I thought we'd do a simple Sunday check-in today because I'm curious how everyone is actually feeling about their business right now. Not the polished social media answer or how you think you should be feeling. I'm talking about how you're really feeling when you think about your products, your next market, your to-do list and everything else that comes with running a business. Maybe you're excited about what you're working on. Maybe you're feeling stuck or completely overwhelmed. Maybe you're quietly proud of yourself. Or maybe you're in that weird stage where you have 47 ideas bouncing around in your head and absolutely no idea which one to work on first. 😂 We can get so busy making products, planning displays, applying for markets and trying to sell that we forget to check in with ourselves once in a while. So, give me one word that describes how you're feeling about your business right now. I'll go first in the comments. ❤️

Here’s the prototype for my new bags…what do you think? I’m looking for something that looks different from every other bag you see at craft Markets. I also apologize if you can hear my stomach rumbling during the vid…🤣🤦‍♀️

Okay, I need to pick your brains today because I've been looking at ordering printed product bags for One Zero Eight.🧠 (That's a brain, not a wad of bubblegum) You know the bags I'm talking about. The ones you hand to a customer after a sale, with your logo printed right on them, so your customer basically becomes a little walking advertisement as they wander around the market. 😏 👉🏼I've decorated my own bags before and there are definitely some really cute, inexpensive ways to do it. But now I'm wondering if it's time to just bite the bullet and order them already printed. So... has anyone here ever ordered custom printed bags for their business? Where did you order them from? Were you happy with the quality? And the big question... was it worth the cost? If you've got photos of your bags, SHOW ME! I want to see what everyone is using. 👀 (I'll post a quick vid of what I'm looking at printing!) And if you're still decorating your own bags, show me those too. I have a feeling there are some pretty creative ideas hiding in this community. 👇 Drop your photos and recommendations in the Brag Book. It's Show & Tell Saturday!

🤔I'm always curious to see how different vendors handle this. 👉🏼When someone buys from you at a market, how do you let them know where they can find you next time? Do you include a business card in the bag? Hand out an upcoming market schedule? Mention it during checkout? Send an email? Rely on social media? Or do something completely different? I'd love to hear what works for you.❤️ You never know. Something that's become second nature for you might be the exact idea another member has been looking for. Share your approach in the comments. Let's swap ideas and help each other get more returning customers.

Here's something I've been thinking about lately. When I first started doing craft markets, I believed every slow market was a bad market. If sales were disappointing, I packed everything up, drove home and felt like the day had been a waste. Now I look at those days very differently. A slower market gives me the chance to watch how people move through the room. I notice which tables are always busy, which displays stop people in their tracks and what makes shoppers pause for just a few extra seconds. I listen to the questions customers ask, pay attention to pricing, signage and booth layouts, and I always come home with ideas I didn't have that morning. Would I rather have a busy, profitable day? Of course. But I've learned that some of the biggest improvements I've made to my own business came from markets where I had time to observe instead of constantly ringing through sales. Not every successful market is measured by what you made that day. Sometimes it's measured by what you learned that helps you make more at the next one. I'm curious... What's one valuable lesson you've learned from a market that didn't go the way you hoped?