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This week I thought I’d re-release one of my very favourite ever episodes. If you’re a regular listener you’ll know I ask all product creators who join me on the show for their number 1 piece of advice. For episode 50, I put together a compilation of 20 of the best tips I’d heard from product creators. If you want to launch your own product or are just in need of a friendly boost this is the episode to listen to!

Listen in to hear top tips from:

  • Silke Thistlewood, Raise Up Mums (02:08)
  • Lauren Hampshire, the Milky Tee Company (03:54)
  • Lynsey Pollard, Little Box of Books (04:46)
  • Kate Tompsett, Happy & Glorious (06:02)
  • Keisha Shah, Teddo Play (08:24)
  • Suzanne Hemming, Thea Chops Books (10:54)
  • Bee Veronica Moore, Witty Ditty Designs (12:10)
  • Lau Morrachini, the Creative Upcycler (15:02)
  • Alice Clover, Author (18:10)
  • Dawn Friday, Girl Friday Embroidery (18:48)
  • Sophie Lilley, Munchkin and Bear (19:49)
  • Harjit Sohotey-Khan, Jewelled Buddha (20:48)
  • Ruth Bradford, the Little Black and White Book Project (21:55)
  • Becky Perry, Paper Pattern Scissors (24:44)
  • Priya Khan, Little Crystal Minds (26:23)
  • Monique Horrigan, The Dou-Douds (27:40)
  • Catherine Marche (28:52)
  • Natalia Bolek, Naboso Handmade (31:37)
  • Christina Pickworth, This Mama Does (33:26)
  • Ruth Bussey, Ink and Scribbles (35:22)

USEFUL RESOURCES:

Listen to the episodes in full: 

Episode 4 – How Silke created her resilience cards (and a new revenue stream)

Episode 7 – The reality of a ‘successful’ products business – with Lauren Hampshire, The Milky Tee Company

Episode 13 – Creating a products business by sourcing and curating – with Lynsey Pollard

Episode 15 – How to open a shop – with Kate Tompsett

Episode 17 – A family-run products business – with Keisha Shah, Teddo Play

Episode 19 – How to write and publish your own books – with Suzanne Hemming, Thea Chops Books

Episode 21 – Turning a passion into a business – with Bee Veronica Moore

Episode 23 – Creating Upcycled products – with Lau Moracchini

Episode 27 – How to Self Publish Your Book – with Alice Clover

Episode 29 – Selling handmade items on Etsy – with Dawn Friday

Episode 31 – Going into business with a friend – with Sophie Lilley, Munchkin & Bear

Episode 33 – Giving up the 9-to-5 to sell Artisan products – with Harjit Sohotey-Khan

Episode 35 – The importance of ‘ just going for it’ – with Ruth Bradford, the Little Black and White Book Project

Episode 37 – Selling Both Physical and Digital Products – with Becky Perry, Pattern, Paper, Scissors

Episode 38 – Adding products to your service business – with Priya Khan, Little Crystal Minds

Episode 39 – From making products by hand to outsourcing production – with Monique Horrigan, the Dou-Doods

Episode 40 – From selling on Etsy to a permanent showroom – With Catherine Marche

Episode 42 – Making every product to order – with Natalia Bolek, Naboso Handmade

Episode 45 – Selling products as a side business – with Christina Pickworth, THIS MAMA DOES

Episode 47 – Selling printables – with Ruth Bussey, Ink & Scribbles

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Transcript
Speaker:

Welcome to the Bring Your Product Ideas to Life podcast, practical advice

Speaker:

and inspiration to help you create and sell your own physical products.

Speaker:

Here's your host, Vicki Weinberg.

Vicki Weinberg:

Hi.

Vicki Weinberg:, it is just before Christmas:Vicki Weinberg:

You are probably super busy.

Vicki Weinberg:

I'm recording this a couple of weeks in advance because I'm sure I will be too.

Vicki Weinberg:

And I thought rather than give you something completely new now, because

Vicki Weinberg:

I'm just not sure it's, you know, the right time to be doing that.

Vicki Weinberg:

Instead, I thought I'd re-release one of my very favorite ever episodes.

Vicki Weinberg:

So for episode 50, I put together a compilation of 20 of the best tips

Vicki Weinberg:

I'd heard from product creators.

Vicki Weinberg:

If you listen to the podcast regularly, you'll know at the end

Vicki Weinberg:

of each episode, I ask all of my guests to share their top tip.

Vicki Weinberg:

So I compiled 20 of those and put them into one huge episode

Vicki Weinberg:

that went out, I think it must be coming up to two years ago now.

Vicki Weinberg:

So you may have listened to that before.

Vicki Weinberg:

You may not.

Vicki Weinberg:

Um, even if you did, I think what resonated then might

Vicki Weinberg:

not be what resonated now.

Vicki Weinberg:

Quite a lot of time has has passed.

Vicki Weinberg:

So I thought it was a great one to re-release.

Vicki Weinberg:

Um, if you like this episode, you can let me know.

Vicki Weinberg:

I am thinking of perhaps an updated one, speaking to different guests, um,

Vicki Weinberg:

to get a fresh lot of advice for you, um, because I don't know about you, but

Vicki Weinberg:

sometimes that final question where I say, what's your number one piece of advice?

Vicki Weinberg:

I get some fantastic advice there.

Vicki Weinberg:

Um, and I hope that, that you do too.

Vicki Weinberg:

So without further ado I'm going to, um, replay, um, the episode 50.

Vicki Weinberg:

First up, we have Silke Thistlewood from Raise Up Mums.

Vicki Weinberg:

Silke added a whole new revenue stream to her business when Drew created

Vicki Weinberg:

her resilience cards for new mums.

Vicki Weinberg:

Silke was my first ever guest and the one and only guest I actually interviewed

Vicki Weinberg:

in person back when that was possible.

Vicki Weinberg:hink we recorded in February,:Vicki Weinberg:

pandemic and everything was shut down.

Vicki Weinberg:

And yeah, this is my one and only face to face interview.

Vicki Weinberg:

And, um, really hope you enjoy listening to Silke's advice.

Silke Thistlewood:

Okay.

Silke Thistlewood:

I think my top tip would be to, along with not being afraid of making mistakes, is

Silke Thistlewood:

also not be afraid of make, not knowing everything and not be afraid of possibly

Silke Thistlewood:

making a bit of a fool of yourself.

Silke Thistlewood:

Um, And I remember, which is my reason for mentioning this, I remember ringing round

Silke Thistlewood:

printing firms to get quotes from people.

Silke Thistlewood:

And I, I could have done them by email, but I really wanted

Silke Thistlewood:

to talk to people to get a gist of what their business was like.

Silke Thistlewood:

And I needed people to talk me through stuff because I didn't

Silke Thistlewood:

know anything about, you know, card thickness and laminating and,

Silke Thistlewood:

you know, full colour, whatever.

Silke Thistlewood:

Um, so I rang some printers and the way that some of them made me feel

Silke Thistlewood:

was not nice because I rang up and they could tell immediately that I

Silke Thistlewood:

didn't know what I was talking about.

Silke Thistlewood:

And they didn't have any time for that, which wasn't nice.

Silke Thistlewood:

But that is more of a reflection on how they run their business.

Silke Thistlewood:

Um, and not on, you know, my ability to, to do anything.

Silke Thistlewood:

But the printer that I eventually ended up using was incredibly accommodating

Silke Thistlewood:

and they were ever so friendly and had lots of time to explain things to me.

Silke Thistlewood:

And the first time I called, you know, they said, oh, we

Silke Thistlewood:

can do all of that for you.

Silke Thistlewood:

We'll explain to you how it works.

Silke Thistlewood:

If you want to use us or not, that's then up to you, we might still

Silke Thistlewood:

not be the right printers for you.

Silke Thistlewood:

And they were just really, really lovely.

Silke Thistlewood:

So, let's stick with it.

Silke Thistlewood:

And don't be afraid to have a sort of beginner's mindset and just embrace the

Silke Thistlewood:

fact that you don't know everything, but the people that are, you know,

Silke Thistlewood:

as passionate about their businesses as you are, they'll have time for

Silke Thistlewood:

you to, um, to explain stuff to you and to take you through the process.

Vicki Weinberg:

Next up is Lauren Hampshire from the Milky Tee Company.

Vicki Weinberg:

Lauren shared some amazing achievements that she's had, but

Vicki Weinberg:

she also talked about how what you see when you look at any business

Vicki Weinberg:

might not actually be the reality.

Lauren Hampshire:

Okay.

Lauren Hampshire:

My number one piece of advice, I think we've, we've kind of covered it a

Lauren Hampshire:

little bit, is that to not rush and to make sure that you have everything

Lauren Hampshire:

in place, that the product is perfect.

Lauren Hampshire:

Make sure you've done your sampling.

Lauren Hampshire:

Make sure you've got all the legal things in place and protected your design if it

Lauren Hampshire:

is unique, and make sure that you've, got your patent in place before you make it

Lauren Hampshire:

public because you don't want to launch, uh, without protecting it and then you

Lauren Hampshire:

lose that right to be able to protect it.

Lauren Hampshire:

And also you don't want to launch a product that there's a problem with, and

Lauren Hampshire:

then you end up having to recall them all.

Lauren Hampshire:

So make sure that your product is right.

Lauren Hampshire:

Make sure that it's protected, um, and don't rush.

Lauren Hampshire:

And yeah, then launch once everything is in place.

Vicki Weinberg:

In episode 13, I spoke to Lynsey Pollard from Little Box of Books.

Vicki Weinberg:

Lynsey curates rather than creates products and also offers a subscription

Vicki Weinberg:

service, she had so much great advice to share and this was her top tip.

Lynsey Pollard:

Um, I'd say having passion helps, like if you want it to

Lynsey Pollard:

go far, like you can, you can do what you want, you can make what you want.

Lynsey Pollard:

Um, but passion, kind of drive passion certainly drives me to like get it

Lynsey Pollard:

to more people and get more exposure.

Lynsey Pollard:

And in doing that, I think you, my main advice is to look after yourself and

Lynsey Pollard:

your wellbeing and your, your own mental health, because there's something about

Lynsey Pollard:

having to pick yourself up and go again.

Lynsey Pollard:

Being, like I mentioned earlier, like you have to be tenacious and you have to like

Lynsey Pollard:

dust yourself off and make connections and, and network and keep pushing your

Lynsey Pollard:

business because you believe in it.

Lynsey Pollard:

And I think one of the things that's really helped me is like having therapy

Lynsey Pollard:

and, and counseling and support as I go along so I can remain robust.

Lynsey Pollard:

It's kind of like, um, uh, it's like a protective thing to just make sure

Lynsey Pollard:

that, you know, you take a lot of knocks and you don't, sometimes it's

Lynsey Pollard:

sometimes very uncertain and it's really good to check in and just keep

Lynsey Pollard:

yourself strong mentally as you go along.

Lynsey Pollard:

That's my biggest thing, I think.

Vicki Weinberg:

Guest Kate Tompsett from Happy and Glorious was our

Vicki Weinberg:

first guest to own a physical shop.

Vicki Weinberg:

Kate actually had two top pieces of advice, and if she couldn't choose between

Vicki Weinberg:

them, I can't choose between them either, so we would just call this a bonus one.

Kate Tompsett:

Give yourself deadlines is really, really important because everybody

Kate Tompsett:

says, if I had time, I would do this.

Kate Tompsett:

And these are people with proper jobs.

Kate Tompsett:

As I term them, and people with all sorts of things.

Kate Tompsett:

But you have to kind of make time, which is, I know sounds

Kate Tompsett:

ridiculous, but the time is there.

Kate Tompsett:

Time is an infinite source.

Kate Tompsett:

We have it, but you just have to let something else go in order to make

Kate Tompsett:

time to do the thing that's important to you and the thing that you love.

Kate Tompsett:

Um, so yeah, just be a little bit determined and kind of try and do

Kate Tompsett:

one thing a day that just pushes you a little further along that road.

Kate Tompsett:

I think that's really important.

Kate Tompsett:

And I would also say don't be afraid to fluff.

Kate Tompsett:

And I think that's really, really valuable.

Kate Tompsett:

I've had ideas that kind of seem like strokes of genius, and when I put them

Kate Tompsett:

into practice, they just completely flop.

Kate Tompsett:

But that doesn't mean that the idea was bad.

Kate Tompsett:

And it doesn't mean that I was wrong.

Kate Tompsett:

It could be the timing or it could be the approach.

Kate Tompsett:

It could be any number of things.

Kate Tompsett:

And every, every fluff up is an opportunity to learn.

Kate Tompsett:

And if you put them on the back burner, it doesn't mean that you can't use them

Kate Tompsett:

in the future and they will suddenly spread your wings and let you fly.

Kate Tompsett:

So any, yeah, any opportunity to train and to learn or, and, and

Kate Tompsett:

also, or get a business coach.

Kate Tompsett:

Sorry, I'm sure this is like five things.

Kate Tompsett:

Um, but I've got a business coach who is just brilliant.

Kate Tompsett:

I don't use him as much as I did when I started because I find that

Kate Tompsett:

the things come naturally to me.

Kate Tompsett:

But it's so helpful to have someone that you can bounce ideas.

Kate Tompsett:

They're positive and they're realistic.

Kate Tompsett:

You can talk about your business for hours on end, whereas if you do that with

Kate Tompsett:

a friend or family might have concerns about you or be careful, be cautious,

Kate Tompsett:

don't do that, or I wouldn't do that.

Kate Tompsett:

Whereas if you've got a coach, they will just help you work out what you

Kate Tompsett:

want and how you can reach it, and then support you on the steps that you

Kate Tompsett:

need to do to kind of reach your goal.

Vicki Weinberg:

Teddo Play was up next.

Vicki Weinberg:

Keisha has a great brand that she set up along with her

Vicki Weinberg:

husband and we spoke last summer.

Vicki Weinberg:

She's clearly a woman after my own heart, as her advice was all about

Vicki Weinberg:

the importance of doing your research.

Keisha Shah:

What I would say is, again, um, I know I mentioned this

Keisha Shah:

before, but you've got to stay, um, you know, focused on your goals.

Keisha Shah:

So once you have done your bit of market research, obviously you need

Keisha Shah:

to start with that, um, and find out whether your product idea is feasible.

Keisha Shah:

You can't just take, um, a hobby, um, and just think that, you know,

Keisha Shah:

I'm going to put this up on social media and find my customers there.

Keisha Shah:

It doesn't work that way.

Keisha Shah:

And in today's day and age, I know social media, It's a great platform.

Keisha Shah:

It's, it's great for marketing.

Keisha Shah:

Great for advertising.

Keisha Shah:

Yes.

Keisha Shah:

True.

Keisha Shah:

But there are lots of other ways too.

Keisha Shah:

You know, there's, you've got Google, you've got YouTube, you've got various

Keisha Shah:

ways to get your product out there.

Keisha Shah:

Um, and I just feel like when I see people, um, just create something and

Keisha Shah:

just start trying to find people on, on, on Facebook and on Instagram, I

Keisha Shah:

just feel that that's not how it works.

Keisha Shah:

Like tell me honestly how many times have you, when you've gone on social

Keisha Shah:

media, do you go there with, with the intention to purchase something?

Keisha Shah:

No.

Keisha Shah:

I mean, you, you would, if you want, if you really want to buy something,

Keisha Shah:

the first thing would come to mind would be Google or some, some, um,

Keisha Shah:

you know, online stores that you know, and that's, that's where you

Keisha Shah:

are going with that intention to buy.

Keisha Shah:

So with social media, I just feel that people are, um, getting a little

Keisha Shah:

carried away and thinking that that's where they will get you success from.

Keisha Shah:

Um, but yeah, so that, that's one top piece of advice I would give is

Keisha Shah:

like, um, you know, do your research.

Keisha Shah:

You've got to stay, um, you know, focused on your goal.

Keisha Shah:

Um, do not give up.

Keisha Shah:

There's going to be hurdles.

Keisha Shah:

There will be ups and downs.

Keisha Shah:

There might.

Keisha Shah:

Or you might even come across a complete roadblock, but don't give up.

Keisha Shah:

It, it is going to be tough.

Keisha Shah:

No one's ever said, you know, running a business is easy.

Keisha Shah:

No one, literally no one ever said that.

Keisha Shah:

So accept it.

Keisha Shah:

And as long as I think you're focused on your goal, you'll make it happen

Keisha Shah:

Again to bear, to bear in mind is, um, you know, we live in a very dynamic

Keisha Shah:

world, so we, we got to be able to, to adapt if we need to change our.

Keisha Shah:

We should have the courage to do it.

Keisha Shah:

Unless you know, I've heard you would have heard the saying that unless you leave

Keisha Shah:

the site of the show you, you won't know.

Keisha Shah:

You know, you won't be able to, you can't explore new horizons.

Keisha Shah:

So keep that in mind and learn from your mistakes and move forward.

Vicki Weinberg:

Next up is Suzanne Hemming from Thea Chops, books.

Vicki Weinberg:

Sue writes and self-publish rhyming children's books with

Vicki Weinberg:

messages of equality and inclusion.

Vicki Weinberg:

She had great advice for anyone else looking to self-publish.

Suzanne Hemming:

Just do it.

Suzanne Hemming:

Just do it.

Suzanne Hemming:

Just have a go.

Suzanne Hemming:

I don't know whether somebody said this to me or whether I

Suzanne Hemming:

read it somewhere, but Right.

Suzanne Hemming:

Uh, back in the early days, I can remember, well, the thing that I

Suzanne Hemming:

kept told of was, the only thing you will regret is not having had a go.

Suzanne Hemming:

So that's the only regret that you will have.

Suzanne Hemming:

Um, like again, what is the worst that can happen?

Suzanne Hemming:

You end up with boxes of books in the spare bedroom or in the garage,

Suzanne Hemming:

or you know, that you have to donate to a library or a hospital

Suzanne Hemming:

or schools or like, Just have a go.

Suzanne Hemming:

Just do it.

Suzanne Hemming:

Um, yeah, it's, it's a bit, I'm kind of seal a stealing a catchphrase there from

Suzanne Hemming:

a well known sporting company, aren't I?

Suzanne Hemming:

But just do it like, yeah, that's the best bit of advice I can, I can give to people.

Suzanne Hemming:

Have a go.

Suzanne Hemming:

That's the have a go.

Vicki Weinberg:In the summer of:Vicki Weinberg:

of Witty Ditty Designs, be talks about the importance of asking for help

Vicki Weinberg:

and not trying to do it all alone.

Vicki Weinberg:

I think whether you are just starting out or whether you've been in business a

Vicki Weinberg:

while, this is always really great advice.

Vicki Weinberg:

And she also had a fantastic tip about the British Library

Bee Veronica Moore:

Make sure that you find the right kind of.

Bee Veronica Moore:

Help when you first start out.

Bee Veronica Moore:

So if you are starting out and you, you definitely don't try and do it

Bee Veronica Moore:

all by yourself, you might start off a bit by yourself, you know, at your

Bee Veronica Moore:

kitchen table doing what you do, maybe with just family and friends.

Bee Veronica Moore:

But when it gets to the point where you need to branch out

Bee Veronica Moore:

a bit, you know, don't do it.

Bee Veronica Moore:

Try and do it all by yourself.

Bee Veronica Moore:

Try and find, as I was saying, try and find, um, a group or, or, um,

Bee Veronica Moore:

mentoring, mentorship, mentoring groups.

Bee Veronica Moore:

Um, Out there that you can join and there are some really good free

Bee Veronica Moore:

ones you don't have to pay either.

Bee Veronica Moore:

You know, don't get conned into paying hundreds of pounds to some

Bee Veronica Moore:

consultant who says, oh, I can help you with this, that, and the other.

Bee Veronica Moore:

There are some really good, um, um, networking organizations out there who

Bee Veronica Moore:

are funded to help people like us who.

Bee Veronica Moore:

You know, starting out and need help.

Bee Veronica Moore:

The other good place is, um, the British Library.

Bee Veronica Moore:

They, um, again, not so much now because of the pandemic,

Bee Veronica Moore:

it's closed, blah, blah, blah.

Bee Veronica Moore:

But back in the day, the British Library was really, really good,

Bee Veronica Moore:

a good source of, um, help.

Bee Veronica Moore:

They offer, you know, free advice on all sorts.

Bee Veronica Moore:

I mean, it's them who I went to and I wanted to get my copy.

Bee Veronica Moore:

Done on my logo and in my work, and they were the ones

Bee Veronica Moore:

that gave me loads of advice.

Bee Veronica Moore:

You know, they, you, you have to book and, and you, obviously there's

Bee Veronica Moore:

a waiting list cuz it's free.

Bee Veronica Moore:

But you, you could go and see somebody who would take you through all of

Bee Veronica Moore:

your rights and your copyright and what you should and shouldn't do.

Bee Veronica Moore:

So yeah, that is something that you definitely have to do is, um,

Bee Veronica Moore:

is um, don't, don't, don't, don't try and do it all by yourself and

Bee Veronica Moore:

get good advice from good sources.

Bee Veronica Moore:

I think you're right.

Bee Veronica Moore:

Having a network is just so important.

Bee Veronica Moore:

Just having people around you, you can bounce ideas off that, you can ask

Bee Veronica Moore:

questions and yeah, it's invaluable.

Bee Veronica Moore:

I think that's great advice.

Bee Veronica Moore:

And I didn't know that about the British Library as well,

Bee Veronica Moore:

so I'm fascinated to hear that.

Bee Veronica Moore:

Yeah, yeah.

Bee Veronica Moore:

They're, they're brilliant.

Bee Veronica Moore:

They, they, they, and they have talks.

Bee Veronica Moore:

Some of the talks are free, some of them aren't, but even the ones that

Bee Veronica Moore:

aren't, you know, it's like not very much to, to pay to go and see some

Bee Veronica Moore:

amazing speakers are, you know, entre.

Bee Veronica Moore:

Who have done, who you would know the names of, and they talk to you and say,

Bee Veronica Moore:

this is how I started, this is what I did.

Bee Veronica Moore:

Um, and as I say, they do, they did.

Bee Veronica Moore:

And I'm sure once everything's back to normal, they will do carry on doing.

Bee Veronica Moore:

So they do offer free advice, um, as well.

Vicki Weinberg:

The next episode was with Lau Morocchini also

Vicki Weinberg:

known as the Creative Upcycler.

Vicki Weinberg:

Lau spoke about being brave enough to share your work and your goals of others.

Vicki Weinberg:

In fact, she had a lot of top tips to squeeze into just a few minutes.

Lau Morocchini:

Do it.

Lau Morocchini:

That's the first piece of advice.

Lau Morocchini:

Do it.

Lau Morocchini:

Trust yourself.

Lau Morocchini:

Show your work to other people.

Lau Morocchini:

Whatever you're making to friends, family, uh, show your work.

Lau Morocchini:

Try to.

Lau Morocchini:

To have a support network sometimes, uh, talk to a friend

Lau Morocchini:

or a partner or member or family.

Lau Morocchini:

Uh, tell them your goals.

Lau Morocchini:

Set some goals.

Lau Morocchini:

Uh, tell them what you're going to do.

Lau Morocchini:

Do it, show them the product.

Lau Morocchini:

Accept the bad feedbacks.

Lau Morocchini:

I mean the negative feedbacks because it help you growing and doing better.

Lau Morocchini:

Uh, I've someone like, uh, an accountability, um,

Lau Morocchini:

accountability partner.

Lau Morocchini:

Anyone?

Lau Morocchini:

Look, next month I'm going to, I don't know.

Lau Morocchini:

I'm going to make, uh, 10.

Lau Morocchini:

I'm going to learn how to solve the silver rings.

Lau Morocchini:

Hope, do it.

Lau Morocchini:

You don't have the money to pay for a workshop.

Lau Morocchini:

Go online.

Lau Morocchini:

You've got plenty of free, uh, courses.

Lau Morocchini:

Jewelry, making all the products.

Lau Morocchini:

Learn, practice, fail.

Lau Morocchini:

Start again.

Lau Morocchini:

Fail again.

Lau Morocchini:

Start and fail.

Lau Morocchini:

Do it you, you, and put it out.

Lau Morocchini:

I mean, in the, in the air.

Lau Morocchini:

Show it to people.

Lau Morocchini:

Uh, for, for feedback.

Lau Morocchini:

Always something very important as well is knowing who your customers

Lau Morocchini:

are and, uh, Listen, listen to your customers basically because

Lau Morocchini:

you're making stuff to sell to them.

Lau Morocchini:

You don't, you don't make stuff just to, to please you in your

Lau Morocchini:

workshop and keep them in drawer.

Lau Morocchini:

So yeah, communicate a lot with your customers as much as you can.

Lau Morocchini:

What else, but go line, investigate.

Lau Morocchini:

Don't worry if you see, oh, I had this product in mind,

Lau Morocchini:

but, oh, it already exists.

Lau Morocchini:

It doesn't matter.

Lau Morocchini:

Do it.

Lau Morocchini:

Try to do it better.

Lau Morocchini:

Try to transform it.

Lau Morocchini:

Try to to add something more to it.

Lau Morocchini:

Different color, different material, anywhere depending on your project.

Lau Morocchini:

What else?

Lau Morocchini:

Learn.

Lau Morocchini:

I'm, for example, I'm, I'm a wood turn, but I'm a self taught, I

Lau Morocchini:

never paid for turning class.

Lau Morocchini:

Even my partner for Christmas bought me a two days ago for an advanced course.

Lau Morocchini:

Since the successful advanced wound turning, I will be, I, I'll go there to

Lau Morocchini:

learn more, more techniques, but I've learned a lot of things with people.

Lau Morocchini:

Online, practicing, failing, doing it again, et cetera.

Lau Morocchini:

So yeah, I'll go at it and you'll be better every day.

Vicki Weinberg:

Alice Clover was my next guest.

Vicki Weinberg:

Alice is a self-published author and her books focus on gender and equality.

Vicki Weinberg:an event in Brighton back in:Vicki Weinberg:

it was so lovely and exciting to have her on the podcast.

Vicki Weinberg:

Alice spoke a lot about the importance of just doing it, just

Vicki Weinberg:

writing and enjoying what you do.

Alice Clover:

Um, Just write, and if you're really passionate about it and

Alice Clover:

you believe in yourself, you can succeed.

Alice Clover:

You've just got to be patient and realize that it's not going to become

Alice Clover:

a best seller overnight, or it's not going to sell loads overnight, and you

Alice Clover:

might not make any money from it at all.

Alice Clover:

But if you really are passionate about it and want to do it, you should just.

Vicki Weinberg:

Next, I spoke of Dawn Friday from Girl Friday Embroidery.

Vicki Weinberg:

Dawn was the first Etsy seller on the podcast, and I learned

Vicki Weinberg:

such a lot from that episode.

Vicki Weinberg:

Dawn makes all of her products by hand and her advice is

Vicki Weinberg:

fantastic for creators and makers.

Dawn Friday:

Um, I would say, Be yourself, um, because it shines through in what

Dawn Friday:

you do, um, and create your own style.

Dawn Friday:

Um, there are a lot of us on Instagram that freehand embroider,

Dawn Friday:

but we all do it in a different way.

Dawn Friday:

Um, our work all looks different and I think you can tell when someone is

Dawn Friday:

trying to not copy, but when someone is trying to do something that isn't them.

Dawn Friday:

So, yeah, I would say just, just find your own way really and find your own style.

Dawn Friday:

And don't overthink it.

Dawn Friday:

Just do it , which is my message to myself most days.

Dawn Friday:

Um, as I said, you kind faff about and you, you think about things too much, but

Dawn Friday:

sometimes you're better off just having a.

Vicki Weinberg:

The next episode I want to share is with Sophie

Vicki Weinberg:

Lilly for Munchkin and Bear.

Vicki Weinberg:

Sophie actually went into business with her friend, which many of you I know found

Vicki Weinberg:

really interesting, and Sophie's advice is all about knowing your customers.

Sophie Lilly:

I would be really know what problem you are trying to solve, um, and

Sophie Lilly:

really know who you are doing it for.

Sophie Lilly:

Because I think there's, it's very easy, and I went through a process

Sophie Lilly:

before I kind of landed here and approached Alana of thinking

Sophie Lilly:

through different things I could do.

Sophie Lilly:

Um, and it's easy to start from your skill set and go, well, I can make

Sophie Lilly:

cushions, so I'm gonna make cushions.

Sophie Lilly:

And, and that's definitely a part of that journey cuz you wanna do something

Sophie Lilly:

you can do or you feel passionate about.

Sophie Lilly:

But I think working out what you are selling and who is it for and

Sophie Lilly:

in what moment in their life, really helps you kind of get it right.

Sophie Lilly:

Um, and, and also then the marketing piece becomes a lot easier because

Sophie Lilly:

you know who you're trying to talk to.

Sophie Lilly:

Um, yeah, that would be my tip.

Vicki Weinberg:

Then spoke with Harjit Sohotey-Khan from Jewelled Buddha.

Vicki Weinberg:

I'd known Harjit a while, and was just so excited to have her on the podcast.

Vicki Weinberg:

Her advice is also along the lines of trying not to do everything alone.

Harjit Sohotey-Khan:

I would say if you're just starting off, get help,

Harjit Sohotey-Khan:

because I think from that, you know, you get, um, , it really helps you on your

Harjit Sohotey-Khan:

journey to the starting, and starting is the most difficult thing, you know?

Harjit Sohotey-Khan:

Um, having help from mentors, um, and other business owners that are either in

Harjit Sohotey-Khan:

your field or not is totally invaluable.

Harjit Sohotey-Khan:

Yeah.

Harjit Sohotey-Khan:

You know, so, um, I, I would say get help, definitely enjoying lots of Facebook

Harjit Sohotey-Khan:

groups and support groups because, you know, they can help you, um, you know,

Harjit Sohotey-Khan:

down the path that you need really to, you know, make a good go of your business.

Vicki Weinberg:

The next episode is with Ruth Bradford from the

Vicki Weinberg:

Little Black and White Book project.

Vicki Weinberg:

The whole episode is focused on the importance of just going

Vicki Weinberg:

for it, and Ruth's advice is all around following your own path and

Vicki Weinberg:

focusing on what works for you.

Vicki Weinberg:

Ruth also speaks about following people only a few steps ahead

Vicki Weinberg:

rather than those that are a long way out from where you want to be.

Vicki Weinberg:

Um, and I really love that is, that is what this podcast is all about.

Ruth Bradford:

See, this is really hard because the, the more I talk about my

Ruth Bradford:

journey, the more I realize I've got all these little bits that I want people to.

Ruth Bradford:

Take on board.

Ruth Bradford:

But, um, I think the biggest learning for me has been.

Ruth Bradford:

There are no rules that contrary to what all these people who probably make

Ruth Bradford:

millions of pounds a year telling you out of consulting or you know, that

Ruth Bradford:

people set their business up around telling other people how to make

Ruth Bradford:

millions and all that kinda stuff.

Ruth Bradford:

But ultimately, as long as you are following the advice and tax rules,

Ruth Bradford:

everything else is up for grabs.

Ruth Bradford:

So there's no reason why you should be running your business as a

Ruth Bradford:

carbon copy of someone else's, you know, like do this your own way.

Ruth Bradford:

If you wanna grow slow, grow slow.

Ruth Bradford:

If you wanna grow, you know, be a massive overnight success,

Ruth Bradford:

put your effort into that.

Ruth Bradford:

Whatever it is, just remember that like everyone will have advice.

Ruth Bradford:

Pick and choose what works for you and what applies to you and

Ruth Bradford:

what your, what you resonate with.

Ruth Bradford:

Like, and discard the rest.

Ruth Bradford:

You know, shut out all of those voices.

Ruth Bradford:

Stay in your own lane.

Ruth Bradford:

Um, and just, yes, strip it down to Microtasks to start somewhere, because.

Ruth Bradford:

You can't learn anything if you don't start.

Ruth Bradford:

So just have a go.

Ruth Bradford:

Try not to be scared.

Ruth Bradford:

Easier said than done , but I think really breaking it down into tiny little

Ruth Bradford:

microtasks that just push you forward little by little and forgetting about

Ruth Bradford:

the rules and just doing it your own way.

Ruth Bradford:

Like I said, I super going, Hey, we'll jump in first.

Ruth Bradford:

That won't work for everybody, but that worked for me.

Ruth Bradford:

You know, I think I've got a business plan somewhere, but it certainly

Ruth Bradford:

wasn't the first thing that I wrote.

Ruth Bradford:

Um, so.

Ruth Bradford:

Yeah, I think it's just throw the rule book out.

Ruth Bradford:

Don't worry about it.

Ruth Bradford:

Just, just have a go and see what happens.

Ruth Bradford:

Is that like super old cliche about fail fast, fail cheap, but it's so true.

Ruth Bradford:

Just you won't know unless you try, um, and put yourself out there and, and

Ruth Bradford:

just however, however you can do that.

Ruth Bradford:

So breaking it down into really small tasks or, you know,

Ruth Bradford:

giving yourself many challenges.

Ruth Bradford:

Finding a great support group.

Ruth Bradford:

You know, whatever that is, that's gonna propel you forward,

Ruth Bradford:

just take those little steps.

Ruth Bradford:

Because now I'm like three years on and I look back and like talking to

Ruth Bradford:

you, I'm like, I never realized I'd have so much to say, . You know?

Ruth Bradford:

And it creeps up on you that all of a sudden you've got all this knowledge

Ruth Bradford:

to share and, um, There are those people who are huge mega successes,

Ruth Bradford:

but they're so far out of reach.

Ruth Bradford:

And actually what you need to hear from are people who are few steps ahead of

Ruth Bradford:

you each time, because you can go, oh, well I could be there by next year.

Ruth Bradford:

Um, and you only really get that from just starting and trying and talking

Ruth Bradford:

to other people and having a go.

Vicki Weinberg:

Next up is Becky Perry from Paper Pattern Scissors.

Vicki Weinberg:

Becky sells both physical and digital products, which was a really

Vicki Weinberg:

interesting aspect to chat about.

Vicki Weinberg:

Her advice is about working out what you need to do to get started and

Vicki Weinberg:

about getting help where you need it.

Becky Perry:

I think the the key thing realistically is working out.

Becky Perry:

What, what you really, really need to get your business started.

Becky Perry:

So why are you doing it?

Becky Perry:

Who is going to buy it?

Becky Perry:

And also what are all the components that you need to gather to get that going?

Becky Perry:

I think, uh, I've had sort of really interesting conversations with various

Becky Perry:

people recently because, you know, a lot of, a lot of jobs are changing and

Becky Perry:

people are kind of, you know, people are losing their jobs and they want

Becky Perry:

to start their own thing, and why not?

Becky Perry:

You know, it's a time to.

Becky Perry:

I think the more you delve into something that you want to do, the more

Becky Perry:

you realize how much planning there is in there and kinda how much you

Becky Perry:

know, realistically, how much money do you need to spend to get this out?

Becky Perry:

Who might you need to employ on the things that you can't do yourself?

Becky Perry:

So for instance, uh, I employed someone to do my branding because that's not

Becky Perry:

really, I, I love having an opinion on branding and I love giving feedback on

Becky Perry:

branding, but I can't design it myself.

Becky Perry:

You.

Becky Perry:

I wanted someone to do that and someone who knew what they were doing.

Becky Perry:

So kind of employing, employing people for the right parts of different jobs

Becky Perry:

that I can't do myself is, uh, is key.

Becky Perry:

And just, yeah, just kind of really making sure you kind of clear on what you're

Becky Perry:

gonna have to do before you can launch.

Vicki Weinberg:At the end of:Vicki Weinberg:

Little Crystal Minds about adding products to a service based business.

Vicki Weinberg:

Prius's advice really reinforces what you've already heard from others on

Vicki Weinberg:

this episode, which I just think goes to show how important it is and how

Vicki Weinberg:

much that we all do need to hear it.

Priya Khan:

Um, I would say find your tribe.

Priya Khan:

Find people that are going through a similar experience to you because it

Priya Khan:

can be quite difficult and quite lonely.

Priya Khan:

Um, and you can get disheartened quite a lot and actually everyone's

Priya Khan:

going through the same process.

Priya Khan:

So finding people that understand your challenges, your pain points, um,

Priya Khan:

really helps because also they help you.

Priya Khan:

Um, like you say, everyone makes mistakes and they've probably made mistakes

Priya Khan:

and you can just ask the question and they can help and support you

Priya Khan:

and guide you as well and vice versa.

Priya Khan:

And it's just nice to have a community.

Priya Khan:

So that would be my top tip is don't do it alone.

Priya Khan:

Find your tribe, find your community to help you.

Priya Khan:

And I think I've done that and I'm gonna just plug them.

Priya Khan:

The All By Mama Group, um, have been brilliant for me.

Priya Khan:

I've had a few communities that I've gone to in the past, um, but I.

Priya Khan:

It's difficult to find.

Priya Khan:

The one that you kind of connect with and just keep trying

Vicki Weinberg:

Next up was Monique Horrigan from the Duo-Dudes.

Vicki Weinberg:

Monique's spoke really well about following your dreams while still being

Vicki Weinberg:

realistic and not putting too much pressure on yourself, which is advice

Vicki Weinberg:

I think we all need from time to time.

Monique Horrigan:

I would definitely say if you just follow your gut,

Monique Horrigan:

if you have a dream and you want to pursue it, just give it a go, you know?

Monique Horrigan:

But just be realistic.

Monique Horrigan:

I totally underestimated how much time, money, and effort, you know, and let's.

Monique Horrigan:

That have gone into this, it would be because I just had this

Monique Horrigan:

simplified version in my mind of, oh, I can make it in concerts.

Vicki Weinberg:

And I think you do have to just.

Vicki Weinberg:

Be realistic with yourself and say, this is gonna be a long, hard slog.

Vicki Weinberg:

It's, you know, it's taken me three years to get here.

Vicki Weinberg:

Um, I think, and that's just, and I still don't feel like I'm on

Vicki Weinberg:

of it yet, purely because of, and a, a second baby in the middle.

Vicki Weinberg:

Like I've just sort of got myself set up.

Vicki Weinberg:

But, um, yeah, it's just one of those things that just, you know, if you

Vicki Weinberg:

believe in yourself, that's brilliant because you've gotta start there.

Vicki Weinberg:

And.

Vicki Weinberg:

Push hard and work hard, and you'll definitely make it

Vicki Weinberg:

Catherine Marche, who makes beautiful handmade jewelry.

Vicki Weinberg:

Catherine had some fantastic advice about staying true to yourself.

Vicki Weinberg:

I also loved what she had to say about pricing and about not

Vicki Weinberg:

undervaluing yourself or your products.

Catherine Marche:

So I would say, um, you have to listen to yourself.

Catherine Marche:

Um, you.

Catherine Marche:

The only one who really knows exactly what it is that you want to do and why, and

Catherine Marche:

sometimes people who are going to give you advice are going to hinder your, um,

Catherine Marche:

wouldn't say your judgment, but they're going to put breaks to your, to you flying

Catherine Marche:

room through Dunno if that makes sense.

Catherine Marche:

I would say sometime if you're tourism.

Catherine Marche:

You're going to, you know, try to tell her for the mass.

Catherine Marche:

But the thing is that everybody has a specific, something special, which

Catherine Marche:

is not necessarily for everyone.

Catherine Marche:

And by being yourself and staying through to yourself, you're going

Catherine Marche:

to attract the people who are going to love what you really.

Catherine Marche:

But if you try to not be yourself, you're not going to enjoy what you make

Catherine Marche:

anymore, what you're going to try to do anymore, and then it's gonna take

Catherine Marche:

longer and it's, it's gonna be boring.

Catherine Marche:

But the other thing I would say is also do your mass.

Catherine Marche:

I see so many times people trying to make a living, but their

Catherine Marche:

price are absolutely too small.

Catherine Marche:

Cause they don't take into account that time.

Catherine Marche:

They don't take into account, you know, everything that comes around

Catherine Marche:

like insurance and, and I think that, If you really want to be serious

Catherine Marche:

about something, one, do something you love the way you wanna and that is

Catherine Marche:

really something that is not possible or not legal, I dunno, but, and, um,

Catherine Marche:

make sure that you price it properly.

Catherine Marche:

You know, it's not a charity that you're running, I mean, press properly.

Catherine Marche:

There's no, I've seen people who I don't know, like meet the cardigan and detect.

Catherine Marche:

Seven days of eight hours, so that's what, 50 plus hours to make the card.

Catherine Marche:

And then they're going to study something like, what, 50 pounds.

Catherine Marche:

And you think, does that even cover the price of the woo?

Catherine Marche:

I wouldn't, you know, make 50 hours of work for one per hour.

Catherine Marche:

I mean, yeah, you have to make sure that you price it.

Vicki Weinberg:

Next is Natalia Bolek from Naboso Handmade.

Vicki Weinberg:

Natalia makes really unique personalized products, and I loved her message about

Vicki Weinberg:

knowing what works for you and not necessarily taking everyone else's device

Vicki Weinberg:

on board, but really thinking about what resonates with you and what and what

Vicki Weinberg:

makes sense for you and for your business.

Natalia Bolek:

Never give up.

Natalia Bolek:

It's like, um, Sometimes we have this voice telling us, oh, we have those people

Natalia Bolek:

around us and I've met a lot of them.

Natalia Bolek:

Oh, that's not gonna work.

Natalia Bolek:

Or, or this for that much money.

Natalia Bolek:

Or are you crazy?

Natalia Bolek:

And it's like, you know, you have all these people with bad.

Natalia Bolek:

Uh, advices.

Natalia Bolek:

Just don't listen to them.

Natalia Bolek:

Uh, surround yourself or network yourself with, uh, people who

Natalia Bolek:

do similar stuff to yours.

Natalia Bolek:

Listen to good advice.

Natalia Bolek:

Sometimes if you have a person who's in like similar field might help you and tell

Natalia Bolek:

you that you can do better pictures or use better lightings or give you small tips.

Natalia Bolek:

, you know, it's you, you have to like sometimes network.

Natalia Bolek:

I've met so many great people while I am doing what I'm doing, even though

Natalia Bolek:

those people are selling different stuff like clothes or jewelry

Natalia Bolek:

makers or they're into photography.

Natalia Bolek:

It's so nice that I loved my journey through that.

Natalia Bolek:

And, um, I, I, I'm learning a lot as well, so, you know.

Natalia Bolek:

Just never gave up.

Natalia Bolek:

Just put it on the piece of the note on the, like, on your pictures

Natalia Bolek:

and, uh, um, on your mirror and just, you know, keep going.

Vicki Weinberg:My last interviews in:Vicki Weinberg:

This Mama Does, Christina runs This Mama Does alongside her full time business.

Vicki Weinberg:

And her advice is, I really aim at anyone want to create products

Vicki Weinberg:

on the side, but I still think it's good for everyone to hear.

Christina Pickworth:

Yeah, I think really you just, if there's

Christina Pickworth:

something that you want to do, just.

Christina Pickworth:

Go for it.

Christina Pickworth:

Give it a try.

Christina Pickworth:

You know, maybe it won't work.

Christina Pickworth:

Maybe it will.

Christina Pickworth:

Maybe it's something that can sit alongside whatever you are doing.

Christina Pickworth:

Maybe it will overtake whatever it else is that you are doing, but you

Christina Pickworth:

can make those decisions and decide how it can serve you in the best way.

Christina Pickworth:

And that might be, Justin that it, it's just a little extra thing that

Christina Pickworth:

you do because you love it and you know, it lights you up in some way.

Christina Pickworth:

You know, equally, you might decide that it's too hard and too much work

Christina Pickworth:

and it doesn't sit alongside other things, but at least you've done it then.

Christina Pickworth:

And you know, and it's not that thing of, oh, I, I wish I'd given that a whirl.

Christina Pickworth:

Just give it a try.

Christina Pickworth:

Do what you can do.

Christina Pickworth:

Don't beat yourself up about.

Christina Pickworth:

How much time you are able to dedicate to it.

Christina Pickworth:

Certainly don't compare yourself to other businesses, because

Christina Pickworth:

I think that's something.

Christina Pickworth:

That can be easy to do, but you've just got to remember, if it's a

Christina Pickworth:

side hustle, it's a side hustle.

Christina Pickworth:

You know, you can't look at other people that are, you know, perhaps spending

Christina Pickworth:

loads of money on PR or marketing or social media or you know, product

Christina Pickworth:

development and think, oh, but you know, they're doing much better than me.

Christina Pickworth:

Well, they're just doing something different to you.

Christina Pickworth:

So I think you just have.

Christina Pickworth:

Go for it.

Christina Pickworth:

Stay in your own lane and do it because you love it.

Christina Pickworth:

And if you don't love it, then just don't do it anymore.

Christina Pickworth:

That's, that's, I think that's, that's all you can do will, isn't it?

Christina Pickworth:

I, you know, just give it a go and see where you end up.

Vicki Weinberg:

Okay, so our final contribution is from Ruth Bussey, from

Vicki Weinberg:

Ink and Scribbles, Ruth's advice is short and sweet and well worth listening

Vicki Weinberg:

to, so it's a fantastic way to end.

Ruth Bussey:

I think that I would say, um, going back and touching on what we were

Ruth Bussey:

saying earlier, um, learn research first.

Ruth Bussey:

Do your research first, but then just do it.

Ruth Bussey:

Don't, um, put pressure on yourself, um, to make it one way or another.

Ruth Bussey:

Just be on the journey.

Ruth Bussey:

. So what did you think of that?

Ruth Bussey:

If it was your first or second time, or even more times than

Ruth Bussey:

that listening, I hope you still took away something super useful.

Vicki Weinberg:

This will be the last that you'll hear from me this year.

Vicki Weinberg:

Um, there will be an episode next week that'll be an

Vicki Weinberg:

interview of me speaking for a.

Vicki Weinberg:

With a guest and I really hope you've enjoyed the episodes

Vicki Weinberg:

I've put out this year.

Vicki Weinberg:

Um, please do continue to listen.

Vicki Weinberg:

Please recommend to your friends if you'd like to join me as a guest or

Vicki Weinberg:

if you have an idea of a topic you'd like me to cover, please, please,

Vicki Weinberg:

please always do get in touch.

Vicki Weinberg:

It's Vicki, v i c k i at Vicki, v i c k i w e i n b e r g.com.

Vicki Weinberg:

So it's vicky@vickyweinberg.com, and you can also find that link in the show notes.

Vicki Weinberg:

I genuinely like to know what.

Vicki Weinberg:

I really want to keep it to our episodes that you are enjoying and that are useful.

Vicki Weinberg:

So, um, never hesitate to get in touch and tell me what it is you need.

Vicki Weinberg:

Um, so all the best and I wish you a wonderful, a wonderful New Year.

Vicki Weinberg:

Thank you so much for listening Right to the end of this episode.

Vicki Weinberg:

Do you remember that You can get the full back catalog and lots of free resources

Vicki Weinberg:

on my website vicky weinberg.com.

Vicki Weinberg:

Please do remember to rate and review this episode if you've enjoyed it,

Vicki Weinberg:

and also share it with a friend who you think might find it useful.

Vicki Weinberg:

Thank