The Merriweather Council Podcast

Okay, let's get this straight. Etsy is a tool. This episode is all about Etsy: the best tool available to handmade shop owners. Yes, still. Let's discuss how you can use Etsy to grow your business. For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/11 For more free handmade business advice, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast   *This content is published by The Merriweather Council. The Merriweather Council is not affiliated with Etsy Inc. Etsy is a trademark of Etsy Inc. We write about Etsy, from our own experiences, not for Etsy.

Talking about what you do when you're an entrepreneur is hard. You do so many things! And sometimes the people around us aren't as familiar with the field we work in - sometimes they don't even know it's "a thing" so we have to be even more choose-y with our words. Lots of times, we end up just rambling. We sputter off a bunch of words because we feel like their lack of understanding will translate to them thinking we aren't doing much or that what we are doing isn't going to amount to much and we feel ashamed by that... so we meet them there. For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/10 For more free handmade business advice, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

OMG shut up about the photos already. No. I cannot. I'm sorry. You've read a hundred articles that mention "good product photos" as a key to success in selling online, I know. However, many of these articles skip over the truth about what that means. They don't tell you what all goes into a great product photo - so you're stuck just figuring it out on your own which is no fun. So let's chat about what actually contributes to a great product photo. That's what this episode is about. For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/9 For more free handmade business advice, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

It's true. Product sellers solve problems. If you've ever encountered an ideal customer avatar exercise, you have been faced with the question: "what problem do you solve?" And then you probably stopped doing that exercise because that's a hard question for many handmade sellers to answer. But, no more! Today we move beyond this hurdle. For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/8 For more free handmade business advice, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

The only think worse than bad, public feedback is bad, public feedback that would have been avoided. If you are selling on Etsy or other platform that allows buyers to leave feedback, then you have probably experienced the anxiety of waiting on the page to load to see your latest review. Generally things go smoothly and buyer and seller are both happy with the transaction and everything is peachy. Other times, not so much. We all make silly mistakes from time to time, especially as soloprenuers trying to do it all on our own, extra especially when times get busy! Of course you are doing everything on the front end to make sure all your customers are happy, but there is one place many sellers overlook that can be used to insert one final attempt at mitigating feedback drama - in this episode, I will explain what space that is and what to put in it! For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/7 For more free handmade business advice, visit merriweathercouncilblog.c

In this episode I share some thoughts that I just KNOW you will get on board with. Throughout my life I have felt drawn to art, design and craft and my experience in my BFA program was a little bit weird for me. I'll share with you why and what my personal take on the connection between art, craft and design really is. I'll also talk about validity in your creative career and why I don't think you need a degree. Tune in now to hear it all! For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/6 For more free handmade business advice, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

Price is one thing, value is another. We often associate price and value, but they are two totally different things. Price is a fixed, factual amount. Value on the other hand is more fluid - we all have different values and considerations on what is important to us. Value is a variable and you can't decide the value of something to someone else - don't let this influence your pricing. For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/5 For a full list of episodes and their show notes, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast

Observing big business can teach us a lot! But not all big business strategies translate to small business and especially to handmade! In this episode I will chat about one tactic big businesses use all the time that works just fine for them but if you mimicked it in your business, you'd be buried. Heed this warning! Listen to this episode to find out which tactic you should avoid in your handmade business. For full episode show notes please visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/4 For more free handmade business advice visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast To learn about our handmade business community visit the jointhecouncilnow.com

Lots of things look like fun but actually are pretty crappy once you are experiencing them, like... ballet. Ballet looks fun but if you aren't trained, and if you aren't serious about doing it well, then you are just sort of dancing spastically in a leotard. It's exhausting. Which is fine, but you're not gunna make it to any big ballet company like that. Again, exhausting ... if you are trying to make it to the big time and consistently getting nowhere, that is very tiring. Same with business. If you're just doing it nelly-skelly without any direction or skill, that's fine, but you aren't going to make it very far. So if you ARE trying to be in legitimate business, then you want to be aware of the factors that might be contributing to your stagnation or inability to profit, grow or develop - that is, the signs you are playing business. I'm cover sign of them in this episode! For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/3 For more free handmade business advice, v

In this episode I chat about: Why blogging works ... but why it doesn't have to be an every week thing in order to work for you. How to reap the benefits of blogging without being a "blogger." A simple way to create blog content for your handmade business. An example of a blog post you could write that has the potential to go viral and reach hundreds of new, interested prospects Here is an example of a blog post I wrote that targeted my ideal customer for my hoop art that reflects the ideas outlined in this episode. This post still brings traffic to my blog and shop even though it is a few years old! For full episode show notes please visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/2 For more free handmade business advice, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast To learn about our handmade business community visit the jointhecouncilnow.com

It would be no fun at all to tune into The Merriweather Council Podcast two times per week and have no idea who is speaking to you, so today's episode is a brief intro to me! Your host, Danielle If you've been following me about the internet for some time then you already know me a little bit but tune into this episode to find out even more about me and my handmade business story. For full show notes and links mentioned in this episode, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/1 For more free handmade business advice, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast    

Say whhhhhattt? Yes, my friends, it is true. I have created a podcast! I'm super excited and I hope you are as well. This is going to be so fun. The Merriweather Council Podcast is a new venture for me but I'm an old pro (hahah jk) at podcasting thanks to the work I do at She Percolates. Listen to this episode to learn more and get a proper intro to my show. Also hear my snazzy-pants-fancy-time intro music which alone is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face! For more free handmade business advice and a full list of episodes, visit merriweathercouncilblog.com/podcast