1. Aeolidia
The Aeolidia team has designed websites and identity packages for hundreds of small businesses. They share their expert branding and marketing advice on their blog. Through relatable case studies, they walk through challenges such as rebranding and the solutions their clients and team came up with. Arianne Foulks is a member of Craft Industry Alliance.
2. Seth Godin
Godin is a marketing genius with a dozen great books, several online courses, and a few Ted Talks to his credit. We love his blog because of the somewhat random, yet always thought-provoking musings on community, business, social media and life in general.
3. ProBlogger
Darren Rowse if the founder of several profitable blogs which have given him the skills and knowledge to write regularly and expertly about pro blogging. The content includes everything from platforms and plugins to content ideas and social media. Even if you don’t monetize your blog, there is a lot to learn here.
4. Design*Sponge
Although Design Sponge has its roots in interior and surface pattern design and is always a visual feast, what draws us in every week is the Life & Business series, full of inspiring profiles and great business advice.
5. Tara Swiger
Tara Swiger works with creative business owners on marketing their work, finding their target audience, and getting profitable. Through her online community, The Starship, Tara helps crafters stay accountable to their goals. Her blog includes articles about getting comfortable with self-promotion, staying focused, and getting stuff done.
6. Melyssa Griffin (formerly The Nectar Collective)
Melyssa writes about online business in a down-to-earth way. Her blog posts are packed with actionable tips for growing your email list, creating information products such as ebooks and ecourses, and developing systems that make your business run more efficiently.
7. The Shopify Blog
Whether you use Shopify or not, the Shopify blog is an excellent resource for all things ecommerce. Their excellent case studies of successful small businesses are both inspiring and chock full of actionable tips.
8. By Regina
Regina’s content is geared toward “infoproneurs”, but you don’t have to be a pro blogger to find something here to love and learn from several times a week. With everything from photography tips, to advice for freelancers, this is a great all-around business blog.
9. Designing an MBA
Perhaps one of the first business blogs for artists and crafters, Megan Auman is still going strong with top notch posts on getting paid what you’re worth, using social media for marketing your work, streamlining your systems, and so much more.
10. The Etsy Handbook
Although it’s called a “handbook,” the Etsy Handbook is actually a huge (and constantly growing) collection of articles relevant to craft business owners, whether you sell on Etsy or not. Categories include photography, branding and marketing, pricing, productivity and more. These articles are professionally written and edited and are a tremendous resource to the craft community as a whole.
11. Austin Kleon
Kleon is the author of the brilliant book, Steal Like an Artist. His unique perspective on creativity comes through every time he posts to his blog. With refreshing advice such as “turn off unsubscribe notifications” he reminds us that it’s not all about analytics and algorithms.
12. Merriweather Council by Danielle Spurge
On her blog, The Merriweather Council, creative business expert Danielle Spurge shares encouraging tips for makers. She is an expert on Etsy having had a thriving Etsy shop herself for many years and has a wealth of wisdom abou Etsy SEO and optimizing your listings to increase sales. She’s also a rock star when it comes to Instagram and has excellent ideas for finding relevant hashtags and making your feed irresistible to your target customer.
13. Caitlin Bacher
Social media strategist, Caitlin Bacher, writes about how to use Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook to your best advantage. When algorithms change, Caitlin is there to help you figure out how to continue to reach your target customer.
14. Mei Pak’s Creative Hive
Mei Pak has a thriving polymer clay jewelry business called Tiny Hands. Her experience selling wholesale, getting national press, marketing on Facebook, and scaling her business successfully has made her into a skillful creative business coach. On her business blog, Creative Hive, Mei shares actionable tips and a valuable perspective on creating a successful craft-based business both online and off.
15. The artist’s J.D.
On her blog, the artist’s J.D., attorney Kiffanie Stahle provides practical legal resources that aren’t full of jargon. Learn how to read and write a contract, figure out the rules for your next giveaway, learn what a terms and conditions page should include, and so much more. Get clear on how the law works and avoid potentially damaging mistakes. Stahle is a Craft Industry Alliance member.
16. Dear Handmade Life
This blog from Nicole Stevenson and Delilah Snell, the women behind the popular craft and business conference, Craftcation, has excellent all-around craft business posts. Get tips on selling at craft fairs, making our DIY tutorial go viral, getting your product into shops, and more. Nicole Stevenson is a Craft Industry Alliance member (and is our in-house illustrator).
17. ArtBizBlog
Alyson Stanfield has been a business coach for artists for over a decade. On her blog, she writes helpful articles about increasing your newsletter following, handling tax time, determining which projects to take on next, and promoting your next show. If you work with galleries or sell fine art or illustration Alyson’s blog will help you navigate the business side of your life.
18. Meighan O’Toole
While a lot of bloggers have great tips for social media and content creation, what sets Meighan O’Toole apart is her focus on strategy, rather than minutiae. Follow her if you want to help getting the big picture. Meighan ran a wildly popular art blog for years and then spent time working in tech. She brings a deep understanding and empathy for both to all she does. Meighan O’Toole is a Craft Industry Alliance member.
19. While She Naps
Craft Industry Alliance co-founder, Abby Glassenberg, writes regularly on her own blog about craft industry news, trends, and influencers, while maintaining her popular podcast and newsletter.
20. Moz Blog
Feel like getting geeky about SEO? Although Moz Blog is targeted toward SEO pros and site developers, there are plenty of practical take-aways for anyone trying to boost website traffic and increase their social media following.