You all know I love to read (well listen to) murder mystery books. I read A LOT of them. And in between murder mysteries, I also read other things. *Gasp, the craziness!* When it comes to helpful resources for running my small business there are a few books I've found invaluable.
Starting a small business was something I did on a whim and over the years I've been figuring it out as I go. This has lead to some wonderful and not so wonderful learnings. It's often felt like there aren't many small business resources out there or that none of them really fit my small business needs, but there are! These are some of the books I've found helpful in my small business journey.
Build Your Brand Story We all want to connect with our customers better. Donald Miller's book Build Your Brand Story is an actionable approach to helping you improve the way you connect with your customers by highlighting the benefits of using your products, ideas, or services through storytelling.
Get this book here.
Stories that Stick Another great book on storytelling. Stories That Stick by Kindra Hall helps inspire you to find your own unique stories that you can leverage in your business. This book offers insightful ways to share your values, founder story, your purpose, and customer stories.
Get this book here.
Knowing how and what to price your work is hard! I must admit that when I started selling my hand embroidered designs, they were seriously under priced (I'm talking $25 for a custom pet portrait, underpriced). Looking back it makes me cringe. But how do you know what you should be pricing your work? How to Price Crafts and Things You Make by James Dillehay is a great starting place for understanding what to price your work when selling in-person and/or online.
Get this book here.
Another great book on money is Profit First by Mike Michalowitz. When I started my small business I really had no idea how I was supposed to handle taxes, money, or profit margins- I just had a product I liked making and ran with it. Over the years, countless fellow makers have recommended this book to me as the most helpful money book they've ever read. I recently rented this from my local library and have just started reading it. I already know it's going to be an extremely useful tool.
Get this book here.
Making a great product is only part of running a small business. Knowing how to sell it is key to success. Whether you're planning to sell your products online, in-person, or both, Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin is a helpful read to understanding how to do that. Plus, her style of writing is almost like talking to your business best friend.
Get this book here.
Another book by Kari Chapin is Grow Your Handmade Business. I liked that Kari's style of writing is personable and interesting. She does a great job of breaking down small business basics in a way that felt approachable and actionable without making me (a novice small business owner) feel overwhelmed or dumb.
Get this book here.
Photos can be make or break when it comes to interesting your customers in your products. If your photos are lackluster, it's harder to grab your audience's attention and keep them wanting to learn more. The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos by Heidi Adnum is a great book for helping you know how to photograph your products so that they sell.
Get this book here.
Along with making a great product, packaging it in a way that customer will want to buy is also important. Handmade Packaging Workshop by Rachel Wiles shares great ideas for different ways to package your handmade products.
Get this book here.
***Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.***
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