A few weeks ago, the Missoni for Target line launched to great fanfare. In fact, fanfare is an understatement. Shoppers clamoring to buy the products on launch day crashed Target’s website! In this video, I look at four lessons that craft business owners can take from the Missoni launch. The four lessons I took from [...]
Note: I’m currently on a plane en route to San Diego for Blogher 2011. I’ll be taking part in a panel on Friday morning on creating digital products from your blog. If you’re going to be there, feel free to say hi or tweet me so we can meet up! I rode my bike past [...]
Last week, I exhibited at the Buyer’s Market of American Craft with a group of students, faculty, and alumni from the university where I teach. One of the things we did was set up hard walls for out booth. Because we were all showing jewelry, hard walls certainly weren’t necessary. In fact, we were the [...]
A lot of you have been thinking about what your WHY is lately, and that’s great. Starting with WHY can help differentiate your company and create loyal fans. But I think some of you are still missing the boat when it comes to determining your WHY. Your WHY isn’t about your products. It’s not about [...]
This week I’m putting the finishing touches on my guide to pricing your products. (Follow me on Twitter if you want to be the first to know when the guide launches.) The first part of the guide focuses on helping you calculate whether or not you’re pricing your products for profit. But the second part [...]
I hear it at craft shows and trade shows all the time, “You’re so lucky you make X, because I make Y and so does everybody else.” Regardless of whether you’re a jeweler, potter, or photographer, you probably feel the same way – like you’re in a very crowded product category. {image via The Great [...]
I think it’s no secret that a lot of crafters harbor dreams of becoming the next great lifestyle brand. I know it’s a dream held by many over at The Creative Empire. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be the next Amy Butler? Or the next Jonathan Adler. Or even the next Martha, minus the [...]
A guest post by Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl. Last week, I had the privilege of speaking to over 30 different business owners individually. I was kicking off a new chapter in my life – becoming the sole breadwinner in my family – in a big way. And while I gave each & every business [...]
Sometimes I think the worst career move I could have possibly made on the route to becoming a jewelry designer was to go to college to study jewelry. Not because I didn’t learn a lot (because I did) but because I often feel like becoming a jeweler after studying to become a jeweler doesn’t make [...]
I’m so glad that Diane has finally posted my interview over at CraftyPod, because I’ve had so many post ideas revolving around the idea of the pro-am craft community that I’ve been just bursting to share. I recently read this post on Button Maker’s Ball where she suggested that the low pricing on Etsy was [...]
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.
