Weekly-ish notes on navigating big change

Month: March 2017

The Adventures

Here’s a round-up of what I saw, did, and read this month! Follow my Instagram Stories for in-the-moment photos + videos. You can find years of Adventures here.

The News:

  • I've started a new Friday video series where I talk about the lessons I'm learning while I build my own biz. Find it here!
  • Pay Yourself re-opens this month! If you wanna get real about your biz finances, sign up here to be notified when it does!
  • I was a guest on Me & Orla's podcast last month! Listen here.

The View

A post shared by Tara Swiger (@taraswiger) on

A post shared by Tara Swiger (@taraswiger) on

A post shared by Tara Swiger (@taraswiger) on

A post shared by Tara Swiger (@taraswiger) on

A post shared by Tara Swiger (@taraswiger) on

The Finds:

I’m reading:

I'm listening to:

I'm obsessed with:

  • Essential oils! I've been using them to stay healthy and get a handle on my anxiety. I'm going to talk more about it in an upcoming (free!) webinar. Head here to sign up and learn more.

 

What did you read, listen to and eat last month? Come tell me on Facebook!

Do you have a business or a hobby?

Do you have a business or a hobby? You may have turned your hobby into a business, you may make sales, but is it REALLY a business? When people talk to me about this issue, they mention taxes, business names, income… but that's not the answer. You can have a business and not have made a dime yet. And you can have a hobby that makes money. Listen for more details at TaraSwiger.com/podcast150/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Do you have a business or a hobby? You may have turned your hobby into a business, you may make sales, but is it REALLY a business? When people talk to me about this issue, they mention taxes, business names, income… but that's not the answer. You can have a business and not have made a dime yet. And you can have a hobby that makes money.

So do you have a business or do you have a hobby?

Listen to the episode (or watch in the video player!) to figure it out!

Do you have a business or a hobby? Figure it out, and then commit to making it work:

Click To Tweet

Resources Mentioned

  • If you’ve been doing the work and you feel like you’re still not where you want to be financially, sign up here to learn more about Pay Yourself. I’m re-launching it soon, and it’ll walk you through the calculations and figuring you’ve gotta do to help your business get profitable and start regularly paying yourself.

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

Should you work for free?

Should you work for free? Most of the conversation in the craft world says: NO. Don't work for free. Don't give it away. Just Say No. And I agree. Most of the time. In today's episode I'll tell you when you SHOULD work for free, and how to decide if you should take the "opportunity" or not. Listen or watch at TaraSwiger.com/podcast148/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Should you work for free?
Most of the conversation in the craft world says: NO. Don't work for free. Don't give it away. Just Say No.

And I agree. Most of the time.

In today's episode I'll tell you when you SHOULD work for free, and how to decide if you should take the “opportunity” or not.

Should you work for free? @TaraSwiger helps break down the DOs and DON'Ts of unpaid creative work.

Click To Tweet

Resources

  • Sign up at the bottom of this post to get a FREE worksheet to go with this lesson, + the podcast transcript!
  • The Starship is NOW OPEN, but you can only get in if you've signed up here!

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

 

We’re buying a comic shop!

In this week's Friday video (my series where I talk about the lessons I'm learning in my own creative business), I'm talking about my newest adventure: Jay and I are buying a comic shop!

Watch the video to learn more about how we're making this long-time dream of ours come true:

If you want more updates on my comic shop adventures, you can sign up at TaraSwiger.com/comicshop.

After today I won't be posting the comic-related stuff to the regular blog (at least, not often), so if you want to follow along you'll need to sign up here to get those updates!

5 accounting terms you need to know for your handmade biz

Do you feel a little insecure talking to bankers or fancy businessmen about your handmade business because you don’t know all the accounting terms? Want to talk about money and make decisions more comfortably? Today I’m going to introduce you to five accounting terms so we can talk more about money! Listen or watch at TaraSwiger.com/podcast147/

Do you feel a little insecure talking to bankers or fancy businessmen about your handmade business because you don’t know all the accounting terms? Want to talk about money and make decisions more comfortably?

Today I’m going to introduce you to five accounting terms so we can talk more about money!

Before we dive into the terminology I want to tell you this – the Starship, my online community for makers and artists, which includes access to all of my classes, including the updated and expanded Pay Yourself and Pricing 101, opens next week. I’m not going to open it to the whole world, only to the people who have signed up to learn more about it.

So if you wanna learn more about it and if it’s for you, sign up here. Because I’ve added new and updated classes to it this year, the price is going up when it opens next time, so if you want in at its current price, you gotta be signed up right here!

Struggling with the language around profitility in your biz? @TaraSwiger breaks it down with 5 definitions

Click To Tweet

Resources

  • My newest class, Pay Yourself, opens soon! Sign up here to be notified when it's open.
  • The Starship opens this March, but you've gotta be on the list to know when it does! Click here to sign up.

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

What I’m Reading March 2017

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

  • Hillbilly Elegy, by JD Vance – Oh man. This memoir really hit home. The author grew up just a few miles from where I did, but above that his home situation was similar to mine. The way he places it all in a social and historical context really helped me process it all in a new way. Basically, until I write my memoir you can read JD's and get a good view of my early life.
  • Vlog like a Boss by Amy Schmittauer – As I've scaled up my video production (and hired a producer/editor!) and am looking at marketing the comic book shop, I wanted to read a book that tells me exactly what to do. This is a good overview of what exactly to do.
  • Moonglow by Micheal Chabon – This novel has stuck with me even though it feels a bit slow at times. Very character-driven, with a plot that unfolds before you even know it's happening.
  • Jane Steele, by Lyndsay Faye – a fun retelling of my favorite book, Jane Eyre. If you're into the ninja nun assassin novels I read a few months ago, you'll like this.
  • The Vegetarian, by Han Kang – a super creepy novel.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last March.

And in March 2015, and March 2014!

The Adventures

Here’s a round-up of what I saw, did, and read this month! Follow my Instagram Stories for in-the-moment photos + videos. You can find years of Adventures here.

The News:

  • The Starship opens in March, but only to those who are signed up here.
  • I'm speaking at State of Making in March! You can get free access if you register and watch live!
  • I'm teaching at a summit for LYS owners with Gwen Bortner in Asheville, NC in April. I think we can still sneak in 1 or 2 more yarn shops, if you wanna learn how to up-level all your systems, admin and marketing.  More info here!
  • I've started a new Friday video series where I talk about the lessons I'm learning while I build my own biz. Find it here!

The View

 

The Finds:

I’m reading:

I'm listening to: 

What did you read, listen to and eat last month? Come tell me on Facebook!

Lessons from Real Income Reports

What do people REALLY make in their handmade businesses? Two years ago, after seeing tons of income reports from bloggers & coaches I started to wonder what an income report would look like from a maker. So I created a survey, where you could share your numbers and your feelings with me. And I’m doing it again this year. You can go to taraswiger.com/income and share your response with me totally anonymously. Listen to the episode to find out why it's important to know your numbers, and also to put them in context: TaraSwiger.com/podcast146/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

What do people REALLY make in their handmade businesses?

Two years ago, after seeing tons of income reports from bloggers & coaches I started to wonder what an income report would look like from a maker.

I decided to hold a survey to collect income reports for 2 reasons:

  1. The reports I saw from bloggers and coaches were just NOT comparable to a handmade business.
  2. It’s way more useful to know what lots of people are doing than what ONE superstar is doing.

So I created a survey, where you could share your numbers and your feelings with me.
And I’m doing it again this year. You can go to taraswiger.com/income and share your response with me totally anonymously.

Wanna know what handmakers earn? @TaraSwiger's doing a survey to find the answer!

Click To Tweet

Listen to the episode to find out why it's important to know your numbers, and also to put them in context.

More resources

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.