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E6: Turning Plans into Success: Building a Creative Business from Scratch · The Creative Jugglejoy Podcast

• 0:05
  Kaylie Edwards: Hey everyone, it's Kayleig and welcome back to the Creative Juggle Joy podcast.
• 0:10
  Kaylie Edwards: I'm chuffed to bits to dive into today's episode, where we'll explore building a creative business from scratch.
• 0:17
  Kaylie Edwards: Whether you're a multi-passionate artist, a crafty soul or someone considering turning a hobby into a business, this episode is for you.
• 0:26
  Kaylie Edwards: Today we'll cover the importance of having a solid plan, understanding your market, creating quality products and embracing a growth mindset.
• 0:37
  Kaylie Edwards: These elements are essential for your success and I'm excited to share my experiences with you.
• 0:44
  Kaylie Edwards: Let's get started First.
• 0:48
  Kaylie Edwards: Let's discuss the importance of a solid plan.
• 0:53
  Kaylie Edwards: Like many of you who may have already started their business or side hustle, when I started my candle business, I had an exciting idea but no real plan.
• 1:04
  Kaylie Edwards: I was just winging it, which often led me feeling frustrated and lost.
• 1:10
  Kaylie Edwards: I have found over the years, many creative minds have the same struggle.
• 1:13
  Kaylie Edwards: I did loads of research.
• 1:15
  Kaylie Edwards: Then I launched in the end of 2019 and I learned the hard way that a solid plan is your roadmap.
• 1:23
  Kaylie Edwards: Don't get me wrong organisation and planning is not something I enjoy or comes naturally to me.
• 1:30
  Kaylie Edwards: It is something I still have to consciously encourage myself to do or, some days, kick myself to do.
• 1:38
  Kaylie Edwards: But I encourage you to take at least an hour or two each week to map out your tasks.
• 1:46
  Kaylie Edwards: Your plan should cover key basic areas for running a business, like research, which will be competitive analysis, product research, trends, planning is another area.
• 1:58
  Kaylie Edwards: Learning, because we all need to learn and continuous learning is your best friend on your journey.
• 2:06
  Kaylie Edwards: Then creating is obviously another area, whether that's content or creating your products.
• 2:12
  Kaylie Edwards: Marketing and selling is obviously a big one, because without the marketing and selling element, you won't sell anything.
• 2:20
  Kaylie Edwards: Then you have customer service, so customer support, like replying to customers, admin is obviously a big area as well, but you don't want to be focusing too much on admin.
• 2:31
  Kaylie Edwards: You want to make sure that you have a balance within all areas and it may seem overwhelming at first, but over time, you'll become more efficient and it will get easier in some areas.
• 2:41
  Kaylie Edwards: For example, I use time blocking and batch creation to manage my tasks effectively.
• 2:47
  Kaylie Edwards: And yes, I have a toddler, so I've learned to be flexible and give myself grace when things don't go as planned.
• 2:54
  Kaylie Edwards: Now let's talk about understanding your market.
• 2:57
  Kaylie Edwards: One of the biggest mistakes was sticking to a local craft fair when I started, which didn't attract my ideal customer.
• 3:04
  Kaylie Edwards: Local craft fair when I started, which didn't attract my ideal customer, I realised I needed to seek out events where my target audience would be not long after I started my business, before I could make that switch to further out where my ideal customers were, and all the events were then cancelled.
• 3:19
  Kaylie Edwards: Knowing your ideal customer is crucial.
• 3:22
  Kaylie Edwards: Take the time to identify who they are and where you can find them.
• 3:27
  Kaylie Edwards: It makes a world of difference in your sales.
• 3:30
  Kaylie Edwards: It's so much harder to market to people who are not that keen or maybe just be like all right, yeah, it's a nice to have.
• 3:39
  Kaylie Edwards: Next, let's focus on creating marketable products.
• 3:42
  Kaylie Edwards: Yeah, it's a nice to have.
• 3:44
  Kaylie Edwards: Next, let's focus on creating marketable products.
• 3:45
  Kaylie Edwards: When I started, I was using scents I loved and buying quite complicated mixed scents, but I quickly learned that simpler, more popular scents like lemon and rose sold better.
• 3:58
  Kaylie Edwards: Balance your unique style with market demand.
• 4:01
  Kaylie Edwards: While your creations should reflect who you are and what you love, it's also helpful to start with products that happen to have proven popularity.
• 4:10
  Kaylie Edwards: This will help you build a customer base and find your footing in the market, and maybe even a style that isn't something you have yet.
• 4:18
  Kaylie Edwards: An example of this could be you like doing these elaborate paintings with lots of different bits going on, but could you do your style or the way you like to paint with a topic and pair that with a topic that is popular or an audience that would like to buy something like that?
• 4:42
  Kaylie Edwards: So, let's say, mountain climbers, people that love hiking at mountains or like nature they might be more in tune to buy your product if that is what you're painting or creating digitally or anything else around that.
• 4:58
  Kaylie Edwards: You could be creating patterns with little mountainscapes on them and trees and animals.
• 5:03
  Kaylie Edwards: It's another idea.
• 5:05
  Kaylie Edwards: Now let's dive into some practical marketing strategies.
• 5:09
  Kaylie Edwards: Early on, I didn't think much about my marketing approach.
• 5:13
  Kaylie Edwards: I was just doing craft fairs and posting on social media, but I lacked a clear strategy.
• 5:19
  Kaylie Edwards: I had lots of marketing knowledge and experience, but I just didn't utilize it enough.
• 5:24
  Kaylie Edwards: Here are some actual tips you can implement.
• 5:27
  Kaylie Edwards: Obviously, everyone knows social media, so start with platforms where your audience hangs out.
• 5:32
  Kaylie Edwards: I would pick one for now.
• 5:35
  Kaylie Edwards: As you get started, share your journey behind the scenes, content and finished products, promotions, and make sure to use stories and reels to engage your audience more effectively.
• 5:47
  Kaylie Edwards: Email list is another big one, so begin building an email list as early as possible, even if it's small or you haven't got a list, yet at least get one set up so you can add email addresses to it.
• 6:02
  Kaylie Edwards: As you get more customers and you interact with more people who could be our ideal audience, send out regular updates about your products, promotions, behind the scenes, insights.
• 6:12
  Kaylie Edwards: This doesn't mean you have to tell your email list or your audience everything about your life, but stories about you, your journey, your business can help your audience and customers connect with you and your creations.
• 6:26
  Kaylie Edwards: A great mentor who teaches how to write and tell stories for business is a lady called Susan Payton, who wrote a book called Business of Stories and now has courses around those teachings.
• 6:38
  Kaylie Edwards: She also runs free story writing challenges now and again, which I've attended and are brilliant.
• 6:43
  Kaylie Edwards: If you also want more marketing and business tips, feel free to join my email list, where I send out monthly marketing tips and strategies for creative businesses and people who want to get started.
• 6:54
  Kaylie Edwards: Another strategy you can do is local partnerships.
• 6:57
  Kaylie Edwards: You could collaborate with local businesses such as cafes, boutiques, gift shops and loads of other different businesses to display or sell your products.
• 7:08
  Kaylie Edwards: This can increase visibility and attract new customers.
• 7:12
  Kaylie Edwards: Pop-up shops Organise or participate in pop-up shops or artisan markets and events.
• 7:18
  Kaylie Edwards: These events allow you to interact with customers directly and get immediate feedback on your products and make more of a connection with potential buyers.
• 7:27
  Kaylie Edwards: Networking is also another part of this, so attend local events, workshops or online webinars to connect with your fellow creatives.
• 7:35
  Kaylie Edwards: Building relationships can lead to collaborations and new opportunities.
• 7:39
  Kaylie Edwards: So partner with other creators or related businesses with mutual promotion.
• 7:46
  Kaylie Edwards: This can expand your reach significantly.
• 7:48
  Kaylie Edwards: With mutual promotion, this can expand your reach significantly.
• 7:54
  Kaylie Edwards: Another one is craft classes.
• 7:55
  Kaylie Edwards: Offer workshops related to your craft or your art.
• 8:00
  Kaylie Edwards: This will not only generate income, but also helps you build a community and showcase your expertise.
• 8:05
  Kaylie Edwards: Then, another big one is content marketing.
• 8:07
  Kaylie Edwards: When you're an online business, this is a key to drive traffic to your products and make you an authority in your space.
• 8:17
  Kaylie Edwards: So create valuable content related to your niche.
• 8:21
  Kaylie Edwards: So blogs, tutorials, videos that can lead to organic traffic and establish you as an authority in your field.
• 8:30
  Kaylie Edwards: Another lead on from the email marketing list would be, obviously, freebies and lead magnets.
• 8:36
  Kaylie Edwards: So this would be free resources you are providing related to your products and your business, something that would entice your customers or potential customers to sign up for your email list.
• 8:49
  Kaylie Edwards: This could be a free screen wallpaper of your most popular art that would entice your customers or potential customers to sign up for your email list.
• 8:53
  Kaylie Edwards: This could be a free screen wallpaper of your most popular art, could be a wall hanging layout ideas guide or a printable calendar with your art and designs on them.
• 9:00
  Kaylie Edwards: There is so many printable or digital ideas you can use for this.
• 9:05
  Kaylie Edwards: You could even just create a coupon off code for their next purchase.
• 9:11
  Kaylie Edwards: Free workshop access for joining your email list could be offline, so like an offline workshop in a local area, or you could be doing a online workshop.
• 9:22
  Kaylie Edwards: Now I've given you all them and sometimes you may not even understand what that means, and I get that when you're in the just starting phase.
• 9:33
  Kaylie Edwards: Sometimes you might not know what any of this is.
• 9:35
  Kaylie Edwards: If you're looking for personalised support as you start and market your creative business, I offer strategy sessions.
• 9:42
  Kaylie Edwards: You can even book a free 30-minute starter strategy call with me.
• 9:46
  Kaylie Edwards: Well, these calls and strategies will help you get an idea of what you need to focus on and grow your visibility.
• 9:53
  Kaylie Edwards: This will be for beginners and business owners who have started but maybe have some slow growth and not sure what to do to market their products even more.
• 10:03
  Kaylie Edwards: Finally, let's discuss the importance of a growth mindset.
• 10:06
  Kaylie Edwards: I know sometimes people will be like, oh no, I'm talking about mindset again for those people who have already been in the business world for a bit.
• 10:15
  Kaylie Edwards: But your mindset is everything when it comes to success.
• 10:19
  Kaylie Edwards: Your mindset is everything when it comes to success.
• 10:23
  Kaylie Edwards: The most successful people are those willing to do what others won't.
• 10:26
  Kaylie Edwards: I face challenges and it's my resilience and determination that keep me moving forward.
• 10:31
  Kaylie Edwards: I remind myself that it's okay to have negative thoughts.
• 10:34
  Kaylie Edwards: When I catch myself saying I can't do this, I consciously shift those to a yes, it's hard, but I can find a way around this.
• 10:45
  Kaylie Edwards: Investing in personal growth through books, podcasts, courses can significantly improve your mindset.
• 10:52
  Kaylie Edwards: It starts with being aware of your thoughts and actively choosing to reframe them.
• 10:56
  Kaylie Edwards: Remember, it's a process.
• 11:00
  Kaylie Edwards: There will be times you slip up god knows, I've done that but you always have the chance to change next time.
• 11:07
  Kaylie Edwards: To wrap up, building a career business from scratch is an exciting journey that requires a solid plan, understanding your market, quality products and a growth mindset.
• 11:19
  Kaylie Edwards: You're not alone in this journey and every step you take matters.
• 11:24
  Kaylie Edwards: I encourage you to start taking action, whether it's drafting that business plan, creating your first product or simply reaching out to connect with others.
• 11:32
  Kaylie Edwards: Thanks so much for joining me today on the creative juggle joint podcast.
• 11:38
  Kaylie Edwards: If you found this episode helpful, I'd love it if you'd leave a review or share it with a friend who might need some encouragement on their creative journey.
• 11:46
  Kaylie Edwards: And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.
• 11:50
  Kaylie Edwards: Until next time, keep creating, keep juggling and, most importantly, keep finding joy in the process.
• 11:56
  Kaylie Edwards: Remember there's joy in the journey, even on the craziest days.