New Year Resolutions

I've seriously neglected this blog int he last year which is a shame because I really think I was building a good repository of information. So the new years resolution for this year: post more. At least weekly and more often if possible.

I also have a new Pinterest board where I'll be posting interesting business related stuff I come across online.

New Twitter Account

I'm giving the Handmade Business Blog it's own twitter account. If you follow my personal twitter account @Noadi I will still announce there new posts but I'll now be posting not just new blog posts but also business how to related stuff on the new account @HandmadeBizBlog. I hope that this does two things A: gives people more access to me about business related topics and B: keeps my personal account more focused on my personal stuff (creating jewelry, talking about skepticism, etc). Also I've given the blog a dedicated email address and am updating the links on the site to reflect that change too.

Link Roundup - Getting Technical

It's been a while since I've done a Link Roundup but I thought this was a good time to do one with the launch of Google+ (yes, I'm on) and many sites on Google and elsewhere launching major redesigns. In fact Blogger which hosts this blog and is owned by Google has a fantastic new look if you use the Blogger in Draft feature that lets you try new features before they roll out to everyone.

So this roundup is recent news and articles focusing on web technology and how it relates to or can be used by small business.

The Tech Stuff

Google Plus Doesn't Need to 'Kill' Anything to Be a Winner from AllBusiness
Google+ Statistics Report from FindPeopleOnline
Top Gmail Apps and Plug-ins for Running a Business from Small Business Trends
Find & Make Your Own Infographics With Visual.ly from Mashable

Some Great Non-Tech Stuff
5 Ways That Content Marketing Has Changed The Art Of Selling Forever from Duct Tape Marketing
Free Class – Copywriting 101 from Indie Biz Chicks
Business Thank You Letters – Your Secret Marketing Weapon from Craft Marketing Tutor

New Resources Page

Happy 4th of July to all my US readers! Not much of a post today just a quick announcement. I've started a resources page that has links to business supplies, books, and websites that I recommend.

Happy 2011

As you've probably noticed the blog went on unplanned hiatus for a bit. Things just got way too busy both personally and with the business over the holidays for me to get posts written. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and welcome to 2011! What are your goals for the new year?

Seeking Co-conspirators

Actually seeking co-writers and guest posts for the blog. Regular readers may have noticed I haven't been publishing very regularly, partly because I'm busy and partly because I'm searching for good topics. If you have a handmade business and would like to write a guest post or even become a regular writer here please contact me. Also if you have a question you would like answered please let me know and I'll try to answer it.

Tax Humor

I just sent out my taxes today and I know many people are still scrambling to get them done before the deadline tomorrow so here's a little laugh for you. This was from the New York Times Op-Art section.

Getting Back to Normal

Just a note to let you all know that's I'm moved into my new apartment (I even have a real studio now!) and the posting schedule should be getting back to normal shortly.

Break in Posts

I won't be posting much in the next few weeks but for a great reason. I'm moving into my very first solo apartment and I'm so excited. A whole place just for me and my dog.

However this means I'm incredibly busy with packing along with trying to get work done and my taxes so until I'm settled in to the new place I probably won't have time to post. You can follow my other blog if you want updates on the move.

Computer Issues

Sorry I haven't put up the long Wenesday post. My laptop keyboard is dying and the enter key went first (why couldn't it have been Caps Lock?). This makes writing blog posts pretty frustrating. My laptop is old and beaten up so I plan to buy a new laptop over the weekend and I'll double up on posts to get the questions I've been sent answered soon. There will be a Weekly Inspiration post tomorrow since that's short and simple.

Blog News

First off I want to thank everyone who sent questions. I'll be starting to answer them on Wednesday and if you have any please email me or comment on the question request post.

Second I now have an official spam policy that you can read here and is also linked in the upper right menu of the blog. There's been a problem with spam comments lately, often get rich quick scams, and I wanted a clear policy so you can see what sort of comments have been getting removed. I encourage you to disagree with me and post your opinions and I'll never delete a comment that does so long as it remains PG rated for any younger readers (I have had parents contact me about their kids starting businesses and reading this blog).

Third here's a fun creative video that is handmade if not about business:

Brand New Look

New theme for the blog is up and running. Sorry for any wonkiness earlier. Hope you like the new look.

Questions About Shipping

I was talking with Amy from Surlyramics on Twitter last night about the new Priority Mail price increase. I'm not planning to change my shipping prices right away and she's lowering them and switching from Priority to First Class on a trial basis.

So I decided to throw the question out there for readers: As a customer (not as a seller), do you want faster but more expensive shipping or cheaper and slower? Please vote in the poll and/or weigh in with a comment.



Edit: I forgot to add that I'll be writing the results post for this poll next Wednesday, January 13, so please pass this post along so we can get a larger sample size.

Priority Mail Rate Increase

Just a quick note today, Priority Mail rates went up yesterday here's a link to the new rate chart. It caught me by surprise, I know I had heard about it when it was announced a while ago but totally forgot. Prices for flat rate packages stayed the same but non-flat rate has changed. In particular for those who ship small lightweight items the rate is now no longer the same for anything under 1lb but varies by zone.

So if I ship on the east coast where I live I'm not paying more for shipping but I'll be paying up to $0.65 more for shipments to the furthest zones like California and Alaska. I'm going to wait a few weeks before deciding if I should raise my shipping prices, with the new variable rate I need to see what the average cost works out to be before making any decisions.

Rates for First Class and Parcel Post have not gone up nor has there been an announcement yet of any planned increase.

100 Post Anniversary!

I can't believe I've already written 100 posts for this blog. To celebrate here are the best of the first 100.

✎ Photographing Your Work Part I
✎ Photographing Your Work Part II
✎ Creative Packaging Ideas - The Basics
✎ Google Analytics for your Business
✎ Why is SEO Important for my Shop?
✎ Etsy Hacks Review
✎ Quick Tip #10 - More Etsy Hacks
✎ Packaging Large, Fragile, and Other Difficult Products
✎ Ad Basics I: Creating Effective Online Ads
✎ Skepticism and Business
✎ I Create a Shipping Center
✎ From Muse to Model (Guest Post by Jen Kiaba)
✎ Two Very Easy To Make Displays

Upcoming Plans for the Handmade Business Blog

I've been rethinking some things about this blog and how sporadic my posting tends to be. Since I don't think that's the best way to run a blog I'm instituting a schedule for posting. Hopefully I'll be able to stick to it.

• Monday - Link roundup or Quick Tip
• Wednesday - In depth article, book review, etc.
• Friday - Weekly Inspiration. This is a new idea I had to highlight a cool bit of packaging, business card, shop design, etc.

If you run across something cool you'd like the blog to feature please drop me an email at NoadiArt@gmail.com please include your name and shop link so I can credit you.

Etsy Opens it's Developer Community

After beta testing it's API with some developers Etsy has now opened it's API up to anyone who would like to develop tools using it. They've also launched their Developer Community which has discussion forums for developers along with a list of applications using the API. This is pretty big news for sellers because it opens up a lot of new possibilities.

First off what is an API?

API stands for Application Programming Interface. When software developers "publish" their code — to a website or to the iPhone for example — in essence, they display information to you in new ways and give you tools. What an API does is organize code into usable streams of data for other developers to work with. In the case of Etsy, our company's engineers can open the doors to third party developers, who can then innovate and create new tools for Etsians (some of these developers are motivated because their friends or relatives sell on Etsy; some charge a fee to use their tools; or some simply "craft code" for the love of making things and may ask for donations to support their efforts). An API is basically a set of tools that allows developers to build new applications based on the unique data and capabilities provided by, in this case, Etsy.com.

More from the post on the Etsy Community

To give a few examples of how developers use APIs consider all the Facebook Apps there are available for users or all the tools for Twitter users. Those are all built using an API.

So what does this mean for Etsy seller? New tools and lots of them. Now that any third party developer who wants to can create tools for sellers there will be lots to choose from. Some already using the API from the beta testing are Etsy Hacks, Maker Spot, CraftCult, and SoopSee. I've already reviewed Etsy Hacks and CraftCult's Heartomatic before but I'm eager to try out the other two new tools and review them here soon. In the next few months I expect an explosion of new tools for sellers, some great, probably a lot that are so-so, and probably a few really bad ones.

Is the Recession a Benefit for Handmade Businesses?

I don't have the answer to that question, it's much too big and complex for me as a single businesswoman to draw a firm conclusion just from my experience and talking to other business owners. My sales this holiday season have been much more than I expected and I don't know if that's a result of more people buying handmade or the effect of my marketing efforts or luck or some combination of that.

However one writer for the New York Times does think that the recession and people wanting to save money has had the effect of helping craft businesses and suppliers. Go check it out here: For Craft Sales, the Recession Is a Help

Plans for this Blog

So a few days in and I think the blog is doing well as far as getting some content up and people starting to read it. I'll be posting new entries fairly frequently here at first before switching to a schedule of posting, probable two or three times a week.

Upcoming posts I'm planning are on using squidoo, creative packaging, holiday planning, advertising with project wonderful, and a series on basic accounting. I would love any suggestions you have on topics I should cover, links to resources or tools I should review, and any other feedback you have.

Twittering for Sales

This is a condensed version of the Squidoo lens I wrote Using Twitter to Promote your Handmade Business. Please check out the full lens it's also full of links to lots of useful twitter tools.

Introduction to Twitter

Twitter.com is a micro-blogging platform and social network rolled into one. You can post short 140 character messages to your twitter from the website, 3rd party applications or your phone.

Your messages are then viewed by anyone visiting your twitter profile and more importantly people who are 'following' you. A follower subscribes to your twitter posts and can respond to them. In turn you can (and should) also follow other people.

Twitter lets you build relationships between you and the people who follow you. You can let them know more about yourself and your business and get feedback from other people who also sell their handmade goods.

Tweeting Tips

It's very easy to go a little overboard and spam about your products here are some tips for sending good tweets:

General Tweeting

1: Don't just talk about your products when they're done and listed for sale, talk about making them, new ideas you have, etc.

2: Also talk about yourself and your life some, tell a joke now and then, do you have a funny pet story or a great recipe to share. Let people learn more about who you are and what you care about.

3: Tweet your blog. Using a service like Twitterfeed or the wordpress twitter plugin link your blog to your twitter to announce new posts.

4: Interact with the people you follow and who follow you. Answer their questions, ask your own questions, if they told a funny joke let them know, etc.

5: Have fun. If you go into Twitter totally businesslike you've missed the point. It's about communicating not just pumping out advertising for your product.

Talking about your Products and Business

So what type of things about your products should you be posting?

1: Announce when new products are listed. If you've just listed one item post a direct link to it but if you are listing more than 2 or 3 items in a day wait until you're finished for the day then announce with a link to your shop.

2: Announce sales and promotions. If you're having a sale announce it once or twice during the day, not every few minutes or every hour. You don't want to flood your followers.