RagsReborn's first craft show of 2017!

Hey, everyone! (^_^) I know that I just posted last week saying that I'd cut back to one blog post per month and here I am again a week later. But it's important and won't take long... I have two quick things to share:

1. My first show of 2017 will be the Indoor Flea Market at Sugar Creek Casino in Hinton, OK. Please go to the casino's website for more details. I am super pumped to get back into doing crafts shows! I have been sewing new pillows all month in anticipation for this show. I have some really neat stuff and would love it if you came out to help me start off my year on the right foot. If you can't make it to the flea market, all of my items are posted on my Etsy shop (link here www.etsy.com/shop/RagsRebornGifts) Please favorite my shop so you can see all my updates.

2. I am starting a rewards program! I ordered my custom r|r. stamp and it came in just in time. The deal is this: you will get one (1) stamp on the back of my business card for every item purchased and when you get six (6) stamps, you can redeem for one free item. Most companies don't reward you until you purchase from them ten times but I figured that would be too much. I know my pillows, totes and custom orders are pretty darn awesome but not everyone buys ten. Feeling in a generous mood, I settled on only six stamps! Since this is a new program I'm starting for the year, I might forget. So when you stop by to shop at my booth, don't forget to remind me to give you a business card and stamp.

Oh and those up there are all of the pillows I'll have for sale at the flea market this weekend. Look at all the new pillows thrown in there! And, you'll probably recognize some pillows that have been moved into the $8 clearance trunk. I sewed so many new pillows that I had to reduce the price of some of my older ones just to make room on my table displays. Anyway, that's it for now. I hope to see everyone this weekend and if not, we'll chat again in February!

Erica's blog in 2017.

NYE selfie madness with my family.

Have you realized that I've been posting one blog per week since the middle of 2014? That is A LOT of blog posts. And the funny thing is that I don't even find my life particularly interesting. LOL I'm restructuring how I'm going to do things for 2017. Instead of weekly blogs, I'm planning on cutting back to only writing monthly. I've noticed that my most popular reads are regarding travel, craft shows (tips, experience and advice) and major life events. Unfortunately, those types of things don't occur in my life each week --although how awesome would it be to take a vacation each week? Anyway, I have big plans for 2017 in each of those areas so one substantial blog post each month seems to be the best direction for me to take this.

Thanks, Michelle, for my awesome calendar!

For January's blog post, I want to fill you in on RagsReborn. This year will be a year of changes and risk taking.
       The first change is that I plan to travel further out of Oklahoma City for craft shows. I've been tipped off to several shows that are just outside of my travel radius that are must do's for handmade vendors. I've been avoiding them because my #1 rule thus far was that I wouldn't do a show that I have to drive out more than half an hour for. Although I value my time and mileage, gas, etc. on my car, I believe my half-hour-rule is holding me back.
       The second change is that I am going to participate in outdoor shows! This was another one of my tried & true rules... but I did an outdoor car show last year that turned out to be great (one of my best shows of the year, actually).  The weather cooperated, no birds pooped on my pillows and I didn't pass out from heat exhaustion= SUCCESS. All I really need to jump into spring & summer outdoor festivals is a tent. Luckily, one of my vendor friends has a spare tent that he & his wife are letting me borrow. All I need to do now is apply at the same shows they are and request to be the booth next to theirs. If I end up enjoying outdoor shows, I can start budgeting and clear out some closet space to store a pop up tent of my own.
       By breaking these two rules, I'll be able to take RagsReborn to more venues and explore markets that I've been missing out on.

Thanks, Christopher, for my awesome paper weight! 

For my Christmas gift, Wes gave me a high tech digital camera and his friends collected the funds for me to purchase professional lighting. Now I am able to take sharper, more skillful, pictures of my products. This will greatly aid in my Etsy shop and social media updates. The wonderful thing about my friends and family is that they all know how passionate I am about my small business. All of my Christmas & birthday money was given to me with the directive to better RagsReborn. I plan to use my funds to design and print my own fabric. I also have a rewards program (think of those little punch cards where you buy 6 of these and get the 7th item free) in the works.

Another first for RagsReborn is that I will be partnering with another local small business owner to participate in larger (read: more expensive booth rent) shows. Rachelle is a former client of mine and co-owner of Loot & XP Board Game Cafe in Norman, OK. I sewed a couple of pillows for her cafe's grand opening. She is looking to branch out and called upon me for advice. For us to both participate in large scale shows, we will split booth rent and portion out our booth into two smaller shops. I plan to meet with her soon to discuss these new ambitions.

My very first craft show flyer/advertising for Indie Trunk show in 2015. My how time has flown by!

With all that said, I have already begun tinkering with my 2017 spring craft show schedule. So far, I might have one show in January and two or three in March & April. I will be donating items to Street Cats' My Furry Valentine charity gala in February (although I will not be in attendance at this event). So the ball is rolling. And I have a lot to do. I want to thank everyone for their continued support and hope to see you out at a show this year!

RagsReborn's 2016 overall craft show year

Let's start with my BEST show of the year... Christmas at the Lodge!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Are we all ready for 2017? I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year's Eve. I did a little celebrating but I mostly did a lot of math. Exhilarating, I know. LOL My last craft show of the year was a few weeks ago but I've been putting off crunching the numbers for 2016. Mainly for two reasons; I hate math (accounting has got to be my least favorite part of being a small business owner) and I was about 95% sure this year sucked.

Set up at St. Ann's retirement home for the home bound residents to do their Christmas shopping.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. Although I had a handful of shows that were absolutely terrible (aka I didn't sell a single thing), my year overall wasn't as bad as I thought it would turn out to be. I'm still not where I want to be-- so I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon-- but RagsReborn is trucking along quite steadily. And that makes it all worthwhile for me!

Set up at the main library at OU Health Science Center campus with my friend and fellow vendor, Nancy. Her granddaughter calls me "the pillow lady" and we share snacks.  

This past year was the first time that I did a full calendar year of craft shows. In 2016, I participated in 29 craft shows (a significant jump from the 6 shows I participated in throughout 2015). That averages out to almost one show every other weekend. Whoa. Also, I connected with 10 people throughout the year to make custom orders. Needless to say, I am 100% completely immersed in RagsReborn and my little passion project is no longer just a hobby. I would say that I work as much at crafting as I do at my full-time paying job. And I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It took a while but, at age 32, I have finally found my calling in life.

Happy selfie with my two favorite children.

So what's my takeaway from the year?  Let's see... this was sort of hard for me but I came up with two things...
       NUMERO UNO- When I first started out the year, I was NOT prepared for the slow Spring & Summer craft show seasons. When things didn't turn out the way I wanted, I blamed the universe. (This is something that I've struggled with my entire life.) It took me a few shows to get over playing the victim. I thought I was putting in 100% effort but I wasn't. My hard work amounted to about 75% but for the other 25%, I was looking for other avenues to blame. I was being lazy and pessimistic.
       Right before the Fall craft show season, I decided that I was going to change my attitude. My husband is always telling me to be optimistic and think positive; after a while, I decided to take his advice.

• I started smiling through each one of my shows, regardless of how awful the show was moving along. 
• Instead of focusing on why I wasn't selling at certain shows, I started taking notes on what works. I started noticing what people were buying and which venues had the best crowd turn out. I basically moved away from zoning in on negativity to zoning in on positives. 
• I started talking to other vendors and noting traits that I admired in them and then applying those traits to my own business approach. 
• I started listening to podcasts about small businesses and reading blogs written by successful businessmen & women. 
• I started branching out and sewing more than just t-shirt pillows. I experimented with different types of fabric and techniques. 
• I started marketing more aggressively and moved out of my comfort zone. I was conquering fears one show at a time and it worked!  

Two of my new found friends: children's book author, Carly Cartmill & Sweet Sparrows owner, Jenifer Walker.

       NUMERO DOS- I found my tribe (squad, sisterhood, whatever you want to call it). This is HUGE for me. I don't have a lot of friends and I never prescribed to a clique. By doing craft shows, I started seeing some of the same vendors over and over again and I discovered where I fit in. I was able to distinguish which ones were genuinely friendly and which ones were the "mean girls". I attentively listened to all the advice I could get. Then I had to separate which was good advice and which wasn't the best for me.  I gravitated toward strong & successful business owners and solidified friendships.
       I no longer feel so much like the young rookie in the craft show world. I am still naive and not as experienced as I could be but I have reached a point where I can be picky. I no longer believe everything I hear (because a lot of what people will tell you is BS. Hahaha!) Next year, I will not be participating in every show that I come across. I can do more research and find the shows worth doing and turn down the ones that aren't a good fit. I finally figured out what "a good fit" is for my product. That is another huge accomplishment. I feel like, going forward, when I am struggling, I know who I can text or which vendors' group I can turn to for advice online.

• There are a handful of peers that I will listen to and apply any & all advice to my business model. 
• There are certain vendors that I will participate in the same shows they're doing and request for my booth to be next to theirs because I know their company will be welcomed throughout the day. 
• There are a few show organizers that I will sign up for whatever show they put on because I know it will be a good experience. 

And that ends 2016. I struggled, I learned and I overcame. RagsReborn is here to stay!! I have some big plans for 2017 and I already have a few spring craft shows in mind. More on that to come next week...