5 Tips to Help You Prepare for a Craft Show

Sara WagnerBusiness & FinanceLeave a Comment

As the holiday season approaches, we are now getting ready to enter…craft show season (simmer now, we can hear your heavy applause and yells of joy from here!). Craft shows are a little different than farmers’ markets. Typically it will be a one-day show. There won’t be time for a trial period to see which of your products perform, and … Read More

Marketing Your Business: The Facebook Edition

Sara WagnerBusiness & Finance1 Comment

Love it or hate it, social media is one of the biggest platforms that small business owners have to advertise their business. Sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter provide a free way to get the word out about your business, and a relatable way to connect with your customers. In this article, we’ll explore how you can use Facebook as … Read More

Honesty in Marketing: Why Transparency is Important

Sara WagnerBusiness & Finance3 Comments

Imagine walking into a store; let’s say it’s a grocery store. You’re doing your weekly grocery shopping, ready to pick up your weekly supplies. As you meander down the vitamin aisle, you stop; a bottle on the shelf reads “Drop 25 pounds in one week AND grow 4 inches taller!”. Now, most people will pass by this very confident weight … Read More

Common Scents: Patchouli

Sara WagnerTips, Tricks & Tutorials4 Comments

Welcome back to our series, Common Scents! Common Scents is a collection of articles exploring the history of commonly used essential oils, and how they became so popular in modern day soap and cosmetic crafting. This week, we’ll talk about patchouli!  Scent is an incredible sense. A certain smell can make you remember a person or place, or can be … Read More

The HSCG Annual Conference: 2017 Wrap Up

Sara WagnerHSCG Annual ConferenceLeave a Comment

Time flies when you’re having fun, and here at HSCG Headquarters, time also flies when you are knee-deep in planning a sold-out conference for 614 registered attendees! A Conference is Born  Planning for the 2017 Annual Conference actually began several years ago, when Executive Director and conference planning extraordinaire Leigh O’Donnell visited several sites in Las Vegas. She was on … Read More

6 Ways to Secure Your Business and Peace of Mind

Sara WagnerBusiness & FinanceLeave a Comment

Everything is becoming digital. Many things are becoming more simple because of this electronic revolution; payments are becoming easier and more secure, advertising opportunities using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are limitless and mostly free. Your customer base isn’t limited to who comes to your brick and mortar location or your market booth; anyone can buy from you, … Read More

Advocacy Day 2017

Sara WagnerIndustry Advocacy & NewsLeave a Comment

As you most likely saw on our social media pages, the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild hosted our very first Advocacy Day on April 5th, 2017. Dozens of Handcrafters including HSCG Board Members and two HSCG staff members participated in this incredible effort to educate members and staff of both Congress and the Senate on the businesses of handcrafted soap … Read More

Common Scents: Ylang Ylang

Sara WagnerTips, Tricks & TutorialsLeave a Comment

Welcome back to our series, Common Scents! Common Scents is a collection of articles exploring the history of commonly used essential oils, and how they became so popular in modern day soap and cosmetic crafting. This week, we’ll talk about ylang ylang!  This month we are going to talk about everyone’s least favorite essential oil to pronounce: ylang ylang! Pronounced … Read More