5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Worry About Copycats

Copycats are a fact of life in the business world. No one likes someone suckling at their creative teat (okay, sorry… bad metaphor), but instead of getting mad, get over it and get AWESOME.

1. You aren’t the only creative person on the planet.

The farting unicorn t-shirt I designed for my band is a perfect example.

I originally thought of the idea of a unicorn farting a rainbow several years ago. And I swear that when I searched it then, there was nothing. I was actually surprised. Surely I wasn’t the only person to come to the conclusion that a unicorn would most definitely fart a rainbow?!?

Now go google farting unicorn and see what comes up. Lots of unicorns farting rainbows! COPYCATS!

But not really. I didn’t actually get around to posting the shirt design until last year. When I googled farting unicorn then, lo and behold, I saw what you see now. MY IDEA, everywhere.

The point being: was it my original idea? Yes. But was I the ONLY person to have the idea? Clearly not. Did someone have the idea before me, even though when I looked for it, I didn’t find it? Probably.

Furthermore, all of the farting unicorn designs out there are quite a bit different from one another, so while the basic premise might be the same, and some may have even been inspired by others, they’re still not copies. The same way that drawing a rabbit eating a carrot isn’t copying Bugs Bunny.

It’s merely a similar idea, done differently. And that’s allowed. How boring would the world be if it wasn’t?

2. Everything has been done before.

You know that awesome, original, totally creative idea you had? Someone’s probably already done it before. This applies to my farting unicorn above in the “idea” sense. And it applies to a lot of other things like clothing, bags, etc. in the literal sense.

I didn’t invent the circle skirt. It’s been around forever. So I didn’t even have the original IDEA for a circle skirt. I’d seen them a million times before, and literally said, “Hey! Circle skirt! I’m gonna make one of those.” 100% someone else’s idea. Whose idea? Probably no one knows.

That may seem fairly obvious, but let’s take it a step further. Let’s say it was a circle skirt… with a poodle applique sewn on. I know you’ve seen those. They’ve also been around forever. So am I a copycat for making one? I don’t think so.

Let’s go less obvious. What if I made a zebra print circle skirt, but instead of the common theme of a poodle,  I go with a skull. And then I see someone else doing the same thing. Copying? In my opinion, it’d be awfully presumptuous to assume that I was the only. person. ever. that thought of combining the two, even though it’s not the traditional poodle skirt.

Okay, sure, there are legitimate copycats out there, ripping off every little detail that made your design YOURS, and you know very well that they got the idea from you. Because it’s your EX-best-friend, or your arch nemesis who’s trying to destroy you, or your evil robot twin.

I’ve been there, but I’ve gotten to the point that I just don’t care anymore. I might get a quick pang of annoyance, and then I move on with my life. These are the reasons I was able to do that:

3. Worrying about copycats is unnecessary negative energy.

Unless someone copies your actual artwork or words or makes a mold of your sculpture (and in those cases, get medieval on their asses, by all means*), there’s not even anything you can do about a copycat.  Someone could go look at my shop and replicate all of my designs and I couldn’t do squat, aside from get pissed and tell everyone how sucky they are.

At the risk of sounding like a hippie, I’m all about the PMA- Positive Mental Attitude. I know, unicorns, rainbows, and now happy thoughts? But it’s true: thinking positive generates positive energy. If you focus on all of the good things in your life, how can you NOT feel awesome? The exact opposite is true of negative energy. Worry, anger, bitterness… all those feelings result in misery, so why dwell on them?

But you can’t help how you feel, right?

You can help what you DO with your feelings. Take that GRRRRRR you’re feeling about that copycat and go make something really kickass. Or bake someone special some cookies. Or pet your cute snuggly kitty cat. Instead of wallowing in and/or spreading the negativity, do something positive. Just imagine how goddamned magnificent the world would be if we all did something positive when we wanted to do something negative.

I’ve been there, and I’ve done the negative thing, and now that I have more perspective, I wish I could take it back. It did zero good. What a waste of my energy! I could have made cupcakes instead! Unless you’re immortal, you’ve got better things to do with your time than to let a copycat mess up your game.

*If someone is using your photographs, text, or artwork without your permission, they are committing actual copyright infringement.  In such cases, I’d suggest sending them an email politely explaining that you are the owner of the work, that using it without your permission constitutes copyright infringement, and that you are asking that they remove it to avoid legal action. Most people will oblige with an apology, because they simply didn’t know that what they were doing was wrong. It’s a sad side effect of information being so readily available on the internet that many people just assume they can take anything they find on the internet and use it.

4. Copycats don’t last.

They’ll make quick buck off your idea and then move on to someone else’s idea. And then they’ll die. Figuratively, of course.

Every single instance where I felt I was copied- the shops were either gone within a year or the person stopped replicating my design very quickly.  You know why?

Creative people are driven by the creative process. They would get bored very quickly with copying.

Copycats are driven by money. And sooner or later most of them will realize what all of us handmakers already know- if you’re in this for the money, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.

5. Publicly talking about people copying you makes you look petty.

And unprofessional. And full of yourself.

It didn’t occur to me until later, when I heard other people complaining about this or that person that copied them that I realized it. Even at times when I thought, “Yeah, that really does look like someone copied you,” the overall feeling I had was negative.

Is negativity what you want associated with your brand? Because mine sure as hell isn’t. So even if people are agreeing with you, “YEAH! THAT BITCH TOTALLY COPIED, LET’S GO GET PITCHFORKS AND TORCHES AND STAND OUTSIDE OF HER HOUSE!” … they might subconsciously be thinking, “Doesn’t this person have better things to do than whine about copycats?”

And they’re right, because you could be making super sweet shit instead! So go do it and stop worrying about copycats.

For more perspective on copycats, check out: http://pikaland.com/2010/06/01/copycats-lessons-we-can-learn

WhatTheCraft Handmade Giveaway – Zahoomi handmade marketplace gift card

This week’s WhatTheCraft Giveaway is sponsored by Priya of Zahoomi!
All of us handmade fiends are always on the lookout for the newest handmade marketplace. So here’s your chance to get acquainted with Zahoomi!

The winner of this giveaway will receive:
a $25 gift card to use in the Zahoomi marketplace

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New business cards! And mailing envelopes!

I ran out of business cards the other day, and after hours of searching for my business card design file, I decided to just design a whole new card (after I found the old one, of course. ha!).

I went with a printing company I hadn’t used before, which had a lot of recommendations around the internet.

Here are my cards, from AmericasPrinter.com:

That’s the same card, front and back. They double as hang tags.

They turned out pretty damn spiffy, if I do say so myself. And I’ll definitely be sticking with AP from now on.

The reasons: quality, speed, pricing:

• I got my cards in 8 business days with standard shipping, which included a holiday weekend.
• 1000 cards with full color, glossy prints on both sides was $25 shipped.

I’ve used VistaPrint and OvernightPrints in the past when they had free biz card deals, but I haven’t seen either offer free premium business cards in a long time. Even with the 40% off coupons that can be found all over the internet, VistaPrint’s price for 1000 cards with full color glossy on only ONE side is $30 PLUS shipping.

I looked a few other places, but I couldn’t find any other printer that could even come close to AP’s prices.

I also ran out of tyvek mailers. Usually I order from Uline, but someone had told me a while back that they’d found a much cheaper alternative. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember what it was! So I had another search on my hands.

What I ended up with was threerb on Ebay. I had been paying 27 cents a piece for my Tyvek mailers from Uline. I got 200 of the same size poly mailers from threerb for $16.22 shipped. That’s 8 cents an envelope!

Why handmade is “so expensive”

“$70 for a t-shirt?!”

“I love your website, but everything on it is overpriced!”

“Your stuff is too expensive.”

“Are you rich or something?”

“I could make that for $5.”

“Sorry, but that’s a rip-off.”

“$80 for a hoodie? You’re not Gucci.”

I’ve heard it all. At first it hurt my feelings and made me worry that my prices were too high. Now it only baffles me that someone would say something so rude. This is my job. It may not be like your job. I don’t have a boss or regular hours, and I don’t have to drive to work or even get dressed for it (heh), but this is how I pay the bills.

I’m always tempted to asked these people, “How about I come down to where you work and tell your boss you’re overpaid?” Because that’s essentially what they’re saying.

But I’m too polite to do that.

Instead I decided to write this article to shed some light on the work that all of us that run a handmade business are doing… including all the behind-the-scenes stuff you probably never even think about. (And that some of us don’t charge for.)

Sure, some people will still be rude doucheballoons. That’s life. But maybe I can just make a few people think, “Oh, I hadn’t realized how much work goes into that!”

[Note: If you are a handmade seller looking for guidelines on how to price your items, please don't use this article as a model for your own pricing. As you'll see below, I'm a hypocrite when it comes to not underpricing. Please do as I say and not as I do. Read this guide for pricing instead, if that's what you're looking for.]

 

Step 1: The design phase

I sketch most of my ideas before I start cutting. Sometimes it’s completely spontaneous. I just start doodling and see where it takes me. Other times I have exactly what it will look like all planned out, and I want to get it down on paper so I don’t forget anything.

It’s usually just a quick scribble of pen or pencil on paper. Other times I take more time. I’ll add color with colored pencils or do the sketch 4 or 5 times before nailing down a particular design.

Since most of my sketches are quick, we’ll say the total time spent sketching one piece is 5 minutes.

 

Sketching: 5 minutes

 

Step 2: The drafting phase

Unlike a commercial outfit, I don’t have each of my patterns drawn up in every single size.  For custom orders, I redraft my pattern each time to match the customer’s measurements, because I’m not a fan of “standard” sizing.

Likewise, even for non-custom pieces, I don’t have patterns for each possible combination of styles I make. I get bored easily, so I prefer to make one of a kind designs.  For example, I have a single t-shirt pattern that I customize depending on whether or not I’m making a tank top, a hoodie, or a tee. I don’t have one scoopneck pattern, one v-neck pattern, and one crewneck pattern. I have one pattern for a t-shirt that I change each time I use it, depending on what I’m making.

 

This shirt is pretty simple, so it only took about 15 minutes

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Handmade Marketing on a Budget

Today’s Crafty Business Advice Question comes from Ti of NomBieCraftz.

What is the best way to advertise on a budget?

Social networking is one of the best ways to market your shop, period. And it’s free!

Okay, so as the saying goes, “Time is money”. So it’s not free-free, but the time invested in getting new Facebook fans, Twitter followers, and Tumblr follows is worth it because you’re building a long-term relationship with potential customers. Traditional advertising flashes on the screen for 30 seconds, and then it’s gone.  That’s why the big companies have to play the stupid things so often.

So how do you best use a social network to market your shop? Check out my 6 Secrets to Twitter Success for a Handmade Business here. The same basic principles apply to any social network.

It’s also important to continue to build your following. If you have 600 Twitter fans, every time you share a link to your item, you’re only reaching those same 600 people. It’s just a simple fact that the more people you reach, the more potential for sales you’ll have.

Another great way to advertise on a budget is by doing giveaways. Again, it’s kinda free. You don’t pay money (or at least you shouldn’t have to… any blog wanting you to PAY to do a giveaway is shady, if you ask me), but you are offering up a free product, which is costing you the materials and the time to make it.

Be selective when choosing a site to do a giveaway with. One of the things you’ll get used to is people demanding free stuff. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry has an AWESOME blog, PERFECT FOR YOUR ITEMS, and they’d just LOVE to giveaway one of your AMAZING items to their followers! It’ll be a BIG HIT! Or maybe they don’t have a blog but they’re doing a CHARITY AUCTION for KIDS WITH LEPROSY and isn’t this a GREAT OPPORTUNITY to get the word out about your AMAZING items and do something GREAT FOR KIDS all at the same time!

My personal rule is that unless I’ve heard of the site doing the giveaway or actually know the person, I don’t give freebies. There are too many people out there willing to take advantage. It might not even be intentional, but it’s still costing you something. Never forget that. A freebie isn’t free for you.

Here’s a simple checklist you can use if you’re considering doing a giveaway with a blog/website you’re not familiar with:

• Have they done giveaways in the past? What was the response like? I’d like to see that they’ve done lots of giveaways before mine. I’d also like to see a lot of response. If their last giveaway only go 10 entries, then it’s probably not worth it for you, because that generally means the site doesn’t get much traffic and/or the person running it isn’t promoting it. If you’re giving away freebies, then their side of the bargain is getting the word out!
• How much response do non-giveaway posts/pages get? I like to see a regular stream of interaction on posts that aren’t giveaways. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but a few comments here and there show me that the site gets some amount of organic traffic. If they only really get comments on giveaways, then I wonder if their only source of traffic are the freebie/giveaway junkies that run around entering every giveaway on the net, never bothering to look at what they’re even trying to win. Part of the appeal of a giveaway is exposure to your key demographic and freebie junkies aren’t part of it.
• Do they have a following on Twitter and/or Facebook? Again, this speaks to their commitment to promoting their site. I’d want to see a Facebook page or a Twitter account with significant followings (at least 1,000 on Facebook and at least 3,000 on Twitter)
• Are they asking you to pay to do the giveaway or give them a freebie in addition to the giveaway prize? This is an automatic deal-killer for me.

People often get overwhelmed by the idea that they’ll never be done with marketing, but that’s the nature of running any business. We’re like sharks. We have to keep swimming, or we die. To make it easier, set small goals for yourself. If you make it a point to get 10 new Twitter followers a day, by the end of the year, you’ll have gained 3,650 followers! If you get 100 new Facebook likes on your fanpage per week, that’s 5200 new fans for your page in a year! That’s thousands more potential buyers for your shop. They won’t all buy, but again, that’s the nature of running any business.

Happy crafting!

-Lex

Do you have a crafty business question or just general crafty question you’d like to ask?

• Send your questions to what.the.craft[at]gmail.com with your question!
• Include your shop/blog/website URL with your question, and I’ll include it in the post if I choose to answer your question in the blog!
• (Unless you’d prefer to be anonymous. In that case, just tell me you’d prefer to not be credited!)

 

6 Secrets to Twitter Success for a Handmade Business

1. Don’t just tweet about sales and new listings, people learn to tune that stuff out. Tell people about yourself, your day, your thoughts. Try to make it interesting and specific. Just tweeting a random thought with no context is going to get ignored.

Bad: OMG, watch where you’re going, psycho.

Good: I wish grocery carts had car horns attached to them.

2. When you do tweet about sales and new listings, try to think of a way to make it stand out from all the other sales and ads people see on Twitter and everywhere else. You’re not a big corporation (and that’s a good thing), so don’t sound like one. People have learned to ignore blatant commercials. Give a personal touch to your sales tweets.

Bad: I just listed this new top for sale in my shop: [link]

Good: I love the color of this top: [link]

3. Don’t think about it too much, or you’ll get overwhelmed. It’s okay to sometimes be too lazy to come up with something clever and to just say, “Check out my website! [link]“.

4. Interact with your followers. You don’t have to become BFFs and remember their birthday and favorite color, but when someone compliments your items or your website, say thank you! I’ve found it works well to retweet their tweet with my Thank You attached.

5. Before you sign off for the night, tweet your website or your product so that for the next 8-12 hours, anyone that checks your twitter account will see a link to your creations instead of “Mmmm… spaghetti for dinner.”

6. Try to tweet at least once a day. No one is interested in following a dead account.

 

How do you set yourself apart from the competition?

Today’s Crafty Business Advice Question comes from Krista of Kihten.

How do you anticipate what people want / will buy from the shop & how do you set yourself apart from other people who make essentially the same types of things that you do?

I tend to use my own taste to determine what I think people will want. I know if I stick to what I know and like, then at least I can be sure I’d buy it. Then again, sometimes I finish something and think, “Hmmm, I don’t know if I like this anymore,” and it’s gone 5 minutes after I list it. The bottom line is: be true to your own aesthetic.

 

I think the same answer applies to setting yourself apart from “the competition.” Design with your aesthetic in mind, and you’ll stand out all on your own.

I actually choose not to look at other handmade designers as competition, though. I think it tends to breed an unfriendly environment. I pity those handmade sellers that choose to knock other designers, because they’re missing a great opportunity to make friends and network with like-minded business people.

I can’t tell you how many referrals I’ve gotten from fellow sellers that I’m friendly with. Some of them make very similar items to mine, but since they don’t take custom work and they know I do, they send customers looking for custom orders my way. If I made snarky remarks about how crappy so-and-so’s shop is or how my stuff is so much better than the other garbage t-shirt reconstructions on Etsy, I don’t think I’d be getting those referrals.

The other reason networking with “the competition” is important is that the true competition is mass production, and it’s a lot easier to convince the masses of all that handmade has to offer when you can point them in the direction of not only YOUR shop, but also those of all the talented people you know.

Happy crafting!

-Lex

 

Do you have a crafty business question or just general crafty question you’d like to ask?

• Send your questions to what.the.craft[at]gmail.com with your question!
• Include your shop/blog/website URL with your question, and I’ll include it in the post if I choose to answer your question in the blog!
• (Unless you’d prefer to be anonymous. In that case, just tell me you’d prefer to not be credited!)

 

Should I leave the tags in a reconstructed garment?

Today’s Crafty Business Advice Question comes from Joy.

I had a question about recon clothing.. I have been purchasing gently used thrift store clothing and or clearance items and refashioning them to sell..Do I cut  the tag out or leave it in?? For example, I have items from J Crew, Old Navy etc. I add things and cut some things out. Do I cut the tag out if I am cutting them up or refashioning them? Not sure what the laws are or etiquette.

I would cut the tags off. Once you recon an item, you’ve made your own unique piece, so the focus and credit should go to you. It’s not illegal either way, of course, so you could leave them if you wanted.

One thing you should be wary of is mentioning the brand names in your item title or description. Calling something a “reconstructed J Crew hoodie”, for example, could get your listing removed on a site like Etsy. While it’s perfectly legal for you to sell such an item, some companies are very protective of their trademarks, and they’ll have your item removed on the basis that you don’t have their permission to use the trademarked name “J Crew”.
Happy crafting!

-Lex

 

Do you have a crafty business question or just general crafty question you’d like to ask?

• Send your questions to what.the.craft[at]gmail.com with your question!
• Include your shop/blog/website URL with your question, and I’ll include it in the post if I choose to answer your question in the blog!
• (Unless you’d prefer to be anonymous. In that case, just tell me you’d prefer to not be credited!)

 

WhatTheCraft Handmade Giveaway – WhatTheCraft Advertising Winners!

Thanks so much to everyone to entered last week’s giveaway! I hope you’ll come back for our future giveaways, especially this week’s, because it’s a doozy!

The winners of the WhatTheCraft Advertising giveaway are…

First place winner: $50 of ad space – Dusty
Two runners up: $20 of ad space each – CDChyld & Monique UniqueNique

You won’t want to miss out on this week’s giveaway, so please click the image below to see this week’s WhatTheCraft Handmade Giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive a pair of custom satin bloomers from SugarKitty Corsets!

More info can be found here:

http://whatthecraft.com/sugarkitty-bloomers/

 

Shake Your Handmade Moneymaker

The holiday shopping season is upon us- I know, I know, I don’t want to think about it either. I’m a last minute shopper, so all of you super organized people that get your shopping done before December even rolls around make me feel like a lard ass. I’m use to it, though, so I won’t hold it against you.

Anyway, if you’re a seller of handmade wares, now is the time to start thinking about advertising for the holidays! WhatTheCraft to the rescue!

We have flexible advertising plans that can fit pretty much anyone’s budget. We’re currently getting over 43,000 unique visitors and 760,000 pageviews per month, and that number continues to grow! That’s 43,000 people that have a true appreciation for the quality and uniqueness that only handmade can offer!

Our regular Sponsor ad spots that are on the righthand side of every page are available throughout the holiday season, so jump on them before they’re gone! Ad spots are available by the week, with discounted rates if you purchase by the month and year, so even if you’re only looking to spend a few bucks, there’s a spot for you.

More information about WhatTheCraft Sponsor Ads is available here.

Additionally, theWhatTheCraft Holiday Handmade Showcase is back! The showcase will feature 8 handmade items and will be smack dab at the top of the landing page, in place of the Featured Content box, from November 1st through December 31st.

Each showcase spot will feature one item listing from your Etsy shop and will include a 140 x 140 pixel image, the item name, and your Etsy shop address.

It’s the perfect spot to feature an eye catching item from your shop that you think would make a great gift this holiday season. AND it’s super easy. All you need to do is select a date, enter your item URL, and pay through Paypal.

Showcase spots start at just $3.99 per day. They are first come, first served and are available for immediate purchase here.

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