Tips & Talk 81 – Why NOW is the Time

Hi there.

It's Sue.

And thanks for joining me for tips and talk day.

These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and

things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.

If you'd like to submit a topic,

DME, over on Instagram at gift biz unwrapped,

gosh, this year I've rolled out a number of new opportunities

for you here.

There are the bashes where you have a chance to showcase

your business to this entire listening audience.

There's the new owl app.

When you have a quick question where you'd like my input,

and now I'm excited to bring you gift biz boosts.

Think of these as free strategy sessions,

leaving you with a clear action plan to boost you forward.

Whether you're at the beginning of your business journey and need

concrete steps on how to start,

or you've been doing this for a while and could use

a fresh approach.

These boosts are for you you'll know,

a podcast is a boost.

If you see that word in the title,

want to get your own free boost.

I'm taking these on a first come first serve basis.

Head over to gift biz,

unwrapped.com/boost, and sign up for your session today.

Let's talk about why now is the most opportune time to

get moving on your business.

If you're just starting.

It's the moment to flip that switch on.

And if you stalled out or pressed pause for whatever reason,

it's time to reignite that forward momentum.

I remember as a little girl,

I desperately wanted to jump off the high diving board.

You know,

the one that all the cool older kids used,

it was a mark of passing of sorts.

One by one.

My girlfriends found the courage and came back to our pool

chairs, flushed with excitement and ready to jump again with very

little choice because of the prompting of all my friends,

I got up my nerve and headed to the line to

climb the ladder that would bring me to the diving board

high in the sky.

I had second thoughts the entire time I could turn back

step out of the line,

but I didn't.

That would be way too embarrassing.

And once I advanced in line up onto the rungs of

the ladder,

well, that was it.

There was no turning back then completely freaked out.

When I got up there,

knowing for sure they'd have to call an ambulance once I

hit the water,

but also knowing my pride couldn't take the teasing.

If I didn't commit my life to this very move,

I took my three diving steps,

jumped and endured what seemed like forever.

As I dropped through the air into the water.

When I came up,

I could hear my friends cheering and later heard my entry

was pretty good too.

I felt exhilarated and flushed with the rush of success.

If this is where you are at with starting your business,

just like me being coaxed by friends to go for that

high dive.

Here's why now is the right time to stop dipping your

toe in the water and go all in.

If you're serious about making waves with your business this year,

yes, it's the end of the summer.

And you can be tempted to raise around a little while

longer, but you'll miss out on the opportunities that present themselves

not later in the fall,

but right now,

here are the four reasons why you shouldn't delay.

Some of these situations are fleeting.

And if you don't take advantage of them,

they'll pass you.

By first off craft show opportunities.

This time of year always brings with it fabulous,

seasonal farmer's markets and craft shows.

That means there are a lot of options for finding the

perfect show fit in relation to who attends and who is

a good match for your product.

As we end the summer and merge into fall,

it brings a different buying attitude,

too. Families look for things to do outside while the weather's

nice and the pace is much more structured.

Now that school has started back up and a routine is

reestablished farmer's markets,

providing flowers,

fresh produce and rubs or sauces for grills are of course

popular. And people coming to these markets are looking for local

and natural.

Your soaps essential oils or baked dog biscuits may fit right

in same thing with craft shows.

The excitement of being out amongst others is finally real and

taken on a whole new level of celebration.

Something we used to take for granted attendance at local shows

is back with renewed vigor and an appreciative spirit.

That's for sure if you've been hanging around with me here

for a while,

you know how I feel about these face to face direct

to consumer shows,

it's the single best way to attract sales,

especially the first ones.

And these sales will also build your enthusiasm with your business.

If you've been on hiatus for a while,

the second reason why now is a fabulous time to ramp

up your activity has to do with the supply chain.

You can't miss this store.

Shelves are sparse at best.

And in some cases,

empty products that we've always taken for granted that we used

to be able to run down the street to a store

to pick up aren't accessible anymore.

Yes, of course there's Amazon,

but not for everything.

And definitely not for the special handmade treasures you make.

And we love so much this along with gas prices that

have severely affected shipping rates makes in person local purchasing all

the more favorable buying trends are in your favor too.

This is the third reason you should put into action.

Your business plans now support local continues to grow in popularity.

And one of a kind items that have a recycling element

in its packaging or contain all natural ingredients,

continue to trend upward in popularity.

If your products have these elements,

make sure you're pointing them out in your signage,

or when you talk to people about your products,

don't assume that they just know.

And the final reason I want you to up your game

without delay is that the holidays are coming.

I'm out at festivals and fine arts shows right now where

I'm seeing people buying for holiday gifts and most definitely spiced

cider, apple,

cinnamon, and pumpkin.

Everything can be seen.

Even Christmas themed products are being displayed at this point.

It's not too early.

If you're just starting up your business,

take this time to validate that your products will sell by

participating in a local show.

You'll bring in sales and get a tremendous amount of valuable

feedback on how others see your products.

So you know what to do from there.

You don't need a website mailing list or anything else.

All you need is to take the first step and get

yourself out in front of people with your products.

If you need help with that,

check out my start with confidence program,

where I give you all the steps and information you need

to make your first show worth it.

You can find out about that at gift biz,

unwrapped.com/start with confidence.

And on the other side,

if you've taken a backseat with your business,

it's time to recharge and get moving for the four reasons

I just covered now is the time ready made venues are

alive and well through craft shows,

church bizarres farmer's markets and festivals with the supply chain issues

and high shipping prices.

Your products provide a solution that may not be available elsewhere.

The trend of buying local and supporting small business has never

been greater.

And with the holiday season,

approaching people are primed to buy.

Everything is lined up for your success.

If after all this,

you're still not sure about your next move.

Why not sign up for a boost?

These are free calls with me that will result in your

own personalized action plan for moving forward.

You can do a boost at any stage of your business

development. And the goal with these is to focus on one

specific thing within your business and take it to the next

level. Interested,

sign up at gift biz,

unwrapped.com/boost. Can we agree now is the time to move forward

to make your business all that it can be.

I know you've got this,

but I'm here to help too.

That's a wrap.

I'm a get to the point kind of girl.

And this is what you can expect from these quick midweek

sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream

of yours.

Share your handmade products with us.

We want them,