I took the handmade pledge.... why don't all of you crafters out there do the same.

Lets talk promotion

Alright... you have an idea. You have turned it into a viable product. You think it is the greatest idea or product....but how do you let the rest of the world know about it? Even sales sites like e-bay or Etsy have thousands of products, how do you stand out???

Handmade Items

For those of you that do not know me, I have been making homemade candy for several years now. It started when my children were very little, I made chocolate covered pretzels for christmas on year and handed them out to neighbors and co-workers as gifts. I received so much positive feedback. The following year I made them again, but expanded on the creativity that I put into them. Instead of just plain chocolate covered pretzels with holiday decorations, I started adding different combinations. Peanut butter and chocolate, almonds, coconut and chocolate (like and Almond Joy), andes mint candies and so forth. The list grew every year. My children even got in on the experiments. My middle child is the inspiration behind the "cookies and cream" pretzel. White chocolate with crushed oreo's. It is still his favorite, and has become a favorite of my customers. About a year and a half ago I was listening to Good Morning America and I heard a segment on Etsy. Etsy is a site for the sale of homemade goods. It's like an e-bay for homemade things. It has a lot of great things. jewelry, soaps, candles, clothing ......and of course food (my favorite). I finally got up the nerve to post a few items......I did not have good success. Actually I had no success. I really did not know what I was doing. Then Last fall was approached by a great little company called Out of the box sampler. They put together all kinds of great little samples of a variety of different products, and put them all in one great box that only goes on sale once every month. I contributed in November of 08. I finally got a sale off of etsy. However I did not get the response that I had hoped for. I was disappointed. I had spent a lot of money, and gotten little in return. I decided to give up on etsy after christmas. Then a few months ago a had an "a ha" moment. Maybe I needed to expand my item list. Chocolate cannot be mailed in the warmer months unless it is shipped with cooling packs. This makes the shipping very expensive. I needed to come up with other items that do not have chocolate. This was a foreign concept to me.... I love chocolate. So that is where I am now. I listed a pound cake that I make. I have it labeled as the "Best pound cake you have ever had" and I truly believe that it is.
Everyone, and I mean everyone who ever tastes it raves about it. I have a full size version and I have also created mini versions. So check them out on www.twistoftaste.etsy.com

First Draft

Welcome to Moms b2b.

This blog is meant to be a clearing house for all the moms out there who are trying their hand at their own business. Starting a business can be a difficult adventure (to say the least). It is helpful to hear others advice, ideas for promotion, or just vent your frustration. More Importantly It is my hope that we can all come together and provide support for each other.