Selected Press

Katie, from Yarn Love, says:

Tara –

I want to tell you a story. Even though you might not have realized it at the time, you're one of the heroes of the story.

Way back 2006 I started Yarn Love. We had our growing pains, but together Yarn Love and I have been steadily making more money than we spend. We even reached the point where family members (Ok, my mom & my husband, but they're the Big Two anyway….) started bragging about how well we were doing to co-workers and acquaintances.

After a lot of thought and planning I hired a marketing company to help us forge new connections and to provide some assistance with small tasks so I could spend more of my time increasing sales. And it worked! 6 months into the new partnership we had gross sales which were equal to our two previous yearly totals. I was working my tushie off, but making sales!

The problem was that I made –$1800 during that time. Yes, I had new connections, and new sales but every time I received a bill it was for more money. There were extra charges that I didn't know about before hand, but the work was already done. I was spending more money than I was making and I felt totally out of control.

I was so discouraged. I was crushed. I thought more than once about closing Yarn Love just so I wouldn't have to deal with disappointing myself and my husband.

But I didn't. I found you.

I dug your book off my shelf and got started. I gave myself 6 months to turn things around. Along the way I purchased your Map Making guide to help me with a tidy, executable plan, because I can work a plan like nobody's business.

I'm 6 weeks into my first quarterly map.

I HAVE EXCEEDED MY INCOME GOAL!

In 6 weeks, I have made more than $5000 of profit. I have streamlined my business processes. I have spent half of every other day at the pool with my kids. (In other words, I'm rocking family life and having fun, too.)

So thank you, Tara. You were just what I needed. There aren't enough words in the English language to express my gratitude for your help and insights.

Heatherly says,

Over a year ago I bought Market Yourself. After reading it, I stepped back at recognized what it was about me that was unique, a niche.

Out of that I wrote a book proposal. It was accepted, instantly, no questions asked!
Which means I have a book coming out.
I am now working on book two.

 

 Thank You!

Abby Kerr says:

Tara Swiger has this special thing about her which her right people recognize immediately: she's got the ability to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those she's teaching, while at the same time, standing out as a leader and a go-to voice in the craft-your-own-business niche.

She's kind, funny, smart, empathetic, resourceful, and masterful.
She knows her stuff and is invested in making sure you know yours, too.
She wants you to succeed on your own terms, not hers or anyone else's. 

 Lori-Ann says

The Starship has sure helped me keep going, even at my (sometimes very) slow pace.

I appreciate knowing that there is an audience out there of supporters and experienced colleagues who can chip in with ideas and thoughts and suggestions about what I might have going on. Or want to have going on, but don't really yet.

Kirstyn says,

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.

I am getting a great deal of insight from the questions, the feedback and all the discussions from everyone!

 I'd sign up for another class in a heart beat!

Kristine says,

I love that the Starship is filled with different kinds of crafters, all moving to the same goal: expanding their  knowledge and growing themselves and their business. And Tara, the  brave leader of our Starship, is here to *nurture* us in being  comfortable with our decisions, and *nudge* us to make smart steps  forward.

Skaja says,

Working with Tara helps me bring focus and clarity to what I’m doing for my business. The classes help answer a lot of the questions I have, and there hasn’t been a single instance of me talking with Tara (or any of the other awesome people in the Starship) that I haven’t come away with a great idea or way of accomplishing something on my list. She deserves lots of sparkle points for the work she does.

Scott says,

 At the time I hired Tara, I was completely swamped with client work. I needed someone to fix my messaging without a lot of back and forth or direction. I was skeptical that I’d be adding more work to my already-full plate.

This is what happened: we talked on the phone for an hour and a few days later Tara emailed me a fully formed offer page for my website. That was it.

Not only did she distill and clarify the the main elements of my mission, she cut through the crap that was holding me back from explaining myself in a straight-forward way. I’ve started quoting her words directly when talking to potential clients.

The whole process was easy, low-pressure, and exactly what I wanted.

Havi Brooks says,

I think I might have sprained my wrist, I was scribbling Tara's brilliant ideas so quickly. Seriously, I am in AWE of the sheer amount of usefulness her brain can spew out. It was all so crisp, so clear and so exactly what I needed. But my favorite part was how completely non-judgmental Tara was with the stuff I wanted to figure out, and how genuinely excited she got about my latest project-babies.

(Anyone thinking about hiring Tara — you will get soooo much more than what you’re paying for. This service is basically the best thing in the entire world.)