Small Business Tip: Making friends

"Sailing" woven friendship bracelet by JDStar

In a world of competition and rivalries, it's good to have people that support you. Connecting with other small business owners isn't just a good way to meet people, it's a great way to network your business and share customers.Tonight, I'm sharing a simple tip: make friends with your craft community.

Sure, the tip seems easy. Being involved in local craft or Etsy groups (like this one!) is a great way to meet people in your area with similar interests. Non-crafty friends don't always understand the excitement of getting into a good craft show or designing new business cards.. but crafty friends do! But, there are some things to note.

DO

• Connect with crafty friends on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. It's a great way to easily message and get to know people, but like any relationship.. don't be creepy.
• Cross-promote businesses! Offer your friend's fans or blog readers a discount on their purchase with discount codes or have them host a giveaway for one of your items. It could open up a whole new customer base.
• Support your fellow artists. Just because you aren't vending at a craft fair or being featured at a gallery doesn't mean you shouldn't attend or promote it through social media. Show them you're a fan-- that's what friends are for.
• Share resources as you feel comfortable. There's a difference between being friendly and giving away trade secrets.
• Build relationships with brick and mortar shops. Become a Facebook fan, follow them on Twitter, shop there, tell your friends about them. If you're consigning with a shop, show them some love! They're not the only one responsible for promoting your items. You need to get the word out.

DON'T

• Don't force it. You won't always connect with everyone. Just like with dating, you don't build a relationship on one similarity alone. Be yourself and you'll find like-minded crafters.
• Don't let them see you sweat. Rivalries are out there. Ever seen Storage Wars? Although they sure are fun to watch on TV, it's not a cute look in the handmade community. Believe in your business and don't dwell on the haters.. even if they try and send you nasty remarks to bring you down. 

Those are the main points to keep in mind when connecting with other crafters. Be social and find some fun people! Check out the Discussions in the OkEtsy group-- the perfect way to chat with the rest of the OkEtsy team!

Casey Maute is a contributor to the OkEtsy blog and lives in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She has worked under the name Lollywood from 2008-2010 and recently opened a new Etsy shop called OSO handmade. She loves craft shows, eating from food trucks, finding cool local shops, and working with PR and social media.

Meet Our Newest Contributer

Hello dear OKetsy readers! My name is Brittini Flowers; I am the gal behind Oh honey child. I am a 21 year old wife and mother to four fur-babies :). I have been a crafty maven and attending craft shows and festivals ever since I was a child. I live in western Oklahoma, I sew, I hunt for vintage treasure, I take pictures, I live a true DIY lifestyle and man oh man do I love it! I blog about my life and business on my blog, www.ohhoneychild.com

I am so happy to be blogging for OKetsy.  I plan to share lots of advice, DIY’s, and craft show tips for all my fellow indie business gals.

My first DIY project will be a simple fall pumpkin, good for around the house décor!

For now,

-britt

OHC

Promoting the team

Your leaders are working to spread the good word about the Disciples of Etsy!

The team now has a Facebook page here, so if you haven't yet, go become a fan. Feel free to update the page, too, with pictures, comments, or anything else. If you know of upcoming shows, please share that information.

This blog is also now a member of the Blog Oklahoma ring. The ring is a great resource for Sooner bloggers to connect with others from the area. If your blog contains more than just advertisements for your Etsy store, then go to the Web site and apply to be a member as well. Also, make sure to check out the ring (check out the link on the left) for other local scribes.

We're cooking up new ways to get the team name out there, but if you have any other suggestions, please let us know!

Down for the count

Many of us across the Internet can't connect to Etsy right now. Etsy says it isn't on their end. I don't know whose fault it is, but I know I miss my handmade goods and my group chatting!

So, to try to pass a little bit of time, I thought I'd write a blog in hopes that everything will be restored once I push "post".

You may have noticed things gettin' kinda fancy around here. One of the delightful Heathers (no film reference, I promise) on the team worked to spruce up our layout. She made the lovely banner, too. Doesn't it look nice? She's done such a great job with her personal blog that I was thrilled when she volunteered to help. I've been trying to change the information up as well to streamline everything. Does anyone have comments or suggestions?

Another lovely Heather on the team also suggested doing Project Wonderful ads on the blog, with revenue benefitting the team. I think this would be a really great idea, but I'm curious what comments team members have. If we do this, I'll add a third column to the blog and put the ads on the left. Thoughts? Ideas? Experience? If everyone likes the idea, I'll try to implement it soon.

The ice is starting to melt up here in the Tulsa area. Hopefully it won't refreeze too much tonight. I hope conditions are getting nicer in your corner of the state!

Edit: I can't believe it worked! Etsy was back up after I posted this. Oh the magic of the blog. :)