The Leather Beast Blog — Leather Beast

5 Steps to Creating a Custom Zipper for LeatherWork

Have 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.

3 Simple DIY Gift Ideas for the Holidays

"How is it December already??"

Well, because we just wrapped up November and now we're moving on to the next month, which is December. It happens every year.

(this is what I want to say when people ask that question, haha)

But I get it...

The holidays can be really stressful.

And if you're anything like me you've not done any shopping yet and start to break out in a cold sweat just thinking about what gifts to get friends and loved ones.

Before you start sweating, let me show you 3 SUPER simple holiday handmade gifts that you can make for friends or loved ones!

5 Ways To Find Your Ideal Customer

If you've been reading along with the last few blogposts, you've already determined who your audience is, what they need or want and now it's time to find out where they are so you can get to know them better and interact with them.

Once you know where your ideal customer hangs out, you will also be able to create a marketing promotional strategy using that information.

This can be challenging for creative people who are trying to start a side hustle. Sometimes they make the mistake of waiting for their audience to find them.

What Does My Ideal Customer Want or Need?

Now 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.

10 Questions to Help You Determine Who Your Ideal Customer Is

In 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.

Latest Posts, Top Blog ArticlesMary SavelNovember 15, 2017leather, leatherwork, leatherworker, ideal customer, target market, BLOG PAGE #2

Stride Into Your Side Hustle - Don't Stumble

Have you ever considered starting a side business but you just were not and still are not sure how to get started?

Some people can get really stuck on how to get started especially if they have zero experience with starting their own business but there is no need to get stuck here. I want to share with you how I practically stumbled my way in a side hustle business a few years ago and how you should stride into yours.

4 Mistakes to Avoid When Saddle-stitching

Saddle-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.

Why I (and maybe you too) continue to Saddle-stitch [6 reasons]

Have 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.

Saddle-stitch Your Leatherwork to the Next Level with These 4 Prep Steps

It takes so much time and effort to complete a good looking wallet, belt, handbag or any other leather good that is sewn completely by hand, so it makes sense to spend some time on some preparation work. I have broken out the preparation work into the 4 simple steps I take each time before sitting down to saddle-stitch. Doing so will absolutely take your leatherwork to the next level.

Beginner Leatherworking Tools For Every Budget

While quality tools certainly will help you get there, in the beginning all you need for success is a basic set of tools, knowledge, patience and a lot of practice. Hopefully, I can help you with the first two and you can handle the last two.

If you're just getting started or are trying to figure out how to get started and within a budget, keep reading.

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