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More Rising Stars Turning Talent into Profit

I feel so lucky to have been able to work with four brilliant women last week.  My second Creating a Craft Business Workshop took place, and over two days we thrashed out all the thorny issues and overcame many of the hurdles that were stopping these talented crafts people moving forward with their businesses.

Joining me from left to right:

Kelly from www.cabbagewhitejewellery.co.uk, who designs really beautiful and simple silver and gold vermeil jewellery inspired by nature.  Check out her gorgeous little Love Bird earrings.

Maggie, an extremely talented artist whose uplifting illustrations adorn bespoke splashbacks in some of the most prestigious kitchens, but you or I can indulge with a charming mug or jug to own a piece of the magic. www.maggiemumford.com.

Abby, a qualified historian who is bringing her expertise to the wedding industry, by creating truly unique up-cycled antique and vintage headpieces.  I've seen many wedding headdress designers in my time in the business, and I really think Abby has something special.  One to watch at www.cherishedvintage.co.uk.

Finally, it was wonderful to welcome Julia onto the course, who with her fledgling gift business www.elephanttradingcompany.com was able to contribute a new perspective as a buyer of crafts to the group.

What all these businesses have in common is that their founders have worked tirelessly to get the businesses up and running.  They were all established and trading already, but now needed the tools and know how to grow into something bigger and more profitable.

On day one as usual we tackled finance and pricing, and were able to set some simple goals for each business to improve the way they manage and use their financial data.  Never forget, knowledge is power, and if you don't have financial data at your finger tips, you don't have the power to make effective changes in your business.

On day two we talked alot about the importance of branding and having a clear USP.  We were able to distill the work the women had done so far to create a set of brand values for each company, which makes it so much easier to have a clear point of difference and therefore to decide what to communicate in your marketing.

I'm really excited about the decisions that Kelly, Maggie, Abby and Julia have taken for their businesses, that are going to help push them ahead of their competition.  2012 is going to be a turning point, and I am going to be watching closely to see what these rising stars will be doing next.

Good luck girls!

I will be running this course again at the end of Jan/early February, so if you are interested in attending please email me on clare@yarwood-white.com and I will let you know the dates as soon as we have them confirmed.  You can see the full agenda for the course here.

The course takes place in Cobham, Surrey.

I'm Setting Goals for 2012

I have been thinking about goals a lot over the past month.

Having made the tough decision to take a break from running Yarwood-White last Autumn, I have had a few months to spend focusing on putting my children and my health first.  I am happy to report that I feel so much better, and with hindsight I can see it was the right thing to do.

But with the start of a new year, I have been thinking about what I want from the business and what I want for my personal life in 2012.  I think instead of making new year's resolutions (which often involve stopping or giving up something) we should all take some time in January to set goals for the year - what do we want to make happen this year? What achievements will we look back on in December to make us feel happy and proud?

On a personal level, I will be turning 40 later this year.  One of my goals is to plan (and save for) a special family holiday to celebrate, where we get to spend quality time together, just like in the adverts! In recent years holidays have taken a bit of a backseat because of business commitments, or using the excuse that the children are too young.  No more excuses!

On a business level, I have been working out how Yarwood-White will look this year, and what our customers can expect from us next (we can't stay in limbo forever!) There will be more about that in the near future, but suffice to say I have been setting some fresh new goals for Yarwood-White to aim for in 2012.

You might be reading my blog for a number of reasons and will have different priorities for goal setting: you are attending one of my craft workshops (where we will be setting your business goals for this year), you are recently married (then set some happiness goals for your first year as newlyweds!), or you may be planning a wedding (in which case you may want to set some financial goals or some health goals).

Whatever stage of life you are at, you will always benefit from looking to the future, and painting yourself a picture of what you would like it to look like.

I used to work with an American guy who was full of cheesy anecdotes, but was very inspirational. He used to say "If you don't have a goal, you can't score".  He may have pinched it from somewhere, but you can't argue with his logic.

Happy scoring!

Creating a Craft Business - New Workshop Dates Announced

I am delighted to announce that due to the success of our last 2 day workshop, I will be running another "Creating a Craft Business - How to turn your hobby into a profitable business" in early February.

Thursday 9th and Friday 10th February 2012

As the course is only two months away, don't delay in booking your place if you want 2012 to be the turning point for your business.  Book before 23rd December and save £35 on your place, which makes good business sense by any standard!

To find out more about the course read our other blog posts here.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW.

Creating a Craft Business - Our first workshop is complete

Last week I ran the first of my new 2-day workshops for creative start-ups: Creating a Craft Business. 

Four wonderful and inspiring women joined me to talk about their unique crafts and discuss how to turn their talents and passion into a profitable business that pays the bills.

From left to right is Oorla, who designs beautiful and unique silver and gemstone jewellery under the brand Oorla Jewellery;  Trudie, a designer who creates beautiful wedding headdresses for her fledgling business Tiaras by Trudie (please visit her lovely new website);  Ann from Moe and Me, with a real eye for gorgeous gifts who makes delightful handbags; and Sharon, a talented artist and photographer who has created a collection of glassware and art inspired by the sea, under the name Seaglasse.

There was definitely a bit of a lightbulb moment in the studio on day one when we were discussing financial planning and pricing.  There are some simple formulas you can work through to establish whether your craft will ever bring you an income to meet your expectations.  Everyone will have different needs financially depending on their circumstances, but the exercises we completed helped to give everyone a realistic picture of what they can achieve, and how they can start making an income from their crafts.

On day two we focused on branding, marketing, and PR tricks of the trade.  There was a lot to get through, but we came up with some great ideas for getting famous that don’t cost much money.

By the end of the two days, with heads full of ideas the team left to go and create their own action plans and start to turn the dreams into reality.  I am providing feedback on the plans and will be keeping in touch to help keep them all on track with their goals.

I am delighted to say I have received some great feedback on the course, with everyone agreeing they found it inspiring, friendly and worthwhile.  Thank you to Oorla, Trudie, Anne and Sharon for taking the time to join me on the course, and i am very excited to see how your businesses will grow from here.

I will be running this course again at the end of Jan/early February, so if you are interested in attending please email me on clare@yarwood-white.com and I will let you know the dates as soon as we have them confirmed.  You can see the full agenda for the course here.

The course takes place at the beautiful Medicine Garden in Cobham, Surrey, in the MakeMe! Studio.

 

New Workshop - Creating a Craft Business

Or how to turn your hobby into a profitable business

Date: 14th and 15th November, 9.15am-4.30pm both days

Location: MakeMe! Workshops at The Medicine Garden, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 3LU

 
Do you have a passion for your craft or hobby, and dream of making your living from it one day?  Do you imagine having your own studio, and people flocking to buy your beautiful products? 

I have met so many talented artists, designers and crafts people, who are held back from becoming super sucessful by only a lack of business experience and a lack of confidence.  So, I have devised a 2 day workshop to share what I have learnt over the years, and hopefully provide the foundations to turn dreams into reality.

I started making jewellery as a hobby in 2003 from my home.  Four years later, I was supplying world famous department store Liberty, had won numerous awards and my jewellery had appeared on television, magazine covers and celebrities.

I have a whole bagfull of dos and don'ts to share, and lots of tips for getting to the top.

The course focuses on business planning and marketing, which are the key areas that many talented creatives fall down in.  We take a practical, informal approach with lots of discussions and exercises which means participants will go home with written plans to get started on, and hopefully a new found confidence.

AGENDA

Day 1

09.15-09.30              Coffee and Welcome
09.30-10.00              Exercise: Introduce your craft
10.00-12.30              Business Planning

• Getting started
• Managing your money
• What should you charge?

12.30-13.00              Lunch
13.00-15.00              Business Planning

• What is everyone else doing?
• Selling yourself

15.00-15.15              Coffee Break
15.30-16.30              Exercise: Get planning

Day 2

09.15-09.30              Coffee and Welcome
09.30-10.00              Group discussion: Overnight thoughts
10.00-12.30              Marketing

• Building a brand
• Getting famous
• Relationship marketing

12.30-13.00              Lunch
13.00-15.00              Marketing

• Getting the most from your website & social media
• Advertising, exhibitions and promotions
• Photography and display

15.00-15.15              Coffee Break
15.30-16.30              Exercise: Your USP

To find out more or make a booking visit http://www.makemeworkshops.com/craft-jewellery.html#business

See you there!