Five days notice. No clue what I was doing. Very little jewelry. No experience selling. 

That was how I got into my first craft “show”. I'd gone to ooh and aah at someone else's work, I asked that vendor how she got a table, and forty-eight hours later someone called me and said "I've reserved a spot for you. Be there at 7am. It's $45."

I dragged my laundry table out of the basement, grabbed my hall mirror and a lawn chair, and showed up.

That was twenty years ago. I've since built Sailorgirl Jewelry into a business that funds four months a year on my sailboat in warm waters. I've done hundreds of shows, built a loyal customer base, built an online presence and shop, and made a spectacular number of mistakes along the way.

This newsletter is the resource I wish I'd had when I dragged that laundry table out of the basement, terrified of what I’d gotten myself into and not even knowing what I didn’t know.

Here's what I know after twenty years: selling your work is hard, especially at the beginning when you don't know anyone to ask. There's no magic bullet and no fairy dust. You will make mistakes. Don't beat yourself up - figure out what went wrong, don't do it again, and get over it.

What I also know is this: we are at a genuinely interesting moment for makers. People are choosing handmade because they want to know the hands behind the work. They want your story, not an AI-generated blurb. They want the magic behind your art. That is your advantage and nobody can take it from you. 

Every Monday I'll send you one concrete thing to move your craft business forward. No fluff. No theory. Just the stuff that actually works - sometimes delivered with a story about how I learned it the hard way.

Welcome to The Business of Handmade.

- Catherine

PS. This is issue one of what I hope becomes a weekly habit for both of us. See you next Monday.

PPS. Know a maker who could use a little help selling their work? Forward this to them.

The secret to success isn't knowing everything before you start. It's starting before you know everything.

Write down one thing you've been putting off in your craft business because you didn't feel ready. Now ask yourself honestly — what would happen if you just did it anyway?