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Set and keep your boundaries
A couple of weeks back, I had a conversation with Katie, a long-time client. We talked about boundaries, something that we have talked about over the years. She had, again, agreed to take on the...
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Move the Needle in Your Creative Arts Business
For many of us, moving the needle may have different connotations, especially since so many who read this blog sew. Today I want to talk about moving the needle forward in your business. All of us get...
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7 Steps for Success After a Workshop
This week a fabulous group of creative professionals from across North America joined me for our annual Creative Arts Business Summit. They spent three days working on, rather than in, their...
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Create Powerful Intentions for Events
Many readers of this post are preparing for International Quilt Market, the annual trade show of the quilting and soft craft industries. You may be preparing for a retail show, an outdoor fair, a...
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Too Much On Your Plate? Delegate
Recently I was talking with my client Claire, a needlework designer, about the need to start delegating some of her work. She was overwhelmed with the amount of work on her plate and she felt that...
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Surviving business storms
Last week was such a storm-filled one that I found myself searching for rainbows each time the rain stopped. And, I found a real beauty. I started thinking about the fact that rainbows are dependent...
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Kick-up Your Summer Revenue
This is the unofficial first week of the summer. For many people, this is the time to kick back and take it easy. You know the lazy, crazy days of summer! And, sure people do take vacations, but not...
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Pay it forward!
The last time I was at our home on the Chesapeake Bay, our neighbor’s grandkids were visiting. They were having a great time skipping stones across the water. Do you remember doing that as a kid or...
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Train Tracks and Getting Things Done
One day recently I was stopped at a railroad bridge and started thinking about what we learned as kids about crossing the train tracks. Stop, look, and listen. Do you remember that? The next morning...
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Are you leaving money on the table?
We’re into the last six months of the year. Just where did the first six months go?! Our ICAP Members’ Studio peeps regularly look at their numbers. How about you? Have you look at your numbers for...
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Can You Find Your Art Supplies?
I have been in a “cleaning out” mode lately. We have talked about downsizing in the next few years. I always joke that I am on a five-year plan for decluttering and the time just keeps getting...
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How Do You Treat Your Ideal Customer?
One of my favorite shops to visit when I am at my home in St. Michaels, Md., is called Take Me Home. It’s in a charming old house and filled with the most wonderful items. It is quite a challenge,...
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Should you be blogging?
Do you have a blog? I have been blogging consistently since early 2007. First my blog posts were monthly with an occasional extra post. Within 18 months I went to twice a month, and then another 18...
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7 Ways to Get More Work Done This Summer
We are about halfway through the summer. Are you doing anything special during your summer vacation? I fit in a mini-family reunion and spent time at our home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. I also...
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Are You Juggling Too Many Balls?
One of my clients recently commented that with all her responsibilities she felt like she was juggling a lot of balls in the air — managing the shop, its employees and its inventory, her charitable...
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Moving Past Stuckedness
Have you ever had so much on your plate that you’re stuck with where to start? I know I have. Last week I started thinking about all the ideas I have to grow ICAP. There is the weekly blog/ezine, the...
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Creating white space
As artists, we understand the need for white space. White space is the space between design elements and also the space inside the design elements. Without white space, which truly doesn’t have to...
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Set Your Business GPS!
Recently on my way to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, I got caught in a mass of slow traffic. Anyone from these parts knows we only have one way to reach the beach, and that’s using the Chesapeake Bay...
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Toot your own horn!
Do you toot your own horn? Or are you like many women – yes, it’s mostly women – who are reluctant to talk about their successes and talents? You probably don’t have any problem talking about the...
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Say No to Busy
Have you ever been rushing around trying to get things done and at the end of the day realized you didn’t accomplish what you really needed to accomplish? Yes, it felt great to check those things...
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