313 – How to Start a Craft Business from Home with Sophy Lakshmanan of Miss Paper Craft

Gift biz unwrapped episode 313 all came together and I was

like, okay,

maybe I should just stop this as a business because it's

something unique,

which people don't know here.

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 give to 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 Heights.

Hi there.

It's Sue.

I'm so happy that you're joining me here today.

One of the biggest challenges I hear over and over again

from women who are considering turning their hobby into a business

is that they don't know how to get started.

And they question whether it's possible to make money with their

products in the first place.

Maybe this sounds a little bit like you,

you see people all around opening businesses,

selling their handmade creations.

I mean,

they're on Etsy at craft shows promoting on Instagram,

and then you wonder,

how did they make it happen?

And now there are other questions too,

right? Like how does the pandemic affect the ability to start

a business and our handmade products,

something people even buy these days to find out the answers

I've put together a free class for you called how to

turn your handmade products into an income producing business.

In this class,

we cover things like the current state of handmade products,

how to determine pricing so that you can actually make money.

When you sell your products,

how to find customers who are the perfect fit for what

you sell and the secret to having loyal customers who are

going to come back and buy from you again and again,

what would knowing these things mean to you?

Solid confirmation,

that starting your business is not only possible,

but a good idea how to determine pricing so that you

can make money selling your products,

how to find customers who are a perfect fit and the

secret to having loyal customers who will buy from you again

and again,

that's all coming up in this class and you don't want

to miss it.

It's starting soon and totally free to select a time that

works for you.

Go to gift biz,

unwrapped.com forward slash masterclass that's gift biz on rapt.com

forward slash masterclass.

A couple of weeks ago,

you heard from Hamina one of my maker's MBA students from

last year.

And today I am so excited to introduce you to another

fabulous student.

You know,

it feels funny to call them that because we worked so

closely together in my program that maybe they begin as students,

but very quickly become friends.

So let me introduce you to my friend,

Sophie. She started her business just before we met and wow.

She has made giant strides since then.

If I had to tell you how she does this,

it would be that she's always interested in learning,

testing ideas and building on what she discovers through taking the

next step,

always moving forward.

So let's take action now and jump right over to hear

from Sophie Today.

I am so excited to introduce you to Sophie.

Lakshmanan Sophie is the face behind Ms.

Papercraft a paper quilling store making intricate jewelry,

ornaments, and keepsake dolls.

She paper quilt as a hobby when she was in India,

making gifts for friends and family.

And then after moving to the U S she noticed the

paper quilling wasn't widely known here and jumped at the opportunity.

Her goal is to share the paper quilling experience with more

people through her jewelry,

DIY craft kits and online classes,

and also a side fun fact.

Sophie is also a chartered accountant on the side,

Sophie, welcome to the gift biz on repped podcast.

Thank You so much for having me here.

I am so excited and we've gotten to know each other

quite well over the last year or so,

but I'm really excited for this first traditional question.

Cause I don't really know for sure what your answer is

going to be.

So let me ask it and let's see what you have

to say.

So to help our listeners better understand who you are in

a creative way,

if you were to create a motivational candle that really speaks

to you,

what would it look like by color and quote?

So my color is going to be teal because that's my

brand color and that's my favorite color.

Anything has to be peeled for me.

So it's always teal.

And my court,

I had to think about it.

And what I usually see on a day to day basis

is everything happens for a reason.

We might not know why immediately,

but eventually we'll know everything will fall in place and we'll

get to know it.

This is why this happened.

A simple example,

our interview,

we were supposed to start off an hour ago,

and then you had some network issues and I was running

a little late,

but your network issues helped me finish up the things which

I wanted to do in between.

So it's like,

you didn't know why that happened,

but then there was a reason for it because I was

running late.

So everything happens for a reason kind of.

Yes. But you don't always know what the reason is when

it's happening.

Yes. Yeah.

And I think that's a good point.

The mystery is going to be in the future.

Yeah, for us,

it was really quick.

It was in with 30 minutes.

Yeah. Yeah.

Sometimes I'll hear people talk about how they've started their business

later. And they didn't really even understand why things that they

were doing when they were younger,

had so much passion and they spend so much time on

it and they did it then just for enjoyment.

But then they look back and they say,

wow, that helped me so much for what I'm doing today.

True. That's also my story actually,

Then that was perfect.

See, we're already doing it.

That's why that code really sticks to me because I didn't

know why I was doing it,

but now I know why.

Right. Always for a reason,

I will share with us a little bit of your journey

into where you got into today.

So my journey is I'm a paper calling artists,

as you said,

And that was just for fun to make some birthday gift

for a friend.

That's where it all started.

I was looking up online on YouTube for something new to

do. And this just came up and I was like,

okay, let me try that.

It kind of worked out within half an hour.

I could just make something.

And with something entirely new,

which I hadn't done,

I was so impressed with what I could do with that.

So I started looking on more videos and doing more gifts

since then every gift I make,

I would try to do something,

paper cooling in it because most people are not aware of

it. So when they see something which is made of paper,

which looks real,

they're like amiss.

And I just love that expression,

seeing them they're like amazing that gift.

And then I get to tell a story about how and

what the gift is.

And I remember that gift for a very long,

That is really too cause that's happened to me.

As I've gotten to know new over the course of this

year, you will show some pictures online and I'm like,

wait, no,

Sophie is that paper quilled as a base or you paper

quilt that whole like it's astounding and amazing to me that

that's all paper calling and now I've gotten to see it

a little bit more and understand it better.

But that exact experience that you just described happened,

and it happened to others of us who were exposed to

you too.

It's like,

Whoa, wow.

Really? Yeah.

The one paper quilling item and TRIBE made is my favorite.

And that's a story which I keep telling again and again,

everywhere. I pretty sure you would know that too.

It's a cake which I made for my mom's surprise birthday.

Tell the story for everyone to hear.

That's a good one.

Okay. So me and my brother,

we were actually planning a surprise birthday for my mom and

then me and my friend.

We wanted to make something with paper quilling and we were

looking at things to do.

And then we saw this paper quilt cake online.

And so we're like,

okay, let's make a small one.

And then after that,

we're like,

no, let's make a real cake,

real size cake.

So she thinks it's a cake.

And since it's a surprise and we're going to give the

cake, all of us surprise,

she's not going to know that it's not real.

And we're going to prank her on her surprise birthday.

So we design what we want to do.

And then we make my mom go buy all the supplies

and come.

And she has absolutely no doubt of what I'm doing.

She just buys everything.

I buy like so much Brown paper for the chocolate cake.

And I bought like so much and she didn't ask me

one single question.

And I had all of that and it was making,

and my friend was also making and my friend would take

some supplies home she'll make.

And when she comes to my house,

she'll hide it in her bag.

And she lists,

sneak it inside to my room.

So my mom doesn't see.

And then we do all this behind my mom's back.

And we made the whole thing.

We had invited some friends for the surprise birthday and we

told them,

Hey, this is there,

but we're not going to show you before the actual surprise.

And everybody was waiting to see what that is.

And we wrapped it.

It can actual cake box too,

to make it look real,

take that real element to another level.

So if you had looked at the cake box,

you would have just thought is the real cake.

So we had it like that and we did all of

that. And then after surprise birthday,

we had another actual cake.

Do we just didn't want to fool everybody with a paper

cake. So we had an actual cake also,

so we can eat that.

So we had her cut the actual cake first,

and then we told her,

we didn't know,

the other person was also getting a cake.

So now we have two cakes and we said,

we got to sing,

happy birthday for you again.

And we made her see a stand.

We sang happy birthday again.

And then we gave her this cake and she takes the

knife and she goes real close to the cake.

And she's like,

Oh no,

this is not real.

This is the paper cake you guys made this.

Oh, Oh,

is that story I can never forget.

And this is years ago and I still remember it to

so much detail.

And that's what I love it.

Yeah. And it was such an experience for you and your

friend to be able to do that together.

And your mom unknowingly helping conspire,

even though she didn't know.

Yeah. She was like,

hi blood,

all this paper.

And I didn't know.

Now, one of your products is a miniature,

so intricate,

so beautiful little cake wedding cake,

right? Yes.

I did that as a Christmas ornament.

So that mini cake,

it fits inside your hand.

It's that small,

but it looks like the original cake,

which I made for my mom.

And then this goes on the Christmas tree.

That is an amazing story.

So you had a great experience.

I love the idea that initially when you were looking for

something for your friend that you just didn't go out and

buy any type of a present,

you were,

I guess weren't seeing something that you really wanted.

That was unique enough,

which is why you decided to make something.

Yes. True.

Because I love to do DIY stuff and I get so

much happiness in making something with my own hands rather than

just go buy a gift from the store.

So I always look for something to make when it comes

to friends and family,

it's like,

I always have to make something and they always know that

when I give them a gift,

it's something handmade,

Love it.

Absolutely love it.

And so then as you are exposed more to the culture

here in the U S you saw there's a whole missing

element to handmade,

which has paper Quine,

and you already knew it and you already loved it.

So you saw an opening for yourself and share with us

when that occurred and what you decided to do about it.

When I was back in India,

I would do paper quilling only as a hobby.

And when I moved to the U S Jew,

it was still a hobby.

I never dreamt of me being a business woman.

I always thought I was going to be a person with

a corporate job when I moved to the U S and

I was actually looking for paper cooling supplies in my Kohl's

and other stores.

And I couldn't find as much,

I believe only hobby lobby is the one which has,

and then I was looking around here locally,

if any paper cooling products was there.

So I could meet people who are doing paper cooling,

you have mastermind groups,

or just a fun group.

And that's what I was looking for.

And I couldn't find any of it here.

And then I went to a craft fair and the huge

fair, which happened.

That was just one person,

I believe who had something in paper quilling,

but that's it.

But you could find so many more people doing clay,

glass and origami and all of that.

But vapor cooling was just not known here.

And when I spoke to the new friends who I made

here, they also didn't know what paper cooling meant.

So I had to like do a whole explaining thing.

And then slowly,

there were some people who told me like,

Hey, you could probably teach it because not many people know

that here.

And that was one starting point.

And then I love making jewelry for myself,

like your earrings to match my clothes.

So when I came here,

I was just making urines just to match my clothes,

different colors and designs,

just to do that.

So many people were impressed looking at that.

So all of that together,

one after the other,

they just all came together and I was like,

okay, maybe I should just stop this as a business because

it's something unique,

which people don't know here.

Yeah. And the thing that's so interesting about all of this

is most hobby categories are pretty much covered.

Like you're saying glass,

or even in paper crafts,

it's scrapbooking or other types of things,

but you identified and saw that paper quilling wasn't really happening

here. And you started getting these little bird seeds.

I'll almost say of ideas that led to the final thought

of, maybe I should turn this into a business because you

saw that there was an opening.

So there's potential.

Then you're making things for yourself.

And people are saying,

Oh, those are beautiful.

And maybe you should do something with us.

Right. So those were little clues.

I'll call them bird crumbs.

Since I started with that analogy,

leading you to the idea.

So there was evidence out there that this could have potential.

I bring it up and I say it again,

just for people who are listening,

if there's something that they encounter in either of these ways

that they're,

they see an opening in something that they're doing.

And there,

there aren't a lot of people that doesn't mean you shouldn't

do it.

That could be even more of a reason to pursue it,

because there's an opportunity for you to slip in and be

one of the main leaders of that category.

Or if it's a category that's already populated,

like, let's just say jewelry,

Sophie, you're doing your jewelry in just a different way.

Right. And you're seeing people liking what you're doing.

They're complimenting you.

Did you have people asking you to make earrings for them?

Yes. I have had that too.

They would want a specific color specific design,

this theme.

They have a friend of mine and they say,

this friend likes this.

And I want her to give her this color because she

likes so-and-so color like blue.

And then I want to do it this design.

And I'm like,

okay, I will work something out and get back to you.

So it's super fun to create custom pieces.

Yeah. So you got some things together.

Talk with us a little bit about that first show you

went to.

Oh yes.

When you ran into that other paper quilling person,

were you just walking the show as a visitor or were

you already exhibiting?

No, that was,

I believe in the first few months of when I moved

to the us,

I was just walking through the show.

They didn't have the business idea at that time.

I was just walking and I just wanted to go to

a craft fair and see what's happening there.

That's it.

I see.

Okay. At that time,

I didn't think about the business,

as I said.

And if I had known I would have actually got her

contact. So now I don't even know who she is,

which is like,

I don't know where to go look for her because this

happened like a few years ago,

but I know there is somebody,

but I don't know who she is.

Well, she may end up running into you online with paper

crawling as things progress here.

Yeah. Someday.

What was the transition then to starting your business?

Take us through your activities of doing that.

The way I saw it,

My business is I want to do display it and craft

shows because obviously people don't know what it is so they

will want to see and feel it before they actually buy

it, because it's so much more easier when they can actually

see the product then through online.

So that's why my first strategy was to focus more on

craft shows.

So I went to one craft show,

which I was interested in,

and I spoke to the organizer and talked to her about

becoming a winder.

And she said,

this is super unique.

And she had jewelries there,

but she said,

this is so much more indifferent.

So let's do that.

And a few months later,

I was in that craft show.

And that was my first one.

And I just had yearlings in that because I didn't know,

there's so many things you can make with paper cooling.

And I just stuck to something which I do on a

day-to-day basis.

So that was your earrings.

And I just did yearlings for that.

The craft show,

to be honest,

did not go as well as I expected because it rained

suddenly in the middle of may,

which was super weird.

It doesn't happen.

And the turnout was extremely lower than what they expect for

their craft fair.

So there was not much turnover.

And I made two or three sales.

We even planned for a paper cooling class to make hearings,

but since it was raining and also because people didn't know

what it was,

there wasn't anybody who turned up.

So we had to actually cancel that class.

So I would say the overall that craft show was not

great. But then that was a huge learning experience for me.

Give us a couple,

The learning tips for people who are thinking of doing their

first live shows.

So They got to know how to set up a book.

It's only when you actually set up the boot,

you come across all the problems,

smaller problems,

which come up,

but you don't think ahead of time.

There's so many things to it.

And when we do it for the first time,

you actually don't think about those possibilities.

If it's windy,

you know,

you need to have all the weights.

So your tent doesn't fly away.

Things like that.

Or if it's raining,

you need to make sure everything is covered.

There's so many things which you get to know only when

you do an actual craft fair.

So when I did the craft fair though,

I didn't monitor really get much.

I just learned so much by way of how to set

up, how to interact with my neighboring boots,

the vendors I made some contacts there.

So I still knew them.

I still don't run into one of them out here.

She's local to my place.

So I do run into her from time to time.

So I made some contacts.

I know what I should do,

how to display your prices.

There's a way if it's flat,

or if you have too many price signs,

people are going to get confused.

Do you need to invite people in one way to the

booth? And there is a progression throughout your booth.

So it's like a story kind.

So I noticed you actually do it.

You're not going to think about all these things.

So that way I learned a lot.

Yeah. I guess I would say that each booth is going

to be different too,

based on the way you display things.

So it really has to be a learning for yourself.

You can listen to what other people say,

but then with your products and the way you've decided to

display with the cases,

or if you're displaying things on the twigs for a background,

whatever, it's all going to be different a little bit based

on what you do with the imagery that you have in

the way you're displaying in your booth.

So I love what you're talking about here with this first

show of it being so much more than just the sales.

I mean the sales too,

and we're two or three of those sales from strangers.

There was one from a stranger and the other two were

from other windows,

Other vendors.

Okay. But people that you didn't know before the show.

Yeah. True.

Which is also telling you that there's interest in your products,

right? Yes.

There's so much that you can learn from a show,

how to set up a booth relationships with other vendors,

getting feedback on your product,

All of that.

Yes. Yeah.

Okay. So you did your first show and what year was

Yeah. Okay.

And were you going to make another comment about the show?

Oh no.

So that was my first show.

I was going to say,

my second show was also something similar and it didn't go

out grade.

Oh no.

What happened There?

Was it a weather thing again or something else?

No. The first one was an indoor thing and it was

raining outside.

So people didn't turn up.

The second one was,

it was partly my fault because I didn't research about the

foot traffic for that show.

So I got to know later that was like,

not as much foot traffic as I wanted.

Plus it was extremely windy on that day.

I couldn't keep any of my products up.

Right. Everything had to be flat on my table,

otherwise it's going to fly away.

So I had to literally put everything down.

Oh dear.

So learning.

So what is your position right now about shows Today?

Now I'm pretty like comfortable.

I know what I need.

Like the foot traffic I need to do.

I need to research that needs to be a certain foot

traffic. So I only,

then it's worth my time to go do the tent set

up and do all the dress play,

and then arranging the products in a particular way.

So it's not all over the place and they can see,

this is your earrings and this is our tournaments.

And this is that.

So there's a clear categorization.

And the biggest thing,

which I learned,

which is,

I believe it's specific to me is because I have to

tell them that this is made of paper because I've had

people ask me,

Oh, I assume this was made of wood.

I thought this was made of clay.

They just say something no it's made of,

and then they're like,

Oh, okay.

This is so different.

And then they're super interested in it.

But otherwise you just assume it's something and they just walk

away. Yeah.

And that makes so much sense.

Knowing your products and having some of your earrings,

I could see where people would think that it was wood

yet it is paper.

And honestly,

and I've told you this before Sophie,

I was surprised because the earrings that I've gotten from you

are bigger than the normal size earrings that I normally wear,

but they're so light.

They're light.

Yes. And they're durable because however you code it,

industry secret probably for making your earrings.

But you would think if they're earrings of paper,

what you're going to be able to wear them one or

two times,

and then it's over.

No, they're so durable.

But I would think that they were wood.

You're absolutely right.

Yeah. And then my third Crawford was like the game changer

for me.

Because at that point I was just thinking people are not

interested in paper querying.

They just don't know what it is and they don't want

to buy it because until then I hadn't actually seen the

reaction from,

so I wasn't that straight.

I didn't know that there was other factors which were actually

causing the fact that nobody's coming in buying.

So is it a third craft fair?

I had no expectations.

It was a bigger craft fair though in our city.

So I was excited for that,

but I didn't know what to expect out of it.

I made ornaments and yearnings.

And that was by far my best craft fair because my

armaments just sold out in the morning.

They were like probably one or two left.

Everything went off in like a couple of hours in the

morning. That's it?

And I was so surprised by that.

What I did a little different proffer is every person who

would walk by,

I would say hello.

I would say,

good morning.

I would say,

just come in and look by.

And then I would tell them that this is made of

paper. I wouldn't be very specific to tell them that.

So they know it's made of paper.

And the reason behind that was I started to realize that

what I know about paper quilling is not the same,

what the customer knows about paper quilling.

So I had to actually spell it out to them so

they understand it.

And that actually worked out.

I had so many great conversations.

I even had one person who found me on Etsy at

that time because I didn't have a,

so she found me on Etsy afterwards.

And she said she needs so many more arguments because she

just loved them.

And that was my best craft fair.

And what if you would have stopped after the second one?

What if you would have just said no,

this isn't working.

That's also true,

but I'm so glad I did the other one.

What made you to do it again?

You had two that didn't turn out as well as you

would have liked.

I actually paid for it before,

so that's why I didn't go back.

I had to pay like three,

four months ahead of time to get in because I was

a new vendor.

So I had already done it.

I had been to that craft for the previous year.

So I knew it was a bigger one at that time.

And I saw,

I was like,

I'm just going to go all in on that.

I had baited before.

Well, I'm so glad you did.

And I think what I'm hearing from you is each show

you analyzed afterwards what happened,

what you might want to do differently for the next show.

And then you go and implement that and then get better

yet again.

And then you saw now you have kind of a recipe

for making shows,

work for you and what types of shows to look at

and attend and all of that.

All right.

I have so much to talk with you about we're going

to move on because we could talk about shows like this

forever. All right.

What was the next step in the development of your business?

What did you do after this?

After that,

I believe it heard a month break.

I was on vacation.

And then when I came back,

I started to look for craft shows again,

but that was also around that time when the pandemic set

in, right,

it was just before the lockdown started.

So I was little,

like, I didn't want to do a craft fairs because it

was going to be too much in person.

And a few weeks later,

anyway, the pandemic came and everything got shut down.

So I was looking for a different way to sell.

And my whole business was based on,

I wanted to do a craft fair so people can see

and get to know.

And now that was going to be something which I couldn't

do right now.

And I was looking for different things that was also around

the same time when I listened to your masterclass and your

maker's MBA.

So I had listened to this six months before,

and at that time I didn't join makers MBA because at

that point it was around my second craft fair,

I believe.

And I was listening to so many podcasts and so many

of these masterclasses.

And at the end of every masterclass,

I would be like,

the person would sell some program for so many thousand dollars.

And I'll be like,

no, I don't want to do this.

It just became a pattern.

It was just becoming too much on me.

So I was lost and I had listened to yours six

months ago and I didn't join.

But then I was still listening to your podcast very frequently.

And I just loved your content.

And I've told you this before I was listening to somebody

else's spot costs.

And it was the same thing based on craft business.

But then they made the podcast sounds so sad.

And right after that podcast,

I was listening to yours back to back.

And I'm like,

this one feels so happy.

The overall mood in the podcast was so different.

And that was also a point where I started listening to

more of your podcasts and I just loved the content and

you're doing the weekly podcast is so amazing.

And then when I did your master class,

I believe in March,

I instantly joined the makers MBA because now I needed somebody

to guide me to tell me what's my other options.

How else to go from there?

That's why I came to maker's MBA at that point.

Well, I love hearing that story again and thank you for

all the compliments they make my day.

For sure.

So I appreciate all of that.

And as I'm listening to you talking about it,

I remember me during that time,

because we were already doing the webinars,

the masterclass,

but in my heart,

I was saying,

do I shut all this down?

How right.

Is it to be talking about starting your business now?

And having people invest in it or should we shut it

down? Like what was the right thing to do?

And I'm so glad that you talk about the fact that

it came at the right time for you,

because that just reinforces that,

keeping it open was right.

And as you know,

we had amazing people like in your group for the last

year, it was an amazing group of people.

I appreciate you saying that because now I kind of feel

like if we would have shut it down,

you and I would have never connected.

True. And that would be terrible.

Yeah. Maybe we would have.

Yeah. So what I want to say is that the maker's

MBA actually taught me so many things,

since I have learned the business side in like my education

wise. So I knew I had to get some licenses before

I start.

So I'm like legally set.

But what I didn't know is that I need to go

do networking.

I need to have go website too,

because that's my space,

an email list.

And all of those things were super new to me.

And I didn't think those were necessary.

I just went ahead with getting some licenses,

making some products and going to craft shows.

That's all I did.

But doing the chorus actually showed me.

There are so many factors which play a role out there.

Yeah. And as you know,

you can go back to that course any time now,

you and relook at all of the different modules,

enhance what you're doing,

all of that.

And I want all of you guys who are listening,

you have to go and look at Sophie's website.

We spent a lot of time on it.

It looks beautiful.

I love it so much.

Thank you for all of that.

Just a little inside peek for some other people about what

maker's MBA looks like,

because it will be coming up again shortly.

We do this once a year.

So right now,

no one can join,

but shortly they will be able to.

And I'm looking forward to seeing who comes in for this

next round.

It's always,

but another thing that's part of maker's MBA that you are

a rock star at SoFi is social media.

You are crazy.

In fact,

after maker's MBA,

there's an opportunity to continue working with me through the VIP

program which you're doing.

And you've now become a teacher within VIP of how to

do video on social,

which is so exciting just to see your progress over the

course of this year has been amazing.

Let's talk a little bit about social media and I think

your journey there,

what platform did you start on?

How have you enhanced it?

And then let's merge into the video to social media,

the topic everyone wants to know about all the time.

And we are going to hear what Sophie has to say

about it right after this quick break.

Yes, it's possible increase your sales without adding a single customer.

How you ask by offering personalization with your products,

wrap a cake box with a ribbon saying happy 30th birthday,

Annie, or at a special message and date to wedding or

party favors for an extra meaningful touch.

Where else can you get customization with a creatively spelled name

or find packaging?

That includes a saying whose meaning is known to a select

to not only our customers willing to pay for these special

touches. They'll tell their friends and word will spread about your

company and products.

You can create personalized ribbons and labels in seconds,

make just one or thousands without waiting weeks or having to

spend money to order yards and yards print words in any

language or font,

add logos,

images, even photos,

perfect for branding or adding ingredient and flavor labels to for

more information,

go to the ribbon print company.com.

So I started on Instagram and Facebook.

And till today I still use only those two.

And it's more of Instagram than Facebook.

How did you decide what was the reasoning behind your choices?

Because on a personal profile,

I was using more of Instagram and I loved how it's

just a photograph and just caption below it.

So I was more drawn towards Instagram than Facebook because Facebook

was having so many things happening on there.

They had the groups and then they have,

I don't know,

it was just the caption or just a picture in caption.

And it,

those so many things which I had to,

and on my personal side,

I was just more drawn to Instagram.

So I just would do Instagram for business.

Good point for people who are listening,

you felt very comfortable and you enjoyed that platform,

which is why you gravitated there.

Yeah. I need something which is broken down into a proper

system so I can understand it.

And Instagram made more sense to me because it was a

photo with a caption and it was pretty standard at that

time when I was using it personally,

now that so much more,

but for,

I need something which is standardized and set,

there should be a system behind it.

Otherwise it's difficult for me to comprehend.

So that's the reason I chose Instagram.

And till today I am still preferring Instagram because I just

love all the new features they put in there.

But I will still say that social media is a struggle

for me because you need to be more consistent with it.

And I find it so difficult to be consistent because I

do my small business as well as work my nine to

five. So there are two things which I do,

and there's so much on my plate.

So it's still a struggle,

but I love doing my Instagram,

especially the videos.

As you said,

I love a new app where I have to like go

and find out what is this feature and how it works.

So I love to go dig into all the new apps

which come around and I do look for new apps on

Instagram and see what other people use.

And that's how I came across the InShot app and which

I love to date to make videos,

reels all of it.

And that's the average I actually showed all of you how

to use.

It's so great.

I'd love for all of you guys to go over and

see Sophie's Instagram account,

because you'll see the videos and the reels and all of

that, that she does.

And she does most of it.

If not all of your videos now within chat,

right? Yes.

But they're so creative the way you speed it up,

slow it down.

Talk about it,

show yourself on camera.

Right? Which a lot of people are so anxious about doing,

but it's one thing to listen to Sophie's voice,

which is so calming and peaceful.

I know you are all experiencing that through the audio here,

but then when you see her on camera talking about her

pieces, you can't help,

but love her even more.

And that's the power of going live and doing videos,

right? Not just of yourself,

but also of you making product and all of that.

So Sophie,

you are such a perfect,

perfect example of this.

Can you help anybody?

Who's like,

that is so super scary to me.

I don't want to put my face out there.

What would you say to somebody who's just so tentative about

that? Instagram has a lot of filters.

If you don't want to show your face,

put your heart in your face and make it look crazy.

So they just get distracted by it.

If you actually don't want to literally show your face,

you could still talk from behind your phone and show your

hands and make something that's still works because that's still a

widow and you're actually doing something people can see and they

hear your voice.

They don't see your face.

Eventually you can show your face,

but to begin with,

you can just show something with just your hands,

how you're making it.

So it's a start for you to get comfortable.

One thing at a time,

do your voice for us and then show your face.

It's just takes small steps.

Yes. By step.

Well, and the other thing that's really nice about Instagram now

is it's transitioned from being this picture.

Perfect, beautifully organized upscale magazine,

to being more real and authentic and who you are.

So that takes a little bit of the edge off.

If we're not all graphic designers and we don't have the

grid laid out.

Exactly perfect.

And you know,

all those things.

Yeah. It just reduces a little bit of stress that the

credit doesn't have to be like a magazine,

but since they're like more subscribers right now than ever.

So you still need better photos to stand out from the

crowd in that whole explore page,

which you see does,

like so many things are just happening and only when your

picture stands out,

people are actually going to click that and come to it.

You still need a good picture.

Yep. Good pictures in the feed.

But then if you're in stories,

that should be just you day to day.

We're not going to go into the whole Instagram thing,

but I really wanted to talk about video and the value

of video.

And also you showing up in front of the camera.

And do you Sophie see that those are the most engaged

posts or the posts that you get the most views?

The ones that are video?

Absolutely true.

Sue, because I have done a few Instagram reels and till

now the best ones for me are the ones where my

face is there in it.

The ones where I'm not there.

And like,

it's just my hand.

Or if it's just some product it's not done as well

as the ones where my face is there in it.

That's interesting.

I would have thought that they would be equal.

No, they're not.

Because with ones you do with your hands,

as you're showing how the pieces are coming together and you

speed it up.

So I thought they would be equally as engaging,

but you're saying with your face.

So I love that.

Well, plus you're so super cute Is that yeah,

there are so many factors which play into which Instagram real

works or not.

It's the time and the hashtags and it's cute caption.

And it's actually what's in your reel also.

So there are so many factors,

but from the few which I have done,

the ones where my face is,

there has done really better than the ones where my face

is not there.

Okay. Interesting.

Something for us all to remember and do,

put your fears aside and just do it.

All right.

I want to move on.

Once again,

here, we've talked about craft shows face-to-face and I was so

happy that you joined us last December for the online craft

show, with the at-home craft and gift show.

So I'd love to talk through a little bit of that

experience. And let me just brief people who are listening,

who don't know about that.

So this is not a face-to-face trade show,

like a wholesale show that just went online.

It's also not a direct to consumer show that would normally

be face-to-face that went online.

This is a brand new platform and company it's called at-home

events. And I am sponsoring their craft and gift shows.

But the whole point is it's specifically made for online and

also direct to consumer.

So the first craft and gift show was last December and

Sophie, you were a participant.

And so I'd love to have you talk through your experience

with that.

So that cross show was really amazing to me on different

aspects, but I also have to give another background the day

this online craft show began the same day.

I had another in-person craft show shadow,

which was the same Christmas fair as the previous year in

2019. So I was first doubtful whether I could do both

and I even call you so telling that,

Hey, it's both are there and I don't think I can

do, but then I thought let's just do both.

I can still do the video calls from my booth and

I can actually turn it around and actually show the booth

which I have for display at my craft fair in the

watch will show.

So I just tried to turn it around and do it

that way.

But then my in-person craft fair got canceled in the last

minute. So it ended up being a good thing.

Yeah. She ended up being a good thing because I could

like fully do the online craft for,

in like a hundred person or I'd say 200% because now

I was more in Western because one craft fair got canceled.

It got canceled like four days before the actual event.

So I was super stressed.

Yeah. Oh gosh.

Yeah. And that's not great for you because at that point

you have a lot of product already made and they probably

were also,

did you have ornaments for that as well?

Yes, because the previous year,

my ornaments sold out super quick and I didn't have anything

to show the people after who came like in the afternoons,

I made more ornaments this time.

I was like being prepared because they were pretty sure that

the event was going to happen.

The previous year I paid three,

four months ahead for the show.

And this time they just took the money only three weeks

before saying that we want to be absolutely sure.

Before we go ahead and they were like,

absolutely sure.

But then four days before the event,

they were like,

Nope, there's a lockdown again.

We cannot have the craft fair.

Yeah. I mean,

out of their control,

it wasn't their fault.

Of course.

Yeah. Yeah.

But that is one good thing about online shows is it

doesn't matter about the weather.

It doesn't matter about a virus.

It can go on regardless plus it's a national audience.

So if you would have been able to do both at

the same time,

you would have been able to capture your local audience and

then also the national audience.

And it's almost,

you put in the same amount of time in and getting

more bang for your buck.

Really? Yes.

Now that one show was not that.

And I had only one to give my full attention to,

so I was all in into it.

So I read it,

the craft for display at home.

So when they would come to my watch will boot,

they would actually see me with all the craft display.

And I also did a live demo like a specific time.

So people can come in and see how paper cooling actually

works. And the best part of all this is I could

actually reach out to friends and family who are not in

my place and tell them,

Hey, I am doing this and it's an online event.

So you can also join in because until then it was

all local crafters and all my family was so far away.

So they couldn't,

even if I tell them,

it's not that they're going to come over here for the

physical Crawford.

So having it online,

it's like gave me an advantage to tell them this is

happening. So you guys can join in from wherever you are.

You don't have to be there in my place.

You can just join from where you are and you can

see everything.

And it's just not me.

There's so many more people out there.

So many different handmade people.

So it's like the perfect place to get your Christmas gifts.

So it was like a win-win win for me.

Well, and the other thing I'm thinking too is now that

you're so active,

and I know you're saying you need to post more and

all of that,

but you collected a lot of Instagram followers to who now

would have the opportunity to also show up and see you.

Yes, it's a lot.

I did collect some emails too,

so I can email them now,

which I didn't do before,

because I didn't know how to collect emails before.

So it was like so many learnings happened or word that

one craft fair.

Yeah. Well that is one of the great things.

And that's one of the reasons why I am so,

so excited about being connected with,

at home events is,

and you know,

this already Sophie,

but for people who aren't familiar with it,

there are more and more people who are starting to do

some of these virtual online shows because everyone seeing that this

is a good opportunity.

Moving forward.

The couple of things that at-home events does differently is they

do a lot of training behind the scenes to show you

the elements to have in place.

And one of them is to collect emails because we want

this to be all inclusive of what you should be doing

just as an overall business.

So you took advantage of that.

I know a lot of vendors did.

And for some people it was the very first time they'd

ever taken emails.

So it was the start to the email list.

The other thing that's different with this show is as Sophie

is referencing that she could talk with people.

There's a live element.

So Sophie is at her home,

a booth in this case,

or you could have been at your show booth if you

were doing both of the shows.

And if someone wanted to pop in and talk with Sophie

directly, there was a button and let's face it.

It wasn't zoom technology,

but we're also comfortable with zoom.

Now people can do that and feel comfortable and talk directly

with you,

Sophie. So did you have a lot of people popping in

and saying hi and asking questions?

I wouldn't say a lot,

but I had a few people who did pop in to

see what it was.

And I had a few people to join in for the

demo. So it was overall,

it was fine because there was so many boots.

I understand if a person cannot go to every single book,

but I did have a few people who came in and

they saw what it was.

Yeah. And I think we also,

as this becomes more standard and people start seeing that this

is especially with at-home events,

that this is something that they can do because you know

that there are people who were in there in December who

will start coming to the other shows because now they know

about it and they know how it works.

So I think there'll be more booth interaction as we move

forward too.

So Sophie,

I have to say,

I really wanted to get into talking about your online DIY

projects that you've started,

but I don't think we're going to have time to cover

it and do it justice.

So I would love to have you back on maybe in

a month or two,

where we can talk about that specifically,

because that's such a huge opportunity for you.

And like I said,

I'd like to dive deeper into it a little bit with

your experience,

how you came about doing it and things like that.

Because I think other people here in makers,

they're not paper coolers,

but other types of makers can be sharing their craft too,

of how to do things.

In addition to selling their products.

It doesn't have to be one or the other.

Yes. Okay.

Super. All right.

So I would love for you guys give fizzles,

and as I told you,

you have to go back and see Sophie's website.

Now I'm giving you assignments website now and Instagram account,

just to see how things have evolved,

her products,

what she's doing.

You've got to see it just for the picture,

quality, the videos and all of that.

But when you're looking also consider the types of things that

you could pick up,

not by copying,

but just as inspiration of what you can do for your

own business to Sophie.

I absolutely adore you.

I love that.

You're part of our makers,

MBA community.

You are like the model student,

and you're such a great example of how to build a

business because you were very methodical.

You were willing to try things out.

You continue to do that.

And now I'm seeing you kind of making an evolution.

You're always building your business,

but now you're also paying it forward to,

to help other makers.

And that is just such a beautiful thing to say.

So if you were to tell our listeners where they can

go and find out more about you,

where's the single place that you would want them to go?

I would say Instagram,

that's my first place,

which I'm always there.

So that's Instagram and it's at the rate.

M I S S underscore P a P E R underscore

C a F T Ms.

Underscore paper underscore craft.

Perfect. Wonderful.

And what do you see as you move forward?

Where are you focusing on for this year in the future?

So for this year,

I am focusing more on craft kits,

DIY craft kits.

So people can expedience paper cooling with their hands.

Now that they,

like, we spend a lot of time at home and we're

just looking for new things to do.

And paper cooling,

craft kit is something which is new for most people.

For me,

I take half an hour,

but you have done that Sue.

So I know it takes much more time for a new

person to do.

And it's not just one person doing,

you can do that as a family.

So in that way you create like a family time and

you get together and create memories,

making that.

Absolutely. And so I've been making your snowflakes and you say

it only takes you half an hour to make a whole

snowflake. Yes.

I think the first time it took me two hours.

I was also watching a football game though.

So I did stop when they were good plays and I

jump up and down and scream if my team is winning,

go bears,

but I bet you now I might be able to do

it in an hour.

Maybe I'm not sure,

but the thing that's so cool about them,

Sophie is the finished result looks so much more intricate and

complicated than when you put it together.

I mean,

it's such a big impression,

but when you know the elements and you follow along with

what you instruct and you have a video as well,

it's easier.

But when you see the finished product,

it looks like,

Oh my gosh,

how did you even do that?

Yes, that's the whole point.

When people see the product,

they're like,

Oh my God,

this is so difficult.

I don't think I can make this.

And I don't have crafty hands and all that thing.

But then when they actually do it,

it's super easy.

It's just a rapid process.

And when you put all that together,

it looks something totally different.

And that's what makes payback real.

Yeah. And then you feel really good about yourself too.

Like, look at what I did.

Right. I mean,

nobody knows when you show that to them,

that it's just that repetitive process.

But when they see the whole product,

they are like,

so impressed with it.

It's just amazing when somebody is impressed with what you do.

Yeah. Well,

and now you're making more intricate designs.

So there's more and more,

and I know you like that creative side,

so I can just see this whole DIY kit expanding and

expanding for you.

So I love that.

That's where your focus is and give biz listeners.

We will have.

So feedback on,

are you willing to come back on again and talk about

that? Of Course.

So any anytime.

Okay. I don't want to be presumptuous and tell everybody without

asking you first.

So you heard it,

Sophie says yes.

So down the road a couple months from now or so

we'll have Sophie back on and we'll talk about how she's

decided to do this and what is all involved In that?

So Sophie,

thank you so much.

I really appreciate you coming on being really honest and sharing

with us some insights on how your business has grown.

And I am just over the moon in proud and impressed

with everything that you're accomplishing.

So thanks again for being here today.

Thank you so much for having me here.

So, because I just loved talking to you and this is

so amazing for me and we're going to do it again.

So there's the future.

I know as we talked about stay tuned because I'll have

Sophie back in a few months to talk about what she's

doing with her DIY projects and her consignment opportunities.

We've already talked about the progress that she's made with both

of these.

So there'll be a lot to talk about when she comes

back on again next week.

Have you ever wondered if you could sell your business?

Now I know if you're just starting,

this is the furthest thing from your mind,

but there may be a time when your passion switches and

why not make money from something that you've worked so hard

at building.

We'll get into what to do now.

So your business has assets that could be sold if ever

you decide to go that way.

And we'll talk about how to determine what your business is

worth. Now,

that's an interesting idea.

Isn't it.

Finally, I want to slip in another reminder that you have

a short time to sign up for my free class,

how to turn your handmade products into an income producing business,

go over to gift biz on raptor.com

forward slash masterclass.

And there you'll see all the details of the times and

how to register.

Thank you so much for being with me here today.

If you'd like to show support for the podcast,

a rating and review means so much and helps the show

get seen by more makers.

So it's a wonderful way to pay it forward.

Also make sure to follow the podcast.

So episodes are automatically downloaded to your phone.

That way you won't miss a thing,

including what your business is worth and now be safe and

well. And I'll see you again next week on the gift

biz unwrapped pod Asked,

I want to make sure you're familiar with my free Facebook

group called gift is breeze.

It's a place where we all gather and are a community

to support each other.

Got a really fun post in there.

That's my favorite of the week.

I have to say where I invite all of you to

share what you're doing to show pictures of your product,

to show what you're working on for the week to get

reactions from other people and just for fun,

because we all get to see the wonderful products that everybody

in the community is making my favorite post every single week,

without doubt.

Wait, what,

aren't you part of the group already,

if not make sure to jump over to Facebook and search

for the group gift biz breeze don't delay.