Giveaway Winner: The Handmade Marketplace & Kari Chapin Interview

The winner of The Handmade Marketplace is Christa who happens to have a shop filled with adorable greeting cards. I'm partial to this Bright Tree Mini Box Card Set but these are really cute too. Christa, I'm quite certain that after reading this book you will become a handmade greeting card mogul. Don't forget us when you do! Drop us your address using the form to the left! woot!

So now my pretties (may I call you my pretties?), let's move on the the interview with Kari who has us charmed with her delightful and thoughtful and invaluable answers to a few of YOUR questions. So take it away Kari!

Dear Prudent Baby Readers,

Wow! You guys are so great! I have read each and every comment and in the end I have to say, I am so glad I wrote The Handmade Marketplace. It seems like I was lucky enough to write the right book at the right time. A lot of the amazing questions you asked are answered in the book and I hope all of you have a chance to read it. Many of your concerns like pricing, taxes, and blogging are covered in the pages of The Handmade Marketplace and so the questions I'm answering for you today are on topics that weren't covered so much there.

I'm really thankful to Prudent Baby for letting me have this chance to write outside of my usual comfort zone. Here goes!

Juilette asked a question that is near and dear to my own heart: "What resources have you found helpful in keeping you focused when you work from home?"

Oh Juliette, if only I had a really great answer to this one. I struggle everyday with balancing work I have to do to get paid, and being in my house to do it. I can't afford an office outside of my home and I live in a large one-room loft type of apartment with my husband, two dogs and a cat. So, space is limited, pets are plentiful, and distractions are simply everywhere. I can't work in the living room without seeing the breakfast dishes in the sink, and I can't work at my desk without seeing the unmade bed, dirty laundry, or even dogs on the sofa needing a snuggle. Sometimes, I begin to write and I'll notice the floor needs sweeping. To put it bluntly, I find all kinds of good, legitimate reasons to not get my work done.

While I haven't found the perfect magic combination that makes me focus with laser like intensity on my work, I have developed a few tricks that allow me to get enough done.

#1 - I started working out of the house one day a week. I implemented Work Out Of The House Tuesdays some time ago, and let me tell you, they have made a huge difference for me. I treat Tuesdays like I would a regular work day, if I worked out of the house. I get up early, I get dressed, somehow get my morning jobs (like dishes and making the bed) done, and I leave the house by 8am. I get to my neighborhood coffee shop by 8:15, and I begin to work. I stay until sometime after lunch, and these are perhaps my most productive working hours of the week.

I prepare for it by making my day's to-do list the night before and I make sure my iPod is loaded up with my favorite audio books, and I pack my laptop bag ahead f time. I try to set myself up for success the day before as often as I can. You see, I love things like packing up a bag and making lists, and if I feel like the whole day is ahead of me, I can take all day to do it.

Yes, working at a coffee shop for the better part of a day is not free. I order 2 meals while I'm there, breakfast and lunch, and plus I drink a whole bunch of coffee. I have been a waitress before and I know nothing is worse than a customer who takes up a table all day without paying for the real estate. I figure though, that a big tab once a week at a local business is cheaper than paying rent in an office and the amount of work I get done there pays me too - so it is a good trade-off.

#2 - When I am actually working from home, as in IN MY HOME, I do the following with varying degrees of success:

I get dressed. I found that lounging about in my yoga pants all day long allows me to be a bit more, shall we say, relaxed. I do much better work-wise in jeans and uncomfortable shoes. Why uncomfortable shoes? They just keep me on task and I won't get up to walk around as much if I am wearing "work" shoes. When I used to dream about working from home, I dreamt about staying in my pajamas all day long. Turns out that is not a good idea for a person like me: a person who likes to nap and avoid working.

I use a timer to keep me on task. I set the timer for 45 minutes and I try really hard to work 45 minutes straight and then I give myself a 15 minute break. I use the break to Twitter, check FaceBook, read comments on blog posts like Prudent Baby, and snuggle my pets. I used to do 50/10 but found that I work better with 45/15. Try this one!

I also use a white board. It's pretty big and not really attractive, but it helps keep me on task a bit. I list all of my monthly goals and then break those down by steps I need to take to accomplish them and then I turn those steps into weekly action items and then those action items turn into daily tasks.

Kelly Fox asked a tough question. She asks, "My question would have to be about pricing. I struggle with how much to charge for a handmade item when someone asks as a "favor" especially if it is a friend. Any good ways to sell things to friends and still make a profit?"

Good one Kelly. Here's the tough love answer: show your friend some tough love. You can't pay for the milk or fabric or glue gun with favors, lady. It's hard, but you have to be firm about your prices. One just can't walk into a store or an art gallery and ask for a pricing favor, and that is because those places are real businesses, and keep this in mind my friend: you are running a business too. If you are so kind-hearted and can't bear to look your friend in the eye who is asking for a discount (sometimes people claim that they are "helping" you by giving you "exposure" in exchange for a lesser price for your quality goods) then establish a firm Friends and Family discount. Next time someone you know asks you for a deal, tell them that you give 10%, or whatever number you're comfortable with, a few times a year.

Or offer a Friends and Family preview before holidays and take orders from people who normally ask you for a discount. Use your creative wiles to lure people into spending their money on your terms, and if it's really important to you, you can figure out how to give them prices they like without giving it all away.

Emily wants to know when to call it quits.

Emily, only you know when to call it quits. When it's no longer fun anymore to try to sell what you make, when you're losing more money than you're comfortable with, when you are having to sacrifice too many other things like your time or your other goals... when you are unhappy. You shouldn't do things that make you unhappy and running a failing business can do that to a person.

HOWEVER... before you throw in the towel completely, take a look at why you're unhappy. Is it your products? Your business model? Have you tried your darndest to make it work? Can you find help somewhere? Unless it is a clear example of my-heart's-not-in-it, then try to work it out before you decide to quit.

Hummmm, I see that quite a few of you have questions about shipping costs. While there is no clear answer that I can think of that would answer all of your questions at once, I'll cover a few basics here.

I do think it is a good idea to wrap your goods attractively, and I do think it's a good idea to market yourself more when you send a package, like including a promotional postcard or extra business cards if it's appropriate.

That being said, those extras, like tissue paper or ribbon can add onto your shipping costs. So it comes down to weather or not you think it's worth it. Can you recycle paper and ribbon to make it more cost effective? Can you turn this recycling of packing materials into a benefit that people can expect when they order from you? Call it eco-friendly packaging?

As far as what the costs are to actually ship items, even overseas, you can't really control that. You can't bargain with mail carriers, so the costs are what they are. I think for the most part customers understand that. People who want things that come from far away lands know they will have higher shipping costs than if they order something from the next state over.

I don't think you should gouge people on shipping. However, if you have reasonable shipping expenses. like bubble wrap, ink for your printer to print labels, gas to take yourself to the post office, and that ribbon and tissue paper we talked about earlier - well, you need to earn back your money from that. Perhaps you could consider determining a set fee for your handling charge and just stick with it.

Sorry I can't be more helpful on this topic, but shipping is shipping, baby. After you compare prices of carriers you trust, all you can do is choose which one you like the most. Look for shipping supplies from bulk sellers, like Uline, maybe you can go in halfsies with a crafty pal. Other than that, my friend, all I can say is good luck with the shipping!

Well crafty Prudent baby Readers, I have really enjoyed writing this for you. I thank you if you read the whole thing. I tend to go and on when I get to talking about things I'm really passionate about and I really want to thank you Jacinda and Jaime for having me and my book here. If any of you want to stay in touch, please check out my website, www.karichapin.com, sign up for my newsletter or consider signing up for one of my crafty business e-courses.

Thanks again ladies!

XO, Kari