Business of Craft (Leanne Pressly, CEO Stitchcraft Marketing)

Our guest today is our first encore guest on Business of Craft. His first show on lead generation was one of the most downloaded episodes so I invited him back to talk to us about his new book, Profitable Podcasting. Stephen Woessner is the CEO of Predictive ROI, an agency focused on Podcast production, Search engine Optimization and Webinar Creation and distribution.

Gale Zucker is on a mission to elevate the entire industry with her talent. In the course of the conversation, Leanne Pressly & Gale discuss photography for your crafty business, from the bare minimum to when it's appropriate to upgrade to polished imagery. 

Today's guest, Julie MacDonald, is a longtime friend from the days when Leanne worked at Interweave Press. She asked Julie to come on the show to speak about print media in the digital age and to help our listeners evaluate that aspect of their marketing spend.  

My guest today refers to her community as Gifters-Bakers-Crafters-Makers and she is an expert in helping crafty business owners go from just a dream to a profitable business. Sue Monhait has over 25 years of experience in retail, e-commerce and sales and marketing strategy. Sue is joining us today to talk about how to make the most of participating in an online course.

Today's guest is Jeffrey Madoff, an accomplished director, writer, and educator who has spent over four decades working in the creative industry. He is the founder of Madoff Productions a video production company based in New York City. He is also an adjunct professor at Parsons School for design where he teaches a course on his book, Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas. In his book, Jeffrey shares insights from successful creative professionals who have proven that you can be both creative and business-savvy. Jeffrey is here today to discuss the importance of breaking down the myths surrounding creativity and how anyone can reach their full potential in a creative career. Welcome to Business of Craft, Jeffrey Madoff. 

Business of Craft is a show designed to help entrepreneurs with fabric or fiber businesses become more successful. Our guests share best practices and teach effective marketing skills, that help crafty business owners learn to grow and scale. Let's start crafting a better business together!

Some listeners might recognize my guest today as a friend and former employee at Stitchcraft Marketing, Benjamin Krudwig. Benjamin makes his mark in the fiber industry as a talented weaver, garment-maker and fashion designer. He is currently the social media manager at Schacht Spindle. I wanted to have Benjamin come on the show today to talk about his expertise on millennial buying behaviors in the craft industry. 

My guest today is Laura Bellows, owner and founder of Jul Designs, an internationally collaborative company producing knitwear and body jewelry designs. Doctor Laura Bellows also happens to be a PhD trained cultural anthropologist, well-versed on the issues regarding cultural appropriation in business. She joins our show today to help crafty entrepreneurs understand cultural appropriation and what it means for their businesses. 

My guest today Nancy Marshall is an award-winning Public Relations expert and the CEO of Marshall Communications, a marketing firm headquartered in Augusta, Maine. Also affectionately known as the “PR Maven”, Nancy recently launched a new public relations podcast.

In today's episode,  Leanne talks with Ted Hoffman of Clothworks. They discuss the farm to fabric movement behind Clothworks' latest venture. Ted shares his philosophies about the triple bottom line. Lastly, Ted talks about early mistakes and the lesson of fire fast. 

My guest today, Stacy Jones, is the founder and owner of Hollywood Branded, an agency recognized as one of the top entertainment marketing agencies in the industry. They specialize in building brand recognition and creating consumer desire for what influencers endorse. Stacy has worked with brands such as BlackBerry, Bumble, Canadian Club, Crayola, Pilot Pen, and White Cloud.

My guest today Brian Edman works as an account executive with our friends over at predictive ROI. He has spent his career thus far focusing on search and optimization strategies and he has a lot of new insights about how to do SEO well that I wanted our listeners to know about.

Welcome everyone to the second season of Business of Craft where our theme is wantrepreneurship-- and our episodes are covering all the baby steps you need to take to launch your new business in 2020. My guest today is Jamie Billesbach, she is the Center Director of the Small Business Development Center for the Central Mountain Region of Colorado. Jamie has more than 20 years of experience in brand development, merchandising, graphic design and marketing planning for companies such as LavAzza coffee, Clif Bar, Annie’s Gourmet and Hershey’s. She also worked for the Mexican government developing the Mexican Chiapas Shade Grown Coffee company with over 25,000 growers. 

Today we have John Li, the startup and co- founder of PickFu.com who believes in the transformative power of consumer insights to drive business success. Recognizing that better insights lead to better decisions, John advocates for frequent and in-depth market research. With experience spanning from tech giants like Microsoft to bootstrapped startups, he's witnessed the exponential benefits of well-executed market research and the pitfalls of ignoring consumer voices. 

My guest today is a serial entrepreneur with his latest venture in the yarn space. In 2015, Garrick Arnold acquired Yarn Pop, makers of canvas accessory bags made in the USA. I asked Garrick to share his knowledge and expertise in buying an existing craft business.  

My guest Cecilia Nelson-Hurt is currently the chief diversity officer at Heidrick & Struggles, an executive talent and leadership advisory firm. Prior to that position, Cecilia worked at L’oreal USA and JPMorgan Chase in prominent VP roles, further refining her expertise in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion. In our industry, she goes by the moniker @creativececi and has been an avid knitter and crocheter for more than 20 years. She also has a passion for travel and takes pride in the fact she’s visited over 150 shops in the USA and abroad. 

My guest today is so very highly anticipated. I've been a fan of Michael since I was first introduced to his work through his book, Profit First. Michael's personal mission is to eradicate entrepreneurial poverty and he does that first and foremost through his best selling books including, Pumpkin Plan, Surge and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. He is the founder of Provendus Group, a consulting firm that utilizes his business growth methodologies. He hosts the Profit First Podcast and he has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Box Pro Magazine, Entrepreneur and Harvard Business Review.

Mary Ann Pruitt is the CEO and founder of two companies. One is PS Strategies, a marketing agency, and more recently, Mosaic, a media buying agency located in Anchorage, Alaska. Mary Ann and I are part of the same agency network, Agency Management Institute, and we work together to provide media buying services to Stitchcraft marketing clients. I’ve asked her to come on the show to give our listeners an introduction to media buying so that our crafty entrepreneurial listeners can utilize this tool in their marketing strategies. 

[Just a quick warning that we’re going to be throwing around some curse words in today’s episode so if you’ve got little ears listening or that kind of language just isn’t your thing, you can make an informed choice about that.]

My guest today is Amy E. Smith, aka The Joy Junkie. Amy is a certified professional career coach and her personal mission is to help aspiring bad-ass women to create joyful lives by accessing radical self love, worthiness and self-acceptance. 

In today's episode,  Leanne Pressly answers listener questions on the topics of digital marketing, expanding into a wholesale market, attracting customers and more. 

Today, we have a very special guest joining us, who refers to himself as a tax savings architect. Mark Myers is the CEO of Peak Profit Solutions, and a former Marine Corps Sergeant. 

Mark has over 20 years of successful business operation, ownership, and consulting experience under his belt. He has helped thousands of individuals increase their profits and permanently reduce their annual tax bills, enabling them to better grow their businesses. We're excited to have him on the show today to share his insights and strategies with our audience.

Today's short and sweet episode is about 2019 trends!

My guest today is the founder of Knit the Rainbow, Austin Rivers. In addition to being a Diversity, Equity, and iInclusion professional and activist, he is also a professional actor –having toured the USA as well as 20 countries worldwide.  He holds a BA in Politics as well as a Masters of Public Administration. Lastly, Austin currently serves as the Special Assistant to the Chief Diversity Officer at Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

My guest today is Scott Smith, founder, and CEO of Royal Legal Solutions based in Austin, Texas. I have been involved in so many questions in the legal and tax realm that I knew I HAD to have someone like Scott on the show. We chat about questions regarding business entities and taxes.

Today Leanne Pressly presents a solocast with content from the new online course, Magic Wand for Social Media. She covers different mistakes you might make with your social media and how to plan your social media program in 30 minutes per day. 

Leanne Pressly, the owner of Stitchcraft Marketing, discusses the Know, Like, Trust funnel. She also touches on the customer avatar. Listen in to learn how an understanding of these can help you craft a better business. 

Today I’m excited to welcome our guest, Wendy Batten, also known as the Retailer’s Mentor. She is a coach, consultant and host of the podcast,  “Creative Shop Talk” She also runs a membership group called the Retailer’s inner Circle. 

Wendy comes to us as a champion for small shop owners and creative business owners in particular. She knows firsthand the challenges of running a creative business and has overcome burnout to build a successful venture. Now, Wendy is passionate about helping others achieve their dreams, offering one-on-one guidance, signature courses, and live retreats. She’s bringing her years of business experience and warm approach to becoming a trusted mentor and coach for creative retailers and entrepreneurs all over the world. 

My guest today Amy Singer is pioneer publisher of the quarterly digital e-magazine Knitty.com. We discuss the evolution of pattern publishing and Patreon support. 

DeAnna McIntosh is a business strategist and retail consultant at Retailing Evolved specializing in helping retailers drive sales and increase conversions in their business. In 2020 she founded Diversify Retail Inc to bring more attention to the issue of diversity in retailing. She joins our podcast today to give our craft retail listeners some special insights into future-proofing your  business and how to be a disruptive retailer.

Today's guest is Anneliese Johnson. Anneliese is on-half of the mother-daughter design duo behind Eye Candy Quilts, which focuses on quilt pattern and fabric design. Anneliese also has experience working in local brick -and -mortar quilt shops, and most importantly, she's also an account manager over here at Stitchcraft Marketing. She is an expert in influencer marketing and is here to share her insights today on influencer marketing and the crafting business sphere and how they can kind of both coexist and maybe learn from each other and of course support each other.

In this episode, we talk with Vickie Howell, a true success story in personal branding.  We talk about her launch of the first tv-quality yarn crafting show and visual cues that are important in building a personal brand.

Meagan Rodgers is an Account Manager at the agency with mad skills in the area of writing for SEO. She is a lifelong writer and former educator with a PhD in English. Like all of us at Stitchcraft Marketing, she’s a maker including embroidery, crochet, sewing, and knitting. She also publishes a writes for her  website, craftculturestyle.com, where she writes about crafts in society.

Today, Meagan is going to walk us through SEO. We’ll explore the ins and outs of SEO, including how it can help small craft businesses improve their website's search rankings, drive targeted traffic, and boost their online presence. We'll discuss the integration of SEO into various online platforms, such as websites, blogs, and social media, and how it can complement other marketing efforts.

Episode 28 is a little bit different than our usual format. Our guests are innovators in the crafts industry. Leanne interviews Ja’De Hardiman, founder of the website D-Stash in the first half of the show, and Pam Maher of FiberCrafty in the second half.

My guest today, Katie Hunt is the founder and CEO of several businesses including Kelp Designs, a stationary manufacturing company and Tradeshow Bootcamp which we’re going to chat about today.  Katie has hosted more than 200 webinars, 12 conferences and spent hundreds of hours providing 1-1 coaching to independent artists and small businesses. She is also the host of the Proof to Product podcast where she interviews mostly stationary and paper folks about growing their businesses. She received the Emerging Gift Industry Leader Award in 2015 and was included on the industry’s 40 Under 40 list in 2017. 

My guest today is Lyric Kinard, founder of the Academy for Virtual Teaching. Lyric is a fiber artist, quilter and author of the book, Art + Quilt: design principles and creativity exercises. In 2011, she won the award for International Association of Professional Quilters Teacher of the Year. She has written extensively for Quilting Arts Magazine, appeared on Quilting Arts TV, and The Quilt Show.

Karley Cunningham has been diving into the worlds of business development, branding, and design for over two decades. As the Creative Strategist & Growth Accelerator at her company, Big, Bold Brand, Karley brings her big thinking and innovative problem-solving to the table. She’s also a sought-after speaker and mentor, sharing her wisdom with national and international business organizations. Today we're chatting about differentiating your brand. 

Today my guest is Lori Highby. Lori Highby is an accomplished entrepreneur and a marketing expert with over 20 years of experience in the industry. As the founder and CEO of Keystone Click, a digital marketing agency based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lori has been helping businesses of all sizes to improve their online presence and grow their brands since 2008. Her passion for helping businesses succeed in the digital age is a driving force behind her continued success.

Lori’s knowledge and passion for helping businesses succeed in the digital age is a driving force behind her continued success. Today we’re going deep into the newest technological advancements, artificial intelligence and what it means for your business.

Leanne talks with Martha Sielman, executive director of Studio Art Quilt Associates. She has a wealth of experience advancing the movement of art quilting, gaining exposure for the medium in museums and generally educating everyone about the wonderful world of art quilts.

Mark Hyland is the CEO of Handi Quilter and former CEO of Premier Needle Arts. Mark has been involved within the craft and hobby industry for more than 18 years, manufacturing, producing and marketing of leading world wide consumer enthusiast brands found within Crochet, Knitting, Sewing, Quilting, and Longarm Quilting categories. Mark currently serves on several boards of directors within these segments both for profit organizations and non-profit organizations, including the National Quilt Museum.

My guest today is my colleague Michelle Walker. She’s a Financial Strategist and an Account Manager here at Stitchcraft Marketing who began her artistic endeavor at a young age with painting and sewing. She’s a small business owner of Weaverwalker, an Eco-conscious macrame-focused DIY kit & supplies business on a mission to deliver the meditative experience of macrame to everyone's home.  In May, Michelle is launching a new mastermind for Stitchcraft Marketing called Good Math, Smart Business to help crafty business owners really get a handle on their financial numbers. So, today we’re going to talk about math monsters and her philosophy which we loosely call profit first-ish.

Today our guest is Pamela Slim, celebrated author and small business expert who has dedicated decades to shaping and enhancing the entrepreneurial ecosystem.  She is a co-founder of the KEH community lab in Mesa, Arizona, alongside her husband, Darryl. This innovative hub serves as a grassroots, community-based think tank dedicated to accelerating small business growth. Pam's insights and expertise frequently grace the pages of esteemed publications, including The New York Times, Forbes, and BusinessWeek. She has written several books including "Escape from Cubicle Nation," which was recognized as the Best Small Business and Entrepreneur book in 2009 and her follow up, Body of Work. Her latest book, "The Widest Net," helps you grow your business by connecting with customers outside your usual field of view.

In this episode, we talk with Lindsey Rae, creator of Sew to Grow, a pattern company designed to help students gain and then build upon new sewing skills. Lindsey shares how she has crafted a marketing strategy to appeal to different types of customers.

My guest today, Louis Boria, is the founder and owner of Brooklyn Boy Knits, a company that produces custom knitwear. In addition to building a thriving business, Louis is on a mission to combine his love of fiber arts with his passion to combat bullying and to champion inclusion and diversity in the fiber arts community. He has been featured in the media like New York 1, CBS News, Reuters, and Telemundo. In this show, I want to explore with Louis the idea of how unique differences in your personal and business brand can help you to grow your craft business.

My guest today is Anastasia Williams, founder of M1R Marketing. She specializes in creative direction, consulting and coaching for the fiber world, and hosts the podcast “Fiber Radio”. She joins us today as a marketing expert to talk about a grab bag of four often misunderstood topics: funnels, understanding your ideal customer, finding your why and discounting. 

My guest today, Kristy Glass, started her career in NYC on the stage and screen and then came to knitting after convalescing from some health issues.  From there, she started Kristy Glass Knits and has grown it to meteoric new levels. Today, she boasts 26K Instagram followers and 24K subscribers on her youtube channel. She also has a robust Patreon account where she offers premium video content. Today we’re going to talk about some of the steps Kristy took along the way to arrive at this place so quickly.

David Jenyns is the founder of Systemology and SystemHub software. He is the author of the book SYSTEMology: Create time, reduce errors and scale your profits with proven business systems which has over 350 reviews on Amazon scoring 4.6 stars. He also hosts the podcast Business Process Simplified. He’s a frequent keynote speaker and has a Tedx talk called “The Systems of Life” available on Youtube. 

Rebecca Inkrote, goes by the name Bex Marie, owns the company Bex Marie Design. Since 2010 she’s been building websites for creative professionals. Bex is going to chat with us today about new challenges in website design. This is an encore show with Bex as we had her on BOC back in January 2020 with our wantrepreneurs series where we learned all about the basics of building a website.

My guest, Sara Taylor is the CEO and founder of DeepSEE Consulting, a training and consultancy firm specializing in diversity and inclusion. Sara is a nationally recognized speaker with over 25 years of experience in leadership and diversity. She’s recently written a best-selling book, Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World.

My guest today Jennifer Keltner has been a maker of things from a very early age. Her first truly independent crafting involved melting crayons in an Easy-Bake Oven. She’s passionate about all things fabric, quilting, embroidering, and sewing—always trying to squeeze a little “making” into every day.  As President and Chief Visionary Officer for Martingale, Jennifer leads an employee-owned company with 45 years of book publishing history, now producing 36+ new titles per year. 

My guests today are Jane Patrick and Barry Schacht of Schacht Spindle Company located in Boulder, Colorado. Jane and Barry have not only had a successful marriage for 37 years, but they’ve also been successful business partners running Schacht Spindle for 50 years. They discuss different recessions, the shift of business over the years, and key components to running a successful business. 

Today's guest is Elizabeth Townsend Gard, Endowed Professor of Law at Tulane University. She is the co-author of the a two-volume casebook, “IP: Doctrine and Application in Two Volumes” and she is also the host of the podcast Just Wanna Quilt, a research podcast focused on quilting, entrepreneurship and copyright. Elizabeth is also the director of “Durationator”, a software system that aims to determine the worldwide copyright status of every kind of cultural work.

My guests today are both accomplished authors and knitwear designers. Kate Gagnon Osborn and Courtney Kelley discuss distributor arrangements, the shift to their new business model, and GOTS certification. and I have all been friends and colleagues for a long time. Their evolution story is a great tale about managing change and just good old fashioned entrepreneurial chutzpah. 

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My guest today is TL Robinson. She is the founder and CEO of Mass Eden, a natural body care products business. I wanted to have her come on the show to share her journey about leaving her corporate job to take the leap and following her passion into creating natural body care products. Today we discuss the attributes you need to be a successful entrepreneur when passion is what's leading you, the concept of failing fast, and why inclusion is one of the most important aspects of her brand. 

Our guest today, Meg Goodman, is an award-winning podcast host and producer, and the founder and CEO of Flint Rock LLC an audio production company. Early in her career, she entered the world of advertising agencies managing notable Fortune 100 accounts. After 25+ years in advertising, including a stint running an agency, she returned to her native Chicago roots to create Pure Audio for her clients.

When not writing, hosting, producing, or running Flint Rock she serves as an Elder in her church and

volunteers for several philanthropic and civic boards. She been skydiving, has a black Belt in Hapkido, and enjoys scuba diving and riding motorcycles with her family. 

My guest today is Glenn Martin, a business consultant with over 30 years of experience. In 2002 he founded Trakstar, a human resource software application which he grew to 250K online users in 35 countries before he sold the company in 2016. Glen is formally retired but lends his expertise as a counselor with the Central Mountain Small Business Development Center here in Colorado. 

My guests today are Morgan Huff and Jim Huff, Co-Founders at Impact Analytics Group. We're discussing data analytics and software that is compatible with most point of sale (POS) systems, such as POSIM, Shopify, and even LikeSew, to provide additional information that can guide your marketing efforts. 

My guest today Nichole Schneider is the founder and CEO of Coley International, a product development company for the craft industry. Nichole specializes in helping craft companies bring a product from concept to retail ready. She has over 20 years of buying, sourcing and product development and is an avid sewist and knitter.

My guest today is Susan Baier, head honcho at Audience Audit, a company specializing in attitudinal audience segmentation research.  We chat about how crafty businesses can harness the power of segmenting for better customer engagement.

Today's guest is Cathy McKillip, CEO and president of RETAIL PROFIT MAKERS, a consulting business designed to help independent retail companies maximize profits through better inventory management.

Cathy has over 30 years of business and retail experience and sold her retail business after growing sales to a tenfold multiple in 10 years.

Michael Bird is the co-founder and CEO of Spindustry, a digital marketing agency based in Des Moines IA. Spindustry is a leader in  producing e-commerce solutions, web applications, and digital marketing programs for their clients. In Episode 3 Leanne and Michael discuss bringing on an e-commerce component to your business and some of the challenges involved. 

My guest today is Bex Marie of bexmarie.com. Bex, short for Rebecca, is a graphic design professional and since 2010 she’s been building websites for creative professionals. Bex is going to chat with us today about considerations in launching a new website. 

Today we chat with Stacey Trock, who got her start in the industry with her company Fresh Stitches, a crochet subscription club featuring amigurumi patterns. In recent years, Stacey has focused her attention on marketing consulting and teaching.  Stacey is also a designer and the author of three crochet books. At the most recent needle arts trade show, she offered a class on dealing with difficult customers which I thought would be a great podcast topic so we’ll delve into that today.

Today we tackle listener questions we've notice come up time and time again in email, conversations, and online forums.

In this quick solocast, Leanne Pressly shares her thoughts and experience on logo design for your brand and why it might be time for an update. 

Welcome everyone to the second season of Business of Craft where our theme is wantrepreneurship-- and our episodes are covering all the baby steps you need to take to launch your new business in 2020.  My guest today is Susan Dunn, she is a graphic designer by trade but a whiz with the numbers. She’s been a consultant with the small business development center in Colorado for 10 years and her specialty is helping new business owners get their  financial books set up. 

My guest today Stephen Koenig is the co-founder of Sommer Street Associates, a publishing intermediary working to connect craft publishers and retailers utilizing a whole new model. Steve is also adept at building audiences, monetizing content and helping digital brands grow to their full potential.

Today our guest is Nicole Moore, of Sew Much Moore and Creative Day Job. It wasn't until Nicole left her full-time corporate job in 2013 that she delved into "serious sewing." From craft shows to Etsy, boutique shops, and Amazon Handmade, and a viral YouTube channel, Nicole's first business Sew Much Moore, flourished. While growing Sew Much Moore Nicole learned to leverage technology, conquer overwhelm, and foster a robust online community. Recognizing those same aspirations in countless other talented women, she founded the Creative Day Job—a platform devoted to empowering creative women on the path to transforming their hobbies into lucrative businesses.

Our guests today are Abby Glassenberg and Darrin Stern. Abby co-founded Craft Industry Alliance and now serves as its president. She’s also a sewing pattern designer, teacher, and journalist. Darrin Stern is the Business Development Director at Koelnmesse, Inc. Darrin and Abby have partnered together to bring Koelnmesse’s successful European industry tradeshow model, h+h Cologne, to the United States this summer in h+h Americas. We'll be discussing trade shows and how participation in a show can help fortify your business. 

In Episode 29, a solocast with Leanne Pressly, we'll talk about print advertising. Our topics include ROI, placement, pricing, the size of your ad and how to evaluate an opportunity. 

Kylie Gersekowski is the owner of Little Moo Designs located in South West Queensland Australia. Kylie started out her crafty career in crafts in 2009 which included making baby clothes and then in 2011 bespoke hobby horses. Her business evolved again and in 2014, with sewing designs for handbag and purse clutches made from combinations of leather and fabric and cork. In addition to selling bag patterns, Kylie also is a master at offering masterclasses and that’s the subject of our episode today. 

My guest today is Janet Kafadar, an online business coach who’s passionate about helping entrepreneurs package their brilliance into a sustainable, profitable online business. She’s come on Business of Craft show today to talk about starting a business after hours.

Our guest today is Claudia Raessler, Director of the Saco River Dyehouse in Biddeford, Maine. We invited Claudia on the show to talk about the state of US yarn mills in the U.S. and scaling a business. 

My guest today is Chris Wright of Prime Publishing. Chris has worked in publishing since 1988 and has a lot of knowledge about digital advertising. I wanted to get his take on the current landscape and pull out some best practices for our listeners.

My guest today, Felicia Lo, is the founder and creative director of Sweet Georgia Yarns. Since 2005 Felicia and her team have focused on bringing “unapologetic colors” for fiber enthusiasts. Felicia is the author of Dyeing to Spin & Knit: Techniques & Tips to Make Custom Hand-Dyed Yarns. She is also a lecturer and teacher and has offered classes through Craftsy/Blueprint, and her new venture, the School of Sweet Georgia.  

My guest today Robin Waite is one of the most successful professional business coaches in the United Kingdom and author of the book "Take Your Shot: How to Grow Your Business, Attract More Clients and Make More Money". I wanted to have Robin on the show today to talk about some of the struggles that new entrepreneurs face in starting off on the right foot. 

Welcome to Business of Craft, a show designed to help entrepreneurs with fabric or fiber businesses become more successful. Our guests share best practices and teach effective marketing skills, that help crafty business owners learn to grow and scale. Let's start crafting a better business together!

Today we welcome you to our kickoff for season six of Business of Craft. Leanne and Anneliese present our findings from the 2023 Craft Retailer Research project. The 2023 Craft Retailer Survey organized by Audience Audit and Stitchcraft Marketing included 923 respondents from April to May 2023. Respondents included manufacturers, distributors and retailers of craft products. The research has a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Four distinct attitudinal segments emerged among respondents; these are groups of craft business owners who share a set of attitudes. The data that came out of this study is going to inform a lot of the shows we have planned for this season.

Sarah Resnick, of Gist Yarns and Advah Designs, is our guest in this episode. We talk about the textile community, sustainability, and celebrating rituals. 

Leanne's guest is Heidi Kaisand, the publisher at American Quilt Retailer magazine. She also owns a retail shop called Hens and Chicks Studio in Conrad, Iowa and she brings a unique perspective to the topic of retail in the quilting and fabric space.

Today, our guest is Adrian Koehler, and we're jumping into leadership and how to use emotions in leadership to lead fearlessly. Adrian works with coaching leadership engagement and is senior partner at the executive coaching powerhouse, Take New Ground. They’ve worked with companies such as Lululemon, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream (which we LOVE at Stitchcraft Marketing) and Nike. Adrian has carved a niche in coaching executives and entrepreneurs alike. His goal is always to empower these leaders to bring out the best in themselves, rally their teams, and serve their clients in ways that not only break new ground but also infuse a deep sense of fulfillment in their professional lives.

Today, we chat with Lori Highby about recent changes Google favoring SSL certification and encryption. We also give listeners action items for the new GDPR laws.

We invited Heidi Gustad to come on our show to talk about video production because this is one of those areas that is so underutilized and is often a source of fear for crafty entrepreneurs.

My guest Jen Geigley is a graphic designer by trade but also she’s a prolific knitwear designer and has published several design books including Weekend, Everyday, Visions, Visions Kids, Luna, and Chroma. She’s also been published in several magazines including Simple Magazine, Noro Magazine, Knitsy, and Rowan’s online publications. She lives in Des Moines Iowa. Jen is one of our influencers in our blogger outreach program and she’s got a lot to teach our listeners about how to be a good marketing influencer.

Today my guest is Carly Brush, she is the General Manager of Arts and Handmade at Whatnot, a new live selling platform. Carly is an expert in live selling and she's here to share her insights on how it's changing the game for both retailers and customers. She's got a wealth of experience and knowledge in live selling, and she's going to dive into how it's transforming the shopping experience and why it's becoming a must-adopt strategy for retailers in today's competitive market.

Carly’s passion for this platform and approach to retail is contagious, and we can't wait to hear her insights today. So, let's dive in and learn all about it. 

Rohit Bhargava is an innovation and marketing expert and the founder of the Non-Obvious Company. He spent 15 years as a marketing strategist for Ogilvy and Leo Burnett, is the Wall Street Journal best-selling author of six business books and also teaches marketing and innovation at Georgetown University. He has a new book out, The Non-Obvious Guide to Small Business Marketing (without a big budget), and we’re going to chat about his insights on marketing today. 

My guest Katie Salmon is the founder and CEO of a digital marketing consultancy business called Katie Does Marketing. Katie helps shop owners and makers develop strategies to simply SELL MORE STUFF.

My guest today is Otto Strauch, owner of Strauch Fiber Equipment. This episode is about the ups and downs of selling a business. Listen to Otto explain why it's a good idea to hire a broker, and how to make sure you are selling a business and not just a job.

Today Leanne Pressly is chatting with Laura Cameron, Director of Operations at Stitchcraft Marketing. The two cover lots of topics and tips you can use to focus in on your ideal customer and maximize your marketing ROI.j

A quick preview of what's coming up in Season 2 of Business of Craft, launching February 15, 2020. 

My guest today is Meg Sutton, owner of Belle and Union, a specialty paper and home goods retailer in San Antonio Texas. Meg started the business in 2012 after falling in love with letterpress while working in a boutique shop. Meg and her husband Josh run the business together with a focus on a brick and mortar model with all American sourced goods--which we’re going to delve into during our show today.

Today our guest is Richard Parker, the President of Diomo Corporation, who has dedicated his career to advising and mentoring people who want to buy or sell a business. He has purchased and sold 13 of his own companies and understands firsthand the emotional journey that buyers and sellers experience. This is a very relevant topic in the craft industry as many of the businesses are independent and/or family owned. As owners age and are looking toward retirement, there is often a question of how to position the business for sale, or where to even find a buyer? On the flipside, for buyers, who often come to the industry as hobbyists and enthusiasts first, how should they assess a business for purchase? 

My guest today is a well-known personality knitting world. Gwen Bortner has been a figure in the scene since the early ’80s.  Gwen is an idea generator, confidence builder and momentum creator in a variety of roles including consultant, coach, and teacher. This is her second appearance on our podcast having done Episode 12 on Organizational Optimization. We’re thrilled to have her do an encore episode on habits.

In this episode, we talk with Laura Zander, founder of Jimmy Beans Wool. With over 98% of sales coming from online, she knows more than a few things about how to do it well. We'll talk about why Amazon isn't responsible for the demise of retail and why experiential marketing is going to be the name of the game in 2018. 

Today our guest is Denise Ackert, owner of Innerlight Healthworks located in Salida, Colorado. I wanted to have Denise on the show because I’ve personally learned so much from her in the realm of mindfulness and self-care and I know that during the holiday season, we could all use a little reminder about all those things.

My guest today, Scott Beebe, is the founder and head coach of MyBusinessOnPurpose.com, a coaching and consulting business designed to help liberate entrepreneurs from the chaos of working in their business rather than on their business. Scott also hosts the Business on Purpose Podcast and is the author of “Let Your Business Burn”. He currently coaches over 50 business owners.

My guest today is Shawn Allison, a business and marketing consultant with the Central Mountain Small Business Development. Shawn has more than 20 years of experience in business development, direct marketing, strategic planning, budgeting, marketing automation and graphic design. Shawn is joining us today to give the down and dirty lowdown on how to write an effective business plan.

Leanne's guest is doing tremendous work in our industry that our listeners would love to learn more about. Joe McClain is the CEO of the organization Help Heal Veterans. Their mission is to provide therapeutic craft kits to every veteran who wants them.