Last month I made a big, grown-up decision.  I split my business in two, so that I could concentrate properly on both bits.

For the past four years or so I've been running "how to sell on Etsy" workshops, which then branched out into online shop reviews, followed by a series of downloadable PDFs.  I'd been selling these alongside my illustrations on Etsy, and while it's all been ticking over I was aware that it was becoming a bit confusing for my two distinct customer groups.

So, after giving it a lot of thought, I decided to go for it.  First things first, I had to decide on a name for my new business.  This isn't something I'd ever done before - it was pretty exciting, but I knew I had to get it right!

And then branding... again it's not something that I had consciously done for my own business.  My BGI branding kind of just evolved over time.  I decided to stick to the key colours I use in my BGI branding, as the two businesses will run alongside each other, and I created my own hand-lettered font.  I can't explain how much fun I had doing this; I really enjoyed creating a whole new brand identity for myself!

So, new logo in hand, I set up my new Etsy Shop, along with social media accounts, and launched my new project on 6th April... I was absolutely terrified that no-one would be interested!  But, you know what, it's been great so far!  Lots of interest - and so much support from my small business buddies.  I am so grateful to everyone who's supported me so far; and I hope that I'll now be able to develop the types of support I can offer to other small businesses under this new brand.

I've already been asked about running workshops as far afield as Glasgow and Cornwall; which is super-exciting - a little tour of the UK is definitely on the cards!  I'm also looking at expanding on the workshops I can offer - perhaps looking at some social media topics too.  Working under a brand name also opens up the scope of working collaboratively with other people, which is pretty exciting.  Watch this space!

It's a totally different kettle of fish, launching a business when you know a bit more about what you're doing.  I think it's actually a bit scarier, cos you know what can go wrong!

But, so far, so good... and my next big job is to get my own Make & Flourish website up and running.

To find out more about Make & Flourish, and for lots of handy Etsy tips, find me on Instagram and Facebook; and to see what PDFs and review services are on offer, see my Etsy shop!

This month I had a bit of a lightbulb moment.  Well, to be more specific, it was an energy-saving-lightbulb-moment...
 
I’ve been looking more and more at how I can make my business and products more eco-friendly; just after New Year I ordered samples of biodegradable cornstarch cellos and was starting to do some sums to work out if I could manage to absorb the extra cost involved (4p per cello doesn’t sound like much, but with increasing paper and postage costs it all has to be factored in).
 
I was still aware that biodegradable cellos were not a complete solution – they still take an awfully long time to degrade, and they will still end up as waste in the interim.  Paper bags were another option, but the logistics of paper bagging each card (and then not being able to see which card was which) really didn’t seem logical.
 
And then I saw an Instagram story from one of my Mersey Etsy Teammates, Vanilla Retro, that stopped me in my tracks.  Michelle was conducting an IG poll asking if people would mind if they ordered a card online and it came without a cello.
 
Instantly I realised that she had the answer already.  I suddenly remembered recent purchases from Thortful and Do You Punctuate – neither of which had used a cello.  The cards had arrived pristine, and it really hadn’t registered as any sort of issue of me.
 
I conducted my own survey via Instagram, and chatted to a few people (including Michelle) about it.  A few people raised valid concerns:
 
What if the envelope gets wet?
It’s unlikely to get so wet that the card itself will be damaged, and if it does, is a flimsy cello really going to protect it?  Worst case scenario, I’ll replace the card.

What if the card gets a mark on it?
Again, that’s unlikely – as the unmarked card is going into an envelope, with a delivery note wrapped round it, and then taken out of the envelope when it’s delivered to the customer.  If it happens then I will of course replace the card.

My survey results were resounding – 90% of people were unconcerned about receiving an un-celloed card.  My IG story attracted the interest of Louise from Bookishly and Jules from Mollycat Craft Co, who both did their own research which came back with similar findings.
 
And so, as I ran out of packaged stock, I started to post out un-packaged greetings cards.  My social media posts announcing this have gained nothing but positive comments – it seems that people are really happy to eliminate unnecessary plastic packaging.  I've had no complaints from customers so far either.
 
An incidental bonus is that it takes a lot less time to prepare stock when you’re not cello-ing.  And – as any card seller will report – those little plastic self seal strips get everywhere.  I am so excited to not have to contend with those static little buggers any more.
 
It’s also cutting a material cost, which will conveniently come at the same time as Royal Mail increasing their postage prices – meaning I won’t have to increase my sales prices to cover this.
 
I’ve still got a lot of stock of cello-ed cards; so I’m not totally cello-free yet.  But as these stocks deplete I won’t be renewing them.  I’m going to get a little stack of biodegradable cellos for my prints and any wholesale orders – unless I can find a way round that.  And I am going to actively encourage other card-sellers to do the same.  It won’t work for everyone – but I’d challenge other sellers to give it some serious consideration.
 
Next up, I need to sort out a proper recycling system.  I'm due to move studios in the coming weeks, so I am planning to tackle this head on once I’m in the new space. 
 
What do you think about me going cello free?  Would it bother you as a customer?  If you’re a small business would you consider following suit?

A few weeks ago I got a Facebook message asking if I'd send some of my skyline prints in to ITV's This Morning.  A phone call later, and we were all set - I just had to post the stuff down to London and it'd be featured on the TV!

I did a bit of background research and decided to send in a framed Brighton Skyline (which is where Holly Willoughby is from) and a Leeds Skyline - which is where Phillip Schofield's daughter graduated from earlier this year.  I added a load more cards and bits and pieces, parceled it up and off it went.

I had no idea what day it'd be shown, if at all, but on the Saturday I got a message to let me know that my skylines would be part of a "Gift Guide for Her" on Monday's programme.  I was still a bit apprehensive, so much could go wrong... and of course it could be pulled at any moment.  I'd hedged my bets and placed big orders for archival paper, frames, printer inks and packaging... but I still didn't want to get too carried away!

Monday 4th December rolled round; I had both Hayley and Katy in to help me as it was pretty busy anyway, and we got on with all the orders - until just after 12, when the "gift guide" segment was aired... we stopped with a coffee to watch it with bated breath!

And there it was!  My Brighton Skyline!  Live on ITV!  Wow, I have to be honest, I was a bit speechless.  Hearing someone say your name on TV is really weird!  Then my phone went mad... so many messages and comments, I was completely overwhelmed!

I kept checking my emails, and sure enough a reasonable number of orders started pinging in.  Somehow, This Morning hadn't given out a link for my Etsy shopfront as agreed, so viewers were Googling my name - and orders were split between my Etsy and NOTHS shops... then I realised that I was also getting lots of orders on my own (very much half-finished) website...

As I'd never finished uploading products onto my website, I've never officially launched it.  It was transactional, but until that point I'd only had a handful of low value orders through it.  A few emergency messages to my friend Claire, and I'd managed to understand enough HTML coding to make the website print functional delivery notes - with address labels in the right place.  Something I'd been meaning to do, but never got round to - ah well, at least it's done now!

It was a manic afternoon and evening, packing orders and answering emails, running mostly on caffeine and adrenaline... oh, and the chocolate that my lovely friend Nat popped round with.  The mayhem continued for a good few days, and has hugely boosted my sales - that Monday gave me the highest turnover of any one day to date; and now, two weeks into December, I've nearly beaten the whole of my turnover for December 2016.  Considering how terrifyingly quiet October and November were for me, I'm delighted - and more than a little relieved.

A hundred or so print orders in a day is a completely different kettle of fish to 500+ orders of Valentine's cards that I get each day in early February; with so many different options for size, framing and personalisation it's a lot more work.  But we've managed fine, with a few early mornings, a few late nights and a lot of coffee.  I'm so grateful to Katy and Hayley for keeping me sane throughout - and our endless games of "Tell Me..." - more about that another time!

Brighton is now my most popular skyline, having sold over 50 as a direct result of the This Morning feature - closely followed by London, Leeds, Belfast and Edinburgh.

So, thank so much for all the messages, emails, enquiries and, of course, orders - if I haven't got back to you yet I'm sorry - and if you're waiting on an order I promise it is on it's way!  And huge thanks to Vikki and all at This Morning, it's great to see you featuring small businesses, it makes such a difference to us.  It's proper Christmas-busy here now, and I am so happy.  And exhausted.  But mainly really happy.

This week I received a very special and long-awaited parcel... my 2018 calendars, the final version, all lovely and crisp back from my printers.

This year I decided to choose twelve of my skyline illustrations, tweak them a little to make them that bit more seasonally appropriate, and turn them into a colourful calendar.

Featuring romantic Chester in February to September's new term in Oxford, and a whole rainbow of colours, here's a calendar celebrating the seasonality and diversity of cityscapes the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.

Each cityscape illustration has something added to it - from Cardiff's spring daffodils to crispy autumnal leaves in Liverpool.  It's a mini challenge to spot the seasonal addition to each illustration.

Great as a gift - dare I mention Christmas yet - or even for your own kitchen or study; I am really delighted with how this year's calendar has turned out - and I hope it proves popular too!

I’ve been offering advice to small businesses – by means of workshops and also Shop Reviews – for years; and I'm always amazed that sellers neglect to shout about themselves more.

Having an incomplete "about" section on Etsy is not only a missed marketing opportunity, but it's also a mistake because Etsy will recognise your shopfront as being incomplete - and therefore your listings may appear further down in search results as a consequence.

Often people will think that their own personal story is disinteresting, or they'll feel that they don't want to share personal information with strangers.

However, sharing a little information will make your shopfront more authentic, and it engages your customer, making them much more likely to buy - and return too.

So, what to tell your prospective customer?  Here are three starting points:

1. Start at the beginning

How and why did you start your business?  It's so easy to forget when it's your day-to-day, but we are actually living the life that other people dream of.  Tell your story here.

It may be that you scrawled an idea on a napkin, you might have been chatting to a friend over a bottle of wine, or perhaps you trained to do this exact job - and you are fulfilling a childhood dream.  If you have a triumph over adversity tale that you want to share then it's entirely appropriate to include it here.  Etsy marketing may even pick up on it!

Whatever your story - it's your story - be proud and share it with the world!

2. Sitting room, studio or shed?

Tell us a bit about where you work from.  Everyone loves having a nosy at other people's workspace - and as a creative the intrigue is even greater!

Whether you work from home, in a shed at the bottom of the garden, or in a shared studio space, tell us more about that.  It's not everyone that has the opportunity to work like this, and it's genuinely interesting to other people.

You can - and should - use the photos section to show us your workspace in more detail.  This adds credibility to your business story.  And don't feel you have to tidy up specially either!

3. What's in a name?

If you have an interesting business name then don't be shy about sharing how you came up with it.

Maybe you've used your child's name, your favourite colour or another word that has extra significance to you.  Perhaps it was just a word you liked the sound of, or something that just "felt right".  Did you speak to people about it, or did you come up with it alone?

There's normally an interesting tale to tell with a business name - unless of course you went for the easy option and used your own name (and what idiot would do that...?)!

If you'd like some more help setting up or improving your Etsy shop then I offer both beginners and more advanced Etsy workshops in Liverpool; including a one-day session (Etsy Educators: Become an Etsy Seller in a Day) for new shop-owners as part of the official Etsy Educators programme.

Last week I travelled down to Etsy's London HQ to take part in a training session to become one of the first Etsy Educators in the world!

Alongside eight other experienced sellers from around the UK, the concept of Etsy Educators was explained to us, and we were tasked to set up a workshop for brand new Etsy sellers in October.

Our brief was pretty flexible - we all get to choose the location, duration and format of our session - which was really helpful.  It's a trial, to see if this is something that can be rolled out further in the UK - and also in other countries.

So, throughout next month will be a series of workshops throughout the UK, if you are interested in opening a brand new Etsy shopfront then hopefully there will be one to suit you.

My own event will be in Liverpool on 21st October.  It's a full day session - and will be at one of my favourite venues, HUS, who will be making us lunch too!  For more details click here.

If Liverpool's no good for you then here are some more sessions throughout the UK:

• Rose of Luna Harkin Co has organised a series of afternoon workshop sessions running through October, in Leeds.
• If you're in South Wales, Sarah-Jane of Fragment Designs is holding a day-long workshop on Saturday 7th October.
• Also on 7th October, in Oxfordshire, is a daytime session by Christina from Christina Made It.
• Claire of Claireabellemakes is also putting on a full day workshop on Saturday 14th October in Cambridge.
• Jilly from Jilly Jilly Design is hosting a full day workshop in Dundee on Sunday 22nd October.

And if none of these locations suit you then worry not - there's another couple of options for you:

• Rachel from The Dorothy Days is hosting a webinar to take you through the process of setting up your Etsy shop in a month.
• Similarly, queen of biscuits Nikki McWilliams has gone for the online approach - you can enrol here.
  

We are all really excited about getting started as Etsy Educators - and getting lots more fab Etsy sellers on board!

On Saturday 12th August the Merseyside Etsy Team (which I'm honoured to be the Captain of), undertook our first ever Photo Walk.

We met just after lunch at the Albert Dock, and happily strolled our way round the Pier Head (braving a few showers and a lot of wind), up through the Business District (where the sun thankfully put in an appearance), through town to the Georgian Quarter and then on to Chinatown, finishing in Baltic Triangle.  We deviated from our original plan, as we'd slightly underestimated how long it'd take 25 people to walk through town on a busy Saturday afternoon!

Along the way we stopped to look at all sorts of landmarks - and our amazing Team Leaders had all prepared a bit of information about some of the highlights.  We learned about the workhorse statue and the Engineers' Monument on the Pier Head, the missing Banksy on Chapel Street and we had an especially informative presentation (with laminated sheets, no less!) at the Chinese Arch.  The highlight had to be, in the grounds of Our Lady and St Nicholas church, another tour group attaching themselves to our little presentation - all credit to Kerri, who carried on regardless!

Spending a Saturday afternoon surrounded by fellow Etsians was really lovely; wandering, chatting, discovering new things and getting to know everyone that little bit better.  All while getting some extra steps in too!

Here are a few of my photos, but to see many more check #merseyetsyphotowalk on Instagram.  To see photos from the other Etsy Teams who took part in walks on the same day, see #etsyphotowalk.

We are already in full planning mode, hoping to extend our adventures to locations further afield - but still within Merseyside.  Watch this space!

I'll be writing another blog really soon all about my Etsy Team - and how brilliant it is - but in the meantime, if you are looking for your local Etsy Team, here's a handy list of active teams throughout the UK, courtesy of my friend and fellow Team Captain, Joanne Hawker.

I’ve been offering advice to small businesses – by means of workshops and also Shop Reviews – for years; and the one thing I get asked about most is titles.   They're also the most frequently misunderstood aspect of selling on Etsy.
 
Here’s a super-brief guide to getting to grips with your titles:
 
1. First things First
 
The first word in your title is most strongly weighted on Etsy, and then the second is the second most important etc., so bearing this in mind try to choose the most important and descriptive word/s to go at the beginning.
 
Avoid using really broad terms such as “large” or “set of four” at the beginning of your title – they’re just not descriptive enough.  Likewise, don’t use anything too niche as no-one will find your items!

Sounds obvious, but don't use the fancy titles which you have given to your artwork - as unless someone has already seen the art they won't know to type in "Deathly Days no 7"; you'll be much better using a term such as "Green and Red Skulls Art Print".
 
2. Use the Space
 
You have 140 characters – so use them!  You can use little searchable phrases and split them up using punctuation (I use hyphens as I find them more visually appealing, easier to read, and it’s what Etsy have recommended to me).  Think of the various phrases someone's likely to type in when looking for a product like yours.
 
So, for example, for a Silver Wedding Anniversary card I would use a title along these lines:
 
Silver Anniversary Card – Personalised 25th Anniversary Card – Twenty-fifth Anniversary Card – Personalized 25th Wedding – Silver Wedding Card

I stick to UK English in the first instance, but using American spellings can also help.  Etsy do recognise both UK and US spellings for common words, in their search, but for less common words/terms it's good to use both.
 
3. Finding the Words
 
The words you use for the title and the keywords can and should be influenced by what you get if you start typing into the Etsy search bar.  This drop down will show you the most commonly searched phrases on Etsy.  Bear in mind that you might not want to use all of these, you may wish to go a little more niche, but this can be a great starting point.
 
You can also ask friends or customers, pose it as a question on social media (“what would you call this?” - great for some interaction and reach) or use an online thesaurus.  It's so easy to overlook words or phrases that people might commonly use when looking at your product, specially when you are so close to the object yourself.

For the past six months I’ve had a complete obsession with drawing UK skylines.  I’ve drawn all sorts of places – from the obvious (London, Glasgow) to the more unusual (the Wirral, Carlisle).  I’ve just completed my thirtieth – a slightly more personal illustration of Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle, which is the area in which I’ve had my studio for the past three years.
 
I’ve absolutely loved drawing every one of them – and the process I’ve developed really satisfies the logical way I like to work.  With very few exceptions, each skyline had developed as the result of a collaboration of different ideas – all via social media.  I simply pose the question “what landmarks make your city special?” and let Facebook and Instagram responses guide me to the most notable, iconic, memorable landmarks – both classic and contemporary.  From Hull’s white phone boxes to Nottingham’s Sky Mirror, nothing is too small or too insignificant – and if enough people mention it then I include it in the final illustration.

I generally work on a tally list and pick the 8-10 most popular things – although I must admit there are a few times where I’ve picked out things that I really fancy drawing, even if they’re not that popular!  Completely by chance, every single shortlist has included enough tall, short, big and little landmarks to make up a visually appealing composition.
 
The really lovely thing – and something that I didn’t anticipate happening – is that I am now a whole load more knowledgeable about UK cities.  I can be sitting watching TV and know exactly where a programme is set before anyone has even spoken a word!  I have a little list in my head of places I really want to visit too.  Cardiff’s Animal Wall is at the very top.

I’m frequently asked “why’ve you bothered drawing such a small city?” and my answer is simple – if you look at how many skylines there are of big, touristy places like London or Liverpool you are spoilt for choice.  I love drawing smaller, more obscure places.  Leicester is one of my biggest sellers, and Leeds is really popular too – in part, I am sure, because there are a lot less illustrations of these places!
 
My favourite?  Well, that has to be Liverpool.  The most emotionally draining was Oxford – a city where I lived for a short time after graduating, and a city where I properly fell in love for the first time.  It was like walking down memory lane… a somewhat bittersweet experience.  Lancaster held some strong memories for me too, but for some reason this was much easier for me to draw.

I absolutely love anything that adds a bit of character - so a donkey on the beach in Blackpool, a little Herdwick sheep in the Lake District or a little Viking sauntering along the street in York, all add to the interest for myself and - hopefully - for the viewer too!

Adding my skylines to wedding invites was a no-brainer – I have an existing Liverpool skyline illustration (which I drew years and years ago) which has always been really popular on wedding stationery, so to expand on this and offer invites with any skyline made perfect sense.  I can even work on a little bespoke illustration of a wedding venue and drop this into the skyline for an extra personal touch.  My Personalised Graduation Skylines and Cards have been really popular over the past month or so too.
 
And, what’s next… well, on the list is Durham, Bath, Reading and Middlesborough – all by popular demand.  I also want to branch out and draw some European cities, inspired by my own travels – Paris, Berlin, Barcelona...  I definitely want to do Sydney soon too.   I’d love to hear any other suggestions!
 
Ultimately I’d love for people to say “oh, I was born here, went to uni here, got married here, and my child was born here” and be able to buy multiple skylines to tell their own story.  I’m getting there, but I know I have a lot more work to do… watch this space!

Is there anything more satisfying than a beautiful handmade mug?

Whenever I post a photo of any of my ever-expanding handmade mug collection on social media I get comments about how beautiful they are.  So I thought I'd spill the beans and credit the very talented Etsy potters behind my top four current favourite mugs...

Far left: A gorgeous blue cup by Virginia Balistreri of ViCeramics.  I actually own two of these - they are so pretty, the texture is lovely.  This was £15 on Etsy, and was the most beautifully packaged thing I have ever seen... the box was full of intricate origami made out of of little bits of newspaper.  It was such a lovely surprise!  I love getting these cups out when I have a guest so we can have matching cups!

Centre left: My first handmade mug, bought after watching the first series of The Great Pottery Throwdown in 2015; this beauty is by Somerset potter Kara Leigh Ford.  I love him so much!  He was a very reasonable £16 on Etsy.  He's a lovely size and shape, just perfect to wrap your hands round on a cold day.  Perfect for herbal tea or coffee alike.

Centre right: Oh wow.  Now this is a special mug.  It combines my love of mugs with one of my very favourite things, swimming.  It's made by Inverness-based potter Julia Smith.  My friend Katy told me about Julia's Etsy shop, and I fell in love with the little diver right away!  It cost £20 on Etsy.  It instantly makes me feel cosy and content, this amazing mug.  Other designs are equally covetable...

Right: My most recent mug acquisition is a return to my old friend Kara Leigh Ford (we're not actually friends, but I am sure we would be if we ever met each other, even if it was just so I could get a load of free mugs).  This is possibly even more satisfying than the original chap, but it's a really close call.  What a way to start a morning, with a strong, sugary black coffee out of this beautiful speckled duck-egg mug.  He was worth every penny of the £18 he cost me on Etsy.

So there you go - the lowdown on my expanding handmade mug collection.  Watch out on Instagram as - inevitably - it grows.  And if you have any recommendations for new Etsy potters for me to check out then please do let me know!