Tara Swiger

It’s time for the contractions

tara — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:01:54 +0000

In Do More Great Work, the author describes the creative rhythm as expanding and contracting, imagining and doing. I think a lot about the cycle of creativity, the flow of inspiration + doing, followed by a time of quiet not-doing…but I’ve forgotten the rhythmof every creative endeavor, the rhythm of expansion and contraction. Of breathing in inspiration, ideas, big dreams, and then breathing out, narrowing in on the things you will do.

We creatives LOVE the expansion part. We soak up inspiration, we breathe in dreams, we acquire ideas. Magazines, classes, pinterest…it’s all one big inhalation, one glorious expansion of all possible things, zooming infinitely outward.

But the exhalation, the contraction, the doing…well, that’s not as glorious. Not as tweetable.

But if anything is ever going to get done, if you’re going to write that book or finish that project or launch that line, there has to be a point where you stop inhaling and you start exhaling. You zoom in on what you will do.

In narrowing your focus, the outer stuff, the stuff you decide not to do gets fuzzy and eventually falls out of the frame.
And while this doesn’t look so exciting, exhaling and contracting can be filled with enthusiasm, an inner propulsion that glides the project out of your head and into the world.

I’m here.

I’ve inhaled inspirations, stories, examples, and dreams. It’s time to exhale, to breathe out the last bit of the book. To hand it on time. To contract narrow my focus to only the book and the Starship* (for the next few weeks).

Are you inhaling? Is it time to exhale?

*This means you won’t be seeing me on the blog, in your inbox, or anywhere else (except for Instagram, and the Starship) until February 8th.

The Map-Making Guide is my personal exhalation process. Turn dreams and wishes into measurable milestones and do-able to-dos. The Starship will be starting the map-making guide together, with weekly check-ins, this Wednesday. Join us here, if you like.

In safety, I found YES

tara — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:32:27 +0000

Quite by accident, I’m writing this exactly one year later.

Last year, I wrote that my theme, quite unwanted, was safety.
It wasn’t what I wanted to focus on, but it’s what I needed.

One year later, what I realized (thanks entirely to Leonie’s yearly planner) is the RESULT of all that safety.

Instead of putting up walls, instead of creating a hard shell, focusing on safety allowed me to open up, blossom, and risk things I never would have imagined.

Quite unexpectedly, 2011 was about saying YES, even when I wasn’t sure I was enough.

I said YES to two big clients who sought me out, doing completely new-to-me kinds of work, things I never would have dreamed selling.

I said YES to a sudden goal to get a book deal before my 30th birthday (which is still 6 months away). Even stranger, I said YES to that book deal and to a writing schedule that might just result in having a finished book by my 30th birthday.

I said YES to the bizarre idea of the Starship. And then I said YES to putting in the daily work to build it, to lead it, and to support all of the captians aboard it.

I said YES to travel. I said YES to writing.

I said YES to the things I (secretly) wanted.
I said YES to things I thought I was afraid of.

And with every single one of those things, I had a clear, panicked moment “Me? Really? What? Can I even DO THIS?!?”
And then I did it.

Because I sought to cultivate safety and internal (and external) support, I had the confidence for YES.
Because I make sure I feel safe and cared for, before I say yes.
Because I (finally!) prioritized what I deeply need.

I still have so much to say about safety and where I found it and how it surprised me and what it taught me, but that will come later.
For now, I’d love to know:

What did you say YES to? What do you need before you can say YES?

Reviewing the year in your business

tara — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:38:38 +0000

As the year wraps up, it’s time to review the past year. Now, this can be as painful as doing your taxes or it can be as fun as attending a New Year’s Eve party.

Let’s do it the fun way, yeah?

Making your yearly wrap-up FUN can be as simple as setting some intentions before you get started – what do you want to learn? What information do you need to make the New Year awesome?

I like to know:

What are the best things I did for my business in 2011?
What were my most succesful months?
Where did new business come from?
What risks didn’t pay off?
What was the most painful time (or project) of 2011
(notice: I didn’t ask what wasn’t successful,because if something was a huge money-maker, but I hated every second of it…I want to avoid it in the future, or find a way to make it more fun)

To answer these questions, I do a quick three-step process:

1. Gather information

2. Find the connections

3. Use what I’ve learned

1. Gather Information

Now, this is the step that you’ll try to avoid, but you’ve gotta just buckle down and do it.

The kind of information you want to gather is:

Your business financials, by month (all income and expenses) – I get this by donwloading my Paypal activity by month into a spreadsheet, then I update the spreadsheet with information from my bank statements (anything that I earned or spent that didn’t go through Paypal). If you use Vianza, these reports are easy to generate!
A list of the time-specific marketing you did (what months did you run advertising, attend trade shows, release new lines, etc) – this is easiest to gather if you’ve been writing it down as the year’s progressed, but you can dig through your emails to find the info you need.
The metrics that I care about, by month – this is everything that reflects the health of your business that isn’t related to money. For you this might be new accounts (and when you landed them), web traffic (pay attention to spikes, and changes in where the traffic came from), publicity.

To keep it simple, I like to organize the information in a simple list with each month’s final numbers (income and expense), the marketing in that month, and any other metrics listed under the Month Name. If you spread it out too much, over multiple documents, you won’t be able to see as clearly how one month affected the next.

Now go back through your months and write in anything else that you think of.
Did a trade show one month lead you to hire someone to help you fill the orders? Or did it overwhelm you so much that you sent orders out late?
Did one retailer fail to pay you one time and mess up your cashflow?
Did you get a sales rep in one month and see your orders double the next month.
Is one month’s income made up from just one big order, while another month’s made up of several small orders?

Whew, this is a lot of digging and thinking and it may take you more than one day. Take as long as you need to think over this list and add things as you think of them.

When you’re ready for Part 2 of the review process, check it out at Vianza.

I wrote this post for Vianza, but liked it so much I had to share it here! Let me know how your review goes!

Pricing is not a Benefit

tara — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:24:38 +0000

Last week I shared the BOOK with its first readers and the most-beloved little segment is something that came right from the blog. Since it struck a chord with readers, I thought it might be time to re-share it:

A client recently asked:

“How am I supposed to compete with Wal-mart? They have low prices, lots of different colors, and a huge advertising budget.”

I answered them simply:

You are not competing with Wal-mart.

And not just because you can’t (really, you can’t!) but because your Right People don’t want you to be Wal-mart.

They want originality.
Personality.
Specificity.
Personal connection.

Wal-mart provides cheap, mass-produced goods, cheaply.
You make hand-crafted, high quality, one-of-a-kind goodness to people who are willing to pay for it.

As long as you think of Wal-mart as the competition, you’ll spend your time explaining how you’re better than them.
But that’s a waste of time.

Remember how your English teacher used to say “Show, don’t Tell”?

Show your personality. Show your originality. Show your Youness.
And you’ll never have to mention “low prices” or “great deals.”

Here’s a short list of general benefits (the things that make you awesomest):

You are a real person. The buyer gets to interact with a real person. And not just ANY person, a person who MADE the thing they’re buying.
Your can provide awesome, agile customer support.
You are an artist. People adore supporting artists and the artist community.
Your thing is one of a kind. The buyer will have something that no one else has.

Of course, you probably know this.

But do your customers know it?
Do you make it ultra-freaking clear that what you make is valuable?

If you’re not sure how to make it clear (or what the benefits of your specific goodness is), the Starship (and the many smart Captains aboard it) can help you with that.

Holiday Sanity and Starships

tara — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:20:01 +0000

When I tweeted a link to last year’s free guide and was overwhelmed with thank you tweets and emails, I realized I needed to share it again:

It’s a quick-to-use, silly little guide with handdrawn lists and goofy metaphors.

Yet, it works.
It helps you get a handle on what’s coming next and it makes it all more do-able.

In the Starship, we’re doing weekly check-ins on ho and I’m (again) surprised by how much just a bit of planning + a dash of accountability can improve your experience of the holidays.

So much so, that I was starting to doubt closing the Starship until January.
Last night, after chatting with Starshippers, someone said “Once again, I’m surrounded by smart and understanding people” and there was a round of “yay starship!”s.
I realized: yes, it’s easier for me to manage everyone’s membership if I wait to reopen enrollment until January….but this is the time of year people need help. And community of like-minded friends. And encouragment.

Thus it’s decided: the Starship is now open to new Cadets.

If you’re feeling a little worn out, a little apprehensive about the oncoming rush of holiday sales, and holiday shopping, and holiday gift-making, the Starship is here for you:
Community, weekly check-ins, accountability partners, everything we can do to make the holidays sane.
Oh yeah, and access over $500 worth of classes + tools. For 13 months.

Come aboard here.

No related posts.

Podcast: Multiple Streams of Income

tara — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:51:00 +0000

I’m super happy to be talking about growing your craftybiz with multiple stream of income over on the (new!) CraftyPod 2.0.

You can preview it below, or click “buy” to listen to the whole thing (it’s free!)

Diane does a great job of getting to the heart of the issue: how do you fit it into your business?

If you’re hoping to spice up your business with different kinds of income (ie, money!), here are a few other things I’ve written about it:

(the cupcakes don’t really have anything to do with income…except that I’m obsessed with making them (3 batches in 2 days)…maybe if my frosting technique improved, I’d have another source of income?)

No related posts.

What’s unclear?

tara — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:27:33 +0000

I’m deep in BOOK-mode, pouring all my focus into making sure I answer your questions.
I’m going back through my email folder of questions I’ve received (and answered!) over the past 3 years, to make sure the BOOK answers as many of those as makes sense.

But what else?

When you think of selling your thing, when you think of sharing it with others, when you look at your craftybiz and where you want it to go…what’s still unclear?

Ask your question in the comments or privately through this form and I’ll answer you right now AND in the BOOK.

And nope, it doesn’t matter if your business is real or a dream. It doesn’t matter if it’s brand-new or 10 years old.
What do you need to know to take you where you want to go?

Thanks for helping me make the BOOK exactly what the community needs!

Right Action

tara — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:13:16 +0000

You might remember that last week I asked you for your questions (I answered them and recorded it for you here!).

I love doing this because it helps me see what it is you’re thinking about your business and how you’re feeling about the mass quantities of business-y advice out there.
And it always sparks at least a zillion blog posts, so that’s a bonus.

Today I want to talk about a question I didn’t get to answer on the call, because I got it after the call was over.

The asker asks:

What are some actionable steps I can take to reach new customers?I have a really great base of regular customers; they like me, they like my product, they come back for more. This is awesome. But I need more people like that, b/c the few great regulars I have aren’t enough business on their own. How do I find more regulars?
I just don’t know for sure what I can do, and I’m tired of reading stuff about infusing my business with my personality or using my blog properly, etc. I want actual steps I can take to find and get new customers, you know? I’m just not sure how else to get my product in front of the people who will buy it and love it and come back for more.

Emphasis mine

I love this because, as you know, I’m always talking about infusing your stuff with your you-ness and I can totally understand the frustration when that doesn’t feel like action.

After getting this email (and responding to her with actual action steps!), I went back to my notes for the Right People class…
And I threw it all out.
I went to my BOOK draft and I found everything that is actionable…and that’s going to be tomorrow’s class.

I’m going to say very little about infusing your you-ness into everything you do because although that is the foundation of everything, this is Right People 2.0.
This is for those of you who know what you make, you know a few of your Right People but you are ready to dig deeper, to get more, to stretch out and fill your capacity.

If you’re ready for it, register here. The class is tomorrow, but if you can’t make it, you’ll get a recording if you register in time.

No related posts.

How Right People Changed my Business, revisited

tara — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:01:04 +0000

In writing the chapter on Right People (for the BOOK!) and getting ready for the new class, I found this old post on Right People and I love it so much, I wanted to share it again (updated with what’s changed)…

Last week we talked about what Right People are and how they can change your business.
Today I’d like to share what happened to Blonde Chicken Boutique when I started applying the concept of Right People to my work.

It started by Havi saying

Everyone has Right People

and

Your Right People are Right if they love what you do. That’s the only requirement.

And I wondered, what would this look like if I really believed it?

If these people love what I make, then I should make something truly ME.

Instead of worrying about the trends or what other yarnies were doing, I started focusing on yarn that I really love. Textures, colors, styles. My love of my work grew and I created a line of yarns that really went together. I began to develop a look for Blonde Chicken Boutique.

If there are people who love what I make, then I should be talking to THEM.

Instead of spending money reaching tons of new people, I turned to my current people. How can I serve them better?
For starters, I ask them. I create products they want (the Learn To Knit Kit was inspired by people who loved my yarn but didn’t knit) and I keep them up-to-date (with a customers-only newsletter + a bi-weekly Yarn-Love Note)

My Right People love my thing, so why worry with those who don’t?

When I realized I don’t have to appeal to everyone or make everyone happy, I can focus on doing what I do best and serving the people who are already happy.

This means I could stop selling online, I can focus on my Monthly Yarn Mail customers and my yarn shops.

My happy, delighted Right People are the best advertising I could ever want.

If I make it easy for them to share my stuff, they can spread the more to more Right People.
Without doing anything, yarn shops have approached me. They have customers who asked them for my yarn, so now they carry it. ALL of my wholesale business (which is now 90% of my yarn business) has come from referrals!

The more I thought about Right People, I realized I was actually thinking about Marketing.

But instead of asking “How do I tell people about my thing” (like many crafters do)
or “How do I tell my target market of 30 year old college graduates who make $40,000/year who knit about my thing” (like marketers do),
I’m asking “Who are my Right People already? What do they love? What could I do make them happier.”

This changed every part of my marketing.
(and started attracting attention of people who needed marketing help, from companies who want my advice to publishers who want me to write books)

The result?

My time is spent working with people I love, instead stressing over finding more people. My people are happy and tell their friends. My sales have greatly increased.
But best of all, I’m doing what I actually love.

A totally unexpected, non-yarny result?

When I started really listening to my people (not just my customers, but all those people who I liked and liked me, including other crafters, my online friends, other business owners), I realized they wanted something else.
They were asking me business-y questions; about marketing, about sales, about crafting a business AND a life.

So I started offering classes and tools.
Every single one of my classes (including this week’s class on Right People) have been sparked by specific questions I’ve been asked. I always answer the asker, but when the answer becomes huge, I know I have a class.

The best part?
I genuinely love teaching. I love talking about business. I love love love brainstorming for other people’s thing.
And the love is so obvious that last night Jay said, “Wow, I can see how happy this makes you. And it’s so perfect for you!” ).

Following my Right People? Led me to bliss.

What would change in your business if you focused on your Right People?

If you’d like to work with your adoring fans + find your Right People, check out the class!
Registrations close this Wednesday!

No related posts.

Got questions? Get ‘em answered.

tara — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:35:39 +0000

Oy. I just discovered that the free Q+A recordings that I used to give away for free were lost.

I’m bummed because I loved those recordings as time capsules of what it felt like 6 months and then 1 year after quitting my dayjob.

But instead of moping around about it, I just (10 seconds ago) decided to do a NEW, FREE Q+A session.

This Wednesday, October 5th.
4pm ET.
You can get the call-in details + recording by signing up here.

You can ask anything about having a craftybiz, quitting a dayjob, or having pink hair.

It will be fun, silly and to-the-point.
Get the details (and a chance to send in your questions), right here.
(If you can’t make it, you’ll get the recording)

I’m not selling anything, just answering your questions because it’s fun and I like you.

Talk to you soon!

No related posts.

Tara Swiger

It’s time for the contractions

Are you inhaling? Is it time to exhale?

In safety, I found YES

Instead of putting up walls, instead of creating a hard shell, focusing on safety allowed me to open up, blossom, and risk things I never would have imagined.

What did you say YES to? What do you need before you can say YES?

Reviewing the year in your business

1. Gather Information

Pricing is not a Benefit

You are not competing with Wal-mart.

Remember how your English teacher used to say “Show, don’t Tell”?

Of course, you probably know this.

But do your customers know it? Do you make it ultra-freaking clear that what you make is valuable?

Holiday Sanity and Starships

Yet, it works. It helps you get a handle on what’s coming next and it makes it all more do-able.

Thus it’s decided: the Starship is now open to new Cadets.

Podcast: Multiple Streams of Income

What’s unclear?

But what else?

Right Action

How Right People Changed my Business, revisited

If these people love what I make, then I should make something truly ME.

If there are people who love what I make, then I should be talking to THEM.

My Right People love my thing, so why worry with those who don’t?

The more I thought about Right People, I realized I was actually thinking about Marketing.

The result?

A totally unexpected, non-yarny result?

Following my Right People? Led me to bliss.

What would change in your business if you focused on your Right People?

Got questions? Get ‘em answered.

But do your customers know it?
Do you make it ultra-freaking clear that what you make is valuable?

Yet, it works.
It helps you get a handle on what’s coming next and it makes it all more do-able.