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Post by Pandagirl on May 6, 2014 1:46:51 GMT
Have you had a chance to start thinking about your road map? Can you answer most of these questions of who, what where, how and when?
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Post by lyn on May 6, 2014 10:46:05 GMT
Not yet Marilyn - but I will! I need to get together with Annie.
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Post by Pandagirl on May 6, 2014 14:46:52 GMT
It's not a test Lyn. :-) I hope people don't take it that way. If someone has difficulty answering some of the questions I thought we could use this thread as a way to help people thru the process. It does take some thought. It's quite a lot to juggle which why it's easier to tackle one item at a time. Thanks for responding. I look forward to hearing your results and if this process was helpful and if not, why not.
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Post by lyn on May 6, 2014 16:28:52 GMT
I've printed the 'road map blog post' so I can work on it.
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Post by MTRuth on May 6, 2014 17:13:37 GMT
I spent loads of time when I opened the store making a business plan. The problem though is that everything changes so quickly these days, that you need to keep changing the map all together. 16 years ago when I opened the shop there was no such thing as social media. The internet was a brand new thing that most people didn't know how to use.
That said, I don't do a good enough job renewing my plan. The task seems too daunting most of the time. I'm sure I know most of the things in my head but it would be better if I took the time to write it down and really think about it more.
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Post by Pandagirl on May 6, 2014 19:38:47 GMT
You've made a good point Ruth. Marketing is dynamic. Markets are ever changing. It's most important to evaluate those things that aren't working and continue doing the things that are. It's probably a good idea to review at least once a year if things haven't changed drastically. As new technologies are available, then you should evaluate them as they come on or change. I will try to address this as we work through the plan. It's more adding and tweaking than to completely redo. :-)
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Post by zed on May 7, 2014 10:30:50 GMT
That's a very good point, Ruth.
It seems like no matter how much research I've done into something, by the time I've spent ages working on it, things have changed. I spent a lot of time decided whether to do Beyond Nuno as a workshop or e-book and people's opinions swayed towards e-book as you can work at your own pace, don't have to fork out for supplies until you want to or need to and won't have waste if you don't use them. As much as I'd love to have a succesful fibre art business, I don't have the time or energy and certainly not money to keep trying, failing, reworking, retrying, failing etc.
I think Location/ability to travel, and who you know are more important than what you know/having a great product.
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Post by Shepherdess on May 7, 2014 23:15:34 GMT
Marketing is important to get your product known. Facebook seems to be a great place to sell now. but you need to join groups and promote your stuff. There is a North American Felters list that helps a little even if you are not in north America. Maybe being a featured artist on world of wool. It takes time to get known. Ravelry is another one. I am not on it but know there are felting groups there too. It all takes so much time. You look into being an amazon seller, I don't know how it works but I know they sell self published books. Not sure what else to suggest. at least a book doesn't have to be scheduled. you could still do an online class with the part of the price being the book you get to keep. Sometimes people still like to have a class.
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on May 8, 2014 0:11:27 GMT
You made some great points, Ann, and I agree with marketing being crucial to getting your product known. It seems to me that selling products on-line requires constant self-promotion through social media. There are so many bloggers now trying to promote their products as well. I think the competition is fierce, at least among felters and fiber artists--which are the ones I've begun to research.
On a personal note, I am going into my 4th year of having an on-line Etsy shop, selling vintage linens, accessories and collectibles. For the first two years, I did quite well, but in the last year, business has slowed substantially. It is not easy selling on-line, not today with such intense competition. On any given day, there are over 25 million objects for sale on Etsy alone! Amazon is tough with their 20% sellers' fees. I do sell also on Ebay from time to time, mostly for friends, family and clients who are referrals in my community.
This year is one of transition for me, because I believe I need to make some changes in my on-line business. I do need to begin a "road map."
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Post by Pandagirl on May 8, 2014 2:12:33 GMT
Marketing becomes even more important in the online community. Ebay is no longer what it was even five years ago. The economy also has a lot to do with sales declining. A lot of people don't have the disposable income to buy collectibles and art. There is no easy way to build a business. It's one step at a time and change, evaluate, tweak, and start over again.
Zed, after taking this online class it's something I thing you would do very well at. You have great writing, teaching, computer and photography skills. Grant it Fiona has obviously built a following, but there is a following right here on the forum. I think Ann made some excellent suggestions particularly about featured artist in world of wool. I hope you don't give up you have a lot to offer.
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Post by zed on May 8, 2014 9:06:19 GMT
Thanks, Marilyn. I think I just got lucky with Beyond Nuno, nuno being an area of felting which seems to be 'closed off' to a lot of people, being given the impression that it either takes a very long time to perfect or that the results are rarely recreated.
When I did my business plan, I thought about expanding into online classes, but like I said, I've got the impression people don't like to fork out for supplies etc. Even feedback from Beyond Nuno has taught me that even with all the info right there, people often won't try samples themselves, so how do you get people to follow a class?
I don't have a 'following', and the failures of my Polymer Clay book and the Notebook cover tutorial make me reluctant to invest a massive amount of time and energy I don't have and risk making myself even more unwell, slogging away for months on something no one will be interested in in the end, or I don't have enough contacts/facebook 'friends' to generate the interest, or live in an area where classes in real life would work.
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Post by lyn on May 8, 2014 10:06:48 GMT
Zed - I'm surprised and sad to read .."the failures of my Polymer Clay book and the Notebook cover tutorial".. because you have tutorial writing and photographic skills that are first-class!
I hope that 'Beyond Nuno' is doing well and that you find a successful way to continue working that suits your situation.
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Post by Pandagirl on May 8, 2014 14:00:33 GMT
Zed, you don't have to create something new. You could start out with one of your current books and divide it into sections and offer the information weekly, have people post their work and talk about it. Perhaps Ruth has a different plan for her classes. It's fun to do project with a group. Some people lack the motivation or self esteem to work on their own, but are empowered with a group even online where you can ask questions, get feedback and learn from others work and ideas. It's just as good for people who are self motivated.
I'm just as guilty of buying books and not acting on them right away. It took me a year to use your polymer book and Lyns vessel book to do anything. The forum has helped light the fire under my butt to do things I wouldn't have thought of. Taking a class does the same thing.
Ask the question, if you were to offer a class online who would be interested? Of course, ask it in all the places you have contacts. I think you'll be surprised at the response. Even if you start with a small class, word will spread and grow. If I'm wrong, I'll shut up on the subject. But like Lyn and many others I feel you have too much to offer and so many talents to share to give up. Please don't take this the wrong way, it's said out of great caring and respect. :-)
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Post by zed on May 9, 2014 9:52:15 GMT
Thanks Lyn and Marilyn I think Beyond Nuno sells about 1 copy a week on average. It took a very long time to write though with all the research, experiments, samples, photography, editing and then all the writing, re-writing etc. I think the Polymer Clay book sold 5 copies in total, and the Notebook one has probably sold 5 too. I don't think I can rely on that kind of feedback, Marilyn, people are very well meaning in their encouragement and probably very sincere, but in my experience it doesn't necessarily result in anything concrete. I know I probably always sound negative, but maybe I've just worked out what doesn't work, or doesn't work for me, which does actually help in the long run because I won't make the same mistakes, misunderstand feedback and feel let down after all the hard work, and like I've failed again. I think that is just as important as knowing what does work, I just learned it all at once
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Post by lyn on May 9, 2014 10:14:41 GMT
'Beyond Nuno' is a timeless (i.e. the info doesn't date) reference work. You could be selling one copy a week till you fall off your perch. If so, then that's not a shabby return for your work is it?
By the way, Annie says that the word 'failure' should never be used. It's too negative. You never fail at anything, you simply discover a way that doesn't work, therefore you are learning, and that's positive.
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