Today I have a few announcements of some exciting stuff going on. On Thursday, I’m off to Philly (off is stretching it as I don’t live that far away) for the Buyer’s Market of American Craft. I’ll be exhibiting, and I’d love to meet anyone who will be there exhibiting or walking the show. I’m [...]
I’ve been asked to speak at the annual board dinner for the American Craft Council in a few weeks about the DIY movement. Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m not a fan of labels, but I am excited for the opportunity to talk with the ACC board about the needs of the [...]
I’m exhibiting at the California Gift Show in Los Angeles this week as part of the Beckman’s West Handcrafted division, and I made this little video to showcase some of my favorite booth design secrets. My booth has evolved a lot since I started doing trade shows, but I’ve finally settled on a display that [...]
Dear American Craft Council, On Friday I attended the Crafting a Nation conference in Washington, DC. And while I know you didn’t organize the conference, your presence was certainly felt throughout the day. One of the recurring themes for the day was the lack of “young people,” followed by complaints about the DIY craft movement. [...]
Quick poll: raise your hand if you’re doing (or have done) a craft show, farmers market, or other retail sale in 2010. Since you can’t see me, I’ll let you in on a little secret. I didn’t raise my hand. 2010 marks the first year since I’ve started running my business that I won’t be [...]
On Monday, I talked about pushing the flywheel and the importance of consistency. When it comes to shows, I think you need to commit to doing a show several times in order to see the results. But I understand that doing a show (especially a trade show) is a big financial commitment. And in the [...]
The more shows I do, the more I start to understand what separates successful shows from unsuccessful shows. While all the pre-show prep and marketing are incredibly important, your attitude at the show itself is the secret ingredient that separates a bad show from a good one. So today I want to share my 3 [...]
When you’re self-employed and running a creative business, it’s really easy to be lax when it comes to routine. You can structure your days however you want. You can do what you’d like when you feel like it (or so many people seem to think). You don’t have to conform to a normal working day, [...]
I thought I’d take a short break from talking about crafting an economic recovery to give you another sneak peek into my gift fair prep. (Not to mention the fact that I’m swamped with prep work, so it’s kinda where my brain is at.) In this video, I talk about setting up (and [...]
Well, I’m back from vacation and I’ve come to the sudden realization that the New York International Gift Fair is a little more than a month away! How did that happen? Since I know many of you are curious as to what goes into prepping for a trade show, I thought I would share a [...]
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.
