So Suzy Podcast

Whether you own an Etsy shop, business, sell your cards at craft fairs or shop online, PayPal is MORE than just a way to collect or spend money.  On today's show, we talk with Jason Smith from PayPal and he gives us the inside scoop on all the ways PayPal can help you AND your business.  From payment solutions, shopping, peace of mind, dolling out funds to your children, working capital for your business and their Business in a Box.       SHOW NOTES   How else does PayPal act as a growth partner for small business?   PayPal Here - Credit Card Reader <<<< Great for the craft fairs coming up!!! Working Capital Business in a Box $10,000 Business Make Over   PayPal for Consumers   PayPal Here PayPal Account PayPal Me <<<< Essentially, sending money to those children who always need money   Contact PayPal   www.PayPal.com/business (844)720-4039

Today, we have Vincent Djen, designer, manufacturer and consultant for The Fashion Knowledge Network.  Vincent is going to tell his story of growing up in the fashion industry and sharing with you his secrets on how you can achieve your fashion design dream.  Plus, he gives us the inside scoop of some of the hottest upcoming trends and materials that are coming out!   SHOW NOTES Vincent's Golden Rule of Product Development and Production is to be prepared for Black Swans.  He breaks it down into three parts Test Communicate Be prepared Best advice for Sanaa and others looking to get into the fashion industry Never stop learning; go to shows, read, talk to people, never stop learning Be open-minded Commit 100% Perseverance  FUN FACTS Favorite part of owning your own business - Freedom and thrill of a job well done Favorite fabric - New sustainable materials; TPU, 3D Printing Favorite upcoming trend - Fashion wearable electronics; LED wedding gowns, temperature regulated clothing WHERE TO FIND VINCENT AND

Three years ago a stamping product was released to the people who followed My Sweet Petunia on Facebook, shortly thereafter, this incredible tool would impact the stamping world like no other.  The MISTI has changed lives, built friendships and revitalized the stamping community.  To celebrate her 3rd birthday, we have a special podcast to talk about some amazing ways you can use your MISTI along with a special from My Sweet Petunia for our listeners!       Show Notes   Where to Find the MISTI My Sweet Petunia - 20% Off the Original MISTI, Grid Pads and Mouse Pads from today through July 23rd for So Suzy Podcast listeners - no coupon required   Links Referenced So Suzy Stamps - Mirror Image Stamp   Concord & 9th - Turnabout Stamp         The Ton Stamps - Thanks Stamp Set   Iliana's MIHM Podcast Interview   Lavinia Stamps         Videos Referenced Justine Hovey              Gina K Designs              Ken's Creations       Uses for the MISTI Basic stamping Accurate stamping Solid and silhouette st

We are continuing with our July eCommerce Series and when we were putting the series together, I knew there was one person I just had to have on the show so she could share her words of wisdom.  Chloë Thomas, from eCommerce MasterPlan is an author, podcast host, mentor and consultant in the eCommerce world and I had the extreme pleasure of working with her when I owned So Suzy Stamps. Chloë was instrumental in helping us grow our “bricks and clicks” business.  She offered guidance on how to manage our inventory both in the shop and online, gave us amazing advice for how to handle promotions and helped us build a fabulous marketing plan to kick off the new year.  Which, was our most profitable quarter in the past 3 years. Chloë understands that not all industries are alike and not all needs are the same, however, she was able to guide me in the direction MY business needed to go and create my unique eCommerce MasterPlan.   SHOW NOTES In Chloë's book, Your 3 Steps to Successful Online Selling, she talks about

I had to have one last guest on the show to go with our Planner Series to talk about Traveler's Notebooks and working with leather products.  Chris Barrett from the AltGuild creates these stunning leather Traveler's Notebooks that I am absolutely IN LOVE with!  Today, we talk about the reasons behind a Traveler's Notebook, working with leather and what goes into the creation of one.       SHOW NOTES   Custom orders are on hold...he said forever, but does that really mean FOR-EV-ER?   Chris's Favorites Favorite Custom Order: Alice in Wonderland cover Favorite Size TN: Tachikoma  Favorite Part of Owning a Business: "Planting a seed and watching it grow." - Chris Barrett, AltGuild   Where to Find Chris Website (Etsy) Facebook Instagram    My Traveler's Notebook   My Old Soul in the A5 size       Dragon Scales Josefine and I May Come to Blows Over       The Cover That Started It All      

I APOLOGIZE FOR THE UPDATE AND ERROR WITH OUR ORIGINAL RECORDING, WE SHOULD BE GOOD TO GO FOR THE FULL EPISODE WITH TRACEY WALLACE FROM BIG COMMERCE. When it comes to starting an online business, selecting the right platform is critical to your business, customers and growth.  Selecting the wrong platform can cause you undue stress, crashed servers and additional costs that are unnecessary.  Today, we talk with Tracey Wallace, Editor in Chief, at BigCommerce to get her insight into what features you should look for in an eCommerce platform, the benefits of moving to a platform outside of Etsy and some of her favorite features.       SHOW NOTES   First Steps When Selecting an eCommerce Platform Put together a list of everything that you need it to do now and where you want to be in the future: Payment Gateways Inventory Shipping Wholesale Accounts Customer Groups for VIP's Robust Servers for High Traffic Syncing with Brick and Mortar shop Physical, Downloadable Products and Services Will It Sync to Infusions

Welcome to Made It Happen Monday, where we bring you the stories of the people in the creative industry who have built a business and Made It Happen!  Today, we have Missy Luukkonen from The Little Green Bean.  Missy is one of these amazing women who can take a piece of scrap fabric and turn it into the cutest, most unique items for your home.  Plus, her sewing room is to die for!       SHOW NOTES   Missy's tips for finding balance between maintaining a craft business and having a personal life:   Find your rhythm Build a schedule and stick to it Take a lunch and two 15 minute breaks Remove cell phone from your craft area Use a planner to plan out your day Take the weekend off Missy and her amazing craft room     Fun Facts   Favorite Product - whatever she is working on at the moment Favorite Part of Owning a Business - having days to do what you want Favorite Business Craft Tool - her giant ironing board Favorite Holiday That Inspires Her Cute Birds - Christmas     My F

Regardless if you're on a design team, make cards for fun or sell them throughout the year, having a craft room or craft space set up properly can not only have you time, but can help you find success.  In today's episode, we are going to talk about the 10 ways you can set your craft room up for success.       SHOW NOTES 10 Ways to Set Your Craft Room Up for Success Try pre-cutting your card bases Pre-cut your white and ivory 1st and 2nd layers Use your MISTI Keep your most used supplies at your finger tips Pre-make Nuvo Crystal Drops Pre-stamp the images you want to color Invest in a Scan N Cut Keep a card journal Tidy up your work space after every use Organize your supplies   Friday Tip of the Week "Be patient!  Never give up.  The trash can is your last resort.  Keep at a project-it usually turns out differently then you expect and you may even like it more.  And above all, have fun!"    - Victoria Moore-Beall     Sponsor   My Sweet Petunia and the amazing MISTI  

We have Sallyann Ralph from Little Sweet Designs on today's show to talk about the importance of branding for your blog, why she helps small businesses with pre-made templates and shows you how to use programs like InDesign, Photoshop, Canva and more.  Her Brand Bar is a one stop resource to help creativepreneurs stay ahead of the game.     MARKETING RESOURCES, TECH TRAINING & 'DONE-FOR-YOU' TEMPLATES FOR EVERY GIRL BOSS! The Brand Bar is a design-based membership site that meets you exactly where you are in business. We help you design, create and build a brand, PLUS all the marketing graphics that go along with it, so, it feels more like you!         SHOW NOTES   Branding is you.  Your face.  Your Clothes. -Sallyann Ralph   FUN FACTS   Favorite Template: eBooks Favorite eCourse: InDesign Favorite New Service: Shhh, it's a secret, she has 2 new designers coming on board     Where to Find Sallyann   Little Sweet Designs Website Facebook Instagram Etsy Free Resources and Templates Sallyann Ralph Website

We are doing something a bit different for today's podcast.  We just got back from Junkie Fest in Greendale, WI and I fell so in love with this little village that I had to share a bit of back story and history.  I hope you enjoy the excerpt from the book, Greendale - The Little Village That Could and Did before we talk about our recap from Junkie Fest.        Links Referenced   Village Paper and Ink  Hampton Inn - Franklin, WI Greendale, WI Gina K Designs Stamp Junkies   Sponsored By   My Sweet Petunia

Welcome to our final week of the Planner Series.  I hope you have enjoyed the last several weeks and the guests we have had on the show.  If you missed out on any of the podcasts, you can find them all here.  Also, if you would like to be eligible to win one of the NINE fabulous prizes, please leave us a comment in the show notes by July 6th.  We will be announcing the winners on July 7th!   Today, we have Laurie Huff from Quo Vadis talking about traditional planners, why paper planners are making such a huge come back and how to best utilize the planner that works best for you.         SHOW NOTES   What makes the Quo Vadis Planner so special? Clairefontaine paper Numerous styles, sizes, layouts and colors Refillable with add on inserts For those of us in the Creative industry or who have a lot going on, do you recommend using one or multiple planners? Have a main planner that has all of your deadlines, if it has a date, it goes in your planner Save your creativity on output not on planning What advice

Welcome to Made It Happen Monday with Marcia Francois the Organising Queen!  Today we talk to Marcia about living life intentionally, how to find time to do the things you love and her advice for finding the perfect planner for your lifestyle.     SHOW NOTES Marcia's Main Purpose or Focus - "Inspire people to take action."   Why Marcia thinks people sabotage themselves when it comes to finding time to do things they love - "It's a badge of honor to be busy"   "I have enough time for everything that is important to me." - Marcia Francois Advice for people who are struggling with finding the perfect planner:  "Go with simplicity and you need to know yourself"   Marcia's piece of advice for those of us who are crafters  "Know in advance what you want to do and set up your environment for success." -Marcia Francois Marcia's Favorites Favorite organizing or time management system - Meal Planning Favorite service she offers - Coaching Favorite Pen(s)   Pilot G2 .7mm Pentel EnerGel .7mm About Marcia Blog e

We are headed out to our very first card retreat that I have not hosted!  The Stamp Junkies are descending upon Gina K's, Village Paper & Ink in Wisconsin for a ton of fun, lots of laughs and some major card making.  On today's episode, we talk about getting ready for going to a Retreat, supplies to bring and how I created my amazing lists!       SHOW NOTES What to Bring - Check out our Preparing Your Go Bag podcast for more detailed information   Be Courteous - Use a purse hook to hang your Bunkie Bag from the table so it doesn't take up so much space on the table.     My List     Isn't this just the cutest?  List with the envelope pocket   List is 5" x 2.75" Envelope Pocket is 3" x 4"   Supplies Used   Lavinia Freya's Fairy House Stamp Brutus Monroe Clickable Letter Stamps Gina K CardStock So Suzy Stamp Peacock Plumes Ink Bites         Don't Forget   Next week is our last week for our Planner Series, to be eligible to win one of our 9 fabulous prizes, please head on over and leave a comment on w

Welcome back to Week 4 of our Planner Series with Jessica Marie Design.  Jessica designs and creates Printable Planners that you can simply download and print or if you need something custom, she can design planner pages that work for you and your needs.  I have been using Jessica for several years and she never fails to wow me with her ability to take what's in my head and make something invaluable for my planning needs.  Plus, she shares with us a few of her planner hacks on how YOU can decide which planner is best for YOUR lifestyle. Special thanks to our sponsors: Quo Vadis and Paper Clip Planet  

It's Made It Happen Monday with Katy Weade co-founder of Blitsy!  Today we talk with Katy on how Blitsy came to life, how to get your products onto their site, secret of something super fabulous coming out soon and where Blitsy is going in the future!

Listening to your followers and customers is an integral part of the success of you, your brand and your business.  Understanding what they want and need will help to garner their loyalty and allow you to grow and continue to to offer value added content and products.  Find out the importance of listening to your customers and followers in today's podcast.     SHOW NOTES   Why You Should Listen "Not listening to your customers is equal to not looking at your fuel gauge before heading off for a road trip."   Case Studies @KreativeKymona Instagram - Did You Know? Series Customers asked she provided Value to the consumer and manufacturer "Not only does Kymona's series benefit her followers, but the companies whose products she was featuring also found value in her Did You Know? series." My Sweet Petunia - MISTI MISTI Mini MISTI Memory MISTI "By listening to her customers, Iliana has made not only a fabulous tool, but better business decisions because of the feedback from her customer."  Paper Clip P

Welcome to week 3 of our Planner Series with Audra Bolster from Kindred Stamps.  Today, we are exploring the reasons behind decorating your planner, supplies available and best inks to use.  When I think of decorating a planner, my brain immediately goes to "personal planner" and certainly not one for business.  However, seeing the need for business stamps and direct sales planner stamps, Audra designed several planner stamps to fill that need.  They are great for small businesses, direct sales, Etsy shop owners and so much more. SHOW NOTES Why is decorating your planner so popular right now? It adds uniqueness to your planner and you can add whimsy by stamping and coloring. -Audra Bolster, Kindred Stamps Types of Planner Stamps Kindred Stamps carries Everyday Unicorn Theme Park Vacation Small Business Direct Sales Book Club Care Instructions Kendra's Personal Favorites Best Ink - VersaFine Pigment Ink Favorite Planner - Erin Condren Favorite Planner Stamp Sets - Small Business and Unicorn   What You N

We are continuing with our Planner Series theme in today's Made It Happen Monday podcast with Ashley Shelly Trotier from Ashley Shelly.  Ashley creates some fabulous planners that are designed to help you "create your best days".  Today, we hear the story behind her business, the planners she creates and the products she has coming out in the near future.   SHOW NOTES The Ashley Shelly Planners are created by Ashley Shelly to help people "Create Your Best Days".  Each planner is printed on 80lb bright white paper, perfect for decorating and using all year round, plus she has her special 'Creative Spread" to help you find your focus for the month ahead. She also carries Dot grid notebooks - NEW Budget Planner Notebook Bestie Daily Peace Journal Ashley's Favorites Favorite Pen - Le Pen & PaperMate Ink Joy .7 Favorite Notebook Cover - Ombre Pineapple Favorite Part of Owning a Business - Allows her to create her best days Where to Find Ashley Shelly Website Facebook Instagram

Let's face it, we are busy people.  Life has a tendency to get in the way, responsibilities pile up and time flies by.  What we want to do doesn't always match up with what we have to do, but what if you were able to combine creativity with something you MUST do?   Show Notes If you are short on time available to you, think about your creative flow and crafting habits: Do you need time to gather supplies? Does it take you 30-45 minutes perusing Pinterest for inspiration? Is your craft space needing some major clean up before you start? If you are struggling to find time, think about what would best serve your times and needs: Do you need pops of creativity? Would you prefer large chunks of time to create? Are you constantly on the go and need something portable? Links Referenced Kelly Creates Kelly Creates Facebook Group Rhodia Bullet Journal Bunkie Bag Sponsored By My Sweet Petunia and the MISTI

Welcome to week 2 of our Planner Series!  Today, we are talking with Helen Colebrook from Journal with Purpose and how she uses her Bullet Journal to plan her days.  When I first found Helen on Instagram, I was completely enamored of her simple layout style, the way she combined work with home and her blog post on Using Your Bullet Journal to Get More of the Good Stuff Done.  I have always wanted to use a bullet journal since the first time I saw a picture of my friend, Krys Salvetta using hers.  After my interview with Helen, I am happy to report that I finally bought not one but TEN bullet journals, I am seriously addicted. During our interview with Helen, she takes us through what she loves about using a bullet journal for her planning, how she stays organized, tips and tricks and some of her favorites.   SHOW NOTES The Bullet Journal is referred to as an "analog system for the digital age" by Ryder Carroll, the creator of the Bullet Journal.  According to Helen, she loves its simplicity, because you can