to our local farmer's market every week when it's

in season.

I'm also thinking about pickleball.

Do any of you play?

I've heard great things about it and look forward to trying

it out myself.

I used to play tennis and this may be the next

new thing for me,

and of course there's my new puppy biscotti.

He's only 10 months old and already 71 and a half

pounds. I look forward to taking advantage of his friendly people

and animal loving nature with lots of walks,

trips to the dog park and coffee dates with him and

tow. You can see him over on Instagram at Biscotti Tales.

That's T A I L S if you're interested,

and speaking of Instagram,

I'm going to be more active on my personal account now

too. I had paused it for a long time,

focusing only on the Gift Biz unwrapped side,

but it feels like a great time to reengage there.

I'd love for you to connect with me on that account

too. That's at Sue Moon height,

and as for podcasting,

never say Never.

You may just find me one day starting a new show.

I don't have any plans for that right now,

but there have been some ideas suggested to me that I

find intriguing,

so we'll see.

Finally, I wanna thank you for being a listener.

Maybe you've just recently found this show or you've been listening

for years.

I want you to know how much I appreciate and feel

honored that you choose to spend time with me.

You may be a coaching client,

have purchased products from me,

are part of the breeze,

or a casual listener I've never met,

no matter our level of connection.

I'm thankful for you.

I'd love to see this podcast continue to be shared and

used to help and grow handmade product businesses.

The purpose all along has been for makers who have a

dream, see it become a reality.

You can help me with that by leaving a review on

whatever app you use to listen to your podcasts.

You see,

when reviews are done,

the podcast gets seen by more people who are searching for

the content that particular show provides.

That's why so many hosts ask for reviews.

If you haven't already,

no matter what the date is,

when you listen to this,

I'd be grateful.

If you do me this favor,

I'd consider it a gift that doesn't cost a thing,

but a minute of your time to leave a review.

You are a handmade product maker.

You create something that brings happiness and joy into the lives

of those you share it with.

By starting a business,

you're opening the circle of people you can touch by offering

the ability to have and use what you make in exchange.

Your life is enhanced financially and emotionally.

You make the world a better place and fill us with

happiness. Thank you so much for that,

and now be safe and well,

and I hope to interact with you again outside of the

Gift Biz Unwrapped Podcast.