The And She Looked Up Podcast

In Part 2 of our conversation on pricing models for creative businesses, Melissa and Heather talk about budget or value based pricing and hybrid pricing (where you offer a premium tier and a budget tier). Team that up with last week's episode on premium pricing and you have all three models to evaluate - which one is best for your business? This is a great episode for anyone who is: debating...

In Part 1 of a 2 part series on pricing models for your creative business, Melissa and Heather talk about premium pricing models for both creative services and physical products - and why this particular model is about so much more than just your price! This is a great episode for anyone who is: debating a change to how they price their products and services.  tired of working 40+ hour weeks but ...

Louisa Hrennikoff is the designer and maker behind Vancouver based jewellery brand, Luli Designs and she's a craft market veteran. You may have seen her at markets throughout BC from small, local markets to some of Western Canada's biggest markets like Got Craft and Make It. This week she shares her best tips for prepping for market season including how to find markets to participate in,...

Betty Shin Binon (aka Stems and Forks) has gone from being one of Toronto's most successful floral designers to now being highly sought after for her photography and video work in her distinct chiaroscuro style. We talk about the challenges and courage that go into making a creative career change a little later in life. And we discuss the power of education, the importance of continuous learn...

As Managing Director of Devour! The Food Film Fest, Lia Rinaldo and her team have grown a small, niche film festival in Wolfville, N.S into the largest film festival related to all things culinary in the world! She had to get small to go big and this week she shares her story with us. We talk about niching down, curating the work of other creatives,  grass roots marketing, applying for grants and,...

As the busiest season of the year for creative businesses approaches we talk about how to make time for self-care - and what self-care really is (it's not just a massage or spa appointment)! Hit the ground running and make this holiday season your best with a body and mind that are up to the challenges. And schedule in some downtime for the new year to rest and recuperate. This episode is gre...

As small business owners, we pour an inordinate amount of time into social media for the benefit of our creative businesses. Every day there is a hungry algorithm to feed that regularly changes what kind of content it's in the mood for. But is it financially, creatively or mentally worth it? Is it healthy or even good for our craft to feel the pressure to create art or content that must be sh...

As creative business owners, our creativity is our livelihood - which means it's so important we take steps to protect it.  Lawyer Andrea Henry of Henry Business Law joins us in this episode to talk about how you can take steps to protect your creative business and your intellectual property including what you can do yourself and where you should get a lawyer to help you (and how to find a la...

In this creative mindset episode, Certified Career & Success Coach Alana Ruoso joins us to talk about 10 curious ways that us creative small business owners love to use to self-sabotage our careers - and how to overcome them! This is a great episode for anyone who has ever been afraid of succeeding (yes, that's a real thing!) or who is looking to set themselves up for success rather than...

How you refer to yourself and the mental roles you let yourself take on in your creative business can both spur you on to growth or keep you trapped somewhere you don't want to be. In this episode Melissa and Ayngelina Brogan have a conversation that revolves around how mindset and business are interconnected and why what you call yourself really matters. We want to help you change your minds...

Taking risks with your business and your creativity can feel very scary when your livelihood is on the line. But they can also be very rewarding. In this episode we talk about how to manage your risk taking and take some leaps! This is a great episode for anyone who is feeling stagnant, anyone who is intimidated by taking a risk in their business (or even taking a risk and starting a business!) or...

Self-doubt is one of the biggest challenges for most working creatives. The little voice who tries to sabotage us whenever she can! In this replay from Season 1 we figure out how to tell her to just... BE QUIET!! This is a great episode for anyone who struggles with self-doubt in their work or their creative abilities. Whether you're a new artist or an experienced creator, we can all use some...

Have you started your holiday season prep? Q4 is less than 3 months away and there's a lot to do. In this episode Melissa & Heather give you loads of tips & strategies to get the heavy lifting done now so you can focus on selling and shipping this fall and winter. We're talking about designing products, building up stock, getting systems in place, planning your promotions, develo...

Copywriter Natalie Gates turned her childhood love of writing into a career and now she uses those skills to help other creatives communicate with their customers and clients through great copy. This week she shares her best tips so you can do the same for your creative business. This episode is great for any creative business owner who struggles with the copy for their website, marketing material...

This week we have a short, solo episode with a few housekeeping items to catch you all up on as well as a short chat about how important it is to schedule prolonged downtime (more than just a weekend!) for your own mental and physical health as well as the health and profitability of your business. For a summary of this episode and all the links mentioned, please visit: Episode 68: The Importance...

This week LinkedIn expert Louise Brogan joins the podcast to talk about why artists and creative small business owners need to be on LinkedIn, the opportunities you're missing out on if you're not on the platform and her best LinkedIn tips to get started. This is a great episode for anyone who has been curious about how they could use LinkedIn to grow their creative business. Louise shar...

Making the thing is only the first step in selling your work. Pro Tip: Your work won't sell itself! As fabulous as it would be, nobody will knock on your door asking if you have something to sell. So in this episode Melissa & Heather talk about what you need to do to get your work out there, whether you write, design, compose, film, make, paint, or craft. And it's not just posting to...

Certified career and success coach Alana Ruoso joins us again this week to talk about the emotion we don't talk about: jealousy. We've all felt it - the green monster, the"ugliest" emotion or the dark side. Does it make us a bad person? No. It makes us human. But jealousy is usually masking something deeper and ignoring it or being unwilling to admit to it can cause more harm t...

Well-known author, editor and writing coach, Dianne Jacob, is celebrating the launch of the 4th edition of Will Write For Food, the book that has helped food writers all over the world turn their words into deliciously flourishing careers.  She sits down to talk to Melissa about her creative career from Metro Vancouver journalist to Vancouver restaurant critic to the editor of an international off...

Due to a whole mess of technical difficulties this past week, today's episode is a re-air of one of our most popular episodes of all time.  While it may not be new to all of you, some of you have probably never heard it before and, those of you who have might be in a different place in your business where this is a relevant topic. Either way, this episode is packed with really useful informat...

Meet Hamilton based YouTuber and blogger,  Lisa Le, also known as the Viet Vegan. In this episode we talk about how Lisa went from pursuing a career as a translator to becoming a successful full-time blogger and YouTuber and how YouTube helped her diversify her revenue and grow her core audience.  She also shares some of her best tips to help you get started on YouTube so you can grow your audienc...

Do you get caught in the branding trap that many creative businesses find themselves falling into? The one where you get so wrapped up in the physical assets of your brand that you forget about what branding actually is? Your logo? Not your brand. Your website colours? Not your brand. They're physical assets OF your brand. So what is your brand? Melissa and Heather Travis dive into the less o...

Meet Halifax based dance photographer Rachael Dyer of Movita Beaucoup Dance Photography.  In this episode we talk about how Rachael switched fields in her 40s from classically trained dance instructor to full time dance photographer. An important part of her business strategy has been to niche down, allowing her to focus on a core client group, develop a photography style, get crystal clear on who...

Trina Waller of Redemption Marketing joins us to share tips and strategies to help you get started with email marketing for your creative business. Ditch the icky sales tactics, stop stressing over complex funnels and quit worrying about what you should write! This is a great episode for anyone who knows they need an email list or has one but isn't sure what to do with it or what the next ste...

As the owner of two different businesses with a subscription box as part of the business model, Deb Wong of Dessert by Deb shares all her subscription box knowledge from sourcing product to packing and shipping and everything in between. This is a great episode for anyone considering starting a subscription or gift box business or adding a subscription box option to their existing business. This i...