5 things SUCCESSFUL handmade businesses do (that you might not)

I appreciate your keeping me company while I fold patterns today! I have been watching your channel for a while and thoroughly enjoy your vibe and the encouragement you offer. I recently left my job of 16+ years to do my "side hustle" full-time. It took patience and perseverance, but here I am, and I couldn't be happier. Thank you for being a motivating part in my making that big decision. Keep up your amazing work! :) <3

OMG ! I so needed this video today Kim. I started the year with gusto...I am determined to grow my YouTube channel (I've gained 92 subscribers since November) and just got on with recording videos and editing. I was feeling good about it all until I started overthinking and comparing my videos to others. I've been waking up in the early hours, I've re-recorded everything (more than once) and now I'm feeling deflated. This has also resulted in me neglecting the part of my business that actually makes me money (designing crochet patterns) 🤦🏼‍♀️ Today, I'm having a break from it, having a word with myself and starting again tomorrow! Oh... and your videos light me up, so thank you 😁 Brummie Jo

When you said "don't go now" thats when I went 😂😂😂 and bought. Ok... Let's keep this one rolling (Now editing my comment): you talked to me as few people do (or did) since I started more seriously my handmade business! Thank you!

You’ve definitely found your ideal audience here 😁 I’m a handmade business owner who loves Rachel, D&D, and cats. I’m excited to check out your course!

Oh the number 5. I am the exact same way as you. I work really hard to not look at competitors on Etsy so I do not compare. I also never want someone else’s ideas in my head. So important for my own creativity! Congrats on the course! Thats such a huge achievement.

Happy New Year Kim. You always seem to hit the nail on the head just when I need it. Something really struck me during the Christmas selling period. My sister who makes handmade soaps and candles absolutely kills it. I get sour grapes a bit because what she sells is not a lasting product. Whereas what I make and sell has longevity and she sells more than 400% more than I do. I know it's wrong to compare but quite often it makes me question whether I am in the right handmade business. Launched the website in November finally still no sales but live markets still consistent. I am so glad you are still around inspiring me ❤ ❤❤

I love this lady! I can watch her talk for hours...❤

Thank to you, I do know my numbers! Well.... most of them. I know my income and expenses. This year I'm working on time tracking. I found a new (to me) organization system that uses index cards, and it's been pretty amazing for getting housework done (I've timed just about every chore now, and am working on frequency), but I've noticed that almost none of my business-related cards have the "time to complete" section filled out. That's going to be tricky to get exact numbers for, but I think I know a way to get a decent estimate for the "crochet time" for various sized projects, so that's now on my To Do list.

Nice Chat Kim!😁:_Coffee: Very important points we should all keep in mind. And yes INFORMATION OVERLOAD is a huge issue and I think that affects us all to some extent. Learning to handle that is tricky one. :_SleepyCat::_Coffee::_Coffee::_Coffee:😁

Kim you are the only one I can listen to for long❤ Really very informative and also with humor. Love it and thank you for this very helpful video again! I know how much I am making, but like you I don’t must look at others who are doing so great🫣. I immediately think ok maybe I should stop😅. Thank you for reminding me, I needed that❤😊. I listened while painting, it was very pleasant❤

Congratulations on the launch of your new course Kim! So cool. 🎉

Congratulations on your course - that's huge! And yes, comparison is such a waste of thinking time and emotions. No-one will ever have the same journey or trajectory as you so finding a comparable individual is impossible and therefore worthless! 🧡

Really needed to hear this today! Thank you Kim. Now to pull my finger out and get my email list create!

I love you. I could listen to you for days!

Guilty on comparisoning. Resellers in my niche are not my competitors. They don't sell what I make except that they sell a thing that is called what I make and it's used by the same folk for the same reason. They don't make what I make because if they did, they wouldn't sell enough to keep their sweatshops open.😊

Yay! You released your course. They very best of luck. And Podcat!!! Love Podcat ❤The comparison thing was massive for me. I used to love scrolling through art accounts on social media and watching art videos. Then I noticed I was being hyper critical of my own work and not doing anything creative at all. So I stopped looking at it all. It definitely helped.

Love you Kim! Just a reminder.

Great video! And shout out to Rachel Maksy and Critical Role as well! Hooray!

Complementary diversification is key, indeed. There are global corporations that diversify poorly and seemingly without concerted thought as to how to combine infrastructures, culture and talent mix, product mix and margin differences...sigh, and more. I know, I worked for a few of them. So, diversify wisely. May you learn about diversification and far more in Kim's course. FYI, Kim, the fact that it took just a few months for you to develop and finesse this course is a testament to your skills set. Cheers, Ardith

Great information and presentation as always. Thank you.