blog book tour: creative, inc. (and a little giveaway!)

i am so happy to be the hostess for todays' stop on the creative, inc. blog tour! (looks like i'm in very good company - links to the other stops are listed at the end of this post)

i get emails all the time from people asking me for business advice - which is something that i am so not qualified to give. i always point them in the direction of craft, inc. by meg mateo ilasco. craft, inc. has been a indispensable tool for me in guiding me in running my business. let's face it many of the things you have to deal with in running your own business can be very confusing if not downright daunting.

i am so happy that meg has teamed up with joy deangdeelert cho (of oh joy! fame) to bring us creative, inc. this is a really great book - they lay everything out for you in a very clear and concise way.  i am sure i'm going to refer to it constantly!

check out this cute video that joy and meg made to promote their book:

 

 

the fine folks at chroncile books have a copy of creative, inc. for one of my blog readers. to be eligible please share with us (in the form of a comment) what you find to be the most challenging part of running your own freelance business. my favorite response wins!

comments close september 1st at 6pm (pacific time) - US residents only - please make sure you include your email address (will not be published) so i can contact you should you be chosen as the lucky winner.

UPDATE 9-1 thanks everybody for your thoughtful comments! it was so hard to choose a winner. i would like to congratulate holly!

 

here's the list of the other blog tour stops. i'm sure many of these blogs are some of your daily reads - if not please check them out!

8/23 poppy talk
8/24 oh happy day
8/25 sf girl by bay
8/26 mint
8/27 wit + delight
8/28 cathy of california
8/29 book by it's cover
8/30 not martha
8/31 frolic
9/1 uppercase
9/2 craftzine
9/3 decor8
9/4 kris atomic
9/5 grain edit

Comments

[Holly Marie Gibbs]

The most challenging part about being a freelancer for me is finding the perfect balance between taking on too many clients (because I'm always anxious that the work will just stop coming in one day and I won't be able to pay my bills!) and taking on too few clients (because I want to give each person I work with a wonderful, creative, timely, professional experience). I'm still working on finding the happy medium between those two, but for now I'm just happy that the work is rolling in!

[Nicole]

The most challenging part for me is to create a balance between dreaming and doing! I so often get swept away by dreaming about my business and what I want it to eventually be that I forget to work on the present, with the resources I have now. It's obviously fun to dream but it sure is more fun when you start seeing the rewards from all your busy doing and creating:)

[Bonney]

Hmmm, how long have I have thinking about the business side of crafting? Maybe this is the book to start with!

[susie]

This book is long overdue!

[Pat]

The biggest challenge for me is finding a balance between creative expression and sellable product. I have a desire to share what I make, yet because it is my art I am emotionally connected to it. When I finish something that I am truly satisfied with, I am so excited to share it. But sometimes at shows I do not get the response I expect. I get positive comments, but few sales.

Then I see other crafters/artists successfully selling their work. This raises several questions for me. Should I re-examine my vision? What is my goal...to create or to sell? Should I consider what is sellable when I am creating? Do I just need to find the right market?

I think this book could provide many of the answers I need!

Thanks for the opportunity to win :)

[Denise]

My biggest problem so far has been finding clients who will pay a fair wage for my services. I have found that my creative skill set has be highly devalued by others willing to do the same work for a free pattern or less! But the few clients I have found have been absolutely wonderful!

[Eva / Sycamore Street Press]

The most difficult part for me in the freelance aspect of my business has been figuring out how to price my work. I have been dramatically underpricing my services, and have therefore been reluctant to take on many jobs because it always seems like so much work in comparison to the pay. So instead I focus on the more self-propelled projects that don't have a specific client attached to them (and are therefore more risky). I'm in the midst of re-vamping my pricing and offerings, though, because I really would love to do more freelance client driven work... This book would be very helpful to the process!

[Adrianna]

The most difficult challenge I've faced is choosing one skill/hobby to focus on instead of flitting between several. Lately, there have been many articles describing what is happening to our brains due to the relatively recently phenomenon of technological overdose! It's hard to keep focus, to retain attention to the task at hand, without being swept away by the latest tweet, the iphone apps, the blogoshpere! I have begun meditating as a way to bring focus back into my life. There is always the mentality of "what am I missing?" But, when I focus with a clear head, my productivity is so much higher! Inspiration is wonderful, and I try to pair that with retaining a vision.

I am so looking forward to reading this book! Thank you for this opportunity!

[Sherri S.]

How to balance the need to get some work done with my need to keep up with all of the Real Housewives ;)

[Jacquie]

For me, the hardest parts are prices my wares and finding the proper venues to sell them in. I was constantly getting comments about how I should sell my work and now that I'm trying to these two things have been holding me back.

[Sherri]

I can really relate with Pat's comments above! My biggest challenge is the balance between spending the time it takes to make a good supply of my popular designs and having ample time to experiment and create new things. (And all this in between working full-time and caring for home and family...and having a social life =D ) I love Craft, Inc. (and the Craft, Inc. Workbook) and can't wait to read Creative, Inc.!

[Nicole]

Well I am not yet a freelancer, but am currently contemplating it (hence why I am in dire need of a copy of this book!). I think the biggest challenge would be learning from your mistakes, because we all make them. Until you get a ton of good experience under your belt, you are bound to stumble here and there and I think this would be hard at first.