Share Your Passion - Grow Your Business

Last week I was invited to be the main speaker at a Chicago Bead Society meeting. I was excited about this opportunity and I had a great time sharing my passion of inspiring artists.

Speaking to groups and teaching is a passion of mine. I don't know if I shared this before, but used to own an art school in my hometown. I used to teach classes all the time, and really enjoyed the process of sharing what I loved to create with others.

Since I started working and selling online, I have not had the opportunity to do much speaking or teaching. After last week I realized how much I miss talking to groups and teaching.

Speaking to groups comes kind of natural to me. I know this is not the case for everyone, but sharing what you love with others is not only rewarding, it can be really good for your business.

Here are a few tips for speaking to a group:

Be well-prepared before speaking to a group - Have an outline of what you want to talk about, but don't write down everything you want to say. If you do you will be tempted to read what you wrote instead of speaking directly to the group

Practice what your going to say - Do this several times. When you are comfortable about what you want to say it makes it easier to speak with ease.

Have a backup, in case you forget what you want to say - Think of some stories you can share about your topic, in case your lose track.

Reduce your fear of the audience - Remember you know more then the audience. They will believe anything you tell them (within reason of course).

Relax yourself just before you speak - Close your eyes, take a deep, breath slowly, and relax. Speaking should be fun, so enjoy yourself!

Speaking or teaching is easy, fun, and a free way to market your business.

You get to share your passion for your medium, meet and network with lots of new people, and share your business cards with a new group of potential customers.  It should be something you consider as part of your marketing plan.

I really enjoyed the opportunity I had to speak last week, I think next year I am going to find a couple of venues for teaching and speaking. I will share with you more tips as I go through the process.

Do you, or have you, or would you like to speak or teach about your medium?

Your Local Brand

Selling online is a wonderful opportunity to sell your creative endeavors all over the world.

I have been lucky enough to sell Additions jewelry to lots of exotic location. Sometimes it seams weird to think about people in Australia,  Malaysia, and Finland, walking around in my jewelry.

Building your brand locally is just as important as building your online brand.

I owned an art school in my community for several years and taught many children and adult jewelry classes. Being part of the community and teaching classes helped me to sell my jewelry, at art shows, in local shops, and at workshops I taught.

When I am out running errands, or hanging out with my family, people still come up to me and say "hey your the jewelry lady". I taught several classes all over my community and the surrounding communities for years, and I still do occasionally.
 

Here are a few ideas for building your brand locally:

Teach classes - Kids and adults love the opportunity to learn something new.

Do art & craft shows - This is the best way to build your brand locally.

Donate items to local charities - It's and opportunity to share your brand with a variety of local groups.

Attend art openings and community events-  Bring business cards and network.

Sell to local shops - Great way to make money and get feedback from customers.

Sharing your brand locally will benefit you and your business. It's a great way to make a name for yourself, and to share what you do and love with the people in your community.

How do you share your brand in your community?

Quick Poll

I enjoy teaching. I have been teaching for several years, and I have taught classes for children and adults and every experience has been very fulfilling. Teaching has also become an important part of my business.

So, here is the question:

Do you teach what you create?
If not, have you thought about teaching?

Share your teaching experiences, or if you have thought about teaching what's stopping you.

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