While June may have most people thinking about long weekends, days at the beach and boatloads of BBQ’s  if you own a product based business those visions of beach balls will also have to share some headspace with the holidays.

Making mistakes in business is part of the learning process. When you’re running a product based business though, mistakes can be costly. One of the reasons I launched Wholesale for Creatives was because, over the course of my career, I’ve made a TON of mistakes. Fortunately, I had a large company in my corner to catch me when I fell and amazing colleagues and managers to help me through some of the sticky situations. As a small business, you don’t necessarily have that option and one mistake for you could mean closing your doors before you ever have a chance to really show the world what that beautiful design brain of yours is capable of. That’s why in today’s post, I’m sharing 10 of the most common mistakes I see product based businesses making in the hopes that  I can save you some headaches and your business some cash.  My company had my back, and now I’ve got yours.

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As a product based business owner, there is nothing more exciting than having orders hit your inbox and watching your products sell. If you’ve been selling your products for awhile and over the counter sales are good you may be at a point in your business when you’re asking yourself, “what’s next?” Selling to a retail chain or local boutique looks very different than selling your products directly to a customer. There are a lot more rules + steps involved which means a lot more risk for your business. Plus, you’re selling your products at a lower cost than you would be directly at retail. So, how would doing more work and selling products for less than your current retail be beneficial to your business?

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Raise your hand if, when it comes to deciding on the best imagery to highlight your products you get a little stuck. Some websites you’ve seen only seem to feature products on a plain background (traditionally white, but some brands utilize other solid colors) but others are all about the lifestyle shots. What's a girl (or guy) to do??

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As a small business owner, it’s our responsibility to bring our A game when it comes to serving our customers. This means having stellar systems in place for communicating with customers, handling orders and selling products. The experience customers have from the minute they land on your website or in your inbox sets the tone for their interaction with you. W

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When it comes to showcasing your products and designs, nothing beats instagram. It’s basically your company’s highlight reel. One of the biggest challenges when creating an Instagram Story is to decide what’s worthy of including. Is it all product related? Behind the scenes shots? My cat is cute, can I include her too? Today, I’m sharing 5 of my favorite ways to use Instagram stories AND hooking you up with a list of 40 different ideas you can use to create your next IG story and strategy!

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When you’re big goal is to grow your wholesale business it can be daunting to know exactly what the right time is to start reaching out. I’m all for setting your foundation first, which means having your pricing in place, catalogs or line sheets to send and a few samples on hand if a package is requested. You’re probably wondering thinking to yourself, “that’s fine and great Carolyn, but aren’t some months better for buying than others?

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When you’re a product based business owner, it almost always feels like there is more money going out than there is coming in. Justifying yet another expense when you know the information is out there and easily accessible can be a really tough thing to do. As a small business owner myself, I’ve been in your shoes! I know how valuable those dollars in your bank account are and how challenging it is to part with them, ESPECIALLY when you have to justify that expense to others

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Whether you sell stationery, mugs, home decor, jewelry, pillows, apparel (or any of the other thousands of kinds of products out there) you don’t want to be seen as too similar to the competition because similar generally equals forgettable.  Today, I’m sharing 5 strategies to help you set yourself apart from everyone else so you can grow your tribe of followers and scale your business!

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