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In this inspiring episode, Nicole Stevenson of Dear Handmade Life, shares her story of transitioning from selling her artwork on the streets of Venice Beach to managing a multifaceted creative business. Nicole shares her experiences of taking risks, the challenges of showing up day after day, and the invaluable lessons learned from both failures and successes. This empowering discussion is sure to be inspiring for your journey. Get 10% off your Canvas Lamp today with code: Tillage10 ☕Buy Me A Coffee and support an episode! ⭐Leave a Review on Rate This Podcast! ⭐Visit www.thetillagepodcast.com for today's show notes and more. ⭐Follow along on INSTAGRAM
Today we have Nicole Stevenson talking with us about what it takes to start and run a street fair. Nicole is the co-founder CEO of Dear Handmade Life, a company that produces Patchwork Show Festivals in nine cities twice a year, reaching over 500,000 attendees in a marketplace for over 15,000 artists and small business owners. Her business also produces the Craftcation Conference, an incredible five-day event with over 200 craft and business workshops in Ventura, California. That conference has been described as "life-changing" and "an MBA for creatives in a weekend." Dear Handmade Life has been featured on Good Day LA, the Huffington Post and Sonoma Magazine, the LA Times and countless blogs.Subscribe on Apple Podcast , Spotify or other major streaming platforms.If you have a comment, a question you wish I'd asked, an idea for an episode or want to say hi, I'd love to hear from you! For inquiring guests, please keep in mind that this podcast is for the benefit of listeners and I am not interested in any “puff pieces.” Thank you for understanding!Feel free to send me a message through my website, or through LinkedIn.A diary of episodes are posted on Instagram atHow I Built My Small Business.
Nicole Stevenson, founder of Dear Handmade Life, is a pillar in the creation of California Craft Fairs. Phoebe and Nicole talk about the beginning days of starting Craft Cation and Dear Handmade Life, growing a successful business by managing a team, dedicating time to being creative, and balancing it all while being present for her family. Key Points: ✿ Nicole tells us about the early days of starting a craft fair business and being challenged to show that she should be taken seriously ✿ How hiring a team has brought Nicole balance and helped her gain the ability to delegate tasks as a CEO ✿ “Any progress you're making towards your goals is progress. Even if you're just working on it 5 minutes a night, you're getting closer to that dream” ✿ On being intentional when consuming social media, “Look and say, this is my time. I'm making this decision. This is my intent” ✿ What we're seeing small biz owners struggle with the most is keeping up with marketing and social media ✿ How to utilize project management systems to be on track of your goals like using airtable, asana, google calendar, or batching and scheduling content so you don't burn out from posting For more on Nicole's craft events visit dearhandmadelife.com Applications are now open for their Patchwork Show Get featured on GGC's Mother's Day Gift Guide Salem, and Sacramento Craft Fair apps close 3/29, Providence apps close 4/12 Apply now at girlgangcraft.com/apply Streamline your email marketing with Flodesk and get 50% off your first year at bit.ly/GGCFlodesk Girl Gang Craft Email Marketing Class Win a 30 minute coaching call with Phoebe! Leave us a 5 Star Review on Apple Podcasts with a note about why you love the show and how it has been helpful to you. Leave your instagram handle in the comment. One winner will be selected monthly. @PhoebeSherman and @GirlGangCraft on Instagram @Phoebe.Sherman On TikTok Like, subscribe, and watch our convos on YouTube For episode shownotes and transcript, please visit our website
Marketing doesn't have to be an obnoxious task you dread. Many small business owners are uncomfortable talking about themselves and their work with the public. Create an Instagram Reel? With me on camera? No, thank you.According to Nicole Stevenson, CEO and Creative Director of Dear Handmade Life, it's not about you. It's about your message.“I can't serve my community if nobody knows about me,” she says.Dear Handmade Life curates events, education, and community for creatives and small business owners. During her time as CEO, Nicole has done many things that made her uncomfortable. Marketing is one of those things. In her work with other small business owners, she finds this attitude toward marketing is pretty common. Sharing your story is essential to building a community. And for Nicole, that community is everything.“I would not have a business without this community that we've curated,” she says.On this episode of Be a Marketer, Nicole and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss being more open to new systems and technologies, creating processes to complete your big tasks, and why it's important to sit back and appreciate yourself once in a while.
In this week's episode Lauren Interviews Nicole Stevenson from Dear Handmade Life. Learn all about Nicole's journey from starving artist to multi six-figure entrepreneur! Explore all that the Dear Handmade Life community has to offer, and enjoy the conversation about the importance of grit in this week's Crickets to Cha-Chings! Dear Handmade Life Instagram: dearhandmadelife Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dearhandmadelife
Gift Biz Unwrapped | Women Entrepreneurs | Bakers, Crafters, Makers | StartUp
Every person's business journey is unique. But we can still learn from each other. Our guest today shares handmade business advice from lessons she's learned over her 20 years in the business. Nicole is the CEO and Creative Director of Dear Handmade Life. At 24. she turned her passion into a profession with her handcrafted clothing line called Random Nicole. She started selling at flea markets and backyard craft fairs and has grown it into a thriving, international wholesale business. Nicole's desire to help other creatives pursue their dream business and discover the joy of making led her away from her own handmade business and into teaching, consulting, and running her own workshop studio. This eventually led to co-founding Dear Handmade Life in 2007. Now, she connects, educates, and shortens the learning curve for other creatives by sharing what she's learned through the Dear Handmade Life events, blog, and podcast. BUSINESS BUILDING INSIGHTS The learning curves and even mistakes in your business development will contribute to your overall knowledge and learning experience in the future. Challenges will not last forever. You will develop confidence and resilience each time you rise above them. https://giftbizunwrapped.com/episodes/kellsie-moore (Push yourself out of your comfort zone). You don't have to post on all platforms. Just pick a platform and https://giftbizunwrapped.com/episodes/holiday-social-media-ideas (put out content) you enjoy making. Keep moving, keep pushing, look for your community and reach out for help. Tune in to the full conversation to hear all of Nicole's handmade business advice! Handmade Business Advice Community over competition. Your connection with other people in your industry will help you progress and get more visibility to your customers. When you first start, your "put yourself out there" muscle is small and weak. But the more you do it, the stronger that muscle gets. "A rising tide lifts all ships" is especially true in the handmade world. Don't be afraid to https://giftbizunwrapped.com/episodes/jasontreu (collaborate and network) with others in your industry. Everyone benefits when you do! Find someone to whom you can delegate work so you have time to focus on more important matters. Understand that everything in your business can be done by someone else. Your goal should be for your to work FOR you instead of you working for your business.
Makers Mean Business with Damon Oates and Parker Stelly of DecoExchange
This week, Parker gets to sit down with Nicole Stevenson of Dear Handmade Life for an interview of intimate stories and practical advice for living a creative life filled with intention and purpose. For more info on all the amazing things Nicole and Dear Handmade Life are working on, check it out at their website: https://dearhandmadelife.com/ --------------------- Are you following Damon & Parker on social media, too? Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/decoexchange Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/decoexchange/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJAN_9Npn3LIbe2klovUbUA Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Decoexchange/_shop/ Get Business Coaching from Damon: https://damonsbusinesscoaching.safechkout.net/ Shop DecoExchange: https://www.decoexchange.com/ Parker's Scaling Your Business with Assistants e-book: https://www.decoexchange.com/products/scaling-your-business-with-assistants-by-parker-stelly Don't forget that you can text Damon directly at 504-553-3451
This week, Margo is joined by multi-passionate creative, middle-aged first-time mama, impostor syndrome warrior, Korean BBQ connoisseur and the CEO and creative director at Dear Handmade Life, Nicole Stevenson. Nicole's desire to help other creatives pursue their dream business and discover the joy of making led her away from her own handmade business and into teaching, consulting, running her own workshop studio and eventually co-founding Dear Handmade Life in 2007. Now, she connects, educates and shortens the learning curve for other creatives by sharing what she's learned through the Dear Handmade Life events like Craftcation Conference, Patchwork Show and Camp Dear Handmade Life, blog and podcast. Margo & Nicole chat about: Holding on to old stories/needing to change Shifting perspectives Treating social media as an opportunity instead of an obligation when it comes to business as a creative Why finding community and connection is so important for creatives and how Nicole's contributing to hers The benefits and challenges that have come with becoming a mom later in life Why you have to using the analytical and logical side of your mind when writing your dream story Allowing your business to expand, evolve, pivot, and change And so much more! She has a BA and an MA in English from San Francisco State University and a dual “PhD” in crafting to keep your sanity and badass business skills from the School of Life. Connect with Nicole: https://dearhandmadelife.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dearhandmadelife/ Dear Handmade Life Podcast Resources Mentioned: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/raymond-carver https://www.heymavens.com/
Today's guest is an expert when it comes to helping others nurture their creativity. Nicole is full of wisdom and grace for curiously creative who are looking to find the creative gems hidden inside themselves. In this episode, she shares her own story of the struggles to find her own creative success, exercises you can do to find your creative purpose, and a whole lot more. Thank you so much to this week sponsor Wireframe. Listen here: https://link.chtbl.com/wireframe?sid=podcast.howshecreates For shownotes and links visit: http://www.lauren-likes.com/how-she-creates-finding-your-creative-purpose-with-nicole-stevenson-of-dear-handmade-life-ep-510/
More about Nicole Stevenson: Nicole Stevenson is a multi-passionate creative, middle-aged first-time mama, impostor syndrome warrior, cake and Korean BBQ connoisseur, confessional journaler, second-hand shop scavenger, deep dive conversationalist and the CEO and creative director at Dear Handmade Life. She can't recall a time in her life when she wasn't making something. At 24, she turned my passion into my profession when she started selling Random Nicole, her handcrafted clothing line at flea markets and backyard craft fairs, which she grew into a thriving retail and wholesale six-figure business that was carried at over 250 shops around the world. Nicole's desire to help other creatives pursue their dream business and discover the joy of making led her away from her own handmade business and into teaching, consulting, running her own workshop studio and eventually co-founding Dear Handmade Life in 2007. Now, she connects, educates and shortens the learning curve for other creatives by sharing what she's learned through the Dear Handmade Life events, blog and podcast. She has a BA and an MA in English from San Francisco State University and a dual “PhD” in crafting to keep your sanity and badass business skills from the School of Life. When she takes off her Dear Handmade Life “boss hat”, you'll find her squeezing in time to write or draw, trying her damndest to make her baby laugh or hold still long enough for her to change his diaper, devouring one of the dozens of self-help books on her nightstand, trying to find something interesting to take a photo of on her morning walk in her mundane suburban neighborhood, watching Below Deck and eating the best sausage and orecchiette courtesy of her husband or dreaming of living a stone's throw from the beach. You can find her at https://dearhandmadelife.com/
Nicole Stevenson is a multi-passionate creative, middle-aged first-time mama, impostor syndrome warrior, cake and Korean BBQ connoisseur, confessional journaler, second-hand shop scavenger, deep dive conversationalist and the CEO and creative director at Dear Handmade Life. She can't recall a time in her life when she wasn't making something. At 24, she turned my passion into my profession when she started selling Random Nicole, her handcrafted clothing line at flea markets and backyard craft fairs, which she grew into a thriving retail and wholesale six-figure business that was carried at over 250 shops around the world. Nicole's desire to help other creatives pursue their dream business and discover the joy of making led her away from her own handmade business and into teaching, consulting, running her own workshop studio and eventually co-founding Dear Handmade Life in 2007. Now, she connects, educates and shortens the learning curve for other creatives by sharing what she's learned through the Dear Handmade Life events, blog and podcast. She has a BA and an MA in English from San Francisco State University and a dual “PhD” in crafting to keep your sanity and badass business skills from the School of Life. When she takes off her Dear Handmade Life “boss hat”, you'll find her squeezing in time to write or draw, trying her damndest to make her baby laugh or hold still long enough for her to change his diaper, devouring one of the dozens of self-help books on her nightstand, trying to find something interesting to take a photo of on her morning walk in her mundane suburban neighborhood, watching Below Deck and eating the best sausage and orecchiette courtesy of her husband or dreaming of living a stone's throw from the beach. You can find her at https://dearhandmadelife.com/
In this week's episode we meet Nicole: a maker, mama, mental health warrior, and the CEO and creative director at Dear Handmade Life. Nicole wears allllll the hats. She has a blog, a podcast, a shop, directs Camp Dear Handmade Life, puts on local makers festivals, and the highlight of her year is hosting the Craftcation Conference in California. (Did I mention it's at the BEACH?!)Through curating events, education and community for creatives, Nicole is helping thousands upon thousands of women turn passion into profession while connecting and inspiring one another. Amazing, right?!There's no denying Nicole does it all. How does she do it?? In this episode you'll hear how Nicole juggles business, motherhood, and taking care of herself. Here are some episode highlights you won't want to miss:Looking at your life through a lens of gratitude and also growthCollision between therapy and craftingProcess over ProductPriorities at different parts of lifeWhat Nicole wishes she had known about before starting her businessCoping with mental health disorderHow Nicole finds the good in the badBONUS: Find out which P word Nicole doesn't use ;) Listen here!You can find Nicole on Instagram @dearhandmadelife and head on over to her website www.dearhandmadelife.com to find her latest blog posts, podcast episodes, and event information. If you have questions for Nicole, email holli@hollimostella.com. Support the show (http://patreon.com/hollimostella)
Studio 78: Branding, Productivity, & Business Tips for Female Creative Entrepreneurs
Nicole Stevenson and her team curate events, education, and community for creatives and passionate small business owners through Dear Handmade Life (DHL). Nicole started with her aunt, who has since moved on, by initially creating a tiny holiday craft show called Patchwork Show. Over the next decade, Patchwork Show evolved into a multi-city biannual festival. In 2011, they launched Craftcation Conference, giving small business owners and creatives support and education through four magical days of craft, business, and wellness workshops at the beach. With the additions of a blog, podcast, online shop, workshops, and a thriving virtual community, the brand became Dear Handmade Life in 2013. In this episode, Nicole chats about why she decided to build a creative community, and she provides tips on how you can too. We get into the business of Craftcation to include her decision to start delegating more after her son was born and the mental impact of having to cancel a fully planned conference due to the pandemic. Lastly, we discuss productivity tips for organizing large events and how Camp DHL will differ from other virtual spaces for creatives. Show notes: https://nachesnow.com/129
We’re taking a break from the podcast for a bit to do some behind the scenes work here at Dear Handmade Life as well as get some quality time in with family including our new baby Luca! Check out our archives for over 100 episodes and we’ll see you soon!
This week on the Dear Handmade Life podcast I’m chatting about Embracing Balance not Busyness with Ciji Tatum Townsend. We talk about our personal histories with familial busyness, how to discover break down your balance barriers, how to begin to unbusy your life, making time for wellness and more.
My guest today is Nicole Stevenson, and she makes my new favorite crafty business retreat, Craftcation, possible. Not just Craftcation, Nicole also produces a vendor based event called The Patchwork Show, has her own podcast Dear Handmade Life, dabbles in illustration, designs and sell T-shirts made for ADD crafters like me that say “make all the things”. Honestly, Nicole is just one of those people constantly spreading inspiration and valuable information with everything she does.Host: Jennifer Perkinshttp://creativequeso.comhttp://jenniferperkins.comGuest: Nicole Stevensonhttps://dearhandmadelife.comPodcast: Dear Handmade Lifehttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dear-handmade-life/id957276203?mt=2Craftcationhttps://dearhandmadelife.com/craftcation-conference/Patchwork Showhttps://dearhandmadelife.com/patchwork-show/PRODUCER: Myrriah GossettMUSIC: Chris Boehk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast I'm talking about the realities of writing a craft book with the creative voice behind Flax & Twine, Anne Weil. I chat with Anne about how her first book was born, overwhelm and organization during the book writing process, the importance of collaboration, the money and marketing realities, the top things she learned and more.
Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast I'm talking about the inner critic with author of Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead Tara Mohr and my guest cohost Paige Wery, owner of The Good Luck Gallery. I chat with Tara and Paige recognizing and learning to live with the voice of your inner critic, how to discover and tap into your inner mentor, using criticism in a positive way and more.
Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast I’m talking about building a business around your core values with founder of Thimblepress and consultant/mentor for creative business owners Kristen Ley. I chat with Kristen about how having defined core values can increase brand strength, help you make difficult decisions and inform successful planning and goal setting. We share our stories of how we developed our core values, why it’s good to start before you’re 100% ready, starting a business without a plan and the ups and downs of running a creative business (including why the downs are so valuable).
Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast we’re talking to serial entrepreneur, rebellious marketer, technology expert and author of one of my favorite marketing books The 1-Page Marketing Plan about marketing your creative business. I talk with Allan about letting go of money issues, the fault of glorifying busyness, the importance of getting clear goals, the "know, like and trust" strategy and we dive deep into the first few steps of creating a 1-page marketing plan.
Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast I’m talking with contemporary fiber artist, photographer, and author Lisa Anderson Shaffer of Zelma Rose about the transformational power of a daily practice. I talk with Lisa about the intersection of fact and faith in ritual, how the political climate of 2016 led to Lisa's artistic labor that birthed her daily practice The Three Things, why a daily practice should feel effortless, the first question to ask yourself if you're thinking about starting a daily practice and how to get started, thew power and effects of daily rituals and more.
Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast we’re talking to Christina Scalera, the attorney and founder behind The Contract Shop, a contract template store for creative entrepreneurs, wedding professionals, and coaches about legally protecting your business. I chat with Christina about how getting your legal ducks in a row can increase productivity, when you need a contract, the two basic types of insurance every business (no matter how small) needs, the GDPR, the most important legal and financial things you need to have in place when you start your business and more.
Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast I chat with Angie Chua about the realities of running a creative business, what led her to leave her corporate job to pursue her side business full-time, and why evaluating your priorities and idea of success is key at every stage in your business and more.
Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast we’re talking to designer, metalsmith, educator, and entrepreneur Megan Auman about getting and maintaining control over your marketing efforts through multi-avenue marketing.
Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast we’re talking about Legacy and Estate Planning for Creatives with lawyers, crafters and Craftcation Conference Alums Allysia Holland & Jill Bates-Moore who run Dahlia Law Group LLP. We break down exactly what estate and legacy planning is, talk about their belief that everyone has a legacy to plan for, the first steps to begin planning and the empowerment that can come from closely examining your life in order to make a plan for your legacy and estate.
Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast we talk with Jennifer Priest who owns digital marketing consultant brand Smart Creative Social and the blog Smart Fun DIY about creating a winning Pinterest Strategy. We chat with Jennifer about using Pinterest as a market research tool, to forecast trends and as the ultimate search engine to drive traffic to your site plus the best ways to use secret boards, the importance of solving a problem with your product or service, how to stand out from the competition, why fighting the social media algorithms is futile, optimizing your Pinterest content and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes.
On this episode of the Dear Handmade Life podcast Nicole talks to business coach, author and founder of the digital media company, Living Over Existing, Alisha Robertson. The women discuss keeping your brand fresh, finding your niche, pushing past fear and anxiety, discovering your values and more. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...
Craftcation? Yes please! We got to hangout with Dear Handmade Life's Nicole Stevenson who gave us ALL of the deets on this dreamy crafty retreat! Nicole is awesome and is DIY to the core. She shares her journey and gives out some amazing advice, as well as key takeaways that we all can use as inspo! As promised, Nicole is giving the Craft Hangout Crafterinos a special discount code to use when registration opens in October via dearhandmadelife.com -- code is LOVEELIZA , so hang onto that! Don't worry-- we'll remind you when the date rolls closer. ;) Nicole is awesome, so show her some Craft Hangout love! You can find her: www.dearhandmadelife.com http://www.nicolestevensonstudio.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dearhandmadelife/ LAST CHANCE! The Craft Hangout #1 Live event is on 7/15/18, so if you wanna come and hang out in real life and make a pizza-inspired craft, get your tickets here! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/craft-hangout-live-1-tickets-45839813115?aff=eac2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Oh! And don’t forget to join our tribe! www.crafthangout.com www.instagram.com/crafthangout https://www.facebook.com/crafthangout
Isaac addresses the idea that there’s one path to success as a handmade business, encourages taking action on your dreams, and interviews Nicole Stevenson from Dear Handmade Life about her own unique journey as a maker, artist, and community organizer.
Delilah and Nicole discuss a heated subject: sharing about your personal beliefs and politics in your business. We know this is a sensitive topic for many people. While our goal in this episode is to address balancing your personal beliefs and politics with your business, some political ideas emerged during our unscripted conversation. If you’re feeling emotionally raw or don’t want to potentially hear views that may be different than your own, we urge you to skip this episode. The views shared in this episode do not reflect the views of our sponsors or necessarily reflect those of Dear Handmade Life. The ladies talk to artist, author, mother, and Craftcation 2017 presenter Anna Joyce about why she doesn’t shy away from not only sharing her political views and personal life on social media, but about adding products to her collection that reflect her views. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...
This episode is all about the do's and don'ts of an effective business partnership. In this episode I chat with Delilah and Nicole from Dear [...]
Today's episode is for makers and artists. We're talking with illustrator, artist, writer, and co-founder of Dear Handmade Life, Nicole Stevenson. We dive into pricing your products, making money as an artist, and that when you go into a business as an artist or maker, you're selling more than just your art. -Nicole's entrepreneurial journey (3:06) -Pricing your products as an artist or maker (14:20) -Putting the burden of making money on your art (19:03) -How to "give it all away" as a maker / product-based business (23:42) -Selling a lifestyle/story/feeling vs. strictly selling a product (27:49) -The importance of artists and creative thinking (31:27) -Scaling as a maker (36:05) -How to hold yourself accountable to your art (43:34)
A quick update for our podcast listeners. The Dear Handmade Life podcast will return after a summer intermission on August 11th. We cannot wait to connect with you again. Cheers!
Things are gettin' crazy over here at Dear Handmade Life - we're preparing for Craftcation, Spring Patchwork Shows and Delilah is opening her new store! We're so excited to share these experiences with you, but we have to take a quick break beforehand. We'll be back on April 21st and this Intermission Show will give you some rich content to check out in the meantime. Happy Spring!
Patchwork Show is Dear Handmade Life's maker and artisan food festival that takes place at multiple locations throughout California in the spring and fall. Every show brings different problems and experiences, but after many years of festivals Delilah and Nicole hit their stride and find time to reflect and visit with vendors and attendees. Visit www.dearhandmadelife.com for the show notes...
This week on the Dear Handmade Life, Delilah+Nicole talk to director/curator/artist/teacher David Michael Lee about whether or not creatives need to define themselves, and if so, how they the heck do they do it?! For show notes, visit www.dearhandmadelife.com
Hello Everyone! We’re so excited to share the first episode of our bi-weekly, Dear Handmade Life podcast with you. In this introduction episode we’ll talk about who we are, what we do, why we started our podcast and what to expect in future episodes. We hope you’ll join us every other week for drinks and discussions on creative business, DIY, craft and design for entrepreneurs and makers. Each week we’ll feature a drink (sometimes it will be a cocktail and other times it may be a favorite tea or juice). We’ll post the recipe or link on the blog before the podcast airs so you can drink along with us as you listen. Expect lots of laughs, inspiration, and insightful guests. You can find more information and our monthly drink lists on dearhandmadelife.com. Cheers! Delilah+Nicole