056 | Kelly Parker Smith, Hello World Paper Co. on prioritizing profitable projects, setting boundaries to protect our time and three strategies for enhancing your Etsy shop

May 8, 2018

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Kelly Parker Smith is a multi-talented business owner and creative artist. Kelly is a rubber stamp designer and manufacturer living just outside St. Louis. She has grown her shop, Hello World Paper Co., with the idea that great products become even better when paired with top-notch customer service, a little surprise and delight, and the perfect packaging!

Kelly is also the co-host of the Creative Biz Rebellion podcast where she and Caroline Hull show other business owners how to build, maintain, and grow a profitable online shop through their podcast and online workshops. In her free time Kelly enjoys painting and drawing on her iPad Pro and is soon to release her second fabric collection with Sweet Bee Designs fabric company.

On today's episode Kelly is sharing how she juggles multiple arms of her business - manufacturing stamps, designing fabric and mentoring through her podcast. We also talked about time management, prioritizing profitable tasks and setting boundaries to protect our time. Kelly also share three strategies for enhancing your Etsy shop.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

All of the different arms of her business
How she got started designing a fabric collection
The benefits of trying something new and how it influences all areas of her business
How Kelly balances all of the different aspects of her business
The way that she maps out her week & how she prioritizes tasks
The importance of setting boundaries and saying "no"
The responsibilities of Kelly's office manager and why she decided to hire her from the beginning
Why she decided to have a secondary site in addition to Etsy
Kelly's tips on enhancing your Etsy listings
Her advice for someone just starting out in a product based business
What's next for Hello World Paper Co.

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

"When you feel stuck in one area of your life creatively, it's so important to try something new." - Kelly Parker Smith

"For me, money talks. What do I need to get done first? Who's paying me to do what that I have to get done? Then, when I have that scheduled out for the week, I look at what do I need to do to move forward in my business? Then, I schedule that out." - Kelly Parker Smith

"When our calendar gets so full it doesn't leave a space to breathe. It doesn't leave a space to think and to plan and to really execute on the high priority things." - Katie Hunt

"I don't have notifications on for my Etsy shop, I don't have notifications on my phone for my emails." - Kelly Parker Smith

"Every time I brought somebody on my team, my business grew, my revenue grew, and my sanity came back." - Katie Hunt

"Etsy is amazing. It's a great place to start, it's a great place to be. We'll never leave Etsy as long as it's there, but the thing is that you can't put everything you have into one platform, especially if you don't own it." - Kelly Parker Smith

"You have to think like a buyer." - Kelly Parker Smith

"I went in the direction that my business was telling me to go in. I listened to where the money was coming in, I was very meticulous in my bookkeeping, and I really looked at patterns and what was selling and what was making me profit and what wasn't. I just followed essentially what my business and my customers were telling me." - Kelly Parker Smith

LINKS:Lisa Congdon's Creativebug Classes Pattern Camp with Jessica Swift Inkwell Press Planner

CONNECT WITH KELLY:

Website(s): http://www.helloworldpaperco.com

http://www.creativebizrebellion.com

http://www.kellyparkersmith.com

Social Media Links:

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/helloworldpaperco

http://www.instagram.com/creativebizrebellion

http://www.instagram.com/kellyparkersmith

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/helloworldpaperco

http://www.facebook.com/creativebizrebellion

http://www.twitter.com/creativebizreb

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/helloworldpaper

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/helloworldpaper

FREE TRADESHOW WORKSHOP:

If you're gearing up for trade show season and need help creating a beautiful booth that doesn't break the bank, I want to invite you to my free masterclass. I'm sharing my three secrets to maximize your trade show investment and keep wholesale orders coming in long after you trade show end. To join me for this free workshop, head to www.theboothblueprint.com to register!

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ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!