I often hear designers talk about wanting to see their work in major chain stores. It’s an understandable goal. Who wouldn’t want to see their work on the shelves of their favorite major retailer? But it’s important to consider whether pursuing those stores is worth it from a business standpoint. Sure, those stores come with [...]
Last week, I made my usual trip to New York to exhibit in at the New York International Gift Fair. This was my eighth time participating in the show, and as a result, it’s starting to feel like one big reunion as I connect with friends and buyers. This show, more than any other, has [...]
One of the big misconceptions I see surrounding wholesale shows is that showing up is enough to have a good show. The thought process is, “I’m here. I spent the money. I traveled.” That should be enough. And while you may occasionally get lucky, the truth is that this type of mentality is what leads [...]
On Sunday, I walked ICFF, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair with a small group of faculty and students from where I teach. While there, I bumped into Grace Bonney from Design*Sponge. Grace mentioned that she was pretty disappointed with the lack of innovation at this years show. I felt the show was pretty lackluster, considering [...]
What do you do if you want to wholesale your products but they are limited edition or one-of-a-kind because you use a material that you can’t source consistently? This is a question I’ve been hearing a lot lately. Whether it’s vintage books or salvaged fabrics, if you don’t have a consistent source for your materials, [...]
On Tara’s recommendation, I started listening to Simon Sinek’s Start with Why. The basic premise is that people don’t buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it. If you only focus on what you do or how you do it, you’ll have to resort to manipulations such as price or promotion to get [...]
Yesterday, I came home to one of my favorite things when it comes to running my own business – three (nice sized) checks in the mail. These checks weren’t unexpected. They were payments from stores for jewelry I had sent them in March. These were checks rolling in from my NET 30 accounts. And these [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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.
