“How I Found Balance Between Art and Commerce”
Halifax-based quilter and pattern designer Andrea Tsang Jackson shares how she built 3rd Story Workshop into a thriving business with multiple revenue streams while staying creatively fulfilled.
Plan
Building a successful handmade business requires a lot of work behind the scenes. From big-picture visioning and strategy down to the nitty-gritty of how to get things done day to day, these articles are your maker-biz MBA. Learn about hiring and building a strong team; make sense of contracts, copyright and everything legal; find out how to manage your money and finances; and discover tools and systems to improve productivity, handle inventory and more.
Paid Members
The Ultimate Expenses Checklist for Canadian Handmade Businesses
Want to reduce the taxes you pay? (Yeah, you do.) This free download will help you make sure you don’t forget to account for any of your eligible deductions.
Paid Members
7 Helpful Tips from our Tax Event
Missed our March 10th tax event? We rounded up expert Jayne Dykstra’s best bookkeeping advice for your business.
Members
3 Smart Tips from our Goals Event
Missed our goals event on February 15? We've rounded up some of the most useful takeaways for you and your business.
Members
5 Questions to Help You Set Business Goals You'll Achieve (+ Free Download)
When planning for the future of your business, it can be hard to know if the goals you’re setting are the right goals for you. These questions and free worksheet will guide you to finding goals that will help you build the small business of your dreams.
15 Tips to Turn Your Side Hustle into a Full-Time Career
Yes, you can build your business into a job that pays — if you have the right strategy. These tips from experienced entrepreneurs will help you get there.
Ask the Expert: How Do I Create a Brand Identity?
What is a brand anyway, and what do you need to make yours better? Creative director and agency founder Janelle Desrosiers shares her secrets to success.
Gift Guide: 6 Books for the Creative Entrepreneur in Your Life
Time management, creativity, finding meaning, connecting with community, making a difference and getting things done: these inspiring and useful reads cover it all.
Ask the Expert: What Is a Tax Writeoff and Why Does It Matter?
We all pay taxes, but you might not need to pay as much as you have been. Bookkeeper Jayne Dykstra fills us in on what counts as a business expense and how — and why — to keep track of all those receipts.
Why Cultural Appropriation Matters, and What You Can Do About It
What is cultural appropriation really, and why is it harmful? Here, two Indigenous educators share their expertise, plus tips on how we can all do better.
Yes, You Need a Business Plan. Here’s Why
A business plan seems so corporate, right? But it’s an essential tool for even the most creative, unconventional businesses. Here’s what you need to know.
Ask the Expert: How Do You Prepare for Emergencies in Business?
If the COVID pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the world — and our businesses — can turn upside down in an instant. In our first expert Q&A, maker and business coach Laura-Jean Bernhardson answers one member’s question of how to prepare your business for the worst-case scenario.
Why Feeling Lazy Means You’re Working Too Hard
In their book Laziness Does Not Exist, Dr. Devon Price challenges cultural assumptions about productivity and time management. Here, we speak with them about what that might mean for your business — and your life.
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