E07 Behind the Business: Leah Bartsch
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[00:00:00] Shelley: Hi, I'm Shelley Cox, founder of The Regional Collective, where we're all about empowering entrepreneurs like you. Our podcast is for anyone navigating the world of small business, especially in regional areas. I'm based in the Barossa in South Australia, a place where I love, have three young children and also play in community club netball.
[00:00:31] Shelley: My previous career as a winemaker has taken me all over the world to New Zealand, Japan, USA, and all around Australia, but there's no place like home. I've started not one, but four businesses from the ground up since 2018, and have helped over 50 other small and micro businesses, and I can't wait to help share my lessons with you.
[00:00:53] Shelley: Over the coming weeks and months, you'll hear tales of success, challenges, and community spirit in small and [00:01:00] micro businesses. Let's redefine small business with big hearts and determined hustle, and be inspired to thrive.
[00:01:11] Shelley: Hi there, welcome to our latest podcast episode. Today, we're thrilled to chat with Leah Bartsch, the brains behind Craft Make Do and an experienced online business manager. Leah has spent the last decade mastering the art of running online businesses in markets, and she's here to share her journey and tips.
[00:01:35] Shelley: From starting her own craft business to becoming a go to online business manager and strategist, Leah's story is all about resilience and creativity. She'll talk about the lessons she's learned. She's faced and share the strategies that have helped her succeed. So get ready for some practical advice and inspiration from Leah.
[00:01:58] Microphone (Yeti Stereo Microphone) & EOS Webcam Utility-1: So Leah, thanks for joining [00:02:00] us today. Firstly wanted to get an idea about how, how did you get started in business and what sort of prompted your journey into selling your own business?
[00:02:11] Leah: Sure. Well, thank you for having me, Shelley. So I started out in business. Oh, it must be.
[00:02:19] Leah: 12 years ago.
[00:02:21] Leah: Yeah. Yeah. I don't know, time flies. Doesn't it.
[00:02:23] Leah: When your having fun.
[00:02:25] Leah: When you're trying to figure things out. So I started out around 12, 14 years ago. As a product business is a makeup business. I originally started making jewelry under the label crop. Dress for Sunday. And I eventually transitioned into suit accessories.
[00:02:43] Leah: So ties, bow ties products like that. And so that's kind of, that was my first foray into, into business. It was you know, certainly you know, quite a, quite a journey, I think, of trial of trial and error. And it was, it was. [00:03:00] You know, so much has changed technologically in the last 15 years that it was really the feels like it was. You know, towards the beginning of e-commerce.
[00:03:08] Leah: So I know when I started out, you know, I don't know whether Shopify was a hugely. You know, in platform. Yeah. So having a shopping cart website took a lot more work. But now it's so easy. Yes. So a few years into dress for Sunday. I started, you know, I think you develop a new evolve as a, as a business.
[00:03:29] Leah: So about, I think about five years ago, I started having this idea that I wanted to teach workshops. So I've always loved teaching. And I think certainly this journey in business has followed through the things that I love. And the skills that come naturally to me. And I think we all feel that don't we?
[00:03:47] Leah: Yep. Yep. Yep.
[00:03:48] Shelley: We try and do different things, but then we eventually go, do you know what I'm best at doing this? So let me just, yeah, let me do this.
[00:03:55] Leah: And so I decided that I wanted to give teaching ago teaching workshops,[00:04:00] so I think that was around 2019. You. And I started having that thought at the time I was working. Almost full-time.
[00:04:07] Leah: I think I was working probably about, you know, 80%. I went, yeah. Yep. So. I tested it out. I tested, I tested with friends. I tested, I just worked out what was going to work for me. Obviously I was working in. Jewelry. I was working in sewing, cause I was handmaking those fabric suit accessories. So I started off, I started out teaching jewelry workshops, just really simple jewelry workshops for people to come along, have a go. Try and, you know, Socialize try and, you know, Try and make something together.
[00:04:42] Shelley: Together, but also enjoy the creative process of winding down and taking some time to do that.
[00:04:49] Leah: Yes. So. So I started out doing that. Then I had to hit pause. I had a few health challenges. And then COVID came along. Yeah. And that changed everything and then [00:05:00] blew out a year and a half later, I actually had the opportunity to start teaching workshops, a shop that I had been stocking my products. I decided that they wanted to give workshops ago. So I put my hand up for that and that for me was a really good way into teaching and introducing a new revenue stream into my, into my business.
[00:05:20] Leah: Without having to manage everything on my own. Yeah. And from there I went, well, what else am I good at? You know, I'm good with my hands. You know, a maker, I make stuff. I'm a DIY. Yeah. So what else do I know how to do? And that's when I decided when I worked out well, I can cross stitch. I learned cross stich as a kid.
[00:05:39] Leah: I actually hadn't done it for a few years, but it's a skill that never leaves you. So I started teaching cross-stitch workshops and we really leading into Christmas. So I did a few Christmas designs. But as part of that, you know, you need to design something for people to do. Yeah. So I'd created these patterns. But, well, you know, a couple months [00:06:00] later I thought. I have a key.
[00:06:01] Shelley: You know, essentially have kits that's. For people to do. We've got the February. The designs.
[00:06:08] Leah: So what if I try selling kits? And that, I guess the rest is history with my product. Based businesses.
[00:06:15] Leah: I think I've really been led by just trying new things. Giving it a go.
[00:06:20] Shelley: And you know, what works and what doesn't work, and then going forward more with the things that do work or get traction.
[00:06:27] Leah: Exactly that. And I think the benefit of having a maker business is that you create in small runs. So something doesn't work.
[00:06:35] Leah: It doesn't actually matter. I think we all have failures. Things just don't work things. Don't sell people. You know, don't want a particular product. It's okay. You don't have a whole.
[00:06:47] Leah: It's not like you need to order a thousand units of something and then you find it doesn't sell, but you still need to offload them.
[00:06:54] Leah: Yes. You know, for me, I can create. So if I bring in your design in. So I'm market [00:07:00] tested. Markets. In front of people. I can make five kits. Doesn't work. Yeah. It's okay. I haven't actually lost a whole lot of money. It's not a huge,
[00:07:09] Shelley: you probably still reuse the thread. Reuse is actually exactly that. Repurpose
[00:07:15] Leah: and, you know, even repurposed pattern.
[00:07:17] Leah: So even if I'm not making a physical kit, I can still go, you know what? I have a pattern. I can make a digital pattern. Yeah. And I'll make it available. I didn't have to do anything else with that. It's just kind of ticks over in my sleep
[00:07:31] Shelley: and that's something that's probably come a lot faster in the last. Probably five years in that time of having that digital offering as well.
[00:07:38] Shelley: So there's still a need. And as you say, at markets, people want to take home the kit. They don't want. To take home a PDF. You know, they, they actually wanting the, the tools to be able to do it, but for other people that makes it so accessible that can still access those and give you another stream revenue stream it, diversifies the offering.
[00:07:59] Shelley: Yeah. [00:08:00]
[00:08:00] Leah: And I think, you know, for me, as I've grown in business, I've come to realize how important it is to have those multiple revenue streams and have some that just turn over on their own. That you don't actually have to put a lot of energy into.
[00:08:14] Shelley: Physically be there. Yeah. I would imagine that markets would be you know, and I think one of the things that I know that you've taken out of markets is getting the most out of that time that you've got there.
[00:08:24] Shelley: So. I guess, how do you find, you said he tests test out new products there. What are some other sort of. So why is that he is markets to your benefit?
[00:08:35] Leah: So I also use them to kind of build my following. Yep. Even if someone, I mean, the, the lesson to learn, not only with markets, but also with any kind of selling platform, isn't that people aren't going to go into necessarily. By the first time they see you.
[00:08:51] Leah: Yeah. Because everyone, you know, shops around the shops around. It may be that. You know, for whatever reason they go, oh, this would be a [00:09:00] great gift gifts. You know, as an example, Great gift for someone. But they're not ready to buy it at that point because it's not a priority yet, but they will come back and sometimes you'll have people come back three or four times before they buy.
[00:09:13] Leah: Yeah. But you still need to be present near, be showing up and be showing up. And just because they're not necessarily purchasing doesn't mean that they're not going to sign up to your email list. So, which is why it's so important to have a sign up list. Yeah. They're not necessarily, you know, they may follow you on, on socials, which is great.
[00:09:34] Leah: So I think it's markets are as much of a sales revenue raising activity as they are a marketing activity. Yeah. And there, I guess there are a way for you to tap into someone else's audience. Yeah. So you really tapping into the audience about the
[00:09:50] Shelley: market is attracting. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that's sort of the thing you. I guess going as you start out and you need to work at which markets [00:10:00] are for you and your brand, and that's a bit of trial and error too, isn't it?
[00:10:03] Shelley: Like you would have. Had I'm sure experience of the market to go. Do you know what? That's not really my customer base or not really suitable. For your brand, it's just, it's. I'm still just trialing an error. Isn't it.
[00:10:14] Leah: It is, it is. And I think you have to realize that. You do have to realize that not every customer is your customer. Yeah. That markets I find. They generally. Attract quite a diverse audience because the offerings really diverse, but they're not always going to be your customer.
[00:10:33] Shelley: So. An estimate. How do you work out?
[00:10:36] Shelley: How much. Product to take what mix to do, like what sort of would be your. Process, like how do you work out? I guess seasons. So timing of the year of the market. What sort of research do you put into it before you. To know what to take to a market or if you're starting out because you've got the experience now. I don't actually know a lot. But you got the [00:11:00] experience now, but if you're starting out, you know, It's ways that you can find out what, what Pete. Yeah. Looking for yet. And how much to.
[00:11:11] Shelley: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:11:12] Leah: I guess every product is different and, you know, Different products are hands-on in different ways. I think the thing to remember is that there are generally two big buying seasons in the year. So you've got mother's day and Christmas. So leading in the months, say three or four months in leading up to mother's day.
[00:11:30] Leah: You want to really have. Mother's day appropriate gifts. Christmas the same idea. So if you've got, if you do have seasonal themed yep. Gifts. Or products I should say. You know, you, you are starting to bring them out in August. Yeah, September for Christmas, for Christmas. So you capture your early buyers.
[00:11:51] Leah: Yes. And then you carry them through until Christmas. So in terms of the amount of product, I think. Again, this is a little bit trial and error as [00:12:00] well. I think you need to really. As he understand your price point. And the price point people at markets are buying at. Yep. Then you really need to adapt what you bring.
[00:12:12] Leah: Yeah. Two. You know, To that. And I mean, I think it's also understanding that selling out it's not necessarily a bad thing. Yep. As long as you've got somewhere to direct people. So. Be taking pre-orders. Yup. Easy to do. Someone wants a candle. Yeah. If you're selling candles. Yeah. But you've sold out of a scent.
[00:12:32] Leah: You can take a pre-order and maybe they pick it up at the next market. Yeah, that's great. And in it. It's great. A lead on that journey. So, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Direct them to your website. There, there are so many, you know, there are ways to get around. Not having enough stock or exactly. Yeah, exactly.
[00:12:50] Shelley: But you also don't want to be making so much that you go, oh, now it's February.
[00:12:55] Shelley: And I still got a whole heap of. You know, Christmas things that are not going to last me [00:13:00] till the night, like. The main expire or whatever. So, yeah. Sort of.
[00:13:03] Leah: But again, it's a gentle balance and it is trial and error and it's working out what works for your product
[00:13:09] Shelley: and your brand. Yeah. And so you've moved.
[00:13:12] Shelley: So you've got kind of, I think you've talked about like diversifying your business. So you've got workshops markets and online. So. What sort of strategies have you found best for growing your online part of your business?
[00:13:26] Leah: So, I guess for me online, can. Be divided. Again, so I do a little bit of wholesale.
[00:13:33] Leah: I must admit I don't push wholesale. But it is there. Yeah. Yeah. And then, you know, I've got my website, so I will always push people to my website. I do sell on platforms like Etsy. Yeah, because I have ready audiences, but I don't market those. Those platforms. To my audience because I want them to shop on my website.
[00:13:53] Leah: Yes. It's more so.
[00:13:54] Shelley: If people are on Etsy already. And I can find you there. But the rest of the time you wanting to get to [00:14:00] your native. Website, which is your own exactly your. We're sort of ownership. Yeah.
[00:14:06] Leah: So I really want to use Etsy's audience to grow what I'm doing. So I think it's just thinking strategically how you. Can tap into other people's audiences in order to grow your business. But I think. I think, you know, in terms of strategies for getting people onto your website.
[00:14:27] Leah: I think obviously there are lots of different strategies. I think. What you do outside of your website. So. I was thinking about this earlier. And, you know, we kind of have a say, you know, we have different funnels. We have different buckets of revenue. That kind of form. Sales ecosystem. Yeah. But all those buckets feed into one another.
[00:14:48] Leah: I think that we've kind of talked it, we talked earlier about how it markets, you might have someone come across you, but they're not ready to buy. So they might jump on you to your website. So I think it's, you know, [00:15:00] thinking about, well, you know, we've got our revenue streams, what are our marketing streams to feed into those pockets?
[00:15:06] Shelley: Yeah. And so things like social media, the behind the scenes. Email marketing. They're all. You know ways to share your brand and engage with customers, but ultimately they're going to funnel into. On somewhere on your website. Either. Sign up for a workshop or. Buy a kit or download. So he's managing. Managing. Making sure that you've got that sort of real clear idea of where you want your customers to go, because I think. Sometimes you can be like, well, I've got a website I'm done. It's actually doesn't work. It doesn't work like that. You won't get the best result out of.
[00:15:47] Leah: No, no. And if you kind of just have a website, you put it up and you go, people will come. Yeah, it doesn't work like that.
[00:15:53] Leah: I think you're in a very competitive market may work like that 15 years ago. Yeah. Yeah. But [00:16:00] you're in a very competitive market, no matter what kind of product you have. So once you have the website, you need to be proactively marketing it and make sure that you're bringing in new offerings or reinventing or refreshing what. What you do offer. Yeah.
[00:16:16] Leah: To keep it fresh so that. He keep getting repeat customers. I think it's not a set and forget, is it.
[00:16:23] Shelley: No, it's not which lucky is it? 15 years ago. It'd be like, we've made it. We've got a website. It's. It's actually what's the strategy around. Yeah. And maintaining that, but also engaging your customers because you want. That's the core of it is about servicing. Yeah. Them and giving them new things to go, oh, there's a new kit coming out or there's a new design, you know?
[00:16:45] Shelley: So that's what you want to then engage your customers to do that. So email. Marketing is a great one to To keep them engaged in, in your community.
[00:16:55] Leah: Yes that yeah. A hundred percent. Yep.
[00:16:58] Shelley: So. [00:17:00] What advice would you give to someone looking to start perhaps? First a market stall business. And then maybe another one for online business.
[00:17:09] Shelley: So maybe. Separating those two, because I think the. The market still could be a standalone for particularly micro businesses. So people that are looking to have something that can fulfill them. Perhaps in a creative way or engaging way. May not necessarily want to get into online.
[00:17:27] Leah: Yeah. So I think. People starting out use market stalls to test your products.
[00:17:33] Leah: I think it's a really good way to see how people engage with things. You can ask them questions. Yeah, you can. I love stepping back and seeing what people go for first, what they pick up, what captures their attention. And that can inform. Yeah, future products. But I also think that you do, even if you just have a market, so you still need an online presence.
[00:17:58] Leah: Yeah. Because for that [00:18:00] very reason that, you know, people are not necessarily going to buy from you at the market. Yep. But they might want to buy from me down the track. So even if it's just having a social platform where you say I'm going to be at this market. Yup.
[00:18:13] Shelley: So Facebook and Instagram, make sure that you've got that presence there. To be able to keep continuing that conversation with the customers.
[00:18:21] Leah: Yeah. And I guess it's about building a relationship with. Customers and building that trust. So. Yeah. And then I guess in terms of online business, I think it's really thinking about. Your revenue streams and making sure that you have making sure that they're solid. Yeah. Making sure that you have more than one. Yeah, because I think, you know, sometimes things happen. Like we are at the moment.
[00:18:48] Leah: You know, there might be a downturn in one side of your business. But at least if you've got multiple streams coming in. That put some focus on the other on the other two and they will help [00:19:00] prop up, you know,
[00:19:01] Shelley: and also like if you do have markets or you're in a retail setting as well, if things are slow, but then you've also got an online business as well.
[00:19:10] Shelley: That. And wholesale. That can help bolster and boost wild times as slow and tough, or if you've got quiet days at markets and you can go and look, we've haven't even broken even, or we've just broken even. There's going to be those days, two weeks. Exactly. So yeah, having that diverse. Revenue stream for your business is a good way to have a sort of solid platform.
[00:19:32] Shelley: Yes. Yeah. And so what I, what else are you doing this year? So what sort of I guess 2024, looking like for the other business, the other business. The other business, cause you know, serial entrepreneurs, we love to have multiple. Businesses. So what have you started most recently and how's that going?
[00:19:55] Leah: So recently decided to use my skills to help other business owners.
[00:19:59] Leah: So [00:20:00] I am also an online business manager. So I guess one of. I help, you know, one of your strengths. One of my strengths is strategizing, helping other people. And really. Finding holes and plugging holes. I think. Sometimes we get so caught up in our businesses. I know I do this a hundred percent. Yeah. That we don't see the bigger picture and we don't see how we can fix things. So I'm kind of that. External information. Yeah, I can kind of kind of come in with a fresh eyes, see what's happening and go, actually, we can do this and we can fix this.
[00:20:37] Leah: And you know, we can implement, you know, Implement new systems or automations to. Create time. We can do. Yeah. Yeah. So It's I find often find it hard to explain what I do as an online business manager, because there is so much that.
[00:20:55]
[00:20:55] Shelley: It's probably different for each individual business as well, where [00:21:00] those. The particular strengths of one person, and then the holes that they need to be filled, or some of those.
[00:21:07] Shelley: Bit of time management or workflow or systems may be different to. Some one else who might have different skill sets. So. Really just kind of curating a, a solution for each person.
[00:21:19] Leah: Yes. Yeah, no, that's exactly right. Every business is different. Every business is. At a different stage. You know, every person who is in business has different strengths has different weaknesses.
[00:21:31] Leah: And it's about finding that balance and plugging, plugging the gaps. And it's, I think it's been really fun using the skills that I've learned. First in dress for Sunday and now in craft make do. And also outside of those businesses, I think there are lots of skills that we learn. Three working.
[00:21:49] Leah: Yeah. and really, you know
[00:21:51] Shelley: completes the picture. Doesn't it. Kind of brings them together.
[00:21:54] Leah: And creates us. It creates a, a service that really can benefit other people. [00:22:00]
[00:22:00] Shelley: And we were just talking just to finish on, we're just talking before about The. Sometimes people see as, as a different business offering between a product based business.
[00:22:09] Shelley: So physical products in a service-based business. But really there's a lot of crossover and a lot of similarities and perhaps we can. Change your thinking around service. Based businesses as they are products.
[00:22:24] Leah: They are because as a service-based business, you're still offering a package. Yes. You may be that you're packaging your services and your skills, but it's, it's a package and it's still a product. Yeah.
[00:22:35] Leah: In the sense that you are selling it, it's just an intangible product. Yes.
[00:22:39] Shelley: And probably a good as a reminder to just change our thinking around that, because I know that that's something that I've had. Problems with. Challenges within the past. Is thinking of it as a product to sell. And there needs to be a strategy around how to sell this.
[00:22:53] Shelley: Yes. Yeah. But no. But excellent. So thank you very much for all of [00:23:00] your insights and we look forward to chatting with you again soon.
[00:23:04] Leah: Thank you for having me.
[00:23:05] Leah:
[00:23:07] Speaker: Well, thanks for tuning in to the Regional Collective Podcast. We hope you enjoyed today's episode. Don't forget to subscribe and follow us. And you can join our community each year to get exclusive resources, expert advice and connect with other regional business owners as a member of the Regional Collective.
[00:23:27] Speaker: Check out our website to learn more. There you can also find free tools like Strategies to Grow Locally and the Ultimate Business Startup Checklist. Stay connected with us on social media for more tips and updates. Let's thrive together and make your business shine. Keep pushing forward. You're not alone on this journey.
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