Makers Mean Business® with Damon Oates and Parker Stelly of DecoExchange®

Today's episode is all about Parker's talk (and experience speaking on stage) at Wreath Makers Live. For more info on the conference and all the speakers and sponsors, you can check out https://wreathmakerslive.com/    --------------------- Are you following Damon & Parker on social media, too? Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/decoexchange  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/decoexchange/  You...

This week, Roberto is back and dropping some wisdom all about collaborating and NOT doing business alone, inspired by his talk and experience at Wreath Makers Live. For more info on the conference and all the speakers and sponsors, you can check out https://wreathmakerslive.com/    --------------------- Are you following Damon & Parker on social media, too? Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/decoe...

Okay, okay, we heard you - you miss the podcast! Thank you so much for the love and support. We're not sure if Damon is going to keep going with this whole podcasting thing, but Parker is back by popular demand with a few more episodes in the pipeline. It was SO much fun getting to see everyone at Wreath Makers Live. In fact, it was such a high energy, high impact event that we wanted to spend som...

This week we are talking to all of you selling on Etsy! It's important that you understand how to use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to help your customers find your products. So what is SEO, anyway? It's how customers are searching for you online!  Here are the main tips that Damon covers in this episode: 1. Understand who you're selling to! You need to identify your "perfect person" or ideal c...

We're back with Episode 33... and an explanation of where we've been.  Have you ever felt inauthentic in your business? That's how Damon felt about his podcast presence. So, for season 2, he's back with a new fervor for authenticity. And, in this first episode, he is giving you his 5 best tips for authenticity in YOUR business! 1. Love what you do - passion trumps skills every time 2. Hire authent...

Can you believe this is already EPISODE 32?! Y'all, time flies when you're having fun. Parker sat down to recap all the amazing content that has been covered so far in the podcast. Here's a quick reference in case there's an episode you want to go back and check out (or listen again!): Episode 001 - 6 Tips to Battle Impostor Syndrome Episode 002 - Getting Started, Failure, and the BIGGEST Myth abo...

Today's interview is with Joy from Alphalicious Designs. She's a maker with a completely digital business... which means NO SHIPPING! She designs embroidery and cut files and sells them as digital downloads on both Etsy and Shopify, and even though her designs are small items for less than $5 apiece, she still maintains a 6-figure online business! Tune in to hear about the resources she used to ge...

On this week's episode, Parker and Roberto Candelaria are talking all about maximizing relationships in order to network and grow your business! Everyone needs relationships to succeed in business - whether that's building a network for sponsors, affiliates, or building your own community... it's essential to build authentic relationships with the people around you. There are tons of people around...

This episode is all about MLM! What is MLM, you might be asking? It stands for Multi-Level Marketing... and Marissa Sayers has both a successful creative Etsy shop in addition to her own MLM business!  In this episode, Marissa and Parker break down several myths about MLM, the major mistakes some MLM entrepreneurs make, and what to look for in an MLM. An MLM is a business! Not a hobby. It's a grea...

Today's episode features the Emily D. Baker, former Deputy District Attorney now helping clients navigate the wild world of online business! She loves to talk about trademarks, terms of use, and other important legal issues for online business owners. We are covering two major topics today: 1) Can you make stuff inspired by other brands (like Disney, Louis Vuitton, Coach, sports teams, universitie...

This week Damon interviewed Brooke Riley of Re-fabbed. Brooke started her blog and her Facebook community at the same time, and she's setting the record straight that blogging is not dead and that it can still be profitable! As long as we are consistent and strategic. Damon and Brooke discuss the importance of building a community, using live video - even when it's not perfect, and how to get arou...

Parker is dropping some serious knowledge today about not only what content works best on each platform to reach customers, but also how to repurpose one piece of content to use on multiple platforms! He's talking about: 1. Facebook 2. Instagram 3. Pinterest 4. YouTube 5. TikTok 6. Blogging   Join the course with Parker featuring SEO Queen Christine Jerry all about creating effective content and r...

Jillian Leslie, of the Blogger Genius Podcast, MiloTree, and Catch My Party, joins us today for a deep dive into the evolution of her online business and everything she's learned. Spoiler alert: it hasn't all been easy!  You can check out her podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-blogger-genius-podcast-with-jillian-leslie/id1327139513 Join the Blog Start program here: https://tra...

This week, Damon is giving you 6 Tips to grow your Community of Customers! 1. Listen to your community! They will point blank tell you what they want and need, and what their pain points are.  2. Keep the content engaging! Use your platforms wisely. 3. Be SEARCHABLE. Make sure you are using SEO terms in titles, posts, and SEO fields! 4. Make it PERSONAL. People want to do business with other PEOPL...

You are going to LOVE today's episode with Parker's top 10 tips for YouTube Success! YouTube is a real thing, y'all, people are searching on there and sales are happening and extra money can be made! So tune in to learn about how to create high impact titles, effective descriptions, intro videos, cards, tags, and more! Oh! And you are definitely going to want to check out https://www.tubebuddy.com...

What does it take to have a successful online shop for your handmade goods? In this episode, Parker is breaking down the three main keys it takes every maker - regardless of what platform- to sell online. 1. Traffic 2. Photos 3. SEO   If you like this kind of training, you're going to love Damon's business coaching! Check it out here: https://www.damonsbusinesscoaching.com/

On today's episode, Damon sits down with Zack Hufnagel of Wreaths of Joy to talk about scaling from 0 to 7 figures! Listen in to hear about scaling from a spare room, to taking over the whole house, to converting a barn; shipping strategies and order picking techniques; and more.  You can find Zack Hufnagel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zackhufnagel/?hl=en   Also follow Wreaths of Joy on...

Parker is giving away all his secrets today about implementation and operations! We all know that sometimes business - even coaching - can be really overwhelming, but Parker has refined a three step process that you can start using immediately: 1. Simplify  2. Implement 3. Optimize 

Today's episode features Amy from Ba Bam Wreaths! Find out how her business has grown, how her personal story and message motivates her dreams, her tips for other Makers, and what being a Maker means to her! Here's Amy's website: https://www.babamwreaths.com/ Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babamwreaths1 Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babamwreaths ---------------------...

This episode is sponsored by QUICK WIN WEEKEND - get your tickets at www.quickwinweekend.com    Tammy (Polka Dot Wreath Co), Mellie Mel (Sincerely Creative), & Jacquelyn (the Fancy Front Door) have joined forces to bring you the QUICK WIN WEEKEND!!! Join this dream team trio of BFF's as we make SHOW STOPPERS, QUICK SHOP FILLERS, and drop some QUICK WIN business bombs to make sure you're on track t...

Damon and Tamara Bennett (Southern A-door-nments Decor) are breaking down everything about her business from A-Z! Tamara shares all about her core principle of community over competition, details about her membership group and what she offers, the journey of her business from when she started it to how it's grown and evolved, what running a Maker business has done for her life and her family, and...

Want to see what Quality Content and a good social strategy can achieve?  In this episode, Parker is breaking down just the beginning of our strategy around creating good content - especially video content! 1) Check your lighting & sound quality - and don't be afraid to record a test video to make sure you sound okay, detect any of your bad habits, and to make sure there are no weird shadows or br...

Today Damon is getting the whole story from Melissa AKA Mellie Mel of Sincerely Creative Mom about tips for starting out, selling online compared to selling in brick and mortar, how to partner with local boutiques, imposter syndrome, and what being a maker has done for Melissa's life. Follow Melissa here (and make sure you follow her so you don't miss her e-book about selling your products at loca...

What the heck is SEO? Today we are giving you a crash course to Search Engine Optimization... that means, how your customers find you on the internet! SEO can be pretty complex, but don't worry, we kept it simple and actionable for you today! We teamed up with Christine to give you all things SEO in a convenient handbook... so if you want to dig in to this stuff, check out this resource we put tog...

Today Parker sits down with a different kind of maker! Meet Christine Jerry of the Virtual Collab, a specialist in blogging, website development, and SEO. She even helped Parker & Damon with their book about SEO, which you can find here: https://www.decoexchange.com/products/the-comprehensive-seo-handbook Check out the Virtual Collab Hub: https://virtualcollabhub.com/ Follow them on Facebook: http...