35 Things I Have Learned Running a Handmade Business | MONOLISA
35 Things I Have Learned Running a Handmade Business for 8 Years
When I started MONOLISA in 2017, I knew how to work hard, but I had no idea how much I would learn while building a handmade business. I started in my fifties as a self-taught artist, metalsmith, and leatherworker. Since then, I have created hundreds of designs, participated in more than 200 art shows, built my website, learned new technology, and developed systems that help me manage nearly every part of the business.
Some of what I learned came from success. Much of it came from mistakes, failed ideas, difficult shows, health challenges, and being willing to keep working until I figured things out. These are not rules for how someone else should run a business. They are simply some of the most important things I have learned during my first eight years of running MONOLISA.
Creativity and Designing
1. Great ideas take time.
I have learned not to rush the creative process. Whenever I pushed myself to finish a design before I was ready, the result rarely matched what I had imagined. Sometimes I need to make a prototype, put it aside, think about it, and come back with a different solution. Giving an idea time to develop has almost always resulted in better work.
2. Write your ideas down.
I write ideas down even when I have no plans to make them anytime soon. I have been amazed by how often something I wrote or sketched years earlier eventually became part of a collection. I thought about my leather flowers and several jewelry designs for years before I finally figured out how I wanted to create them.
Writing an idea down gives me permission to let it sit without feeling like I have to act on it immediately. I can revisit it later with more skills, different materials, or a completely new perspective. Some of my ideas simply needed time before I knew what to do with them.
3. Not every idea is worth making.
A design may sound exciting but still not make sense to produce. I ask myself whether customers will connect with it, whether the price will make sense, and whether I can realistically make it on a consistent basis.
I learned some of this firsthand by actually making designs that were not sustainable. They were beautiful and exciting to create, but once I experienced the hours and work involved, I realized they would be difficult to produce consistently and price realistically for my market.
There have also been handbags and jewelry pieces I decided not to make at all. Once I calculated the hours, materials, and development involved, I knew the final price would appeal to an extremely small market, even if the design itself was beautiful. Learning to recognize that earlier has saved me from investing too much time in ideas with very little chance of succeeding.
4. Sometimes your favorite design is not your best seller.
I can fall in love with a design and be convinced customers are going to love it too—and then discover they are much more excited about something else. After years of putting my work in front of customers, I have learned that my personal favorites and my best sellers are not always the same.
I still create pieces simply because I love the design, but running a business also means paying attention to what customers actually choose to purchase and wear. Both perspectives have a place in my creative process.
5. Have fun designing.
One reason I fell in love with designing is the freedom it gives me. There are plenty of technical rules I have to follow. Soldering, stone setting, sewing, pattern making, and working with different materials all require precision. But when it comes to developing the original idea, I can experiment, take risks, and create something completely different.
Being different is appreciated in art. That has resonated deeply with me as someone who is neurodivergent and has learning differences. I don't have to design the way someone else does. I can follow my own ideas, and that freedom is one of the things I enjoy most about being an artist.
6. The creative process never really ends.
You continually learn by working with your hands, experimenting with materials, meeting people, practicing new skills, solving problems, and taking risks. Something I learn while making a handbag may influence a jewelry design later, or a conversation with a customer may give me an idea I had never considered. Every experience has the potential to find its way back into the work.
For me, solitude is also an important part of the creative process. Quiet time gives me space to think, experiment, solve problems, and allow new ideas to develop without distraction.
7. Disciplined creative time matters.
Developing my skills required a significant investment of time. For most of my creative years, before becoming ill, I spent approximately 40 to 60 hours each week creating, learning new techniques, managing the business, and participating in shows. I genuinely enjoy what I do, so dedicating that much time to my craft and business usually felt natural to me.
That schedule certainly isn't necessary or realistic for everyone. I started MONOLISA in my fifties, when my family responsibilities were very different from my younger years, which gave me the opportunity to devote more focused time to learning and creating. What I learned is that whatever amount of time you have, consistently making room for the work helps skills develop and ideas move forward.
Learning, Systems and Growth
8. Learn in the way that works for you.
The learning never stops. Stay curious and keep opening new doors. How you learn is much less important than finding an approach that actually works for you. That might be online courses, books, videos, hands-on studio work, experimenting, asking questions, or learning in a traditional classroom.
I prefer learning independently. I don't enjoy classroom settings or being graded, and I find being around too many people distracting. I learn best by researching on my own, watching demonstrations, experimenting in my studio, making mistakes, and working through problems at my own pace.
There is no reason to force yourself into someone else's learning style. Find the environment that helps you stay curious and keep practicing. The payoff may not happen immediately, but knowledge and skills build over time.
9. Confidence comes from experience.
Confidence was not something I suddenly discovered in my craft. In fact, when I first started, my work didn't look very good—and I expected that. I knew from other experiences in my life that if I kept practicing, learning, and refining my skills, I would eventually get closer to the results I wanted. I simply had to be willing to devote the time.
My confidence grew slowly through repetition, problem-solving, difficult projects, customer conversations, mistakes, and years of showing up to do the work. Every time I figured out something that once felt difficult, I had another experience to remind me that I could probably figure out the next challenge too.
Looking back, confidence wasn't something I found—it was something I earned, one project at a time.
10. You do not have to know everything to begin.
People ask me questions all the time that I cannot immediately answer. Someone might ask me about a birthstone, a technical detail, or something I simply don't remember. I am completely comfortable saying, "I don't know—let me look that up."
The same principle applies to learning a craft or starting a business. You don't need to know everything before you begin. I certainly didn't. You learn what you need, make mistakes, ask questions, research problems, and gradually build your knowledge through experience.
I have learning differences, so this lesson has been especially important for me. Memorizing information isn't the same thing as understanding how to use it. I would rather know how to find the answer, understand it, and apply it than waste energy expecting myself to remember everything.
11. The more I challenged myself, the more I learned.
I discovered that growth comes from doing, not just thinking about doing. I continually challenged myself to learn harder skills within my craft—from metalsmithing, leatherworking, stone setting, and pattern making to working with unfamiliar materials and learning how to use new machines. Some techniques took months or even years to develop, but every new skill expanded what I was capable of designing and making.
Art shows became another kind of classroom. The more shows I participated in during the beginning of my business journey, the more I learned about customers, displays, pricing, merchandising, logistics, and how people interact with handmade work. There were lessons I simply could not have learned without being there and experiencing them firsthand.
12. I learned to become comfortable outside my comfort zone.
Almost everything about running a handmade business required me to do something unfamiliar. I had to learn difficult techniques, use machines I had never touched before, work with new materials, build my own website, improve my photography, learn SEO, apply to art shows, talk with strangers, and make business decisions that often felt intimidating.
I don't say this to brag. There were many experiences I went into not wanting to do at all simply because they were unfamiliar or uncomfortable. What surprised me was how often I came out the other side with a gift—a new skill, an unexpected insight, a different perspective, or an opportunity I would never have discovered if I had avoided the experience.
After that happened enough times, I started recognizing the pattern. It encouraged me to challenge myself more, even when my first instinct was to avoid something. I still experience discomfort, but now I also wonder what might be waiting for me on the other side of it.
13. Systems reduce stress.
As my business became more complicated, I realized I needed systems to manage all the moving parts. I created checklists, spreadsheets, visual roadmaps, organized files, schedules, and repeatable processes for everything from preparing for art shows and managing inventory to working on my website.
My systems aren't just about saving time—they reduce the mental effort of trying to keep track of everything. As a neurodivergent artist and business owner, having structure has become an important part of how I manage MONOLISA. Every task I can simplify or organize leaves me with more mental energy for designing, learning, writing, and creating.
I share more about how being autistic, ADHD, and dyslexic has shaped the way I work in Running a Handmade Business as an Autistic, ADHD & Dyslexic Artist.
14. Document what you learn.
Over eight years, I have accumulated an enormous amount of information about making jewelry and handbags, equipment, materials, suppliers, art shows, photography, marketing, my website, and the everyday details of running MONOLISA. I learned there was no reason to expect myself to remember all of it.
Instead, when I learn something useful, I document it. I take notes, save instructions, make videos when something is easier to understand visually, and keep information where I can find it again. One of the tools I created is what I call my Master Index—a searchable collection that points me to the detailed information I need. I keep it in the cloud so I can access it from home, my studio, or while traveling.
Documenting what I learn has saved me countless hours and prevented me from having to relearn the same things. I don't need to remember every detail—I just need to remember where I put it.
15. Batch similar work whenever possible.
As my business grew, I realized it was much more efficient to group similar tasks together instead of constantly switching between different types of work. When I'm creating a jewelry collection, I often work in batches so I can repeat the same techniques before moving on to the next step.
For example, when I'm making an earring jacket collection, I may spend several weeks producing 15 pairs—that's 30 individual pieces. Working this way makes it easier to remember each step, maintain consistency from piece to piece, and become more efficient as I repeat the same skill.
I use the same approach in other parts of my business. I may photograph several products at once, write multiple articles during the same period, or work through a group of website updates together. Batching reduces the mental effort of constantly switching gears and helps me stay focused.
16. Create a work environment that works for you.
One of the things I value most about being an independent artist is having the freedom to create a work environment that supports how I function best. I can structure my schedule, control distractions, spend long periods working independently, and move between creating with my hands, writing, photography, website work, and other projects when it makes sense for me.
For me, that environment includes a lot of solitude. Quiet helps me concentrate, regulate my nervous system, manage stress, and stay immersed in what I'm working on. Other people may do their best work in a completely different environment. The lesson for me has been to stop expecting my workday to look like someone else's and build it around what actually helps me work well.
17. Consistency beats motivation.
I don't wake up every day equally motivated, and I don't think that is necessary. What has mattered much more over the years is consistency. Continuing to practice my craft, create inventory, improve my website, write articles, participate in shows, and work on the less exciting parts of running a business kept MONOLISA moving forward even when I wasn't feeling particularly inspired.
A lot of progress happens quietly. You may not notice much change from one day to the next, but months and years of consistently doing the work can produce results that would have seemed impossible when you started.
Business and Art Shows
18. Saying no can be as important as saying yes.
Not every opportunity is the right opportunity. Over the years, I sometimes found myself dreading a particular show weeks before it even began. Eventually, instead of ignoring that feeling, I started asking myself a simple question: "What is the value of doing this particular show?"
Was it reaching my target customers? Was I learning something new? Did it make financial sense? Was it worth the physical and mental energy? Was I doing it because it supported my goals, or simply because I had become accustomed to saying yes?
Sometimes the answer was absolutely yes. Other times, I realized I needed to let it go. Learning to say no has helped me protect my time, health, finances, and creative energy for the opportunities that make the most sense for me and my business.
19. Marketing differently can be a good thing.
Early on, I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to market MONOLISA. For many handmade businesses, social media is a major part of generating sales. For me, making social media the center of my strategy never felt natural. Based on my previous marketing experience, my instincts, and what I was learning about my customers, I believed my market would respond better to other ways of connecting. I trusted that instinct.
Instead, I invested heavily in art shows, built my website, learned SEO, wrote articles and helpful resources, and stayed connected with customers through my monthly newsletter. I still use social media, but I don't depend on it as the primary way to grow my business or generate sales.
Being different in business can be a good thing. Pay attention to your customers, your results, your own strengths, and where your time produces the greatest return. During much of my business journey, approximately 90 percent of my sales came through art shows. That data confirmed what I suspected—my customers valued meeting me and experiencing my handmade work in person.
I share more about why I chose a different approach in my article about social media and running a handmade business.
20. You have to pay to play.
Running a business requires spending money. Art festivals have application and jury fees, booth payments, insurance, travel expenses, and sometimes sales commissions. Then there are materials, equipment, photography, websites, professional services, and all the other expenses involved in creating and selling handmade work.
Learning to invest in my business wasn't easy for me. I grew up with a strong live-below-your-means and don't-take-unnecessary-risks mentality. I still believe in being careful with money, but I had to learn the difference between simply spending money and investing in something that could help my business grow.
Not every investment pays off, and that is part of business too. I try to make informed decisions, understand the potential return, and accept that sometimes I have to spend money before I know exactly what the outcome will be.
21. Profit matters.
You are running a business, so sales alone don't tell you whether the business is actually working. Learn the basics of accounting and understand your income, materials, show fees, commissions, travel expenses, equipment costs, and all the other expenses that come with running a handmade business.
Knowing my numbers helps me evaluate products, art shows, investments, and where I spend my time. A show with strong sales may not look nearly as successful once all the expenses are calculated. The same applies to a product that sells well but takes too many hours to make at its current price.
Understanding the financial side of my business has given me more confidence when making decisions. Creativity may be what inspired me to start MONOLISA, but profit is what allows a business to continue.
22. Do not compare your results with someone else's.
A highly profitable show for the artist in the booth next to you may not be profitable for your business. They may sell a completely different product, at a different price point, to a different customer. Their results don't necessarily predict yours.
I learned to pay more attention to my own data. Is the event reaching my target market? Are people coming into my booth? Are they connecting with my work? Am I meeting new customers who may return later? And after all the expenses are calculated, did the show make sense for my business?
I can learn from other artists without using their success as the measurement for my own. What matters most is understanding what works for MONOLISA.
23. Every show changes over time.
No two years at the same art show are exactly alike. Attendance, weather, customer demographics, competing events, the economy, and countless other factors can affect the outcome. A fantastic show one year may be disappointing the next, and sometimes the opposite happens.
I once met an artist who told me they had participated in the same festival for 17 years and it was never particularly successful for them. Then, in the eighteenth year, it became their most profitable show ever. I found that fascinating because it demonstrated just how unpredictable this business can be.
I still use past results to make decisions, but I have learned not to assume they guarantee what will happen next. Art shows provide useful data, but there will always be variables you cannot control.
24. Plant seeds throughout your business.
I think of many of the things I do in my business as planting seeds. Learning a new skill, improving a display, writing an article, updating a webpage, photographing a product, meeting a new customer, or organizing a system may seem like a small effort at the time.
You don't always know which seeds will grow or how long they will take. An article I write today may bring someone to my website years from now. A customer I meet at an art show may return many times. A skill I practice may eventually lead to an entirely new collection.
The challenging part is continuing to tend to those seeds when you cannot see immediate results. Over time, however, small efforts can grow into some of the most valuable parts of a business.
Customers and Community
25. Customers value authenticity.
After years of talking with customers at art shows, I have learned that people connect with authenticity. I don't need a polished sales pitch or a complicated story. I can simply be myself, talk about what I make, explain how I make it, and share what I genuinely enjoy about the work.
Customers also appreciate honesty. If something isn't right for them, I would rather say so than try to make a sale. Building trust and creating a positive experience has always been more important to me than selling someone something they don't really want.
You don't have to become a different version of yourself to sell your work. Let people meet the person behind what you create.
26. Listening is one of the most valuable business skills.
I have learned to talk less and listen more. Take the time to learn about your customers—what they like, what they wear, what they need, what they are looking for, and what connects with them. Sometimes the most valuable thing I can do is simply listen.
Those conversations have taught me an enormous amount about my market. Customers have helped me understand how they wear my jewelry, what they carry in their handbags, which colors they are drawn to, what they find comfortable, and why they choose one design over another. I don't have to act on every suggestion, but I pay attention.
Listening also creates deeper relationships. When a conversation becomes about the person standing in front of me instead of just the product I'm trying to sell, the experience becomes more enjoyable for both of us.
27. Relationships create repeat customers.
A purchase may begin the relationship, but genuine connection is often what brings someone back. Over the years, I have had customers return to my booth at different shows, come back for another piece, bring friends and family to meet me, and stay connected with MONOLISA long after their first purchase.
Remembering customers, asking about something we discussed previously, and showing genuine interest in their lives makes the experience about much more than a transaction. Those relationships are one of the parts of running my business that I value most.
Repeat business isn't always about convincing someone to buy again. Sometimes it begins simply by giving someone an experience they want to come back to.
28. Tell your story.
Share how you started, what you have learned, and what happens inside your studio. Show customers pictures of your workspace, talk about the materials you use, and explain some of the skills required to make your work. People often connect with the story behind a piece as much as the finished product.
Your story doesn't have to be long. Learn how to share the most important parts in less than 60 seconds. At an art show, that may be all the time you have to explain what makes your work different, how you make it, or why you started your business.
You don't need a rehearsed sales pitch. A short, authentic story gives customers a glimpse into the person, skills, and experiences behind the work without overwhelming them.
29. Kindness is remembered.
Show empathy and compassion. Over the years, I have learned how far a little kindness can go with customers, fellow artists, show promoters, and just about anyone you encounter while running a business.
Everyone is dealing with something you may know nothing about. Art shows can be long, physically demanding days, and running a small business comes with plenty of challenges behind the scenes. Offering to help, checking in on someone, or simply being patient can completely change an interaction.
It is refreshing when someone asks how you are doing or remembers something from a previous conversation. Small moments of kindness often stay with people much longer than we realize.
30. Support other artists and small businesses.
I purchase gifts for friends, people I care about, and myself from artists I meet at shows. I have collected handmade jewelry, apparel, home décor, accessories, food products, and other pieces created by independent makers. Supporting my creative community feels good, and the products are often unique, beautifully made, and unlike anything available through mass production.
I also created my Gifts From Artists Shopping Directory to share artists and small businesses I have personally discovered and support. It gives me another way to introduce people to handmade work beyond my own.
Every time I purchase from another independent artist, I understand exactly what that sale can mean. Supporting handmade businesses helps keep artists creating and allows more original work to continue making its way into the world.
31. Community matters.
Running an independent business can sometimes feel isolating, but art shows introduced me to an entire community of artists, makers, promoters, and small business owners. Over the years, many of these people have become friends and an important part of my business journey.
Wearing a sequin dress I purchased from a fellow artist at the Marin Art & Craft Show.
Supporting each other can be as simple as sending a customer to another artist's booth: "If you love handmade chocolate, you need to go see this artist," or "There's someone a few rows over making the most unique handmade perfumes." I have also purchased handmade apparel from fellow artists that I wear at shows. When customers compliment what I'm wearing, I love being able to tell them who made it and send them directly to the artist's booth.
We recommend each other's work, watch booths when someone needs a break, share information about shows, help when something goes wrong, and celebrate each other's successes. Those relationships remind me that even though I run my business independently, I don't have to experience everything alone.
Health, Perspective and Looking Forward
32. It is never too late to start a business.
I started MONOLISA in my fifties. I don't believe there is an expiration date on learning something new, developing a craft, or deciding to build a business around something you love.
Starting later also meant I brought decades of work and life experience with me. Skills I had developed long before becoming an artist—problem-solving, marketing, organization, working independently, patience, discipline, and learning from mistakes—eventually became valuable tools for running MONOLISA. I also had a much clearer understanding of how I wanted to spend my time.
I share more about how I taught myself jewelry making and leatherworking and eventually turned those skills into MONOLISA in How I Started My Handmade Jewelry & Handbag Business.
33. Taking care of your health isn't optional.
This lesson has become increasingly important to me because of the different health challenges I have experienced throughout my life. When you run your own business, it can be difficult to step away. There is always something that could be made, updated, answered, shipped, written, or prepared for the next show.
I have learned that sometimes my health has to come first, even when that means changing plans, reducing my workload, or asking other people for help. Accepting help has not always been easy for me, but I have learned that independence doesn't mean having to do everything myself.
My husband, Larry, has become an important part of making art shows physically possible for me. He handles the heavy lifting and sets up my tent and booth, allowing me to conserve my energy for customers and the parts of the show that I need to do myself. Learning to lean on someone else when I need help has been an important lesson too.
A business needs its owner. Protecting my health gives me the best chance of continuing to create and run MONOLISA for as long as possible.
34. Slowing down does not mean giving up.
My business and health needs have changed over time. Slowing down has required me to reconsider my schedule, physical workload, and definition of productivity. It does not mean I have stopped caring or creating. It means I am finding a more sustainable way to continue.
One of the biggest changes I made was reducing the number of large art festivals I participate in after completing more than 200 shows. I realized I didn't have to keep doing something simply because it had been part of my business for years. I could take what I had learned, make different choices, and build the next stage of MONOLISA around what works for me now.
I share more about why I made that decision in Why I Reduced Large Art Festivals After 200+ Shows.
35. Success changes what it looks like over time.
My definition of success during my first year in business is very different from what it means today. Earlier, success was closely connected to growth, sales, learning new skills, and doing as many shows as possible. I wanted to build MONOLISA, challenge myself, and see how far I could take it.
Today, success also means protecting my health, choosing work I enjoy, maintaining authentic relationships with customers, continuing to learn, and having time to create at a pace my body can support. I still care about sales and profitability—this is a business—but they are no longer the only ways I measure whether I am successful.
One of the biggest things eight years in business has taught me is that I am allowed to change what success means as my life changes. A goal that made sense five years ago doesn't have to remain the goal forever.
Learning how to balance my health with running MONOLISA has played a significant role in changing that perspective. I share more about that experience in Balancing Health Challenges While Running a Handmade Business.
Find the Joy in What You Do
After eight years, I still love creating. Each day can be interesting, challenging, surprising, and rewarding—all wrapped together like a present. Gratitude has grown with experience. I am grateful for the customers who continue to support my work, the artists and businesses that have become part of my community, and the opportunity to continue learning.
I do not know exactly what the next eight years will look like, but I know I will continue planting seeds, developing ideas, learning new things, and creating whenever I can. That is what keeps me excited about what comes next.
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