The Create & Thrive Podcast

Over the years I’ve developed a system of capturing and organising ideas, information and appointments/tasks that works for me, a fully-self-employed woman who runs 2 businesses (and is part of a third). The key? Stuff needs to be written down, and everything needs a specific home, so nothing gets lost or forgotten. In today’s video/podcast, I’m going to share the exact system and tool...

Is it possible? Short answer – yes, absolutely! This video/podcast is my longer answer 😉 Today, I’m going to share 9 ways to have a successful handmade business WITHOUT having to use or rely on social media to market your biz. Combining some or all of the strategies I mention will help – the more ways you can get your work out there, the better. Also: Join me for the 2021 Pinter...

Are you preparing to start a handmade business? Today I interview my dear friend and maker Amanda, while she is in the process of preparing to launch her Etsy shop! I interviewed her while she was taking my course – Set Up Shop – and as we recorded this, she was about 3 weeks away from opening her shop for the very first time. We talk about common issues and fears, like pricing, findin...

Dana Midkiff has done an amazing job of growing a small handmade wreath business into an empire – and surpassing 7 figures in sales thanks to her Amazon Handmade shop. Dana was a CPA who did the 9-5 corporate thing for many years. When her 2nd child was six months old, she was trying to figure out how to pay off some credit card debt so she browsed Pinterest for something she could make. Wre...

Product photos are KEY when you want to successfully sell your handmade goods online. But so many people struggle to create excellent photos of their work. Today, I share 10 simple tips that will help you to take your product photos to the next level, and make them truly click-worthy! You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube! Watch on...

Today I interview my English counterpart – we joked in the episode that we are the same person who took different paths! Award-winning entrepreneur and Jewellery business expert Jessica Rose is the founder and Director of the London Jewellery School and Jewellers Academy. Jessica set up LJS aged just 21 in 2009 with only one class a month from a community hall in South London. The school gre...

Etsy fees got you gnashing your teeth in frustration? They may seem complicated, but in this video/podcast, I break every single fee down so you can get clear – once and for all – what Etsy is going to be charging you to sell on the platform. I also give you a few examples of what my OWN Etsy fees are, so you can see what they look like when all added up. Is Etsy really too expensive?...

When you are self-employed, you REALLY have to manage your cashflow and budget. I’ve been self-employed for over a decade (and I also employ my husband full-time) so I have had to work out smart ways to manage our money so that we can pay the bills (both personal and business), save for taxes and retirement, put money aside for home maintenance, travel, and other longer-term expenses, and ha...

Should you bother posting to Instagram daily? Is it really going to increase your followers, reach, and engagement? I decided to put this to the test on both of my business Instagram accounts in February: @epheriell @createandthrive So – what happened? Did I get more people engaging with my account? And most importantly – did it result in more sales? I also ran this experiment in my me...

Today I’m sharing 5 books that have made me more productive, and that I hope will do the same for you.  These are my favourite productivity/time management/business books, and I’ll be giving you an outline of what’s inside each one, as well as my fave takeaways from each book. You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube...

Michael Hanley of Upswitch  has had a lifelong fascination with old ‘stuff’ that has been made redundant by ever-changing technology and been condemned to the scrapheap.⁠ With Upswitch, he has turned this fascination into a passion: reclaiming otherwise unloved items and giving them new life, in the form of lamps and lighting.⁠ ⁠ In this interview, I ask Michael to share why he started selling his...

I’ve got 10 awesome Etsy shop tweaks for you in today’s video & podcast. These are all things I’ve learnt from my own experience, from that of thousands of my students over the years, and from working with Etsy themselves.⁠ ⁠  I have a bunch of videos on my YouTube channel that teach you in-depth aspects of succeeding on Etsy (SEO, Photography, etc – look for the Etsy U secti...

Annie’s business has flourished in the last year – and today she shares how making skincare for her young daughter morphed into a hugely successful candle business. When her first daughter was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, she turned to natural remedies to help her after she had a severe skin breakout due to a number of surgeries. Her blends of essential oils, herbs, and na...

Do you struggle with what to post to Instagram? I’ve definitely felt that way in the past… but today I want to make your life a heck of a lot easier and give you 20 ideas for types of posts you can share on your instagram feed! This list is specifically tailored to handmade and product-based businesses – and it will help you overcome that dreaded ‘I don’t know what to post’ feeling. Also! If...

Do you feel like you waste time doing things that aren’t working – in your life or in your business? In this video/podcast I introduce you to a simple te chnique to work out what you need to STOP doing in the new year, so you can make more space to START the things that might work better! I also share how I do my top-level new year planning, using a whole-year planner, so I have an ove...

While making items for their wedding, Tim and Sarah discovered how much they loved working together. And thus ts makers was born! Their products are lovingly handmade in Sydney, Australia.  They come from from carpentry and design backgrounds, and are passionate about beautiful, minimal homewares.  Their core range of hardwood serving boards features a seventies-inspired squiggle design, as well a...

Do you feel like you have to *constantly* be watching your messages and emails so you can reply to your customers asap?  I’ve been in business since 2008 – and in that time I’ve learnt how to manage customer service *and* having a life outside of work, while not worrying that I’m ‘not replying fast enough’. Today I’ll discuss how I deal with customer messa...

When I stumbled across this mindful puzzle business, I loved the fun, bright designs – and the ethos behind the brand. So, I invited the creator – Kristy O’Kane – on the podcast. Kristy  O’Kane is the driving force behind new Australian brand Okay Lady.  A Melbourne based business that’s turning out cleverly packaged and beautifully designed mindful jigsaw puzzles by women,...

How do you go from being a police officer and federal agent to running a jewelry business? In today’s episode, I speak with Sarah Miller of Seaside Harmony Jewelry, who has done just that. She spent 10 years in law enforcement, before choosing to let go of that career – and then, a new passion emerged. She also credits her craft as being integral to overcoming postnatal depression afte...

Makers – should you (or should you not) participate in big sales events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Boxing Day, EOFYS, etc.? In this episode I discuss the reasons why these sales events might be a good fit for you – and when they might NOT. I hope it will help you decide if participating is the right fit for your handmade business! You can listen to this podcast below, or on your...

Sigriet has been running a thriving terrarium business for many years – but this year, like many of us, she had to make some changes. A big part of her business these days is terrarium workshops – for both small and corporate groups – and COVID forced her, like many other service providers, to start offering online classes. They’ve gone really well, and in this episode, we...

More people than ever before are moving to working from home – either due to COVID, or due to moving into some form of self-employment. I’ve been fully self-employed for over 10 years, and I’ve worked from home for this entire time. Over this time I’ve learnt what works – and what doesn’t! – for me. From working with other self-employed folks for many year...

Chereen Leong Schwarz has worked hard to build a super-engaged instagram following, which has helped her create a thriving handmade business! I’ve known Chereen for a few years now – she’s a member of my Thriver Circle membership community – and she also took my Set Up Shop course a few short years ago – and I’ve loved to watch her creative business journey. Tod...

Have you been thinking about starting an Etsy shop? More than ever, selling our creations online is becoming an attractive way to start a business and make extra income. But it’s not as easy as you might think… In today’s show, I outline a number of things you need to strongly consider if you’ve been contemplating starting an Etsy shop (or any other online shop for your han...

When do you know it’s the right time to make a big change in your business? For Aliya Hutchison of Soap Cult, it was when she saw unboxing videos of her soaps – and found herself cringing at the  mismatched, DIY branding just pouring out of boxes. It was then she decided it was  time for a complete overhaul – and that she needed professional help to craft something cohesive and t...