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How to Become Your Own Favorite Boss: A Guide for the Self-Employed

How to Become Your Own Favorite Boss: A Guide for the Self-Employed

The toughest boss you’ll ever work for is yourself.

When you work for someone else it’s easy to say that the reason you’re always stressed about work is your big bad boss and his (or her) mixed messages, unrealistic deadlines, and lack of boundaries.

It’s easy to blame your boss when you find yourself awake all night replaying the previous day’s failed proposal and wondering how they could have done things better, or when you get up at 1:30am to tweak slide #259 of tomorrow’s big presentation.

Many of us who work for ourselves made the decision to go off on our own at least partly because of bad boss experiences we’ve had.

Unfortunately, sometimes your new boss turns out to be a real hard-ass too.

Continue reading “How to Become Your Own Favorite Boss: A Guide for the Self-Employed”…

Why You Should Use WordPress: It's a Durable Platform for the Long Haul.

Why You Should Use WordPress for Your Website

dbdc specializes in building WordPress and Woocommerce websites for artists, makers, and small businesses. One of the most common questions I get asked is “Why should I use WordPress?” With so many other options out there for building a website, it’s a good question. The short answer? WordPress and Woocommerce are easy to use, powerful, open, and they put you in complete control of your website. Continue reading “Why You Should Use WordPress for Your Website”…

Let's Freak Out about Social Media Marketing Overload!

Social Media Marketing Overload: A Survival Guide for Solo Entrepreneurs

Social media marketing overload is a constant occupational hazard for the solo entrepreneur. True, everyone sometimes gets bouts of FOMO when they see yet another sun-kissed vacation photo from their old high school friend.

But for someone who makes their living selling their handmade products online, FOMO becomes FOMOS—Fear Of Missing Out on Sales. Am I Tweeting enough to keep my shop from going under? Why is nobody re-pinning my Pins?

Sound anything like the inside of your head at 2am?

Well, let’s take a deep breath, close all our other browser tabs, put our phones on silent, and keep reading to find out how to control your social media anxiety and prevent social media marketing overload.

Continue reading “Social Media Marketing Overload: A Survival Guide for Solo Entrepreneurs”…

Mokumé Gane Ring in Sterling Silver and 14kt Rose and Yellow Golds with 4mm Diamond.

Moving Christopher Taylor Timberlake Fine Art Jewelry Upmarket and Beyond Etsy

When Christopher Taylor Timberlake Fine Art Jewelry first approached dbdc, they were experiencing what many artists and makers experience as their business matures into a full-time job: they had outgrown Etsy. dbdc worked with them to move from Etsy to Woocommerce and WordPress, and to update their packaging, signage, and store layout to support their move upmarket.
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eCommerce Fee Calculator for Etsy, eBay, Woocommerce, Bigcommerce, Squarespace, and more.

Introducing dbdc’s Free eCommerce Fee Calculator

One of the big X-factors when it comes to selecting an eCommerce platform is how much their subscription fees, transaction fees, credit card processing fees, and fee coordination fees will cost you. Some fees are based on how many orders you sell, while others are based on the dollar value of each order. Some are even based on the weight of the items you sell. Well, dbdc is all about making selling things online easier for artists and makers, so I’ve collected the fees for a dozen eCommerce platforms and whipped up a handy customizable eCommerce Fee Calculator spreadsheet to see how their fees stack up for your business.

Go get your free eCommerce Fee Calculator now!

Your customers are calling.

Don’t Be Afraid to Talk to Your Customers

It’s one of the (many) questions that keeps small business owners awake at night: How do I know that what I’m selling is what my customers want? It’s especially personal for artists and makers who sell handmade creations that are close to their hearts. But there’s a way to find out if your work is hitting the mark, one that a lot of businesses small and large overlook: talk to your customers!

Continue reading “Don’t Be Afraid to Talk to Your Customers”…

Is this your sock monkey? It's hard to make your product photos stand out.

Two Easy Ways to Make your Product Images Unforgettable

For people selling art and handmade goods online standing out on Pinterest and Instagram is vital. How do you make your products stand out from the thousands of other product images on social media? Here’s the thing: with a couple of easy tricks  your product images will stick in your customer’s minds and make their way onto more Pinterest boards and Instagram feeds. Ready to find out how?

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Who should use Pattern by Etsy? Ask the Ouija Board! Or read this article.

Who Should Use Pattern by Etsy?

When Etsy rolled out their new “Pattern by Etsy” service, everyone in the crafting/artist/maker community’s first question was “What is this? And should I be using it?”.  It was a reminder that, as we’re constantly being told by our ever-increasing cable bills, any number of inspirational decorative pillows, and that cool snack at Trader Joe’s that’s not there any more, the only constant thing in life is change. Especially on the internet. Part Etsy, part Shopify, Pattern changed the whole eCommerce equation again. Or it seemed like it did, anyway. But is the post-Pattern world really that different from the world we lived in before? Is it worth using Pattern by Etsy? And who should use Pattern by Etsy, anyway?

Continue reading “Who Should Use Pattern by Etsy?”…

How to find your most valuable customer (she's the one in green).

How to find your Most Valuable Customer with Your Story

Have you ever given in to temptation and Googled yourself? It’s OK, you can admit it to me, it’s just you, me, and the internet here. For better or worse my Google footprint won’t be fueling any viral news articles. But what I do find fascinating is what all the “other” Jeff Daigles out there are up to.

For instance, there’s Jeff Daigle, owner of a plumbing and heating business; Jeff Daigle, the dentist; and there’s Jeff Daigle, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Cambodia. All of us Jeff Daigles are different people who have accomplished different things, but to Google we’re not that different.

The same goes for your business and all of the other people out there making the same things that you do, but you have something that nobody else does: your story, and sharing that story is how to find your most valuable customer.

Continue reading “How to find your Most Valuable Customer with Your Story”…

This is what the back button looks like to visitors fleeing a site without good online store User Experience.

Know Your eCommerce Website’s Enemy: The Back Button

Your website lives a rough life. Day in and day out, people you’ve never met visit and make a snap judgement about the quality of the site, the quality of the product or service you offer, and the quality of the company behind it. Is it fair? No, but you can’t blame those anonymous visitors. They’re dealing with their own problems, first and foremost finding what they’re looking for among thousands of websites offering similar things. It pays to have a little empathy and help those people out with a compelling story and good online store user experience design, because they will reward you with sales.

Continue reading “Know Your eCommerce Website’s Enemy: The Back Button”…

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