January. Good old January. To most, dreadful January. But from a business point of view, it can be Useful January. January is most commonly a quiet period, the calm after the storm of Christmas. It's also a retailer's nightmare after everyone is spent up and doesn't get paid again until the end of it. But don't fear, we have some tips on how you can use January to its full efficiency and make the most of it.

Accounts

Yes...accounts, we've all go to do them. Plus if you still haven't done your tax return, now is your chance. Getting all your finances in order makes for a clean running business and sets us off nicely for the rest of the year. Maybe you need to invest in a new accounts book, or start a new receipt filing system, this can help you out for the rest of the year. January is great for getting these money things in order and all worked out.

De-Clutter

Hands up if your workspace has been a mess since the start of December! Tidying is something that easily slips away in a busy period, but now that it's quieter and fewer orders are coming in, you can finally get round to it. Also take the time to throw out anything you didn't use this last year, sell on any materials you no longer need and pass onto a friend who might make better use of them. Bonus, you might come across something you completely forgot about and re-inspires you to do something with it!

Designing

If you're a product business, now is the perfect time to crack on with your next season of products. Start putting pen to paper with all your ideas, notes, drawings and diagrams for what you'd like to do this year. You've got this spare time to get exactly what you want (and customers want!) in your new line.

Business Planning

What's your 2017 goals for your business? Open a shop? Gain more followers on social media? Up your order quantities? Figure it all out now! And then break each goal down into how you plan to do it, following the how, what, when, where, who, why, etc. to make sure each plan is realistic and reachable (although don't be afraid to dream big!). Think of them as new year resolutions but for your business and stick at them all year-long. You could even put some plans together about how you'll tackle 2017's Christmas.

Re-Order

Now is a perfect time to re-order anything you'll need for the upcoming months, any materials, equipment, things like this because if you don't have what you need, you can't make your new product line. You never know as well, your suppliers could be having some January sales meaning you save yourself some pennies!

Take Time Off

If none of the above takes your fancy, have some time off. If you've been swept off your feet for the last couple of months, you deserve some you-time. Even if you just have a weekend, you'll feel better for the recharge time and come back feeling fresh-faced and clear-minded. If you can't get away, maybe switch your phone off for a couple of days, stay off social media or plan some quality family and friends time.

What else do you plan to do in your January? Leave a comment below.

 

 

 

Creative block is something everyone will suffer with from time to time and when you just don't have the time to procrastinate, it can be frustrating. The bigger problem is the fact that we already know how to combat it, but when we're in that block it's harder to see through the fog without some help. Here's some ways to remind you that you can push through, you can get re-inspired and you will see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Take Your Mind Off It Completely

Whatever it is you're forcing yourself to do, stop. Come back to it another time because it's not going to happen right this second. Instead, take your mind off it completely and either go and relax, watch some mindless television or do a simple job like tidying your creative space or do the washing up. We all know that forcing something to happen won't come easily, so you might as well do something else and let it naturally come back to you.

Go Somewhere That Inspires You

This can be anywhere, it could be as close as your back garden, a museum or a walk through. You could go virtual like Pinterest, Instagram or even have a good look through all your photographs that you have stored on your computer. Anything that can re-inspire you can help deal with creative block because you're igniting those juices once again.

Change The Task

As said earlier, sometimes just simply changing the task you're doing can help. Go and do something more menial like checking your emails, updating your Facebook status, just something simple that doesn't require much thought until your block fades away and you can see more clearly when you come back to the original job. Sometimes completely pushing it to one side and moving past it can work better for others, tackle that other big job on your to-do list that doesn't require much creativeness like updating your accounts.

Make A List

Creative people tend to have so many ideas rattling around that they can become overwhelming and can induce the creative block. Getting it all out of your head in a list, no matter how scattered of a list, can help you see more clearly on each task. I am a big list person, if I don't make a list I try to constantly think of everything so that I don't forget anything. But as a result I push myself into that fog because I can't focus on one task at a time. The lists can be as neat as you like or as messy, just make sure you get it all out! Even the finer details if you've already thought them out, draw diagrams too if you like!

Do you have any other ways of combating Creative Block? Get in touch to be featured.

Thinking of standing at a craft fair, market or trade show? It can be hard choosing which ones you'll benefit most from and it can be a trial and error journey to find the good ones. But if you want to cut out some lost time and effort, here are some tips to go through before handing in that application form.

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Scope The Organisers Out

Do they have a website? Do they have social media accounts? Will they advertise the event as much as they can? Knowing who you'll be standing for is pretty important, it's almost like you're applying for a job and you research the company you'd be working for. Finding out vital information like was their past events a success, or do they have a quality standard they look for should all be taken into consideration when applying.

Check Their Past Events

Following on from above, checking their past events can you give you a lot of information just by coming across some pictures, a write-up about it or even last year's poster. It can tell you the tone of the event, the success, the footfall, what type of products were there, etc. If this is their first event, be careful, they won't be able to promise footfall numbers, what stalls they would normally accept or what kind of feel the event will have. This could still work in your favour however, it could be cheaper to stand as it's their first one and you might be able to bargain a larger space.

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Price

The price is quite a biggy. When you see the price, find out what you are getting for it. Do you get a table and what size is it? Do you get a gazebo for outdoors? How large of floor space do you get? What extra things are included? Find out all the details. Once you got all the facts, compare to other similar events and what prices they charge. Then work out whether you can possibly cover that stall fee and still walk away with a profit. Is it still worth your money for the length of time the event runs for? Are they charging you £50 for a 5 hour event and that just includes the floor space in the middle of a field? Weigh it all up, write down pros and cons and see what you come out with.

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Look Into The Venue

We're going to split this section up as there's a few things to think about. First off, what is the venue? Is it a hall? Is it a park? Is it a market? Research it. The venue type can be the deal maker or deal breaker. Do you want your high-end, luxury jewellery on a scuffed and chipped table in a working mens club? Believe me, I've been there and done it and I don't recommend it.

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  The Location Of The Venue

  
  

Where is the venue based? Is it in a busy town centre where there's a lot of organic footfall? Or is it further out of the way where people will need to purposefully travel to see you? Footfall is a big factor in the success of an event, but also knowing the type of people who are likely to come. Are they just looking for bargains or does it attract higher paying customers? If you are in a wealthy busy town, you should be good, but if you're in poundland city, don't expect them to be carrying a lot of cash in their pockets.

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  Go And See The Venue Yourself

  
  

If you aren't sure what the venue is like or the location of it, just go to it. Go and have a look it, look at the kinds of places nearby, is there a lot of footfall, does the venue look nice and appealing to customers. The best way to find all these things out are just to go and have a look!

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  What's Its Facilities And Loading

  
  

Either find this out on their website or when you go and visit, but have a look to see what facilities would be available to you. Are the toilets nearby, is there electrical plugs for you, would you have access to tea making utensils. All these little things that you might not think of at first but are things that could make your time there so much nicer and easier. For example, are the toilets on the next floor up and the other end of the building? Or are they likely to be portaloos that your still is right next to? If you know you have to leave your stall for at least 10 minutes to trek to them, would it be beneficial to have a helper come with you to watch the stall while you're gone. Or are you going to have to bargain with the organisers to move your stall away from them? Other things to consider is the loading area and times you can do it at. If the loading area is big enough and easy enough to get in and out of, all is good. But think it through what things you'll need to carry and how far you'll have to carry it for and then you can make suitable preparations for it like having a big strong man come and help you.

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Will Your Products Sit Right

As said earlier, make sure you products match the event type. Is it an artisan special event, or is it a Christmas handmade market, or is it their monthly fair? Does your products match their theme and their usual price points? You don't want to be the most expensive stall there, but neither the cheapest. Are your products the right type that will fit well with the other stallholders but still being individual enough to get noticed. You don't want to be the odd one out but still unique to have your own selling points above the others.

Ask Previous Stallholders

If they have had past events, find out who stood at them and drop them an email about it. Find out if they had a good time, what the footfall was like and other information they may have found out whilst they were there. This is like gold dust, direct experiences can tell you exactly what you need to know and how you can either improve on it or avoid it! If you can, ask a few people as they will all have different perspectives but if they are also standing at this year's event, you'll already have made a friend at the event before starting.

We hope you can be better prepared for choosing the right events to go to, here's the last check list for you:

1. Check out the organisers.


2. Look at past events.


3. Find out what the price includes.


4. Find out about the venue.


5. Make sure your products match.


6. Talk to previous stallholders.

All photos belong to Barnsley Fashion Creatives.

Are you based in Barnsley? Does your hobby, job or business relate to the fashion industry? And are you creative? Answered yes to these? Great! You're in the right place. This group of people called the 'Barnsley Fashion Creatives' is a collection of others that also said yes to those questions.

But did you know that you can leverage this group of people to help you out? Maybe you have a photoshoot coming up, or you're needing some help out with your brand, or you simply just want some opinions and help on a dilemma. Here's a few ways you can use the group.

• Join our Facebook Group

Our Facebook group is slowly building up and has plenty of designers, crafters, make-up artists, photographers and more. You can chat with them, connect with them and even work with them. Join the group here.

• Post on the Facebook Group 

If you have an upcoming project and you need a photographer, or a model, you can post in the group saying what you're looking for or what help you need. The group can help you find what you're looking for. Maybe you have a dilemma on something and just need some advice and opinions on, get posting about it!

• Direct Message Someone from the Group

If you've already seen someone on the group that you'd like to connect with, you can always send them a direct message on facebook. If you're already friends with them then they'll see your message straight away. If you aren't, it might be an idea to tag them on one of the posts to let them know you've sent a message and to check their 'other messages' inbox.

• Get a Blogpost Made About Your Project

Have you got a project coming up and requires a team of people? Get in touch with us to have a blogpost made all about it. The post can be read by hundreds and shared numerous times by plenty of people. We can help you shine a light on what you're planning and what kind of help you'd like. Use the contact page to get in touch.

• Check Our Instagram

Yes we have an Instgram! We post pictures of our creative's work as well as photographs of Barnsley. We always tag the people in the photos, so feel free to check who we're tagging and you may just find who you're looking for to help you in your project. Search our instagram name @barnsleyfashioncreatives or follow this link.

• Want to be more discrete?

Maybe you want to be more hush about it and keep things on the down low, get in touch and we can do the leg work for you. We can message people direct on your behalf and find who you want whilst keeping it more quiet. Let us know what you're trying to do and we can sort it all out for you. Use the contact page, email us directly or message directly on Facebook.

Whether you're doing a photoshoot, an event, or whatever project that requires help from other creatives, the age old question is, to ask my friends? Or to hire professionals? There's pros and cons to both sides and it all depends on the outcomes you want to achieve. If you want to just have some fun, get your friends involved. If you want to boost your business sales, are you better off hiring professionals? Here's some food for thought.

Pros-

• They're your friends!

• They're free.

• You can quite easily say no to them when they have an idea for you that's totally in the wrong direction.

• No awkward meetings.

• You already know their skills and quality levels.

• Talk more freely about your ideas.

Cons-

• Fall outs can happen!

• You may only get up to a certain quality.

• Friends can ditch out on you last minute.

• Could have low experience.

Pros-

• Guaranteed good quality.

• They have the relative experience.

• They can prove they'll get your desired outcome with previous work & testimonials.

• They have high level contacts and networks.

• Reliable, reliable, reliable.

• You can learn things from them.

• You can explain your idea and they immediately understand what you're after.

Cons-

• Costs, they charge what they want for their services (and sometimes rightly so!)

• They may have more experience than you and could use that against you.

• They could run away in their own style that they've built up over their career.

• Could put a time limit on how long they work with you, they're busy people!

After all this, the best position to have yourself in is to make really good friends with professionals and then you can have the best of both worlds. I know we're not all that lucky though, bare in mind these thoughts when you come across this dilemma. Do you have any stories of using friends or professionals? Or other pros & cons to add? Get in touch with your comments.

Photo Credit Here.