Weekly-ish notes on navigating big change

Searching for "say no"

5 reasons people aren’t buying your thing.

This morning  I had a great conversation with some business-y friends and I just have to share it with you, because it's the kind of question that gets asked a lot in the periphery. People moan about it on Twitter, they email about it and despair. But it's something nearly everyone experiences and it's time to bring it out of the darkness and into the light.

It's the Cricket Launch.

It's when people we love and admire have this experience we've seen over and over: super smart people create a program, a product, a service and they work hard on it, and then they launch it…to crickets. Nothing. No sales. Why?

Here are some of the reasons I've spotted in real life Cricket Launches:

  • You don't have a business, you have a Thing you're into (a hobby, an idea, a passion) and you offer something that doesn't help anyone with anything they care about. You don't have a system in place to support the product, or for telling people about it, or for continuing to interact with it. (You can just announce: I have this thing! and expect it to continue to sell.)

 

  •  It's all about The Maker. MY process. MY stuff. Here's what I need in MY life, and I explain it (on the sales page) by telling MY story…but without ever translating that into YOU and YOUR stuff and YOUR life. (In other words, if you're solving a problem I didn't know I had = crickets)

 

  • Not enough people hear about it. You can't launch something to 20 people and expect to sell out (well, you can, but those 20 people need to ADORE you, not just subscribe to your blog and never visit). However! You can start with nobody and open a shop and THEN build people (this is the difference between coaching/classes + physical products: you have to make the physical product FIRST and then make it available, and then find people. If you spend all your time “building an audience” you'll never make anything.)

    So if you launch your handmade thing and you get crickets…that's ok! All is not lost! Keep making more stuff, keep putting it out there, PLUS start finding people are into it (How? By marketing it!)

 

  • However! The Not Enough People thing isn't the biggest thing (even though everyone wants to obsess over that). The biggest variable (in the crafty businesses I know) is that people have to understand that you Do A Thing That They Could Buy. If I don't get that in the first 15 minutes I spend with you (which is, like, 8 hours in internet time), I'm not going to buy it. No one's going to buy it. This is really #2 all over again. I have to know you SELL it and get why I would buy it for ME (not why YOU make it.) If your website is all about your love of sewing, and there's not a clear link to your fabric shop anywhere, it doesn't matter what marketing you do – no one will know they can buy.

 

  • You're only talking to each other. (This might actually be the Biggest Thing in some groups.) The internet is an echo-chamber, especially if you only hang out with one community of people. Your one group might be the forums on Etsy, or your knitting group, or even the Starship. If I only ever talk to my business-mentors group, I would never sell anything. I do the kind of work that isn't FOR any of them. It's for crafters who are in the awkward middle of their business,  who want a accountability + feedback. So even though I check in with my mentors, I have to spend my time getting to know crafty businesses who have already started.
    •  If you only hang out in one group, you'll start coming up with a version of your Thing that will serve things people in that group, which might not be your best work, or your best next step. And you'll be limited to serving the people you already know (and that can make it awkward when they don't buy.)
    •  You know how I said that stuff about talking so your customers understand? Yeah, if you're speaking in your group's language  only people who will know that language will get it. You have a better shot if you speak your language, but an even better shot if you make sure the words you use make sense to your really right person, not the language of some tiny community they don't belong to.

Well, that was bracing!

It's no fun to talk about the things that aren't working. But most likely, you've already experienced this. You've already felt crappy about crickets. And it's time to know that you aren't alone, and all is not lost.

In fact, it's the opposite of lost!
If you found yourself and your crickets in this list, you've been found! You've figured out what brought the crickets and you can figure out what will exterminate* them.

*It'll cheer you right up to say “Exterminate!” in your best Dalek impression. 

There are lots of things you could do to rearrange, change, or improve on everything on this list. You can turn it on it's head. You can expand the group you hang out with online. You can translate your language into something your customers will understand. You can find out what your people really want, and give them that. You can get out of the echochamber and into another space, for even an hour a day. Just experiment.

Do you see your crickets here? What have you done to exterminate them?


Melissa makes a map

There's nothing so exciting as finding something you've made, in the wild. Living in someone else's life and totally transformed by them. And there's nothing I like better than seeing people's maps! I don't get to see many of these, because this is a personal process. But every once in a while a Starship Captain will share it as it unfolds, and it seriously the best part of my job.
Today, Melissa of Pressbound is sharing her map with us. You can read all about her process (trial + error!) on her blog*, but she also answered a few of my (squealing) questions:
*My favorite part of her post? She says “Tara and the Starship (this sounds like a band name, right?)” I am TOTALLY naming my band that! 
What did you learn during the process of map-making? 

It's really important to break every goal up piece by piece until you have small manageable tasks that can be completed within a day or two.

Before, I would state many smaller goals that would eventually lead to me achieving one larger goal and gave myself deadlines but didn't really think about the smaller steps beyond that. But that wasn't working well because I was constantly falling behind and unable to get everything done. I was overwhelming myself and expecting too much in too little of a time period. Once I broke it down and saw how many steps it would take towards achieving smaller goals/metrics that lead to the main goal, then I was able to determine what can actually happen in a certain amount of time (or what was unrealistic).
What surprised you?
The sense of clarity I felt once I finished my current revised map.

I've spent too much time flailing and not knowing what to focus on in my business. This map has given me the direction I needed and eased quite a bit of stress.

Now that it's been a few weeks, how's it going?
I've been working on developing 2 new card lines. I'm still in the design process. I've picked a launch date and gearing up for promoting the lines and developing a few launch offers. However, I'm realizing that maybe I should have broken some steps down even further and figured in marketing efforts into the map as well. A few products I thought I might develop may change into different products too. I'm realizing that this kind of map is organic and flexible and it's okay if some goals and actionable steps change as I move closer to my goal.
I asked Melissa these questions a few weeks ago, and since replying, she previewed one of the lines! 
Have you made your own map? 
If so, share it in the comments! 

Commitments, change and the Great Blank Page of Life

Today's my 8th wedding anniversary.

 

I woke up this morning all glow-y just thinking about it. But why? We don't have special plans, or do anything crazy, but I love this day, nearly above all others.

I think it's because today is really about commitment.

I'm a fan of the Big Change. I'm changing things all the time. I moved states in 2 weeks. I quit my dayjob. I opened a yarn store. I closed the yarn store as soon as I realized it wasn't for me. I change how I sell yarn almost as often as I think about it.

Change, change, change – I like it!
(I'm singing this now*)
A year ago, when I was trying to decide between creating a line of mill-made yarn to wholesale OR  to write a book, I had dinner with Cairene. I told her, I'm afraid that I'm afraid of commitment. That I won't pick either project because they're just so big and long-term. What if I'm holding myself back because I like to change everything all the time.
And she said something like, “You are NOT afraid of commitment. You're married! You're committed to your business, and to your community. You commit to the stuff that matters, so you'll make good decisions about all the other stuff.”

That has stuck with me, and I remember it when I have big scary choices. I worry that I change too much, that I'm missing out on the benefits of slow and steady…but that's not true. I'm just very picky about my commitments. Because commitments are big, and they give life shape.

Celebrating an anniversary is not about getting married, it's about the commitment I made, not to just not get divorced (that's the bare minimum for being married), but to love this person. To figure him out. To communicate, even when I don't want to. To be vulnerable. To look at my Stuff. To let him communicate, be vulnerable, to see his Stuff, to see his very heart and to choose to react with love and tenderness.

 

 

This commitment isn't just to Jay, it's a commitment to my life. To open up, to experience it all and still stay soft. To show up and choose love and tenderness. It's not a one time thing. Or an every-year thing.
It's a daily thing. I have to daily choose love, tenderness and understanding. In every area of my life, in every relationship (even the one with myself.)

And there's something special about committing to this anew each day. Choosing this commitment again and again provides a kind of constraint to my change. A healthy, creative constraint. It's like writing with a timer on – the constraint allows a great freedom, because you know you can do anything within that. It takes away the Great Blank Page of Life, and fills in the outline.

Knowing that you've got this outline, this shape, creates a safe space to move in. I can change everything about my life, every week if I want, I can explore new things, I can set off on adventures, because of this safety. And the really great thing: it doesn't take the government, or a church, or even flowers (but I did love my flowers).

All it takes is a commitment.
To love. To choose. To live and feel and still, love.

 

*Uh, the words to that song are “chain, chain, chain, chain of fools”…but I, until this very moment, thought she was saying “change, change, change”.   Hmm.

How to Experiment (and scare yourself)

how to experiment

Confession: during this session of the Effective Blog class, I've been following along with the students and doing the homework myself. You see, I'm kinda ambivalent to blogging, but I love experimenting. But how I feel about blogging is old stuff. It's not new or based on the current reality. I need to experiment, to see if everything is true or not. The other day in class, Diane mentioned that she likes to do 30-day experiments to see if something works or not. That, combined with this post from Elise, combined with the excellent stuff I learned during our live discussion, inspired me to get started now.

So I'm doing a public 30 day experiment, right here. And I'd like you to join me.

I didn't plan on saying anything about it, but I'd like to have some company. And experimenting is better when we do it  together. I'd love for you to join in with me, to hold your own experiment!

Before we get in to it, let's talk about what makes a good experiment (you can find full How to Experiment instructions on page 100 of the book.)

How to Experiment

1. Set a thesis. What do you want this experiment to do for you? What do you think will happen?

2. Set the parameters. How long is this experiment? What will it entail? (You are so much more likely to stick with something if it has a clear end date. You'll also get better results if you plan a time to stop and reassess.)

3. Put the support system in place to hold it. What will you need in time, space and energy to do the experiment? How can you set up your day, week and life to make that possible?(Hint: if you're not writing every day now, something will have to change for you to be able to do that next week. Time, space, tools, etc.)

4. Review the results. What worked? What didn't? At the end of the experiment, make notes about the results, how you felt, and what you learned. Use it to set up your next experiment!

You can use this to experiment with anything (going vegan, trying a new marketing channel, increasing sales, etc). The really important thing here is to experiment with things that you expect a clear result from in the time allotted.

For our experiment, we're going to start today, and stop on 9/3. That's not very long, so pick something do-able for that long, and set your goal small. Very small. Even smaller than that. Got one? Ok!

Here's mine:

1. Thesis: blogging every weekday until 9/3 will increase my connection with the community or readers and explorers. How will I know that happened? People will join me in creating their own experiment, and even more people (let's say, twice as many) will join me for the next group experiment in September. (This will probably also result in more emails, Twitter conversation, etc, but I'm not measuring those.) This all serves my Big Goal for more connection (via vulnerability) in my life + work.*

2. Parameters: The experiment ends 9/3. It includes sharing something publicly here, in this space, every weekday. Something useful, entertaining or inspiring. At least once a week I'll hit “publish” on a post I'm a little afraid of.**

3. Support systems in place: Time to write every morning, creating a list of possible topics to carry me through the whole month, scheduling the ones I feel inspired to write. (In other words, my classic non-planning planning.) I'll talk more about the tools I use later.

*This goal isn't that business-y, because I'm plenty busy with current clients. But what I've learned through building the Starship is that there's an amazing private, deep community there, and I'd like to supplement that with a broader, more public community outside the Starship, so that everyone can experience at least a bit of the magic of exploring with others. In order to do create that, I have to stop doing all my stuff in the privacy of one-on-one and Starship work, and start bringing it here. That's the reason for this experiment!

**This week, that post would be this, right here!

That's my experiment. Would you like to join me with your own?

You can experiment on absolutely anything! (Blogging regularly, blogging about different topics, using Twitter, FB, Instagram or whatever in a new way…the possibilities are endless!)

To join in, just leave a comment with your experiment (including thesis, parameters, etc), and we can check with each other using #experimentFTW on Twitter or Instagram. Prefer to keep it private? Email me! On 9/3 we'll be back here with a new experiment!

The Adventures

This week was full of real-life adventures (I traveled solo) and internal adventures (family) and crafty adventures (quilting).

The view

Starting a four-day solo adventure. #selftimer The new shoes are a perfect match for my kindergartener-appropriate outfit
My week is full of meeting babies. Today: Flash the lamb.
3 days with mom = 2 quilts. Of course.
No one looks cool singing aloud on the car
Finished top, ready for quilting.

Farmer's Market score :: vegan smore's :: driving :: new shoes :: lamb! :: quilting :: singing along to FUN! :: finished quilt top

The finds

This week I was almost entirely offline. My short time online (1 hour every morning) was spent entirely inside my new class. Even so, I managed to stumble across a few internet wonders:

If you're at Stitches Midwest, stop by booth 631 and say hello to my publisher! And get some lovely yarn from Starshipper Riin in booth 327.

 

What adventures did you have this week?

How to decide if you *should* do something

howtodecide

You're allowed to build the business that you want, the kind of day that you want, and that you can interact with your products, people, and time in a way that works for you. You don't have to do what you've heard you should do in order to be succesfull in biz.

I talk and write and think about this (shoulds + permission) a lot, because you're thinking and talking and asking about it too. Nearly every conversation I have with a craftybiz explorer starts with them saying “Well, I know I really should… {blog, tweet, send a newsletter, blah}“

I always answer with two questions: Why? How?

No, really: Why?

 Why do you think you need to do it? What is your goal with it? Which one of your specific goals will it help you reach?

Everything you want to do, everything you think you should do – ask it: WHY?
This one question can keep you focused, can keep you with the effective, important work. It can wipe away the shoulds, and direct you towards what you really want.

 

One of the giant-est shoulds in the crafty world is that you should be blogging. And after being part of the blog-reading and blog-writing world for nearly 10 years (we're counting that Diaryland I had in college, because I made my first “internet friends” with it), I'm still not entirely convinced*.

*I get into why you should/should not blog  in a free mini-course you can get here.

But for a lot of us, we slice the should with a Why and our answer is simple and clear: because we love to connect.

We love to have a place to share our words, or our photographs. We have a business we love and we want to share more than 140 characters about it. We create products we love and we just want to talk all about it. We've met our customers and they are lovely and we want to have a way to communicate with them.

But blogging [personal, cooking, gardening, crafting]  is totally different than blogging for your business. Yep, you want to share your you-ness, you want to speak in your voice. But your purpose is different, your readers (and your relationship with them) is different, and your end result is different (do you want comments? or do you want sales?).

It's time for that second question: How?

Once you know WHY you want to do something (blog), HOW does it help you reach your goals? HOW do you do it in a way that's effective, creative and still fun? How do you connect to your Right People, and not just other crafters?

In the upcoming class, we explore these questions. We've put together everything we know about blogging (Diane's a genius at building an audience) and marketing your sweet crafty business (I kinda wrote the book on that) and we came up with a systematic approach, a series of worksheets and questions that helps you answer HOW for yourself. It  makes sure you spend your time creating a blog that's effective. You can join the class here.

And whether you join the class or not, turn these questions to the shoulds that are rattling around your mental To Do:

 WHY do you think you should do it?
And if you decide you really do want to: HOW? How will you make it effective and you-filled?

Creating an effective blog

How to make a blog that actually improves your business
(without being spammy) 

You’ve heard that you “should” have a blog for your crafty business.
You’ve even given it a shot, but you’re not sure it’s helping you make sales or reach the right people.
If you’re frustrated, bored, or just unconvinced about a blog for your business, yes, that’s ok.

Blogging is a delicate balance  – between what you need (to make your business a success) and what your readers want.  It’s a personal medium, and that personal-ness helps people connect with you and your business. But even so, you have to find ways to make your business interesting and relevant day after day, without resorting to bland “I just listed this” posts.

This workbook helps you find that balance.

 

The worksheets were GREAT!

Most ecourses I've come across are for beginners, but this is for more intermediate, for people who have got started but want to take their biz to the next level. This isn't about following a formula, it's about taking the time to analyze your situation and create a solution that works for you. Practical, hands-on, and with the support of two amazing teachers.

-Kate

 

 

Busting the Blog Myth  is a downloadable workbook that will examine YOUR business and YOUR blogging and YOUR ideal readers (buyers, strangers, even the press), and help you see not only whether a blog makes sense for you, but if it does, how you can create a blog that’s a more effective tool in sharing your thing.

What we cover:

In Lesson 1, we’ll find our what specific marketing results you want your blog to achieve, whether you’re an artisan seeking customers, a writer seeking a book deal, or a designer seeking freelance clients (or something else entirely).

In Lesson 2, we’ll come up with the overall themes you want to be communicating to the world and the ways you  are best suited to do it.

In Lesson 3, we’ll look at your audience (real or imagined!), and find out who they are and how to make them fall in love with you.

In Lesson 4, we’ll work out an editorial calendar for your business blog. You’ll decide what kinds of blog content will do the best job of communicating what you need to say, to the people you want to reach.

You’ll finish the workbook with a blogging plan you can put to work right away.

What you get, for $29:

  • 4 lessons on creating a blog that works for you, your goals and your people.
  • 5 worksheets that ensure you really do find the balance for YOUR business.
  • 2 bonus lessons on getting more traffic and testing out what's working
I found the focus I needed to decide how to handle my blog and where and why it will work within the mission of my business goals.
-Gabrielle Krake, Bee Wise Goods

” Through the information, worksheets, and feedback, this blogging class really leads you from wherever you are — whether it's a new blogger or someone looking to improve what you've got — and helps point you where you want to be. Diane & Tara are full of insights, and even better, they are awesome at helping you find your own insights where you'd mislaid them when you weren't looking.”

–Amy

 

“It was a lot of fun. The material really guides you look deep into what you are trying to not only communicate with your blog, but take a deeper look into who your customers are, why you are communicating with them and provide clarity into what your business is all about.”

–Kirsytn

 

“This class has provided me with the tools I needed to focus my blog, suddenly blogging doesn't seem so difficult or pointless.”

Is this workbook for me?

  • Have you heard that you “should” have a blog for your small business, but aren’t sure how it’s supposed to help you?
  • Have you tried blogging, but haven’t found it to be a very effective marketing tool?
  • Do you struggle to find something to say?

If you’re nodding along (or grumbling along), then yep, this workbook is for you.
If you’re looking for technical information (or turning your existing blog into a business), we can suggest other resources, just ask!

 

Who are the instructors?


Tara Swiger is a writer, a maker, and a Starship Captain. She's the author of Market Yourself:  a system for smart + creative businesses, and she leads explorations into your particular business.

 

 

Diane Gilleland is a craft writer and teacher who produces CraftyPod.com, a blog and podcast that are central to her business. She’s written three ebooks on craft-business blogging and teaches live classes in social media for creative business-owners.

 

 

Still got question?

Don't hesitate to ask!

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What this is all about: 4 principles for Adventure + Exploration

This month, since the launch of Market Yourself (my first book!), has been amazing. I've met, both in person and online, a whole new community of crafty business owners. Since there are so many new people around, I wanted to say hello properly:
If you're new here, I want to welcome you and tell you a bit more about what's going on and what you can expect
If you're not new here, I want to THANK you! Last week marked my birthday, my site's 2 year anniversary, and the Starship's one year anniversary. Without you reading and replying, none of this would have happened.
Whether you're new here or have been reading for over 2 years, I just wanted to share what it is that we* do here. 
*When I say “we”, I mean you and me. Here at Adventure HQ, it's just me and the pup, so “we” always means you+ me, the community of makers. 
  1. I write, talk and teach about discovering the wonders in your business. I'm not interested in finding the “right” way – only the way that's right for you, your goals and your people. Your biz, no matter how new or old, is an entire world, filled with a culture, a people (your buyers), and adventures. Although there are some business basics that we all use, you get to use it in your own way, to buildyour own kind of business, exactly as you want it. Exploring your business means doing experiments to see what will work (and what won't). There aren't easy answers, only exciting adventures.
  2. One-size-fits-all doesn't fit anyone.  The business you want is different from the business I want. And that means that we each have to find our own way.
  3. Finding your own way can be lonely, so we do it together. I share my stories here, and I try to turn them into helpful lessons to email you. You can share your stories on Facebook or (more privately) in the Starship.
  4. Comparison sucks. Compassion (especially for yourself) rules. Looking at what someone else has and trying to recreate it only leads to unhappiness, and it blocks you from seeing the amazingness that you really want, and the biz you can build. This is a hard thing to remember, so we talk about what that feels like, a lot.
If you're nodding along to all this, then yay! You're in the right place!
You can get mini-courses on exploring your business and invitations to tools and spaces to aid you in your explorations right here.
The best, most helpful tool/space I've created (and where I spend all my time!) is the Starship, and it closes tomorrow.*
If it is for you, be sure to sign up before it closes tomorrow.
If the Starship's not for you, check out the other tools and spaces for adventurerers (some of them free!)
*The Starship only opens once a month, so I can take the time to welcome everyone in one by one, and get them oriented before the next class begins. 
Oh, and one last thing: I answer any and all questions, so feel free to ask. 
Until next time, I'd love to hear what kind of business you're creating. What do you want to experience? What do you want to explore?

The secret sauce to success

Yesterday was my birthday, which is also the birthday of this little site. 2 years ago I started a non-yarn site in order to talk about businessy stuff with other craftybiz smarties (without annoying my delightful yarn customers). 1 year ago I opened the Starship.

I could go on (and on) about how happy I am on these anniversaries. About all the ways it changed my life ( my first published book!) But I think that's less interesting (to you) than telling the truth under all those amazing life-changing opportunities.

The truth is: I had no idea.

I still don't.
There's a famous-ish quote by William Goldman (author of the Pricess Bride!) about the movie business, “No one knows anything.”
The same is true about business and ideas.

Yes, there are business basics (like, the 4 Ps of marketing), but no one knows anything about what specifically will work for your specific business. If an idea is a good idea. If a product is one your people will embrace (or not).

For example, when people started asking to work one-on-one I offered an hour on the phone or chat. People did love it, but I didn't. I had so much to say, more than could fit in an hour.
I thought the appeal of the Starship would be the over $600 worth of classes. Instead, it's the weekly check-ins (which didn't even exist in my original plan).

I could go on (and on) about ideas I had that haven't worked. Either people didn't want them or I didn't like them or they just didn't work like I imagined. But you get the idea.

Things change.
I learn.
I experiment.
I'm wrong.
Again and again.
Nearly monthly I have some new epiphany about what would work better, about what I would love more, about what my people would love more.
And the same will be true for you.
You keep going.
You keep iterating and ideating and trying stuff.
You keep experimenting.

Like I said on my 1 year anniversary of self-employment, the secret to success is that you just keep going.

After 30 years of living, 6 years of business-owning, 3 years of self-employment, 2 years of working with other crafty businesses and 1 year of captaining a Starship I can tell you one thing for sure:
You don't know anything.
So just keep going.
And experimenting.

During my experiments I've learned what actually works with crafty businesses. What I actually want to write about, talk about and think about. I've found the place where those two things (what your business needs and what I'm good at doing) overlap, meet up and join. Things are always changing, but on my anniversary I thought it would be helpful to look at the ways I currently work:

  • This blog is always free and nearly weekly updated with ideas and experiments for your own crafty biz.
  • The free mini-course on Becoming an Explorer also comes with occaisional email updates on what's happening (live events, discounts, etc).
  • Market Yourself  is a systematic process to creating a sucessful marketing plan for your creative business. The secret ingrediant- you discover and experiment with what works for you. There are no simple answers, but there are lots of beloved worksheets.
  • The Map-Making Guide helps you find your own path towards your own goals. It makes getting where you want to go simple, stress-less and visual. People are kind of obsessed with it and we make new maps every 6 months or so on the Starship.
  • The Starship is magical. It's a private community filled with craftybiz smarties who are all exploring their own business and maps, together. We come together for gentle accountability on a weekly basis, and you can ask your 3 am questions anytime, and get stunningly smart answers from others (and me). I'm there, answering questions, brainstorming and having ideas for your business all week long. The Starship only opens once a month, so you have a chance to settle in and get orientated before the monthly class.
  • I limit myself to only one Exploration a month because they are…intense. And awesome. We get super clear on who's buying what you sell, we discover the language they use (then create a translation guide so you never forget to speak their language), and we usually come up with some product ideas you never even considered. It's like bringing in a VP of Marketing (me!) for 2 days to do a total strategy clarification. The results are staggering with the right people and I'm ruthless about only working with the people who will benefit.
  • I also serve as First Officer for several bigger businesses (they call me a Community Builder, Communications Concierge and all kinds of other titles that mean: day-to-day social media strategist or copywriter), which gives me insight onto what works for different kinds of businesses so I can experiment with applying it to tiny crafty businesses.

That's a lot, but I'm not even close to the end of my ideas. Over the next year I'm going to experiment with even more explorations and adventures for tiny crafty businesses (that's where my heart remains!), that take our love for hand-making and apply it to business (what would your marketing plan look like if you painted it? Or knit it?) and I can't wait to share it with you.

Thank you for being here this year.

Thank you for your comments and your questions, your tweets and your emails.

And please, please, just keep going.

 

Market Yourself launch party! A chance to win $50!

Hello friends! Today's the day!

Market Yourself is out of pre-orders and is shipping out, right this minute.
 PRINT + DIGITAL
$26.95 plus shipping

Add to Cart View Cart

DIGITAL (PDF and ereader)
$16.95

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In Boston? Join me!

Tonight I'll be teaching a workshop on Right People. It's totally free, and it's at the fabulous Gather Here. Get the details here.

Not in Boston? Tweet + win $50!

To celebrate the launch of my book, my publisher is giving away a $50 gift certificate for any of their books. To win, all you have to do is tweet about the book, and use #marketyourself in your tweet, today. Shannon will pick a winner (randomly) from all tweets + announce it via Twitter tomorrow morning.
In your tweet, you can ask me questions (I'll answer every one!), you can talk about your favorite part, or you can share your own marketing struggles.

 

Need some ideas? How about: 

I just bought @TaraSwiger’s marketing book for handmade biz! Get yours here: http://bit.ly/IbR5oM  #marketyourself
Ooh! $50 worth of @cooppress books? Sign me up! #marketyourself http://bit.ly/IbR5oM

Here's what others have been saying:

 

 

 

 

 

The difference between the different versions.

I've gotten some questions about the difference between the versions of the book. Here's the lowdown:
Print + Digital (only available from me and Cooperative Press): 
This is the actual, hold-in-your-hands print copy of the book
+ a PDF of the entire book, emailed immediately after purchase.
Digital (only available from me and Cooperative Press)
This includes a Kindle and Nook-friendly editions,
+ a PDF of the entire book, immediately after purchase
Print or  Digital available anywhere else. Yep, you can buy the book from Amazon , but it won't include a PDF of the book.

Why do I want a PDF?

Because your business is always changing!
There are a squillion worksheets in Market Yourself and while you're welcome to fill them all in on your print version, I want you to be able to come back in 6 months or a year and revisit the worksheets, and be able to look at all the questions with fresh eyes. The PDF allows you to print (and reprint!) the worksheeets as often as you need to.
And if you buy the digital-only copy, a PDF lets you print out just what you want, so you can apply pen to worksheet.

Do you have any questions?

Ask them in the comments, or tweet them!

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