Weekly-ish notes on navigating big change

Podcast

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/

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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:

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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/

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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.

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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.

 

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

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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.

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!

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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.

How do you get up in the morning when everything is awful?

This weekend at Midwest Craft Con, I was on a panel about depression and anxiety. At the end we had a Q+A and I wanted to talk today about a question that has stuck with me: How do you get out of bed when everything is awful? Listen in or watch at TaraSwiger.com/podcast145/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This weekend at Midwest Craft Con, I was on a panel about depression and anxiety. At the end we had a Q+A and I wanted to talk today about a question that has stuck with  me:
How do you get out of bed when everything is awful?

What gets YOU out of bed?

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.

How to have the business you LOVE

I want you to have a business you love. And by that, I don't just mean that you love making what you make, but that you also love how you're spending your time and you feel fairly compensated. Today we'll talk about the most common reasons people don't love their businesses and solutions for each one. We'll also cover the thing most likely to make you love your business. Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast144/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I want you to have a business you love. And by that, I don't just mean that you love making what you make, but that you also love how you're spending your time and you feel fairly compensated. Today we'll talk about the most common reasons people don't love their businesses and solutions for each one. We'll also cover the thing most likely to make you love your business.

If you need to get clearer on what you would love, check out Map Your Business. I guide you through discovering what you want, where you want to be, and then breaking that down into a doable plan. It's available on Amazon in both paperback or Kindle, or you can get a signed version here TaraSwiger.com/map. If you have one and you love it, please share it with the hashtag #mapyourbusiness.

 

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.

5 steps to effective copywriting

To share your work with the world, you have to write (or speak) hundreds of messages: Instagram, product descriptions, emails, etc. How do you make them each effective? How do you make sure that what you spend your time writing and sharing actually sells your work? This week we’re talking about effective copywriting - writing words, pages, and posts that will connect with your buyer, build your relationships, and sell your work. Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast143/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

To share your work with the world, you have to write (or speak) hundreds of messages: Instagram, product descriptions, emails, etc. How do you make them each effective? How do you make sure that what you spend your time writing and sharing actually sells your work?

This week we’re talking about effective copywriting – writing words, pages, and posts that will connect with your buyer, build your relationships, and sell your work.

Resources:

Do you love the podcast? Never listen? Tell me where to spend my energy by filling out the survey, right here: https://taraswiger.com/survey

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.

A walk on the trade show floor: Conversations around TNNA

This week we're doing something different - I'm taking you with me as I walk around the trade show at TNNA. We'll meet yarn shop owners, vendors (yarn companies) and see some pretty stuff! Whether you're in the yarn industry or not, I thought you'd enjoy seeing what a trade show looks like, how the vendors set up and how they talk to everyone who walks into their booth. These conversations are edited, because it was recorded live and there are, like in life, a million interruptions. Watch the video at TaraSwiger.com/podcast142/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This week we're doing something different – I'm taking you with me as I walk around the trade show at TNNA. We'll meet yarn shop owners, vendors (yarn companies) and see some pretty stuff!

Whether you're in the yarn industry or not, I thought you'd enjoy seeing what a trade show looks like, how the vendors set up and how they talk to everyone who walks into their booth. These conversations are edited, because it was recorded live and there are, like in life, a million interruptions.

If you usually listen to the audio podcast, I encourage you to watch the video, so you can see the faces and the beautiful yarn!

 

Here's more info about the people I spoke to (Go! Support them!)

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.

The key to consistency + success = Grit

Do you struggle to set goals, because you’re afraid of missing out on everything else you should be doing? Do you feel like you’re pulled in a million different directions? Today we’re going to talk about why that is, and how to clarify what you want from your business, both from the Big Picture to what you’ll actually do today, and all the stuff in between. Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast141/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Do you struggle to set goals, because you’re afraid of missing out on everything else you should be doing? Do you feel like you’re pulled in a million different directions? Today we’re going to talk about why that is, and how to clarify what you want from your business, both from the Big Picture to what you’ll actually do today, and all the stuff in between.


This is the image I mention in the podcast episode: 

 

 

Resources:

 

Got a creative business in the midwest?

Join me at MidWest Craft Con! Save 20% by using the code STARSHIP when you buy a 3 day pass!

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.

9 emails you can send for your handmade business tomorrow

How do you feel about the emails you send, right now? Do they result in sales and conversations with your readers? If not, it's time to experiment. Today I'll share 9 kinds of emails you can be sending for your handmade business. Listen to the episode and get the FREE transcript at TaraSwiger.com/podcast140/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

How do you feel about the emails you send, right now? Do they result in sales and conversations with your readers? If not, it's time to experiment. Today I'll share 9 kinds of emails you can be sending for your handmade business.

Links Mentioned:

Want the FREE transcript for this episode? Enter your e-mail in the box at the bottom of this post!

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.

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