I just finished reading Seth Godin‘s new book, Linchpin*. In Linchpin, Godin argues that the secret to succeeding in today’s economy is not to become a replaceable cog, but to be indispensable. If you build a business based solely on providing the cheapest products, all you’ll find yourself doing is racing to the bottom. And [...]
I have two Twitter usernames: craftMBA, which hopefully most of you follow, and meganauman, my original Twitter name, which I’ve been on since 2008. The two usernames represent two different approaches to Twitter. My original approach to Twitter was all about conversation and community. I worried less about using it as a way to market my business, and [...]
This is part 3 of the series “designing sticky products.” Please check out part 1 and part 2. Can a one-of-a-kind object be sticky? I talk a lot on this blog about product design. And usually, what I mean are objects designed for limited-edition runs or small-batch manufacturing. But I know that some of my [...]
A weekly roundup of craft, design, and business related news and links: Interesting thoughts on Free from around the web – I’m really starting to get sucked in to the discussion of Free around the web. (In fact, I dusted off Chris Anderson’s audiobook, and have been listening again.) Diane at CraftyPod has a nice [...]
Today I’m happy to share a guest post from Kate Gatski of The Steek Fork. Like me, Kate and her husband Ben run their business, Gatski Metal, from a rural part of Pennsylvania. Kate’s provided a great post for tapping into your local resources, which is important whether you live in the city, the country, [...]
It’s frustrating to hear people talk about how sustainable craft is when you hear so many stories about makers who spend 10 hours a day making product, then come home from the studio and spend hours packaging orders, answering emails, and doing other administrative tasks. And they do this day in and day out. Is that really sustainable? [...]
This weekend I got an email from Catherine asking if I had plans to start producing any podcasts or if I had any recommendations for worthwhile business listens. I’m a huge fan of getting business advice from audiobooks and podcasts – it’s an ideal way to multi-task while working in the studio or driving. I’d [...]
This is Part 2 in the series “designing sticky products,” based on ideas from this month’s book club book, Made to Stick. You can read Part 1 here. In Part 1, we looked at the iPod, to see what makes it so sticky. Sticky products are products that spread easily through the marketplace. They are [...]
So, April is just around the corner, and I know there are plenty of people who aren’t quite as far along as they’d like to be in this month’s book, Made to Stick*. With that in mind, I’ve decided to make a small change to the book club. Instead of introducing a new book every [...]
A weekly roundup of craft, design, and business related news and links: Getting Paid Partially in Time – While I do agree that there is incredible value in having control over the way we spend our time, I still wonder, why shouldn’t makers be paid well for what we create? Read Break the Scarcity Mindset: [...]
Megan Auman is a designer, maker, educator, and entrepreneur who has built a multi-faceted business around her passion for great design and sustainable business. Her eponymous jewelry line is sold in stores across the US and online. In 2009, Megan founded Crafting an MBA to help designers and makers develop their business skills. In 2011, the site name was changed to Designing an MBA.
Learn more about Designing an MBA.
