Artisans Who Wholesale hosted by Stefa Normantas

Growing A Business With Molly Thompson, Pretty Flours

Episode 025 – Molly Thompson, Pretty Flours Growing A Business With Molly Thompson, Pretty Flours Do you truly believe in your creative work? If you need a boost, listen to Molly Thompson of Pretty Flours. After decades in other careers, Molly stumbled onto printmaking. It took several years before she took the plunge and quit her day job. Listen in to her smart story on how she made it happen. A little about Molly Molly Thompson is an artist with a studio in Portland where she creates textiles and stationery goods using her own hand carved blocks to print on fabric and paper. Known as Pretty Flours (spelled F L O U R S because many of her products are printed on flour sack cotton), Molly began wholesaling in 2014. To learn more about Molly and Pretty Flours, you can visit www.prettyflours.com [http://www.prettyflours.com/]. Thoughts from Molly ●I'm most proud that I have been able to grow my passion, a passion for something I really love to do into a business. I developed a product that is both pleasing to me to produce, functional to the consumer and decorative. ●       I wish that somebody had said, even though you think you're only ever going to be selling for fun at craft fairs, you might want to turn this into a business someday…and wholesale it and really think about your pricing from that standpoint. ●       We should all be doing what we really love to do, what really makes us happy. Recommended Resources The Handmade Marketplace [https://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Marketplace-2nd-Locally-Globally/dp/161212335X] by Kari Chapin SCORE [https://www.score.org/] Quotable ●       “Really know your worth and believe in yourself and believe in the worth of your product. It's a handmade product and don’t compromise on what you feel you deserve.” ●       “Find inspiration and find support. There are lots of people out there who want to support you in what you're doing and go out and find them.”

Stefa’s Summer Bucket List Challenge

Episode 024 – Summer Bucket List Challenge Summer is not done yet! At the time of this recording, summer is coming to a fast close. But wait, there’s still a little more summer to be savored! This special mini episode (short!) shares a fun way our team makes sure we don’t miss the most important parts of summer. And a little competition helps spice it up! Take our Summer Bucket List challenge. Download our summer bucket list challenge here. [http://artisanswhowholesale.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/AWW-Summer-Bucket-List-Challenge.pdf]

Are Wholesale Giftware Shows For You? Gregg Shapiro, New England Made Shows

Episode 023 – Gregg Shapiro, New England Made Shows Are Wholesale Giftware Trade Shows For You? If you’ve ever wondered how to determine if a gift show is for you, listen in. With more than 25 years of experience, Gregg Shapiro shares his expertise in the needed mindset and preparation for success in wholesale giftware shows. A little about Gregg Gregg Shapiro is Vice President of Sales & Business Development for Green Tree Event Consultants, producers of the New England Made Shows. For over 25 years he’s developed a keen knowledge of business-to-business media across myriad platforms. An alum of Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, prior to joining Green Tree he has worked in media sales and marketing for the International Health and Racquet Club Association (IHRSA), United Publications and Diversified Communications. To reach Gregg, you can email him at gregg@nemadeshows.com [gregg@nemadeshows.com] or call him at 207.517.6816. Thoughts from Gregg * You need to be absolutely certain that the products that you are considering offering to wholesale are turning an appropriate profit to your business and can be made and can be scaled. * I always get a little bit concerned when somebody says most of their products are one-of-a kind/made-to-order because that doesn’t typically align well with mass production and wholesale. * You need to create a booth environment that really talks about the merchandising of your product and how it’s going to be best displayed for selling. Quotable * “Wholesale has to be a multi-year enterprise.” * “A show environment allows you over the course of a two, and in the case of our spring show, a three day period to get in front of a very qualified audience.”

How To Survive The Dread of Networking with Ellen Feldman Ornato, The Bolder Company

Episode 22– Ellen Feldman Ornato, The Bolder Company How To Survive The Dread of Networking and Actually, (Maybe!?) Enjoy It! Is there anything more uncomfortable than a networking event? For most of us walking into a roomful of strangers, it strikes dread in our hearts and makes us hide in the bathroom stall or dive into the punch bowl. However, you’ve got to increase your network to grow your business. In this episode, Ellen Feldman Ornato gives us tips and new strategies for making networking and public speaking a skill you can master. Pull up a chair and take notes…there’s gems in this one. A little about Ellen Feldman Ornato Ellen Feldman Ornato is a serial entrepreneur from a family of entrepreneurs! Her formal education is in city planning & economic development but she grew up in a “retail family” and has owned businesses in addition to full time jobs since 1990. Ellen launched The Bolder Company with her friend, Jenny Drescher, in 2014 and the two have been on a growth trajectory since then! Their business focuses on increasing connection and performance at the heart of workplaces. To learn more about Ellen and The Bolder Company, you can visit www.theboldercompany.com. [http://www.theboldercompany.com.] Thoughts from Ellen * Let’s abolish the name ‘networking’ and call it ‘meeting people.’ * Lower your expectations, say ‘how can I meet these people this evening and have a nice conversation.’ * Meetings that happen in the morning tend to be more substantive than evening receptions. * Make small notes on the back of business cards right after the event so you don’t forget who they are. Recommended Resources Small Business Association [https://www.sba.gov/] SCORE [https://www.score.org/] Connecticut: The Entrepreneurial Center & Women’s Business Center [https://www.hartford.edu/academics/schools-colleges/barney/about/centers-and-institutes/entrepreneurial-center/] Quotable * “Nobody can represent you and what you do better than you.” * “Try improv!” * “Remember where you came from.”

Do’s and Don’t From A Seasoned Buyer and Artist, Lisa Mossel Vietze, Archipelago

Episode 21 – Lisa Mossel Vietze, Archipelago Do’s and Don’t From A Seasoned Buyer and Artist What does a retail buyer look for? How do you handle exclusivity? How do you even get in the door?! Lisa not only has exceptional retail expertise, but also understands the mindset of an artist. She shares do’s and don’ts of approaching retailers – valuable advice for anyone looking to connect with a specialty retailer. Listen in now! A little about Lisa Mossel Vietze Lisa has been Director of Archipelago for 11 years. She combines her experiences of working in retail and non-profit environments as Archipelago is not only a retail space [store, gallery and online] but a program of the Island Institute as well. She’s also a fine art photographer and have been making images for 30 years, with photography exhibits around New England and collected throughout the U.S.   Her website is www.LisaMosselVietze.com [http://www.LisaMosselVietze.com] To learn more about Lisa and Archipelago, you can visit www.thearchipelago.net [http://www.thearchipelago.net] Thoughts from Lisa * It takes different skills to do art and make art and be creative than it does to run a business. * I love helping artists uncover their voice as well as guide people through the process of being an artist. * I think one of the most exciting things is seeing someone who is truly being themselves and sharing that vision with the world. * Make sure you let your buyer know what’s new in your line. Recommended Resources Maine.gov/business [https://www.maine.gov/portal/business/] Art Business Institute [https://artsbusinessinstitute.org/] CERF+ [https://cerfplus.org/] – the artist’s safety net Imaginarium by Claire Rosen [https://www.amazon.com/Imaginarium-Process-Pictures-Claire-Rosen/dp/168198198X] Quotable * “One of the really important things for an artisan is to know if they want to be a business.” * “Narrow your focus when you transition from doing craft fairs—focus on the best products that can reach your customers.” * “Good retailers really want you to succeed and have a partnership in doing that.” * “I hope that everyone who is running an arts business maintains a piece of themselves and their creative process for that real fun piece that keeps them engaged and inspired and doing what their vision is in the world.” * “Trust your intuition, trust your own process and be your best self and engaged and see where that leads you.”