One of the most common whining I hear from clients goes something like this, “Mayi, I always make a to-do list, but half of the stuff on there never gets done. And I find myself writing + re-writing the same stuff over + over again”. Does this sound familiar?

Now, if it does, don’t you dare beat yourself in the head for it. After all, your tsunamic ability to produce idea after idea is precisely what makes you ridiculously special + qualified to make a real contribution in this world. The only thing we’ve got to work on is on your delivery, cuz we all know your idea factory is on FIRE.

So, how can you take control? How do you get more done in record time? Using lists to jot down the things you need + want to accomplish is a step in the right direction + can bring you clarity. The thing is, a to-do list is simply that, a list. In order to transition from “to-do mode” into “done gear”, you need an action plan.

I’ll say it again, because it bares repeating. In order to do great things you don’t need luck + a trust fund + pixie dust or a fairy God Mother – all you need is A PLAN.

That’s what this post is all about – crafting a realistic step-by-step, no guesswork action plan + prioritizing your schedule to make room for your BIG ideas.

Let’s get started, shall we?

STEP 1: MAKE SMART LISTS

I’m an advocate for list making because it’s truly the best way to stay organized. Lists help you stay focused + set priorities + forget nothing + turbo charge your productivity. But there’s an art to list making.

The key to getting stuff done is to focus on the 5 most important things you want to get done that day, as opposed to the 50 or more items I see most people attempting to tackle.

Long lists that run down to the abyss are impossible to finish + even when you do manage to knock some items off there, it’s typically the easiest tasks first to trim some of the fat. But who are we kidding, right? We all know very well that the easiest items are rarely the most transcendental for your business. So, you’re left feeling like a total loser.

Short lists, on the other hand, are realistic + give you great power + there’s an enormous psychological boost in getting stuff done + cruising though your to-do’s, especially when the stuff you check off are things that matter + make the most difference for your business.

TAKE ACTION NOW

Write down the 5 most important tasks that you want to get done tomorrow. Overachievers, I said only 5!

STEP 2: ALLOCATE TIME TO EACH TASK

Now you need to determine + plan how much time each task requires. This is important step to make sure your 5 items can literally be tackled in a day. The key is to keep your tasks manageable + bite size.

TAKE ACTION NOW

Assign how much time each task needs. If a project is too large to finish in one day, can you deconstruct it even further?

STEP 3: PLAN THE DAY

It’s time to schedule exactly how your day will roll.

TAKE ACTION NOW

Get out your calendar (i.e. iCal + Google Calendar + paper calendar) + actually plan how your day is going to unfold. To fully plan your day right you need to remember to leave wiggle room zones for miscellaneous stuff.

When you’re done look at your schedule + examine how much of your day is proactive + how much is reactive. Rewrite your plan so that 80% of your schedule is focused on proactive tasks (i.e. writing a chapter for your digital guide + photographing your collection + sending our your weekly newsletter + etc.) + 20% to reactive tasks (i.e. checking e-mail + returning your mom’s phone call + twittering + etc.) Also, analyze when you’re scheduling the most important tasks – at the beginning + in the middle or in the end? Rewrite your plan so that you are completing the hardest most important tasks in the first half of the day. Studies show that your mind + body are most responsive in the early hours of the day.

STEP 4: REPEAT

Make it a habit to finish each day by planning the next day’s agenda.

Of course, there will always be emergencies + urgencies + people that might interfere with your schedule. The key to staying on course is to deal with the detours + get back to your schedule immediately. I also like to leave blank spaces in your weekly calendar to accommodate from any hiccup that might have occurred, that way I’m never insanely back-tracked + I feel on top of my game.

WANT MORE?

Do you dig this post? Then you’ll L-O-V-E my new program Life is Messy Bootcamp, designed to help you streamline your messy life + reclaim your physical and virtual space + get you closer to your world domination aspirations.

Life is Messy Bootcamp, is an online + self-paced multimedia organizational extravaganza engineered to take you from “to-do mode” to “action gear”. No “fluff” content, only real “actionable” information inside.

Use your exclusive Handmade Success coupon code to receive 10% OFF at the checkout counter.

I can’t wait to see you on the inside.

xo,

Mayi Carles

Mayi Carles is a multi-passionate Panamanian artist inventor + organizational master + pocket-size creative business fairy with a severe cupcake addiction. Follow her tweets at @mayicarles.

Sad Pinhead Pincushion by Gloomstopper Studio

Are you (and your shop) in a bit of a slump after the hustle and bustle of the holidays? Have your sales slowed to a crawl, with no signs of picking up anytime soon? Don’t despair. Read on for some words of encouragement.

I’d like to share a true story with you that inspires me every time I read it. It’s the story of a 3-year-old girl named Alyssa and her grandpa, David Hayes. What started out as a fishing outing to the pond behind David’s house turned into a catch for the record books.

The two headed to the pond one afternoon as they had done many times before — Alyssa with her pink Barbie fishing rod, and David with his regular rod and reel. Alyssa caught one fish right away, but a few minutes later, she asked her grandpa to hold her Barbie pole so she could head to the house for a potty break.

It was during those few minutes that Alyssa lost her chance. Seconds after she stepped away, a huge catfish took off with the line that her grandpa was now holding. After quite a struggle, David was able to capture the catfish and bring him to shore. Turns out that the catfish weighed 21 pounds, 1 ounce — a North Carolina record!

If little Alyssa had waited just a little while longer, she would have been the one credited with catching that record-setting catfish instead of her grandpa. Of course, her grandpa would have had to help her haul the huge fish in, but Alyssa would have gotten the credit for the record.

….

So how does this story apply to you, a handmade product seller? Just like Alyssa, you might feel like you need a break — like the pressures of running a small business are too much to handle. Just remember that if you, like Alyssa, give up too early, you could miss a big fish payoff.

Here are some words of encouragement for you if you’re thinking about throwing in the towel on your handmade business:

1. DON’T GIVE UP on your online shop.

* Use slow seasons to make small improvements to your shop. Now’s as good a time as any!

* Keep your products fresh. List new items as you can.

* Spruce up your product photos. Take new shots of your products if needed. Think of creative ways to stage your products. Experiment with lighting conditions. Try a new photo background.

* Improve your product descriptions.

2. DON’T GIVE UP on good customer service.

* Touch base with past customers from time to time. Send a savvy e-newsletter, update fans on Facebook, etc.

* Ask for feedback from your customers and then use that feedback to improve your products and/or spread the word about your brand to prospective customers.

* Follow up after your products have shipped, making sure that customers are happy with your product(s).

3. DON’T GIVE UP on staying fresh and up-to-date in your niche.

* A fun place to keep up-to-date with the latest trends is Pinterest! Learn what colors, patterns, and ideas are popular and then incorporate those ideas (without stealing or plagiarizing, of course) into your designs.

* Follow cool blogs (use Google Reader or some other feed reader). Blogs that cater to your niche can provide loads of inspiration!

* Use Google Alerts to notify you when topics in your niche are published on the web.

4. DON’T GIVE UP on your blog. 

* Blogging is one of the best ways to build SEO for your brand.

* Share fabulous product photos (during the creative process and post-production). Venues like Etsy allow you to feature only 5 product photos, but you can use your blog to feature other creative angles and staging scenarios, etc.

* Share your story. Customers love to learn what inspires handmade artists.

5. DON’T GIVE UP on your other social media venues.

* Find a posting schedule that works for you . . and then work it! I recently learned about a service called Buffer that allows you to schedule Tweets and Facebook posts throughout the day. I haven’t tried it yet — but I intend to!

* Another cool site that I found recently is SocialBro, a site that helps you determine the best time of day to send Tweets to your followers. How cool is that?

* There are some great ideas in this post about creating a social media editorial calendar.

….

Hang in there, handmade seller. Keep your pole in the water and be patient. If the fish aren’t biting right now, they could be lurking close by. You never know when a 21 lb, 1 oz. catfish customer might come along.

You can read more about Alyssa and David’s story here.

Sometimes I hear a whisper in my head that tells me what I’m doing is not enough. It tells me that my big, exciting dreams may not come true, because I may not be creative enough, or business-savvy enough, or unique enough. I may not have a good enough message. That I make too many mistakes. When I listen to the whisper, it slowly turns into a shout, until it’s all I can hear in my head. It’s very tricky, and cunning. It happens without my even realizing it’s happening. We all have that voice, don’t we? I don’t listen to it all the time, but man oh man, sometimes it can sneak up on me!

I’ve been in the throes of this the past week. I made a mistake in my business last week, and I beat myself up about it for DAYS. (I have a canker sore to prove it! I always get canker sores when I’m stressed.) I let it affect everything.

Looking back a few weeks to the beginning of the year, I remembered that I’d chosen my word 2012 to be SHIFTING. This is my year of shifting. Shifting perceptions, beliefs, routines, locations (my husband is graduating from medical school in a few months, and we’ll be moving to a new state! Not sure where yet, but it’s sure to shift our entire lives in a pretty major way.) And I realize that recently I’ve let myself sink into negative thinking and self-sabotage, and I totally forgot about my word for the year (not even 3 weeks in! Sheesh.) Someone reminded me recently that every challenge, every mistake, every disappointment, can be viewed as an opportunity. And while that sounds clichéd, it struck me as so TRUE when I heard it, and I realized I was choosing to see my mistake as a negative thing; as something that made me “not good enough”. And if I shifted my perspective, I could see that there was a lesson for me to learn, and that I could see that lesson as a blessing and a positive step towards my dreams.

I’ve been putting so much pressure on myself recently to achieve achieve achieve and to make big amazing things happen, like, RIGHT NOW, that I took all the fun out of my business. I forgot that my whole purpose for doing this is to have fun and make people happy (myself included!). I forgot that when I trust that good things are going to happen in their own due time and that the universe will take care of me, that it actually works out that way, sometimes in a way that seems simply like magic. I could trust that this mistake is part of my path to getting where I want to go.

So the whole reason I’m telling you all this is because I had a revelation a couple of days ago, and it seems so simple and obvious to me now, but for whatever reason I had to wait for it to hit me at just the right time. I realized that I’m going to be ok. And guess what? You’re going to be ok, too. You’re going to make mistakes in your creative business. (You’re a human.) You might feel like your dreams are so big you’ll never get there. (Just take the next teeny step towards them.) You’re going to make it through. You’re going to have to stand up for yourself and respect yourself (even if it’s hard). And you’re going to do amazing things, even if you think so-and-so is already doing so much better than you are. (Who cares about them anyway? This is YOUR life!) And it’s going to be beautiful and messy and challenging and exhilarating, and it’s going to be all YOURS. You’re creating the story of your life and of your career right this very second with every choice you make. Isn’t that exquisite? Don’t let anything stop you, ESPECIALLY the mistakes you make. They are opportunities to laugh at yourself, learn a lesson, and swiftly move on to whatever your next step is. Savor it.

I discover more and more all the time that when I let go and just let things happen as they’re supposed to, and I don’t try to force things, and I don’t dwell on what I “should’ve” done or the way things “should” be, that’s when magic happens. When I finally let go of beating myself up over a mistake, not only did I feel better, but I got terrific news in another piece of my business. (My friend Michelle Ward and I got a book deal! We’re turning our e-course, The Declaration of You, into a real live book that will be out in 2013!) Being kind to myself opens the floodgates for kindness to flow in in so many other areas!

So. You’re going to be ok. Listen to your heart. It won’t lie to you, and it will forgive you and love you. You are human. You are imperfect and amazing, just like every other human. And when you let go of self-judgments, even just a little bit, that’s when the good stuff will flow in.

Have you made mistakes in your business lately? How would it feel to learn the lessons that are there in those mistakes and then just let them go? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and if you have any techniques for being kind to yourself and not taking yourself so seriously and beating yourself up, I’d love to hear them!

Jessica Swift is a full-time artist and surface pattern designer (a one-woman show!) who believes that our childhood dreams and obsessions are the key to knowing the work we’re meant to do as adults.  She remembers creating posters as a kid, filling large bubble letters with vibrant, hand-drawn patterns and decorating every surface she could get her hands on.

Twenty some years later, Jessica’s childhood fascination with color and pattern continues. From licensed products to objects made in her own studio, Jessica’s eponymous brand of surface designs and vibrant gift/home products is centered around her daring use of color and quirky & fun pattern sense. Her aim? To elicit happiness, play, and light-heartedness in the world through her work.

Jessica grew up in Boulder, Colorado, earned a BFA from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY, and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and 2 cats. Her work can be seen on herwebsite, in her Etsy shop, and on her blog.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Building your creative business?  Sign up for the Handmade Success mailing list and get even more juicy business advice delivered weekly.

]]> http://handmadesuccess.com/2012/01/everything-will-be-alright/feed/ 21 http://handmadesuccess.com/2012/01/everything-will-be-alright/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HandmadeSuccessSellMoreOnEtsycom/~3/rx-ukG-MNJc/ http://handmadesuccess.com/2012/01/love-is-in-the-air-or-not/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:30:52 +0000 kerry http://handmadesuccess.com/?p=4228

1 – i (Heart) you from Bubblewrapp’d

2 – You + Me = Awesome from Pumpkin & Butterfly

3 - I Love (Heart) My Wife Shirt from Signature Shirts

4 – Red Concrete Heart Necklace from Lulu Bug Jewelry

5 - Valentine Card – Tiny Envelopes with Custom Messages from Lemon Drop Papers

6 – Personalized Rustic Ring from Morgann Hill Designs

7 – Love and Anti Love Valentines Polish Duo from Dollish Polish

8 – Anti Valentine from Kitschy Hippo

Hi everyone… I’m happy to be back at Handmade Success.  This week’s project is a fun Valentine countdown.  I’ve loved Valentine’s Day since I was a kid.  Making cards, decorating with hearts, the candy… what’s not to love?!

Today’s project is a fun Valentine countdown to make for someone you love.  I started with an old Pottery Barn wire tray that I spray painted red.

I added patterned paper to some large and small clothespins.  The clothespins will attach your countdown to the tray.

The countdown numbers are from an old advent calendar… you could print your own out, or have your kids draw them.

I made a little countdown card for each day leading up to valentine’s day.

You could also add little bags of candy, or write special messages on them.

I hope you will come visit me at Vintage Umbrella for lots more fun valentine ideas!

Orange Dream Journal by Nancy Jean Home Goods

I’m taking a trip to India in a few days to hug orphans. Yes, literally, to hug orphans. That’s all I’m doing there, and I’m taking a few friends with me. Lots of people have been asking questions. “Where did this idea come from?” “How did you do this?” “How did you come up with that?” and “What, specifically, did you do?” have all been thrown at me. I’m gonna do my best to answer those questions today for you, dear Handmade Success-er!

I had a crazy dream.

I thought of the most outrageous, offbeat, exceptionally loving thing I wanted to do. It took some soul-searching, but eventually I figured out that I wanted to hug orphans in India on an extended volunteer trip with my business partner, Haunani. And I wanted to do it badly.

One problem: I had no idea how I would fund it.

So I created a class and worked like a fiend to write course materials that would inspire others to fulfill their life’s desires. When I say “worked like a fiend,” I mean I had the idea and then created, wrote, marketed, sold, and began teaching the class in less than six weeks.

When a project resonates deep within you, there’s no stopping its power.

That class is called Becoming, and it makes my heart sing to this day. Students took the class expressly to help me fund my trip to India, and many found out about themselves on the way. Big life questions were answered, businesses were altered, and all one hundred students made time for play and spontaneity during the process.

But enough about that – how did I get clear on that dream and how I would fund it? That’s the eight-thousand dollar question, here!

First, define your dream.

Maybe you would like time to write a book. Maybe you would like to take a volunteering adventure trip. Maybe you would just like to see the stars in Alaska. What you want is not the point; making it happen is.

Dream big and wide and deep and more boldly than you ever have before.

Scribble, scribble, scribble, and grab a backup pen if you run out of ink. Your mind wants to dream, yes?

Next, refine your dream.

Once you’ve found the dream that makes your heart sing – and that could take three minutes or three months – we’ll want to get specific with it.

“I want to hug orphans in India” is not the same as “I want to go on an extended orphan-hugging trip with Global Volunteers in Chennai, India come February 2012.”

Why are they different? Because you can’t budget for what you don’t know. If your dream is to “Travel,” that’s not terribly specific. But if your dream is to “Travel to the Great Wall of China to photograph travelers on it in June 2013,” well…that brings us to point three.

Finally, create a budget for your dream.

The more specific you can be about what you want, the easier this step will be. If you know where you’ll be traveling, you can pin down airfares and come up with a rough estimate of how much your plane ticket will cost. Same goes for housing, meals, workshop fees, and the like.

Of course, this big dream isn’t limited to travel! If you want to lead the charge and ultimately build a new playground for your son’s school, you’ll need to know how much the equipment costs, how much labor will be required, and the like.

No matter what project you want to complete, you’ll need to look its costs in the face. And then stick your tongue out, because you’re going to make every penny and then some.

Your dreams have power. And when you are absolutely certain that you want your dream to come true, you must put it out into the world. Let your friends and relatives and customers and clients and Facebook peeps brainstorm ways to make your dream come true with you.

People naturally want to help others who are moving in the direction of their dreams.

Your project might be perfect for Kickstarter, or it might be funded entirely by you. Maybe fundraising is your thing, maybe making a class or a product or a service is more your style, or maybe you’ll just allocate 10% of all your store’s purchases to funding your dream until it’s a reality.

No matter the dream, share it.

You’ll be absolutely blown away by how swiftly and lovingly others rise to the occasion to help you make it come true.

And if you want to talk more about dreaming big and then making that dream come true, I’m doing a free, live class about it soon! Click here for details. (No pressure – if you wrote down a dream, I’m thrilled.)

Kristen Kalp is a (ghost)writer who believes people should have fun being in business.  She blogs at Brand Camp for like-minded folks.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Building your creative business?  Sign up for the Handmade Success mailing list and get even more juicy business advice delivered weekly.

]]> http://handmadesuccess.com/2012/01/4171/feed/ 6 http://handmadesuccess.com/2012/01/4171/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HandmadeSuccessSellMoreOnEtsycom/~3/te5jzlpNWnQ/ http://handmadesuccess.com/2012/01/2011-a-year-in-review/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:30:43 +0000 guest post http://handmadesuccess.com/?p=4149 In Jordan’s first post of 2012 she prompted us to take a look back at 2011 before planning 2012. Today’s post gives us the opportunity to do that financially with Bari Tessler Linden.

Photo via Natural Beauty by Kim

Whether your financial life includes a family, a business, or just your wonderful self – it’s time to sit down and take a look at the year you’ve just completed. 2011 is complete, and with it, another chapter of your money story ends.

To help you make the most of lessons learned, accomplishments celebrated, and to set you off into 2012 on strong financial footing, allow me to guide you in an annual financial review.

We’ll review 2011 in 3 stages:

1. Zoom Out
2. The Numbers
3. The Celebrations

As usual, as you prepare for this process, make your physical environment as comfortable and supportive as possible. Good food and treats, candles, music. Whatever helps you be relaxed and present.

Okay . . . ready?

Phase One: Zoom out

In this first phase, you’ll want to simply recall the year you’ve just completed. Identify the highlights.

What were the game-changers, the big happenings that occurred in your financial life? Money Milestones of 2011.

Sit with and contemplate the big picture context of the year.

Here are some prompts to help you get rolling with this:

• What were the general themes?
• How did you enter last year? Did you plan ahead? Or was it a year to simply go with the flow?
• What big transitions occurred? Marriage or separation? New baby? Loss of a parent, or inheritance?
• Did you make a big investment this year? A car, a house, a big vacation?
• Did you pay off or take on a debt this year?

Take a breath. Breathe in 2011.

Before we move into a more detailed review of the year, sit with the themes you just uncovered.

Phase Two: The Numbers

Yep. Get out those Income and Expense reports*.
Add chocolate. Body check-ins.
Reflect. Learn.

If you set intentions or projections at the beginning of 2011, take them out and see how what you planned/hoped/intended for a year ago compares to what actually happened.

Look at your income, take a deep breath.

Look at your expenses, take a deep breath again.

Here are a few invitations for contemplation as you courageously look at your numbers:

• A friendly reminder: Breathe. Stay grounded and open. Check in.
• For most of us, it’s not easy to look at numbers. Add a huge dose of compassion and understanding.
• Take an inventory of what’s working, and what’s not.
• As always, seek to understand your emotions here, your story here.
• Which goals and values are you living right now and which ones are you not?
• How well did you meet your initial goals and intentions? Were they realistic? Did they prove over time to uplifting and empowering, or did they tend to set you up for disappointment and overwhelm?
• What did you learn about yourself?

What’s coming up?

Oof. Good work. Pat yourself on the back for being willing to look at and learn about your numbers.

*If you’re lost on how to get a hold of the numbers (and your head started spinning when you read the words “Get out those Income and Expense Reports”), you may want to consider working with a great bookkeeper – feel free to email me for recommendations – or jumping into my Homestudy Program, where I hold your hand through the entire process.

Phase Three: Celebration

If you’re a go-getter, self-improver type, you’ll likely want to skip this. If you tend towards self-criticism, you may have a knee-jerk reaction that there’s nothing to celebrate, and find yourself spiraling into everything you did wrong.

Pause.

Dig a little deeper.

I promise you, there are victories waiting to be celebrated. I know this. I see this over and over. The small baby steps you’ve taken add up to huge changes!

We somehow forget about all of the little baby steps but they are so important to name, honor and speak into the space.

Get them down on paper.
Nibble on chocolate.
Do a little victory dance.

Here are some examples of baby steps worth celebrating (many of them are examples from clients of mine who initial felt they’d accomplished nothing!):

• Finding all of the small expenses that you are not using anymore and cancelling them (gym membership, video rental)
• Saying ‘no’ or ‘yes’ to personal growth investments (aka: business investments) from a place of consciousness and empowerment.
• Regularly looking online to make sure there is enough funds in each account – simply interacting with the numbers more often.
• Having more check-ins with your partner – so money conversations are happening more often and feeling easier
• Forgiveness around past money experiences and decisions
• Re-working your bookkeeping systems to include your values
• Setting up a great system for tracking and reviewing your numbers
• Setting up a consistent money date – one client of mine started celebrating “Wealthy Mondays” where she attended to money tasks for 30 minutes each week

Got a good list of victories worth celebrating? Keep writing.

Truly take time here to honor everything that came to pass in your financial life during 2011. Honor the goals met, as well as the lessons learned.

Recognize that your money story is a living, breathing aspect of your life – that you are growing and learning here.

It’s always fascinating and deeply helpful to end a year with a review of what transpired over the course of the year.

Can you “be with” the victories, surprises, and disappointments?

Take time to tie up loose ends. Forgive. Resolve.

Start this new year with awareness and clarity about the year behind you.

When you’re complete here, it’s time to map out this beautiful new year.

Bari Tessler Linden, M.A., Financial Therapist, Coach & Mommypreneur.

In 2008, when I had my son, Noah, I successfully evolved back into a one-woman rockin’ show as a mommypreneur. I updated my business model in order to honor the importance of spending lots of time with my husband and son. In 2011, I launched 4 online programs. These program are based on a decade of teaching this work via live workshops, telecourses, and private sessions.

I currently offer the Conscious Bookkeeping Method: tools for financial transformation (TM) — via my Introductory Video Course, Home Study Program,  Wake Up With Mint Course and Private Financial Therapy.

p.s. Sign up for my community list to receive a free Intro TeleClass of the Conscious Bookkeeping Method: http://baritessler.com/

video killed the radio star necklace from i wish i had a little shop

In my previous post, I listed several different ideas on how you can use online video to your business’ advantage. In today’s post, I’ll be featuring a list of exactly what tools and resources you’d need to get started with online video.

Video Camera:

I recommend finding a camera that shoots in HD as the quality will tend to be better. If you’re on a budget are are just starting out, there are several pocket video cameras out there to choose from (some are listed below). If you have an iPhone that shoots video, you can certainly use that, too! The great thing about the iPhone is that you find some some apps that can add more style to your videos (like effects, cropping, and filters).

• Flip Pocket Camera
• Kodak Playsport Zx5 or Kodak Playfull
• Sony Bloggie Cameras
• iPhone 4/S

And if you have some extra $$$ to spare in your budget, investing in a micro-four-thirds or DSLR camera will give you truly awesome, professionaly-quality footage. Some examples of these cameras: the Lumix GH3, Nikon D3100, and the CanonT3). I would also only suggest that you look into these more professional cameras if you’re want to use videos for your business consistently since it can make the investment worth it in the long run.

Video Editing Software: Below are some great editing programs to get you started.

• iMovie (Mac only)
• Vivideo (for Mac & PC)
• WindowsMovieMaker (free, PC only)
• Lightworks (free, beta-only, PC only)
• SonyVegasMovieStudio (PC only)
• Magix (PC only)
• PinnacleStudio (PC only)
• Screenflow (Mac only)
• Camtasia (for Mac & PC)
• Animoto (to create video slideshows)

If you’re planning to use videos more heavily and want more features and a robust system in the future, you can check out the more professional editing programs like Final Cut, Adobe Premier, and Avid. Just remember that these will require more of an investment in comparison to the programs I mentioned above.

Royalty-free Multimedia Files

When it comes to adding the little extras to your videos, like music and video footage you did not film yourself, I always encourage my clients to use royalty-free music and stock footage just to be safe. They also don’t require much investment – you can purchase tracks and clips for $10-$50. Besides, the last thing you would want is to get your video taken down by YouTube for violating copyright laws, right?

• PremiumBeat (music and sound effects)
• Pond5 (music, sound effects, stock footage, photos, illustrations)
• VideoHive (stock footage and motion graphic templates)
• AudioJungle (music and sound effects)

A few more things to keep in mind…

I understand that this may be an overwhelming list since there are so many options out there, especially if you’re just starting out with online video. Remember to take your time exploring all of these options and go at your own pace. Online video is something you don’t want to rush with without doing a bit of research and planning.

Also, don’t underestimate the power of Google-ing user reviews. When there’s a camera or a product that I want to learn more about before purchasing, I always do a Google search to see what others have had to say about the product/software. For example, you can do a search for test footage for a camera you’re looking into. Just type the camera name followed by “test” or “test footage”. Besides Google, you can do this search on YouTube and Vimeo as these sites are populated with countless videos.

And if you have your own list of tools, websites, or resources that have worked for you, please leave a comment below to share it with the community

Bianca Filoteo is all about getting entrepreneurs to embrace online video and that’s why she

created Video For Shy People. She combines her acting & filmmaking background with her

passions for business & technology to help entrepreneurs with all the aspects of creating

their online videos. From concept to execution, Bianca is an online video editor, coach, and

videographer whose mission is to amplify her clients’ online web presence and discover their online spotlight.

                                                   2012 Calendar from K is for Calligraphy

The start of the New Year is the perfect time to clarify some marketing misconceptions. Before you put together your marketing plan for the coming year you might want to check that you are not focusing your efforts on the following marketing myths.

1. Your products need to be cheap or no-one will buy.

Not true! Your target customers will buy your products because it solves an emotional or physical need for them. Price is usually only a factor if there are lots of similar products competing in the same niche. You need to show why your products are worth what you are charging by adding perceived value to your items. You can do this by focusing on quality, innovation and creativity but above all it must fill a need. People will pay more for something that provides great benefits even if it’s more expensive than your competitors.

2. You need to make your one-person business appear bigger than it is.

Of course not! If your business is just you, be proud of it! Most people will not be put off spending with you if you are honest with them but they might be if you lie. It can be easy to fall into the trap of saying ‘we’ when it’s just you but misleading people could cause problems later.

Some people do prefer to shop with bigger companies but this is usually to do with trust. Make sure you do all you can to put potential customers at ease. Explain who you are on your About Page and put up some photos so they know they are dealing with a real person. Link to your social media accounts so they can easily check the type of person you are. Also, make sure you have an easy way for them to contact you.

3. You need to reach a certain number of Twitter or Facebook followers or your business isn’t successful.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions made by online businesses. Many think that you need to have hundreds and thousands of followers and will often get a number stuck in their mind of how many they will need before they have ‘made it’. Concentrate on the followers you have already. These followers have already signed up to hear what you have to say, they want to feel valued or they will unfollow you. Make sure you interact with them and go about your business regardless of the number of followers you have. When it comes to social media remember ‘quality over quantity’. People follow you because of your content. If all your tweets are asking for more followers yet you ignore the ones you have, you may as well not bother.

4. If you sell online you only have to do online marketing

No! Don’t forget other methods of marketing including promoting yourself in person at networking events, craft shows, trade fairs or pitching bloggers. There are a number of marketing activities you can do to promote yourself, the key is finding out which ones are best for you and your target market. Your potential customers may not be on Twitter or Facebook even if they shop online. Distributing flyers, leaflets and getting features in magazines are still effective and should not be forgotten.

5. Social media marketing gets quick results

It takes time to build up a following, even longer to start seeing an increase in sales. Instead of concentrating on what you want the end result to be concentrate on providing great content and conversation to the people who have taken the time to connect with you. Social media is not a quick fix. Yes it can help drive traffic to your shop or blog. Yes it can raise awareness of your brand and products but like everything it takes time. Social media is not point of sale. Very rarely will someone click your link and buy straight away on impulse. People are there to be social, to interact, and discover new things for a later date, not to buy things immediately. Instead, consider social media as a platform to converse with others, introduce yourself, make new friends and network. In time, your network will grow and with it the opportunities.

Passionate about helping others, creating great brands and successful businesses, Isa Maria Seminega graduated with a 1st class honours degree in Design Management. Her marketing experience was gained working with top UK brands such as Virgin, Financial Times and NHS Direct.

In 2009 after the birth of her first child, she was made redundant on maternity leave. Taking the opportunity to finally become her own boss, Isa started Noisette Marketing, a full service creative agency using her marketing expertise to bridge the gap between business and design.

As well as running Noisette Marketing she is part of the UK Handmade marketing team and writes for the UK Handmade magazine and blog. In October 2010 she founded Noisette Kids, selling her original illustrations and personalised children’s stationery and is already gaining publicity for her new venture.

With a meticulous eye for detail, a passion for ideas and an astute business woman, Isa now runs workshops for entrepreneurs and speaks at a variety of events on marketing and creativity. To enquire about booking Isa for a speaking engagement contact isa at noisettemarketing.com or use our contact form.

]]> http://handmadesuccess.com/2012/01/5-marketing-misconceptions-busted/feed/ 8 http://handmadesuccess.com/2012/01/5-marketing-misconceptions-busted/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HandmadeSuccessSellMoreOnEtsycom/~3/B9APUYKSguA/ http://handmadesuccess.com/2012/01/happy-new-year-2012/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:00:55 +0000 jordan http://handmadesuccess.com/?p=4110

Illustration by Emily McDowell "Happy New Year Card: Set of 5"

Hi there, and Happy New Year to you, dear reader.  I am so grateful that  you chose to spend time with Kerry, me and all of our contributors in 2011, and I’m even happier to share the surprises that we have in store for you in 2012.

By now, you have probably read a zillion new years resolutions posts, so I would like to offer you a short snippet of advice that relates to last year.  It is wonderful to look forward and plan for the year ahead, however I find that the most effective way to do that is to really evaluate where you just came from.  I would love you to take some time and reflect on your business over the past few months.  How did you handle the busy holiday season?  What stress could you have avoided with better planning?  What extra expenses could you have spared if you had budgeted more accurately?  Did you get your business enough exposure on blogs, magazines, locally?  Use your calendar, sales reports, your emails, and your memory t0 make notes to yourself for the next holiday season.  Add new deadlines to your calendar, set reminders and alerts for yourself for next year.  The time you take while the season is still fresh in your mind will be effort well-spent, I promise.

Stay tuned for more details about the new changes that are coming to Handmade Success.  They are so much fun, I can’t wait to share!

xo,

Jordan