We held our third Craft Savvy Market on April 13,2019 and this market superseded our expectations in so many ways. Everything from our spectacular vendors, to our customers, volunteers made the event one of our best. Below, we wrap up and share part 2 of our lessons learned. Check us out in Instagram and Facebook @craftsavvymarket to see more pictures and videos from the event.
Third Time’s A Charm – Lessons Learned Craft Savvy Market #3
After every market, I breathe a big sigh of relief and then I have this desire to lay on the couch for one day straight. Please refrain from judging me! Craft Savvy Market #3 was no different. I was still exhausted, but I did not need as much time to recuperate. Here are three things I learned from our third market:
- Ditch It If It Doesn’t Work – For this market, I love that we were not afraid to ditch some practices that did not work for us during the first two markets. For example, we decided to change the time of the market. For the first two markets, our hours were 11-4. For this market, we looked at our data and we decided to alter the time and I’m glad we did. Sometimes we are afraid to make changes because we often times don’t have a guarantee of success. But one thing is for sure: If you never try, you’ll never know. If it isn’t working, ditch it and try a new strategy. The worse that could happen is that you learn from your experience. The best that could happen is that you see the success you dreamed about.
- Develop A Process – One of the things we tried to do for our third market was to streamline our processes. This inspired me because developing a process is the first step to becoming more efficient at a task. A process saves us from starting from scratch every time. We worked hard this time around to analyze the feedback we received from our previous markets and make applicable changes and create processes where needed. We also were careful to document processes and refine the steps needed for various tasks. This is applicable to any task we choose to undertake in our own lives. Develop a process and give it a try. If you find that the process needs tweaking, make adjustments and keep going. It’s always easier to start with a baseline.
- Build A Team – For this market, I learned the value of building a team. As a crafter, we sometimes get in the habit of working solo – my idea, my execution, my work, etc. For our third market, we were more intentional about building a team of supporters and volunteers. This made the day of the market much smoother. Instead of being pulled in multiple directions, we were able to focus on fewer tasks and make more of an impact on those tasks.
by Jandi Harris
3 Lessons I Learned from CSM #3
1. After speaking with some vendors, I realized we are making a great impact. Some first time
vendors were excited to be a part of our event because of the connections they were able to make and the exposure they were able gain. It definitely feels great to be aligned with such an inspiring event.
2. Secondly,I learned to always leave room for the unexpected things. No matter how well an event is planned, it is impossible to cross all the “T’s” and dot all the “I’s”. There are some things will be beyond my control.
For example, some key people confirmed that they would attend and on the day of ended up cancelling. At that point it was too late to make other arrangements, so we had to improvise. There were other areas where we had to think quickly and develop a solution on the spot. At the end of the day, it all worked out. This market taught me to do my very best and let God will take care of the rest.
3. Thirdly, I realized the power of team work and learned the importance of having a strong and reliable team. The old adage “Team work makes the dream work” was truly in action at Craft Savvy Market #3 on April 13. I am grateful and thankful to everyone (vendors, staff, venue, and my Craft Savvy Sisters) for making this the best market yet.
by Mina Mantor