Beading Challenge Shelved

Many thanks to those that expressed an interest in the beading challenge, sadly there has not been enough interest to warrant the expense of creating the challenge boxes, sending them out, dealing with the admin involved.
fluffy love & hugs
Mother Duck

I had some of those but I didn't do that with them

How many times have you heard people say "oh I had some of those but I didn't do that with them" especially amongst creative people. Give a group of people each a box of exactly the same materials and it is almost a certainty that they will all create something different.

THE IDEA
Mother Duck has been thinking about this for some time and although the request for interest in such a project wasn't well received on Facebook I think I would like to give it a try ... what do you think? I want to create 10 identical boxes of beads, findings and random objects to give to 10 random people. There is a catch attached to this gift (well, you have all heard the saying "no such thing as a free lunch") If we do not get enough interest the challenge will be shelved for a future date.

THE CATCH
*The recipients will be randomly selected.
*The recipients will agree to writing a short blurb on their final design, for publication on our Blog.
*The recipients will agree to taking photos of their final design for publication on our Blog.
*The recipients will agree for said blurb and photos being used on our website and Facebook page.
*The recipients will agree to abide by all and any terms and conditions in place in the pursuance of fairness
*The recipients will agree to the time scale set by Mother Duck and Dizzy Ducks Creations.
All final terms and conditions to be confirmed.

THE PRIZE
The opportunity to write a guest Blog here to help you promote your small business

THE JUDGING
Mother Duck will publish the pictures of all creations received by the deadline here on our Blog and people will be asked to vote for their favourite. In the event of a tie Mother Duck will remove all other pictures and there will be a second round of voting. In the event of a second tie Mother Duck will have the casting vote, explaining why she makes her choice.

So that is it all in a nutshell ... what do you think?
Would you like to be one of the 10?
If you think you might like to participate please comment below ... once we know there is sufficient interest then we will ask you to email us with your contact details so we can notify the selected 10 and mail out the boxes and rules!

Fluffy love & hugs
Mother Duck
PS at the moment we have not declared this a challenge just for those in the UK overseas participants will have to pay postal costs that will guarantee delivery with enough time to complete the challenge in the time scale.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CHALLENGE WILL NOT GO AHEAD AS THERE HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH INTEREST


 

Is a change as good as a rest?

Last year we changed our business Logo and several other small things concerning the business, the theory being that I needed to try and make a turn around in a difficult economy. Was it successful ? Yes, to a certain degree it was, I have seen a few more sales, not enough to make me a millionaire but enough to make me feel that it was worth fighting for my micro-business.

The change of logo was an expense but it did freshen the image of Dizzy Ducks Creations but I have received mixed responses; some people suggesting that it was too comic or immature for the products that I create. So I am in the process of deciding whether I should go for a total change again, maybe a more mature image.

Here is our current logo





I deleted products from our stock lines, added new lines. Started to make small changes in the way we run things at Duckie HQ but still it feels like I am chasing my own tail feathers. I know I am not alone, there are hundreds if not thousands of micro-businesses in a similar position some making dramatic and successful changes and others falling by the wayside and ceasing business.

We changed the events that we do, adding new ones and dropping the less successful so reaching a different face to face audience for our sales. We are updating the website, another part of the new image, and changing the shop system. We have also considered other online avenues for sales, such as Etsy, Folksy and Facebook to name but a few. We found that having a shop on Facebook was unsuccessful for us ... we had no sales over a period of 4 months so decided to remove it. We have tried selling via an album of pictures on Facebook again will little success, although many of our followers on Facebook declare how much they like our work. We had little success with Etsy although that is probably due to lack of effort on my part, something I have full intention of working on. I was trying to see how things went with Etsy before signing up for Folksy, although I have heard mixed reviews of both. I'll let you know in a future Blog how it goes with Etsy and if I join Folksy.

So is a change as good as a rest?
Do I feel better for making the changes I have?
Is the business better?

As a micro-business sole trader I think I can answer yes to all of the above but I also have to say that I have actively sought advice on running a small business, read several books on running a small craft business, followed Blogs and signed up for newsletters. I think the trap many of us fall into is a fear of change; we get comfortable in our small little rut and hear people around us saying things will change when we come out of the recession.

I believe the answer is to make small changes, update your branding, rationalise your stock, analyse your pricing, (have you got it right, are you charging for your time?).

Think about how others, especially your customers, see your business; is it looking tired and in need of an injection of something fresh? It doesn't have to cost a lot of money, a few sensible small changes such as deciding what stock works for you and what doesn't will help. Ask someone you trust to help you look closely at what you are doing; look at your pricing strategy etc.

You might be a sole trader micro or small business but you don't really have to do it alone, there are so many resources available to help.

Here is a small part of the stack of books I have on the desk, beside the desk, on the worktable, by the arm chair and in the car (I may be a little obsessed with self-help books for small businesses at the moment)  they are listed in no particular order - you need to research and see what is best for you. It is also worth checking Blogs - I will try and create a list of some I have found useful in my next Blog. If you have any books or Blogs to recommend please make sure you comment.

Some of my books (which I have to say are full of post it notes and pencilled comments)

*Crafting a Successful Business by Joanne Dewberry
(I also have this as an ebook on my Kindle)

*How to Make Money Using Etsy by Timothy Adam
(a new acquisition for me in the hope it will help me make some changes, I'll let you know what I think)

*The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos by Heidi Adnum
(I think this is a must have for anyone taking pix for a website, Etsy, Folksy, or any other media platform to sell their goods)

*The Craft Business Handbook by Alison McNicol
*Craft Business Heroes by Alison McNicol

What small changes are you going to make or have you already made them?
One of the things I like about being a designer crafter is that I get to meet many like minded people who are, in the majority, friendly and happy to share hints and tips. I hope you have found this small insight into my crafting business thought provoking; Why not take a small step back a take a long look at what you are doing with your own small craft business as I am sure some small changes could make it work better for you.
fluffy love from
Mother Duck

Enough is enough! Social Media & Networking can easily become all consuming

Mother Duck is feeling over whelmed by social media and the many platforms available to sell our products and give us an on line presence ... so when is social media and the internet too much?

Dizzy Ducks have their Social Media fingers in many pies Twitter,Facebook, Google +  and Etsy we do of course have our own website, we also have our Blog, although not all of these are up to date.
So as a technophobe and a sole trader with only so many hours in the day how do I keep up?
The answer is I don't.
I don't have enough know how to make the best use of what is available out there and so sadly Google+ and Etsy have been sidelined, twitter is hit & miss. The only one I have managed to keep up to date, after a fashion is Facebook; even the Blog and website are trailing behind and in much need of revitalising.

So when is social media too much ... when it is detracting from a work/life balance, when you spend more time on line trying to keep all the balls in the air. I know there has to be a simpler way of doing it ... I just haven't found it yet. I am constantly being told that I need 'get Dizzy Ducks out there' but to be honest there is only so much I can do. I am sure there is a way of linking all of these forms of social media, ways of scheduling posts (figured out I can line up posts and delay their posting on Facebook) so that each of the various 'pies' are getting an equal amount of attention. This is all very well but with the changes to Facebook, reaching my small audience is getting harder, I am never sure quite how to be effective on Twitter. I haven't been onto Google+ for a long time and my Etsy shop has been in holiday mode since before Christmas and finding time to update the website & improve the shop is getting harder.

So what is the answer?
Do I pay someone to control my social media presence?
Do I keep doing what I am doing and hope that enough people will see Dizzy Ducks?

I know that the answer isn't to keep doing what I am doing, I need to make what I say and do on social media platforms count.
I shall continue my daily posts on Facebook, I am currently trying to see what types of post get the most attention and what time it is best to post.
I think this old duck just wants to bury her head in the sand until it all becomes a little easier.

On another note that will get a Blog of its own in the future ... it has been suggested that I try to find a local networking group so that I can expand my local presence but as yet I have been unable to find a group that understands the 'designer/crafter' sole trader. The one group I did try were all businesses employing 25+ people with a whole different set of needs, I felt badly out of place and out of my depth. What about local networking - it has been suggested that as I cannot find a group that is suitable I set one up for other people like myself ... good idea but more time consuming than social media!

When I first entered the world of social media with Dizzy Ducks is was easier but as with everything it needs work and needs to be effective. So what is the answer ... do you know ... is it Facebook, Twitter, Gooogle+ or some other pie I haven't found yet?

Branding ... Dizzy Ducks in a nutshell?

I was reminded today how important it is to be able to explain to people you meet or on your website or other social media exactly what your business is … what you do.

I was told that I should be able explain my company ethos and what I do in the shortest way possible; especially as my Company name doesn’t tell people what I do. I have been to seminars where we have been asked to describe what we do in one sentence, an exercise I have yet to succeed at. So how do I do it, explain Dizzy Ducks Creations and Mother Duck, to anyone that doesn’t know me or the company?

The key words I need to use are – handcrafted, bespoke, one of a kind designs but none of those say what I do, I do all of those things and more besides, after all my page on Facebook has a gallery of things I have made, both old and new, but I don’t really sell from that page it is more of a community, a place of motivation, hints and tips etc. Those key words are not enough to explain the facets of Dizzy Ducks Creations … I think this challenge will be with me for some considerable time to come BUT I know I have to find a ‘strap line’ my one sentence and I have to be able to describe my company when asked.

This is what I wrote today when asked to explain and it doesn’t go anywhere near really describing me and what I do.

“On fb Dizzy Ducks is a community of people from all walks of life that share hopes, dreams and hints n tips. Our page is also a place for motivation when things are getting us down; it is also a place to go to see a gallery of our work old and new.

At craft fairs we sell a cornucopia of items ranging from greeting cards, bags, clocks, jewellery and so much more.

At Wedding fairs we display our wedding and special occasion stationery and favour boxes.

On the website you can purchase from all areas of Dizzy Ducks Creations including requesting a bespoke OOAK piece just for you”

How do I reduce all of that down to one sentence? How much of that information do people want or need to know and how important is the ‘do it in a sentence’ thing, would I be better off honing a great short paragraph? 

Branding can be a minefield, big companies employ people to do this sort of thing for them the cost of which I am pretty sure is out of the realms of a small business like mine. I selected the company name really without any thought of whether it explained what I did – it just fit me. I had the logo designed when we first started and upgraded it recently but again without thinking whether it explained what the company was about. 
So should I now be asking myself whether my choices have been right or good for the company? Should I continue the down the path I have chosen and find the words I need to add to the existing branding (Logo)?

   

How to put a cornucopia of handmade individually designed items and services into a nutshell?

Adventures into Twitter

I have finally given in, I have gone over to the dark side ~ I have joined Twitter.

As many of you will know I am not great with Technology and I am sure there will be times when I will want to scream BUT I have to give it a try. I am told that it will help my small business so I shall stick with it. One of the first things I need to figure out is how to include links or pictures in my Tweets.

So if any of you are on Twitter and want to follow me you can either look for Mother Duck or @dizzy_ducks

There are more questions then answers!

Having written my last Blog about the copyright restrictions for the major events happening in the Summer here in the UK, I began to wonder how we could otherwise be inadvertently abusing copyright in our creations.


I believe that when we purchase a fabric, craft papers, beads and other elements they are considered unfinished items allowing us to use them to create finished articles.
Is it the same if we up-cycle items?
Are we breaching copyright if we re-use an item to create a new item? 

We all know, or at least we should know, that Disney are hot on protecting their copyright over ANY of their creations; we also know that other film and TV characters are most certainly protected from reproduction by artists and crafters. So we can therefore, I think, safely make the assumption that unless we have a licence agreement with the original copyright holder to use their characters, we are not permitted to use them. But what about found objects or things like Lego bricks and Scrabble tiles? Are they still held by copyright restrictions of originators? Bearing in mind that these items were not originally intended to be used as components for jewellery. 

I ask the questions but I don't actually have the answers.

I can make some assumptions in my own work. If I am asked to create a replica of someone's work then I politely refuse and explain my reasons BUT if I am asked to use items such as Lego or Scrabble Tiles I am not sure what my response should be; I have seen some wonderful jewellery items created from both of these items  but does that mean there is no longer copyright restrictions on them? I have also seen some amazing cakes and cupcakes that portray popular children's TV and film characters, I am sure they are covered by restrictions. I have also seen some wonderful sewn items using the same characters ... should we make the assumption that the crafters/artists making these items for sale hold a licence to use the images?

If in doubt ask the original designer/creator ... don't use the Hello Kitty image or those wonderful Disney images unless you have asked for permission; you could find yourself coming up against legal teams that are paid your annual salary as a retainer to keep their client's copyrights safe. 

You may find that some companies that own images/designs/patterns will, for a fee, offer a restricted use licence on their products. If you are a paper crafter you may have come across the term 'Angel Policy' where you are allowed to use rubber stamps or images from CD ROMS or printed decoupage sheets to create items for sale; some such items may include a limited licence to make and sell items using popular characters. Always make sure you know what you can and cannot do with the products you buy for your own particular craft. Do not make the assumption that because you have purchased it you can then sell the items you make from it.

Do you have the answers?
Have you personally experienced difficulties after using an item in your work; either from the original creator/designer or their agent whose intention it was to prevent you from making items to sell from found items/fabrics/beads/craft papers or any other purchased items?

Remember you need to protect yourself and your customers, so the onus is on you to be clear before using something (that may have a copyright on it) in your creations that you may later want to sell. 

Happy crafting,
with fluffy love & hugs
from
Mother Duck