Hi First name / friend, Are you solar-powered, like me? The storms in Criccieth this week have dampened my summer joy a little (our allotment was decimated!) but for this long weekend (thanks to the Queen!) I'm still chanelling the Coastal Grandma look that I've been honing for years. I'm also trying to make sense of so much non-sense in the world. Firain's core values include community, education, and inspiration so I continue to dig deeper into those as I work with clients. Perhaps these moments of conversation, support and recalibration are more needed than ever. How are you finding them in your creative work? I'd love to know what your core business values are - send me an email when you get the chance. If you're not sure, I can help you explore them. You might feel tempted to hide away. Please don't. The summer offers uniquely fun opportunities to sell your work - scroll down to The Garden Shed section below for ideas. Behind-the-scenes, my world is family-focused as my twin brother will arrive from his home in Guyana for a UK holiday in a few weeks time. We haven't seen him since early 2019, so reader, I am going to SOB unashamedly when we collect him from the airport. We are a nomadic family, used to living far away from each other, but BOY do those few years feel l-o-n-g. We plan to take him here and… oh wait, he might read this! I'll keep the rest of the plans to myself ;-) |
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It's a privilege to work with crafters and creatives, especially those who want to carve their own path and work in a way that aligns with their values. The coaching/ mentoring I offer clients is an individual as they are, and although I won't share the ins-and-outs of our calls together, I do like to shout about the people I support. I'm updating my neglected blog and would like to start a new series that highlights the creatives in this space. If we've worked together in some way, and you'd like to be featured, send me an email (jogriffinmccarthy@gmail.com) and I'll be in touch! And thank you. |
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In this section, I share helpful, practical ideas and tools to use in our small, creative businesses - and I share them in a jargon-free way. Hoorah! Please think of this as a communal shed on an allotment where we skillshare and swap best practices for online shopkeepers. Balanced shopkeepers work intelligently to ensure they can take breaks. But if you are working over the summer months, try these ideas to promote sales: Scrappy but uplifting ideas to sell during the summer months. - Travelling? Take samples of your work, postcards, biz cards, QR code stickers, a mini postcard you can pin to the hotel noticeboard. Be brave! Chat to the person in the plane seat next to you and tell them what you do. Be human.
- Refresh your marketing. Even if glaring summery colours aren't your thing, update your brand touchpoints. Have fun with summery props. Write seasonal blog posts. Take your products outside.
- Create time-bound talking points. No one wants their summer to be jam-packed with work, so try short, snappy community-building events. Run a hashtag challenge, create a skill swap session, invite customers to a shopping event or pop-up event (friends of Firain Nina D and Eleanor at Quarters Home have done this recently) or interview fellow creatives for a seasonal series on your website.
- Have fun on social media. Radical! Your customers are probably trying to kick back a little over the summer, so try to match their mood. For inspiration, look at Instagram educators who never run out of ideas; my faves include Lou (who is running a stop-motion workshop on June 29) and Katya (who offers outdoor brainstorming adventures to reignite your creativity!). As Maya says, we are created creative.
- Get offline and meet people in real life. Introverts, bear with me. You might host an event or join in with a market, or just go shopping and get chatting with other people who appreciate handmade, crafts, art, and creativity. I popped to the South London's Maker's Market recently and was able to chat in a no-pressure way with Firain-type people. Pop to events near you and, while relaxing, keep your shopkeeper hat on and be open to conversations about your work.
- Communicate clearly with your customers. Advertise widely and in good time about shop closures, reduced posting times, and give back to your customers who might also be in a slower gear by extending return times.
- Think about how your products fit into summery activities. Are your customers looking for wedding gifts, treats for themselves, holiday accessories, stuff to take on their picnics, investment pieces for their homes, just in time for guests to stay! Think about the day-to-day life of your customer and imagine how they might engage with your products.
Wow this was a long one! Hope you made it through. What ideas do you like or think are do-able in your business? Want to suggest a subject for The Garden Shed? Send me an email. I'd love to hear from you! |
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Welcome to this week's new subscribers - Julia, Stevie, two Nicola's, Rochelle, Emma, Anna, Lou, FOUR Emily's (A RECORD!), ‘J', Yvonne, Gail, Tracey, Caroline, Beth, Danielle, Ann, Hilary, Ali, Theresa, Calire, Jeanette, Michelle, Karen, Laurie and Megan. A big hearty, huggy hello to you and thank you for being here. I'd love to know your thoughts, comments, feedback, and suggestions as I develop Firain - a place where I support creatives to plan, open and grow online shops. Freebies are here, and get in touch if you fancy a natter and to work together one-to-one. I have limited space over the summer months for new clients, and will always offer a 10% discount to returning clients. Thank you for your continued support and for allowing me to greet you in your inbox. |
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I designed this email in Flodesk , which I find much easier to customise than other email providers. Click here for my discount code if you'd like to try it out. If you'd like to support my micro business by treating me to a virtual coffee, click here (and thank you!) |
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