SewExpo Profit Class

Although attending the SewExpo in Puyallup WA was less than I had expected, I did take two classes that I felt were helpful and worth the trip.  I have already discussed one of these classes in last Tuesday's post. 



Kandi Christian of SewTimeless

The other class I enjoyed was called 'Turning your Passion into Profit'  by Kandi Christian. (She is the author of a book by the same title.)  Kandi is  an entrepreneur, a former corporate executive who left the business world in favor of her creativity and her artistry. She is a fiber artist who specializes in heirloom embroidery.  I had a chance to talk with her briefly and she is a very delightful lady!

Her class was a lot of information that I, and other serious Etsy sellers, already knew, but it was a good refresher course with some new information to glean.  Of course not many in this class were Etsy sellers and Kandi dispensed tons of information for those wanting to be or thinking about being an entrepreneur.  She wasn't selling anything, although I did go to her booth later and buy her book.

The best advice, that I think she gave was to call your self an artist.  She calls herself a fiber artist, I call my self a textile artist. (Mostly because I work with fabrics, and Kandi works with thread, yarn, and fabrics.) It's all about how you think yourself to be, and presenting yourself properly to prospective buyers.  One other thing that she said was to call your items, not "handmade" but "handcrafted".  This denotes an artistic designed stylish piece, not just made at home.

Kandi discussed the four P's of PROFIT--Product, Pricing, Promotion, Placement--which I won't go into in this post--I'd be repeating almost her entire lecture!  Purchase her book on her website if you want more information!

All things considered, the SewExpo provided me with some information and some ideas of where to purchase specific supplies in the future, albeit not in huge amounts.  'Sew' . . . . I guess it was a good experience, but I will be looking for another informational venue for future attendance.

SEW . . . .
what shows or venues do you attend to learn more about your craft?