Find your customer that wants the exact leathergoods that you make and build the leather business of your dreams.
A lot of leathersmiths make the mistake of trying to build a leather business by making leathergoods that they like to make and then trying to sell said leathergoods to anyone and everyone that will listen.
But the problem with this is that your focus is on what YOU like to make and NOT what your customer needs or wants.
Your focus is on you when it needs to be on your customer.
Read MoreI came across an article a few weeks ago in one of the many handmade business and marketing focused Facebook groups that I belong to. The article was titled, The Modern Trap of Turning Hobbies Into Hustles.
Two things immediately got my attention.
The first thing that caught my attention was the title of this article. The Modern Trap of… Trap??
Starting a small business to help support me financially as well as provide the freedom from the 9-5 has been anything but a trap for me!
Are you falling into this modern trap?
Read MoreHave you ever felt confused about why other leathercrafters seem to be able to sell their leathergoods no problem, but no one seems to be interested in yours?
The truth is, the reason that people aren’t buying from you is not because your prices are too high or because no one likes your brand.
No, it’s much simpler then that.
Read MoreWhen you reflect on the past year you can see not only what worked but also what you liked doing. Building a business is hard work but it doesn’t have to be painful to be successful, right? Otherwise you might as well go and work for someone else. Reflecting on our business allows you to pivot and change course so that you’re always creating a business that you love as well as being successful.
Read MoreHave you ever wanted to create a custom sized zipper for a leatherworking project that you've been working on?
Maybe you were making your own leather zipper pouch or dopp kit or a leather purse or handbag with a zipper closure.
Creating your own custom sized zipper can save you a lot of time that would otherwise be spent hunting for the right sized zipper.
Using a custom zipper can also save you money because purchasing a roll of zipper tape instead of individual zippers is cheaper if you’re going to be using zippers in a lot of your leatherwork.
Using zippers in your leatherwork doesn’t have to be intimidating.
Read MoreNow that you know who your ideal customer is and what they're like, you can begin to answer the next question which is, “What is it that my ideal audience needs or wants”?
By developing something with the needs and desires of your audience in mind, you will set yourself up to be able to create something that you know your audience will respond to and ultimate be interested in purchasing.
If you really want to set yourself up for the best chance of selling your products, try and solve a problem or satisfy a desire that they have.
Read MoreIn order to develop a product based on your ideal customer’s needs or wants, you need to know who your customer is, what they look like and what types of things that they’re interested in.
One of the first things that you should ask yourself is, "Who am I targeting with this product that I either plan to make or have already made?"
Once you have an idea of who it is that will want your product, you will have a much greater chance at developing a marketing strategy geared towards attracting that person.
Read MoreIs the leather terminology getting you down like, WHAT??
I know the feeling. There is a lot to know!
Between distinguishing what the different grades of leather are, the finish types of grain leather and the main tanning processes, if you’re anything like me, your head is spinning.
But hang in there.
Read MoreLeather as you probably already know is the result of taking animal rawhide or skins and then tanning them to create a flexible and durable material that can be used for clothing, accessories, shoes and a lot more.
So how does this tanning process work?
Read MoreThis might be the worst blog post title ever. And you might be thinking, "ugh, boooring" but if you want to be informed and confident when picking out and purchasing leather hides then these are a few terms that you're going to want to be familiar with.
Read MoreHave you ever been shopping for leather and come across the myriad of terms used to describe the type of tannage, or leather grade, finish, etc that is involved in processing it? This was one of the most confusing things (and still can be confusing!) when I first started to work with leather.
Leather manufacture from it's earliest processes involving urine, feces and brains (still used today in smaller operations!) to the now majorly chemical and scientific processes is, well, complex.
Read MoreSaddle-stitching can be tricky business if you’re not quite sure which tools you should be using, how exactly to saddle-stitch in the first place or what the common beginner leatherworking pitfalls are!
But it doesn’t have to be a tricky process. Below i've listed 4 of the most common beginner mistakes (believe me, been there done that, don't want to go back!) to avoid when saddle-stitching.
Read MoreI get this question a lot…
How do I know how much thread I need for my project or my area of stitching?
There are 3 main factors that will affect your determination of how much thread you will need for your project.
Read MoreWhen I first started learning traditional leatherwork I knew absolutely nothing but was eager to learn! I was taught by a French master leatherworker who only used the best French tools. Go figure!
She taught me the basics of traditional leatherwork which included how to use a tool called a pricking iron. But as I started experimenting with the other tools options months and years later I came across a tool called a stitching chisel and also a lot of viewpoints on which of these two tools is the best choice.
Read MoreHave you ever felt like your clients, customers, friends or strangers at a trade show (who pickup your products and put them back down unceremoniously), have no idea the time, effort and care that goes into producing a traditional leathergood?
Below i’ve listed 6 reasons, starting with the more indisputable reasons why we choose to hand saddle-stitch over machine stitch and then round it out with more personal reasons as to why I hand saddle-stitch all of my leathergoods. These are purely personal reasons, but who knows, maybe we share some of the same reasoning.
Read More
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