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?

This week I hit a business milestone that absolutely blew my mind.  My fifty thousandth notonthehighstreet.com order.
 
I’d realised my milestone was coming a while ago, and I did ponder briefly about sharing this publicly.  I decided that I would, cos it’s a heck of a number, and I’m bloody proud of it!
 
Since I started my business back in 2010 I’ve always shared various standout successes along the way – anniversaries, milestone orders, press features and so-on.  Social media posts celebrating these key moments have always been met largely with positivity.
 
However, in more recent times I’ve been aware of a rippling undercurrent of negativity towards such celebratory posts.  The ubiquitous “sack shot”, once extremely popular at Christmas, now divides a nation of small business owners… is it braggy and boastful, or is it simply telling your business story?  I’m still unsure myself – I do think it’s great to celebrate success, and I love to see my fellow small businesses doing well - but it always needs to be genuine (and thereby sparing) – and of course it needs to be sensitive.
 
Being completely inundated with orders that crazy Valentine’s Day back in 2014 is integral to my business story – enabling me to give up my day job – and I know it’s a tale that has subsequently inspired many other small businesses.  I’m proud of the story, and I’m not ashamed that I have shared it to death.  I’d hate to think that it was an anecdote that had ever caused anyone to feel in any way negative.
 
In the past I’ve heard unsubstantiated tales of online sellers filling Royal Mail sacks with empty boxes to get that perfect “sack shot”, and rumours of sellers photographing piles of blank paper claiming that they are delivery notes.  The quest for insta-perfection goes that one step further, and only fuels the crippling anxiety felt by other small businesses who might not be that busy either.  Building a façade of busy-ness is not helpful or constructive for anyone, but I can understand that it could be an easy trap to fall into when everyone else seems to be so busy.
 
I have other small business friends who remain steadfastly tight-lipped when it comes to order numbers and milestones – never sharing their figures with anyone.  Equally that is absolutely fine, and a totally valid business decision – though I do hope they have their own little secret celebration when the counter tips over to the next 100 or 1000 orders!
 
Behind my most recent milestone is a slightly different story to what you might actually expect.
 
I’d genuinely expected my NOTHS milestone to come during the Christmas busy period.  Christmas, to be truthful, was not really as busy as expected – in fact my business has been in a gentle decline throughout 2017, and there have been some quite scary weeks.  This year will be about consolidating my business activities and making some big decisions about the way I operate day-to-day.  It’s all going to be okay, I’m certain, but my “winging it” approach definitely needs a bit of tightening up this year.  The gifting industry is changing, with a saturation of online sales platforms, many people are giving it a go – so there’s a lot more competition. There’s also a lot more uncertainty around – people do seem to be spending less.
 
It’s also really really important to remember that a huge proportion of my sales are for £2.50 greetings cards.  And I’ve been selling on NOTHS for just short of six years.  So if you do a quick bit of maths you’ll soon realise that we’re not talking millions of pounds here.
 
Comparison is inevitable.  I do it myself.  Everyone does it.  But it’s always worth remembering – in the oft-quoted words of Theodore Roosevelt, “comparison is the thief of joy”.  No two people are the same, no two businesses are the same.
 
I’ve lost a good handful of Instagram followers as a result of my 50k post.  I’ve also had – to date – almost 400 likes and over 100 positive comments on that one post across Instagram and Facebook.  As a ratio I’m fine with that; and I will more than likely continue to celebrate my successes, but I will always endeavour to do it sparingly and mindfully.
 
I’d love to know your thoughts on this – do you enjoy seeing small business milestones?  Or do you find it distasteful?  Have you ever unfollowed someone after they've shared a milestone?

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 never been entirely comfortable in front of the camera - my left eye is always too squinty and I invariably look like I have a double chin - so the prospect of needing to update all my social media and website photos was a job I'd been putting off for, well, years.

It struck me recently that the photos on my website don't really look like me any more (it's - fortunately - been years since I had long jet black hair)... and also I have no decent photos of my "new" studio space - despite having been in here for six months now.

When I mentioned this to my good friend (and part-time studio assistant), Katy, she offered to take some photos of me and the studio.  I jumped at the offer - Katy's a really talented wedding and portrait photographer when she's not helping me - and I really love her natural and relaxed style of photography.

The whole experience was actually quite good fun - I didn't quite shake the inevitable awkwardness of having a camera pointed in my face, but we had a laugh... and the results are fabulous, really capturing the feel of my workspace - even the ones of me don't make me cringe too much!  Also, how good am I at gazing into middle distance...?

Katy has also taken some lovely flat lay photos for me to use, featuring various products - I'm so excited to finally have a more cohesive brand image!  Now all I need to do is to actually put them to use, and get all my different selling platforms and social media accounts updated.  The biggest trouble I'm going to have is actually choosing which ones to use!

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!

Copying is crap, there’s no two ways about it.  Seeing something that you created – that came out of your head – pop up on your Facebook feed, in an Instagram story, or in a private message from a friend or customer.  Yes, a word might’ve been changed, a layout tweaked slightly, but essentially there it is, your own creation, bastardised and ready to make money for someone else.  I genuinely get a physical reaction when I see it - I shiver and go all cold.
 
Nothing is truly original – it’s a simple fact.  Humans have been around for some six million years.  There have been over 100 billion human beings in that time.  Even if each one only ever had one creative idea in their whole lives, there’s bound to be some considerable overlap there.
 
We’re also now living in an age where we’re exposed to loads of different ideas – if the average person spends around two hours a day on social media that’s a heck of a lot of things we will see and – sometimes inadvertently – be inspired by.
 
I’d say that 99% of people in the world are good, honest souls, who would never intentionally copy anyone.  I will stand by that completely.  My initial reaction whenever anyone says “this is a copy of your work” is to question myself – “have you seen this before, did you inadvertently copy it?”.
 
I’ve been alerted to goodness knows how many Dinosaur Alphabets.  I didn’t invent dinosaurs - or alphabets - and although I didn’t find any others online when I completed mine, it’s definitely not to say I was the first person to draw one.  There are loads of other folk out there doing them and it’s no problem if it’s genuinely their own work.  I actually love seeing other people’s take on different alphabets.  I’m a proper alphabet nerd.
 
Over the weekend I saw a good friend of mine attacked on Social Media because she had created a design, which – by her own admission, when confronted with the original – was very similar to another local artist.  She’d definitely not copied it; it was a genuine coincidence.  She was really upset by the vitriol and abuse directed towards her by the “original” artist, and a group of her friends.  It was pretty distasteful, nasty name-calling - and totally unproductive.  At the end of the day, why the heck would anyone publicly share a work in progress if they’d willfully copied someone?
 
Which draws me to the main point of what I feel about copying – it’s not the being copied, it’s the way that you deal with it that really counts.
 
Coincidences happen.  And people will have the same ideas, at the same time.  Artists will also draw similar subjects – food, alphabets, skylines.  That’s been going on for centuries.  That’s not copying.  Heck, I’ve been accused of it myself – so I know how utterly distressing it can be if an unfounded accusation is made.
 
But when you see someone copy the exact wording and layout of a bestselling card design, you know damn well that it’s a copy.  So my general strategy in this instance is to deal with it quickly, privately and discreetly.  I think that causing a big fuss on social media just isn’t very dignified, and it’s going to cause ultimate distress for all concerned.

It’s also very telling, how someone who has copied you responds.  Some are very gracious and remove the product in question immediately.  I have, however, had a number of copiers argue with me “well I re-drew the cheeses, so it’s not a copy”, or “someone asked me to copy it” or – my favourite - “I’m just a sole trader trying to make a living”, are just a few that spring to mind.  Great, thanks for that guys, maybe just think of your own ideas in future, huh?
 
I have seen blatant copies of my designs in several high street stores – which really really hacks me off.  But if I am honest I don’t have the time or energy to pursue a lengthy and stressful campaign against the big boys.  I’d rather spend my precious time drawing new things, cos, well, that’s what I like doing.
 
I’m also not going to name and shame, it’s just not me.  I don’t want these ratbags to get any more publicity than they already have.  But even I have limits, and there are certain high street stores I keep a close eye on, especially round Valentine’s Day.  But I’m not going to be consumed by negativity.  My time’s more important than that - and I hate the drama and outrage that comes with it all.
 
So, copying.  In conclusion.  It’s not flattering, its downright bloody rude, and it’s stealing.  But, I have the capacity to come up with new ideas – out of my actual brain – so basically, I win.

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.