A little about me ...
Wow - what a journey my time in business has been!
About 20 years ago, I took all my experience from the corporate world in strategic market consulting and applied it to my own venture. If you want all the details you can hear about it in my very first podcast Episode 000 - The Story Behind Gift Biz Unwrapped.
In summary, it started with my corporate gifting business, Basket Thyme. I planned it to be a homebased business but it quickly grew to where I needed to lease space and hire help. About two years in, I identifed a new and very unique opportunity. Feeling that I couldn't let it pass by, I took the bold move of transitioning from my profitable Basket Thyme business to starting The Ribbon Print Company.
The move paid off. The Ribbon Print Company provides custom printing systems to all sorts of businesses (mostly small business) so they can customize ribbon on site. I recently sold this business to the perfect new owner. It was important to me to find the right new home for my company - my baby! It all fell into place so naturally I know it was meant to be. And I've been asked alot about how the sale happened so I may do a podcast about it all at some point.
Along the way with these two businesses, I found out that lots of makers need guidance in starting a business selling their handmade products. Creation of their items is where they excel. Building a >>profitable<< business is another thing entirely. That led to the start of Gift Biz Unwrapped, a podcast, coaching, and free and paid programs assisting makers to get started without all the missteps that often happen to others. Additionally, I work with existing business owners who have gotten stuck or are looking for that one thing that’s needed for them to gain traction and move ahead.
With the sale of The Ribbon Print Company, I've officially said I'm retired. But I'm renaming this to "Retired with Purpose." Over the years, the podcast has grown into a rich resource of free content and my paid courses offer such solid proven direction, I couldn't possibly let them disappear! Plus, to my surprise and delight, people are still asking about and purchasing the courses and requesting coaching even when it temporarily was off my website.
Luckily, I made a decision long ago that the information I provide is 99% evergreen. That means it's not good for a week or year, but is fundamental and proves itself in results over decades. That's become important now.
While I "Retire with Purpose," I'm still dedicating time to my Gifters-Bakers-Crafters-Makers (as I lovingly call our group of handmade artisians). I'm also diving back in to my love of quilting and needlework.
I invite you to take a look around this website. There's a load of free content for you here. If you're looking for a specific topic or industry, you can easily find podcasts that apply in this Episode Resource Guide.
Lastly, know that even in this changing life stage, I'm here for you. All you have to do is ask! (sue@suemonhait.com)