The Complete How-to on Hiring Employees

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The Complete How-to on hiring and keeping good employees. So, your business is off the ground running and you are getting to that point where you are asking that very tough question: “Am I ready to hire my first employee?” For the sake of this article, we will discuss the logistics and practice of hiring your first employee. However, you … Read More

Creating a Facebook Page for Your Business

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So you have decided to start your own business, you’ve spent long hours choosing the perfect name, you’ve decided on the coolest logo and your business cards just arrived in the mail yesterday. You’re ready to hit the local craft shows, peddle your products to all the trendiest local boutiques and have told everyone you know (even the last person … Read More

The What, Why, & Where of NAICS Codes

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As a small business owner, you’ve probably heard of NAICS codes before but may not know what they are, what they’re for, or how to find out which one is right for your business.  Here’s a quick overview of what you need to know!     // What is a NAICS code? // A NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) … Read More

Protect Your Ass(ets): Why your website needs Terms & Conditions

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Nowadays, more and more business owners are primarily conducting their business online.  In this digital age, why wouldn’t you?  It costs less than a brick and mortar storefront, it allows access to a larger customer base, and gives you the convenience of working from anywhere. What a lot of biz owners don’t realize though, is that there are actually certain … Read More

5 Business Lessons to Learn From Taylor Swift

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  Whether you’re totally fed up with seeing her face and hearing her music everywhere, or are a diehard fan, you can’t deny that T.Swift is a marketing genius. You may not think that, as a professional entertainer, her tactics bear any relevance in your own life and business, but you’d be wrong. Being a big-time celebrity today doesn’t just … Read More

7 Tips for Writing Stellar Product Descriptions

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7 Tips For Writing Stellar Product Descriptions

When shopping online, the last thing that you want to see is a product description that tells you absolutely nothing about the item itself other than what you can plainly see in the picture.  I kid you not, I once saw a beautiful piece of pottery on Etsy that was super detailed with color and a mosaic-esque design with the description … Read More

Ladies & Gents: The How-To Is Here!

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Remember that time that we were bragging about putting together a fantastic collection of instructional videos and business-related toolkits for all of you lovely people??  If you’ve visited the HSCG website recently, you may have seen the new and magical How-To Library tab on our homepage!  Yes, it is finally here in all of it’s knowledgeable glory and we couldn’t … Read More

Member Benefits: Use ‘em, Don’t Lose ‘em

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Are you getting the most out of your membership? Sure, we advocate for the entire handcrafted soap and cosmetic industry and we offer some pretty killer insurance to professional US and Canadian members as well as a not-to-be-missed yearly conference. But if you’re just here for the conferences or the insurance, you’re missing out on so much more. As we … Read More

Just (whole)sale it!

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So you’ve set up your online shingle and your soaps are flying off the shelves. Or you’re up every Wednesday at 4am slinging fancy facial creams from your booth at the local market. Maybe you have a raving group of fans who search you out from Renegade to the local high school show. Your branding is tight and your COGS … Read More

Pumpkin Season Waits For no Man

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Pumpkin-inspired food, drinks, and decor have hit the store. In fact, it’s easy to stumble over just about any pumpkin-inspired thing you can think of aside, perhaps, from the actual squash (which aren’t quite in season yet for many of us). And the all-things-pumpkin craze can only signal one thing: the inevitable build up to the Q4 holiday craze and … Read More