K. Batty on Etsy Wholesale Tumblr

Wahoo!!! I was featured in a post on Etsy Wholesale's tumblr recently! Along with 60+ other Etsy Wholesalers, I am participating in a partnership with Etsy & the signature mix showcase (aka The National Stationery Show) to promote small businesses & Etsy Wholesalers.

I am in unbelievable company. There are four posts on the participants.

One
Two
Three (that's my post!)
Four.

I'm so excited to be apart of this group. I am incredibly lucky to have the power of Etsy behind me. If you're at the show, you'll recognize the participants by the signage we have in our booth. Plus, the Etsy Wholesale team will be walking the show with artist cards & information on how to find us.

See you soon!

NSS :: The Homestretch

It's almost here! Time to put all this planning & preparation into action. It's time to get down to business at the signature mix National Stationery Show.

Last week I:

Got my catalogs back from the printer!

Painted my signage

Finished letterpressing some samples. Still have one more to go. Come on paint guy, mail my ink already.

Ordered vinyl booth numbers for my walls.

Ordered the paper for my walls.

Made sure my furniture fits in my car. Was supposed to try the furniture in the car.

Arranged set up time with my wall vendor. (Note to self: have Monster Energy drink cold & ready for their set up coordinator. Insures I will be on her good side!)

Made business cards for my booth helpers.

Tried not to have any meltdowns.

I didn't mean to do some of these things so close to set up. Sometimes the universe has other plans for you. For instance, the hardware store didn't have the spray paint I needed for my sign. They ordered it & it didn't come in the shipment it was supposed to. I had to go to plan B & C when I went to Lowe's & they had one color but not the other. I tried to order my vinyl numbers weeks ago, but my guy has had some bad luck of late & been out of touch which lead to me not hearing from him. Fortunately I found a back up & she was life saver (knock on wood...my signage is still in the hands of the USPS so I probably should wait to celebrate yet.) The list goes on. The point is: I made it. I figured it all out. And anything else that happens before Thursday...and over the weekend…will be figured out as well. Problem solving is one of my better skills & something I feel confident doing under pressure. Knock on wood.

On the product front, I couldn't be happier with the designs I'm taking to the show. I reached my goal of letterpressing most of what I present. I'm so pleased!! I've got one more card to finish up before the show starts…

So, here goes nothing…National Stationery Show, let's do this.

For updates on how the show is going, who I'm meeting & what's hot in my booth, stay tuned to me on social media:  Instagram, Twitter or Facebook!

NSS Freak out

Sooooo…I have about 2 months until the National Stationery Show. Yeah…

Trying not to freak out. I've been filling orders from Etsy & custom items from clients, plus I have other work responsibilities for my husband's business & a family venture I'm working on. It's not like life isn't already full of exciting things to do. I say that because I've been trying to stay very calm & work at my to-do list for NSS…and life…steadily.

And now I feel like I need to go into a room, lock myself in & stay in there until I check off several things on my NSS to-do list.

Most of this panic comes from the fact that I started working on my catalog last week. Woah. I forgot how long stuff like this (multi-page booklets to be specific) takes to set up. I'm feeling a little panic about it. The good news is that I've started, I'm making progress & I know that's the hardest part. I just needed to get started.

On the other hand I can relax on 2 things. First, I found someone to work on my website. Check! It will just be an informational site with links to my Etsy retail & wholesale shops. Oh…and! My blog will probably be moving. More on that later…But! It's done. Now I can hold my head high that I will have a killer looking online presence.  Everyone, welcome Emily Thompson of IndieShopography to the team. (applause!!!)

Also! To go with my killer web designer, I booked a killer product photographer. This was really tough for me to do. I'm not a bad photographer & I really enjoy shooting. But I need 2 things - first, for someone else to spend their time taking & retouching my photos & for those photos to be up an notch in quality from what I feel like I can take in my home. Plus, I'm feeling short on time & long on tasks to complete. Enter Alyssa Kirsten who's enthusiasm for the lifestyle-esque shots we're going to be taking is crazy infectious. I couldn't be happier to work with her!!

One more thing - I have some new stamp designs. They've been ordered, are on their way & when the arrive I will make cards so you can properly feast your eyes on the new stuff.

Just trying to check things off the list...That's the news to now!

NSS :: Time to prep

In October, I announced my participation in the 2014 National Stationery Show. Hadn't said much about it since then. There hasn't been much to talk about to be honest. I've had a lot to think about & not much to act on. There is a lot of planning & sketching to do before I create anything…and the time for making my plans into actions is approaching.

There are certain things I've never done before - like design a tradeshow booth or create my catalog, so I've been pretty obsessed with those things. Add in an order form & a line sheet. I just feel more comfortable knocking out the things I've never done before. I've been developing products for years. I know how to do that! So I waited to start on any new products until now…the beginning of 2014.

The next few months I'm taking my letterpress ideas & executing them. (See the first three here) Plus! I think there are some things that I offer currently that I will not be taking to the show. I need to weed out what I know I can make on a wholesale level & the things I might not want to take to that level. 

That means more letterpress posts to come! I'm excited to get Victor up & running again. He had some printing issues in the Spring. Hopefully I figured it out…

NSS or Bust

{the floor at the National Stationery Show, via MyMomShops.com}

Big announcement!!!

I WILL BE EXHIBITING AT THE 2014 NATIONAL STATIONERY SHOW!!

OMG, just typing that makes my hands & feet sweat. That's what my body does when I get nervous. My hands & feet turn into a hot mess. That was probably TMI...

I love selling at markets, but I don't love doing it every weekend or even every month. Greeting cards is a very occasion based business to be in. Even though many more people are sending them these days, it is still hard to justify the costs of markets each weekend. And don't even get me started on the time it takes to do them. 

Boy, do I miss the Dekalb Market & having a regular retail location. That was the best.

So, to grow my business, I am looking to wholesale. I am looking forward to forming relationships with stores & sellers who interact with my target market, who have insight into what they are buying. My goal for the show is to write 5 orders with potential recurring clients. Some stationers write 3 orders at their first show, some 20...some don't write any at all. My business goals are not just about selling my products but about forming relationships with people who like what I have to offer & want to work with me as much as I with them.

Sending cards, notes & sweet paper items is so much about relationships - not only those that you have with friends which inspire you to send cards or use fun wrapping paper BUT ALSO!! The relationship that I have with all of you, my clients & potential clients... Well, at least the one I have in my mind that inspires you to send cards... {insert big toothy grin}

So, my goals for the show are to have products that showcase my talents & start building new exciting relationships through them.

Stay tuned as I share the details on how this will all come together.  Come hell or high water, on May 18th, the doors of the Jacob Javits Center here in New York will open & I will be ready!!