Etsy Treasury Team Blog - Nifty Resource!

One of my favorites teams on Etsy is the Etsy Treasury Team (ETTEAM)-- a delightful group of committed, supportive and knowledgeable shop owners.

Do check out the ETTEAM's blog for resources and links, and more!

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ⓕⓔⓜⓐⓛⓔ ⓟⓞⓦⓔⓡ ⓣⓔⓐⓜ: Lilac Dreamin'

ⓕⓔⓜⓐⓛⓔ ⓟⓞⓦⓔⓡ ⓣⓔⓐⓜ: Lilac Dreamin': Light purple crochet collar necklace Lilac Branches Petite Earrings Wine Glasses - Hand Painted in Lavender Floral Bouquet Printed ...

Create a Useable Business Plan That WORKS for YOU!



When you think of a business plan, what comes to mind?

Is it a leather-bound tome of perfect grammar, financial projections and graphs, complete with bibliography?

Or, was it written at your kitchen table and now has coffee stains, scribbled updates and new ideas in the margins?

If your mind’s idea of a business plan is the former, you’ve got lots of company: most people think a business plan looks more like a Master’s thesis than a working document.

However, if your idea of a business plan is the kitchen-table, hand-scribbly kind, you probably have benefited more from your efforts. Here’s why: a business plan should be a “road map” that changes with the terrain (changes in your business), road improvements (growth and expansion of your business) and new models (new product ideas).

Sometimes a formal business plan has its uses for presenting to your banker when you want to apply for financing for new equipment, a larger studio or national expansion (hey, it could happen!). But more frequently it is simply an outline of where your business is now, where you want it to go and how you plan to get there. Read on for some ideas to help guide you in keeping it simple.

• First, get started! A general, hand written plan is better than no plan.
• Discard any fears about someone reading it or judging you. This is your plan for your business! Don’t worry about spelling or writing skills. The point is to write down your ideas and plans.
• I prefer bullet points to a traditional outline with numbers; it’s faster to write and easier to add or delete items later.
• Be sure to save your document as you go, and save a backup copy, too.

Of course, the owner of an online shop has different goals, needs and concerns than the owner of a brick-and-mortar shop. Business is business, though, wherever we set up shop. The following are some general sections you’ll want to include in your plan:

• What’s happening now
• Where you want to go (goals, objectives)
• How you plan to get there
• Who is your competition
• What could stop or slow your progress (i.e. Etsy shuts down your shop, new competition)
• When you plan to get to each step (set intermediate or milestone target dates)

Notice that I used the W’s of Who, What, When, Where, etc. I find it’s easier to really think things through in these terms, rather than the more traditional Competitive Analysis, Risk Analysis, etc. Remember, having the best ideas won't help you if you don't get started!

Review your plan with someone you respect and trust, and whose opinions you value, such as another Etsy seller who is successful but not in direct competition with you. In our old coffee shop, I’d write the business plan and review it with my husband. We’d divide up the things to be done, and write down who would be doing which items. AND (and this is really important), the target dates for completing our tasks.

I reemphasize the last statement: target dates for completing the tasks. The process of zooming in for a close look on your "road map" is critically important – almost as important as the actual “doing”! For example, suppose your primary supplier quits supplying. What is your Plan B?



For every obstacle, find a possible solution and you'll sleep better at night!

A business owner benefits from second opinions, third opinions, and fourth opinions. Consider an informal “board of directors” of two to three trusted, knowledgeable people on whom you can draw for honest feedback, ideas and brainstorming. One of my Etsy teams periodically critiques a member’s shop, joined in by as many as can attend online. The result is a condensed (about 1 ½ hour) but intense session for marketing, photography, customer service, etc. This is great because it’s online sellers, familiar with the Etsy community and rules, and who are familiar with your work.

I also find it beneficial to ask for opinions from a select few people “on the outside” of Etsy for a regular consumer’s or business owner’s viewpoint. Both avenues of gaining insight have worked very well for me.


A road map without distances is just a pretty collection of colors and lines – great art but skimpy on how to get from here to there.



It is the scale and distance that give your road map and business plan its meaning, and without the structure of the W’s plus your target dates, you’re just completing a writing assignment.

And, remember that perhaps the most important step is to just get started!



I'd love to see your ideas, too, so let me know what you think!

Good luck -- and tune in again for our next episode of "When the Petal Blooms." Or, something like that. Thanks for reading!

Sheryl

How to Care for Your Christmas Ornaments

Those wonderful ornaments that you've accumulated over the years are rich in memories and reminders of your traditions, so take a moment or two to take the best possible care of them.  Here are some pointers:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86955837/hand-painted-christmas-ornaments-silver?ref=v1_other_2

• When you unpack your treasures, keep the wrappings in the same box for easy repacking.  Check the bottom of the box for loose parts that may have detached from the ornament.
• The small scratches and wear on ornaments give the character and vintage look we love so much, so don't worry about cleaning or 'touching up.'
• Trying to clean or wipe off an ornament is tricky, as even water may change the finish or shimmer of glossy surfaces.  If necessary, just use a small feather duster and a light touch to clean your ornaments, or perhaps a baby toothbrush.  Don't use cleaners or stiff brushes, etc. 

• Think of the safety of wee ones and pets.  Place breakable items out of reach of children and pets. Consider using florist wire (thin, flexible green wire, very easy to use) to wire the ornaments to the tree to prevent inquiring paws or little fingers from plucking off the tree.  Florist wire is more stable and secure than conventional ornament hooks.
• Generally, place the larger ornaments at the bottom and smaller ornaments toward the top to keep a balanced look.
• If an ornament keeps turning, twist the wire or hook around the branch to stabilize it.

• To store, remove the hook or wire from the ornament and loosely wrap it in soft tissue paper or scraps of cloth (how about that year's outgrown children's flannel pajamas?).  You can reuse the wrapping from year to year, too.
• That said, for fabric, yarn or soft ornaments, I sometimes leave the hook in place, wrap the ornament in tissue with the hook extending out of the top of the tissue paper.   Just be sure to not let the wire scratch the ornaments or get tangled.
• To pack, I roll one ornament in tissue paper, place another one next to it and roll those two together and continue in this way, depending on the size of pieces. When I unwrap them the next year, the unwrapping step goes nice and quick!
• I once made the mistake of wrapping some ornaments in bubble wrap; the plastic adhered to the vintage paint and came right off when I unwrapped it.  
• Be sure to pad the bottom, sides and  top of your ornament boxes with bubble wrap or newspaper in case the boxes are moved, dropped, or stacked.
• Store the boxes in a cool, dry place.  When we moved to Texas, I was used to storing them in our dry Colorado basement.  Without a basement in Texas, I stored them in the garage, not considering the differences in the heat and humidity.  Oops.  Storing them in the spare bedroom would've been a better choice.
• Be sure to label each side of each box; that way, if the box is turned, you'll always know what's inside.  
• Store your tree lights and tree topper on top of the ornaments (wrap separately, and don't let the cords scratch the ornaments, etc.).  That way, you'll unpack the lights first, ready to put on the tree before the ornaments.

Lastly, you can use a marker to write the year you received new ornaments, so you'll always know which darling son or daughter made which treasure!  You may also enjoy keeping an "ornament journal", similar to a travel journal, noting the story associated with your ornaments.

I'm sure you'll have some ideas to contribute -- so let us all know of helpful hints that have worked for you and yours.

For now, enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend with all its blessings!

Sheryl

The Little Things

This morning, I received a note from someone I've never 'met' who said she liked my work (I'm always happy to hear that!) and also mentioned that roses are very spiritual creations.  Her name is Cindy, and she probably has little idea of how her note touched me.   She took a little time to send a little note to someone whom she didn't know.   Yet, it truly IS the little things that sometimes matter most.


You may remember my sharing this before on my old blog.  Someone somewhere needs to read it today, so here it is again.

While I was trying to find my way toward recovery from the brain dents, I began to paint. Roses had some connection to 'somewhere' that I couldn't really identify and thus began my spiritual journey. Someone gave me a little note card with St. Theresa's prayer and that prayer gave words to many of my feelings: bad things may happen but God gave us the tools to handle them -- if we quiet our minds to listen and find the path offered to us.

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that
has been given to you....
May you be content knowing you are a child of God....
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

I cannot tell you how many times the words and feelings in St. Theresa's prayer calmed me!

The hardest lesson of all -- for me -- has been learning to accept a different Life and capabilities than what I anticipated, and to accept that I wouldn't, couldn't and won't know all the answers I've sought.  The phrase ". . .allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love" is very powerful because it reassures that we still CAN sing and dance in the face of challenges. 

So, I offer up a prayer -- a song of thanksgiving -- for the person who sent me St. Theresa's prayer, and for Cindy for reminding me of the power of reaching out and doing the "little things" that remind us we are all connected and not alone.  And, that is the power in each of us.

May today be your day to discover "the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love."

Blessings,
Sheryl

Do we ‘Get Luck” or Give Luck?”

I found a lucky penny yesterday. 

It was all crusty with mud, rough around the edges, but it was there, straight ahead of my foot, waiting for me to pick it up. 

Peering at the image of ol’ Mr. Lincoln, trying to discern the year imprinted on my lucky penny, I felt lucky – lucky because:

• I am physically able to bend down and pick up a penny (ah, the simple things)
• I could then smile up at the sky and see the wild blue yonder with my eyes
• With a loving family and modern medicine, I am able to feel joy, happiness and love
• And, I was one cent ‘richer’ than before!

Yet, I was only partially lucky because -- in order to be truly lucky -- I must give away my lucky penny to someone else.  If I kept it, my luck would be unfulfilled; by giving it away to someone else, both of us are lucky.

The other person might feel lucky because someone (me) recognized them as a human being, and gave them a smile and a surprise.  And, perhaps they might then look up at the blue-blue sky and see the joy in their life, or feel loved even if for just a moment.  They might also feel a bit perplexed by the ‘random act’ aspect of it all, too!

I was in Walmart one time when I found a lucky penny in the check-out line.  I gave it to a boy about four years old in front of me, saying, “Here’s a lucky penny I found.”  His eyes got big and round, and he grinned and reached out his hand.  As I gave it to him, I said, “But, if you want to be really, really lucky, give it away to someone else.”  Total bewilderment on his chubby lil’ face, appealing eyes looked to his mom for translation.  So, I asked if he’d felt happy when I gave it to him; he said Yes.  I asked him if he’d like for someone he knew to feel lucky, too.  He said Yes, the grin returning to his expression at the prospect.  His mom suggested he give it to his cousin and he chattered about giving it to her and that it would make her feel happy.  I don’t know, of course, whether he did so, but I felt lucky at the encounter and enriched by the conversation with the little boy.  Thus, we both felt lucky by the same lucky penny.

Could it be that “luck” isn’t something we get, but rather is something we give away?  If I win the lottery, I might feel lucky, but if the money just sits in the bank, would I still feel luck?  I think I’d feel happier if I gave away my ‘luck’ to a women’s nonprofit, or built a ball field  – and then I’d feel ‘lucky’ and so would the recipients. And, if "luck" is a nonmaterial thing, can't it still be given away energetically, or through prayer or meditation?

I decided not to clean off Mr. Lincoln on my newest lucky penny.  Somehow, the dirt and dings hint at the journeys made by “my” penny – and the journeys yet to come.