As a small business owner, the 1st few years are filled with a considerable amount of trial and error. Especially when it comes to the holidays and appropriate preparation. And, as I have learned, it is never too early to start thinking about the rush of holiday sales 🙂

As Gingiber is now entering its 3rd season of holiday sales on Etsy, I thought that I would share with you 3 tips that I have learned and put into practice that have made me feel like I am working smarter, not harder 🙂

First here’s a little recap of my first 2 years of selling:

2009- I was still creating the Gingiber brand. I still had not focused in completely on Nursery Decor, so my product offerings consisted of reindeer holiday cards (check out this old blog post about them!). I eagerly waited for the sales to come pouring into my shop, but by the end of the season, I had sold only 1 set of cards! Talk about a sad face 🙁

2010- I realized I needed to have a few signature Gingiber Holiday items: a Calendar and a Handmade Stocking. Having had a dismal preceding holiday season, I cautiously printed 6 of my Gingiber Owl Calendars and sewed 4 Gingiber Reindeer Stockings. I remember telling Nathan how thrilled I would be if I could sell what I had on hand….. who would have known that by the following January, I would have sold 200+ calendars and 30 handmade stockings, plus a countless number of prints!

So what happened between year one and year two?

1. Better Product Photography
Product photography is not one of my strong suites. Let me show you a product photo from my 2009 holiday products (I am so ashamed! Poorly lit and a bad angle!):

The next year, I almost made the same mistake!

Now I still have TONS to learn about product photography. But at least now my photos are slightly more attractive 🙂

2. Stock Up on Shipping and Production Supplies in Bulk
I was so thrilled with Gingiber‘s holiday success! Yet I was constantly playing catch-up: Waiting to produce product until it was ordered. Paying extra on the shipping of paper and ink and packaging supplies to keep up with the demand. etc. If only I had simply dreamed bigger and ordered my supplies in bulk! I would have saved hundreds of dollars for rushed shipping on packaging and production supplies.

These are my favorite online suppliers for purchasing in bulk:

This year, I set a business goal of increasing my holiday sales by 40%. So I have already purchased enough paper, ink, print sleeves, backing board, bubble mailers, and business cards to help me reach that goal. Often the Unit Price is much less expensive the more you purchase. And, by only paying for shipping once, I am already saving some moolah! (Plus, a lot of these stores run great discount codes that can help with the bottom line).

And if I don’t sell as much as I had hoped, I am still stocked up on business essentials to help me through the rest of the year.

3. Start Holiday Production Early
Etsy sends out a “Holiday Boot Camp” e-mail to help stores get ready for the rush of holiday sales. And every single e-mail says the same thing: Start Early!

I have been working on designs for this holiday season for a few months, and even have a “Holiday Preview” section in my Etsy Shop already. My goal is to have all my my holiday items photographed and listed in my shop by the end of September. That way, product is available for the thousands of holiday guides that are being put together both online and in print magazines.

I also have been mass producing and prepackaging and putting away as much product as possible. My office looks like a factory right now! Since I am having a baby in November, my ability to produce product on the go will be greatly diminished. Hopefully (fingers crossed) by working ahead, I will be able to simply drop my product in an envelope and ship it! Great time saver 🙂

Hopefully these tips will help you feel more prepared for your own holiday rush!

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• Took Violet for a Mommy/Daughter walk around the neighborhood
• Baked Cupcakes with Nathan
• Antiquing with my Mom
• Drank my 1st Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season
• Date with my handsome husband
• Fantastic coffee date with my friend Amber Perrodin
• Spent Monday in the back yard landscaping while Violet played and finger painted
• Worked on Gingiber orders

The weekend was filled with hints of fall weather, laughter with friends, and thoughts of thankfulness. Blessed to have a mom who would drive up from Springfield and spend one of her only weekends off of work with me. Blessed to have a not only a partner in Nathan, but a best friend who is a constant source of encouragement end support. Blessed to have friends who think well of me, even when I don’t think so well of myself. Blessed to have a sister who is planning a baby shower for me, even though she lives a state away 🙂

Tell me, what was the best part of your weekend?

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Maple has been on my mind. I have these vivid memories of a Maple Strussel Muffin that Starbucks served around 2006 to accompany their Maple Latte. The latte was a total dud, but by golly if I don’t dream about that slightly nutty, extremely buttery, cakey muffin wrapper of heaven on a weekly basis!

I went a-searching for a recipe similar to the aforementioned Starbucks Maple Muffin on Pinterest, and found myself in the midst of a Maple-palooza!

I find myself in awe of these photographs. How does one make food look so mouthwateringly decadent? Must look away from the screen…. I think I gained 5 pounds via food lust 😉

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I know that no matter how much we prep Violet, change is coming. Transition is tough, and, as my husband put it yesterday, our world is going to turn upside down yet again!

Moms, do you have any suggestions on how you prepped your children for a new addition to the family?

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Hi friends! just wanted to give you a heads up that I am giving away a $35 store credit over at Smile and Wave today! So if you’ve been eyeing one of my new animal pillows, now’s your chance!

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I remember over 2 years ago, when I was 1st dreaming up Gingiber, the scariest step for me was ordering business cards! Ordering my cards meant that I was a real business, and perhaps my hobby would soon turn into a tangible, profitable online shop.

One of my 1st business cards, though cute, had no real direction. It said “Gingiber” with my etsy shop address and no mention of what it was that “Gingiber” actually was! Over the past 2 years, I have gleaned the advice of many of my online artist friends, adding more pertinent information.

I recently ordered new cards to get me through the holidays, and thought it would be fun to make the fronts of the cards like little mini prints. So now I have “Quilted Fox” business cards and “Calico Cat” business cards, and both say “Gingiber Nursery Decor” below the artwork. On the back, my name is featured prominently, along with my e-mail address, twitter handle, and shop and blog urls. I also have a little coupon code as an incentive for return customers!

I feel like having a clean, informative business cards is like putting my best business face forward! Do any of you feel that way too in your small businesses? What advice do you have for business basics?

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Hello! I’ve not had a chance to blog all weekend. My daughter has had the chicken pox (and yes, to preemptively answer the question, she has been immunized, but has only had the 1st of 2 shots). I’ve spent the better portion of the past 5 days tending to her needs. I have been so thankful to spend so much one on one time with her!

This morning, I had the sudden urge to act on one of those Martha Stewart Madeleine Cookie recipes I posted about earlier in the week. I decided to tackle the basic Madeleine recipe, but had to modify it a bit, given the ingredients I had on hand.

The recipe called for honey already, so I just increased the amount of honey. Then I substituted vanilla extract for some almond extract I had in the fridge. I was out of brown sugar, so granulated sugar all the way! Sprinkled with some powdered sugar, it was the perfect Sunday morning indulgence 🙂

What about you? Have you been cooking anything yummy recently? Do you find yourself often improvising in the kitchen?

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At 27 weeks, I feel bigger (not necessarily better) than ever. The baby is kicking at all hours, which is comforting, but also a wee bit uncomfortable! I find myself staring at my belly while at work, putting headphones on my bump so that the little girl can listen to my Pandora Station. The feet are starting to swell, and I can no longer button my pre-pregnancy jeans, but that is to be expected 🙂

Next week I will be in the 3rd trimester! The final stretch. I find myself daydreaming more frequently about holding 2 little girls in my arms. I wonder about what life will be like? How will Nathan and I handle the late night feedings again? Will this new baby have blonde hair, like Violet? Or will she get Nathan’s curls? Will her nose turn up like Violet’s? Will she have my eyes?

Fantasizing about how much life will change within the next 3 months is possibly my favorite thing to do 🙂 And I feel so blessed.

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I’ve been home today with a sick little kid. Aside from lots of cuddling and cartoons, I finally got a chance to sit down and skim some of my magazines that have accumulated on the dining room table.

Let me tell you that the September issue of Martha Stewart Living is FANTASTIC! I won’t give you a play by play of the entire issue, but I have several pages earmarked to go back and read when I have more time.

For instance, just look at this feature on madeleine cookies!!! Nathan got me my own madeleine cookie pan a few months back, so I am quite ready to jump in and try some of the variations listed in this article.

Don’t maple madeleines just sound perfect for the fall? Or how about spice madeleines with icing?

Oh the possibilities 🙂

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Here are a few little snippets of the girls’ shared room!

I still have a ton to do, but before I give a full room tour, I wanted you share with you some of the happy things happening in their room! Violet really seems to like the changes so far 🙂

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