Category Business: Behind the Scenes

Isle of Wight County Fair : My Thoughts

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This past weekend, I got to be a vendor at the Isle of Wight County Fair in Windsor, Virginia.

If you’re interested in learning the history of this fair. I recommend clicking here. The Isle of Wight County Fair’s website does a far better job of explaining the complicated history of the fair better than I ever could.

This was the first time that I have taken part in a 4 day outdoor show.

 

I am still, physically and mentally, recovering from this event.

That said, I did enjoy myself. It was ( with 1 more show this year to go) and biggest money making show to date. I talked to some existing vendor friends and I made some new vendor friends. I’ll be making seperate posts for each of the vendors I want to point out. I may end up doing a whole series on it, as there’s quite a few vendors I know who I think deserve a shout out.

A few take aways:

  1. This is a long event, think 12 hours days (14 with the hour long commute). Make sure you bring plenty of snacks and drinks unless you want to spend all that time either not eating, or only eating fair food.
  2. Bring a helper. Things did get busy, or just steady enough that getting away from the table for a minute to mentally regroup, was not an option.
  3. I should have brought more cryptids and less hats. All of my cryptids sold in the the first 2 days. I brought 23 hats. I sold 1.

I do plan on applying to be a vendor for this event again.

 

Upcoming Plans

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So, I touched on this a little in my monthly newsletter. If you haven’t signed up, I do ask that you do, as I announce sales and updates  there usually a week or two before I announce on Social Media.

2024 has been an interesting whirlwind of things (so far) for me.

While I have done slightly less (and yes I’m counting the 3 upcoming in this count) shows compared to 2023, I’m actually less than $200 away from what I made all of last year.  All but 2 of the shows I’ve done this year were new to me and larger (in visitor count) to the 2023 shows.

A side effect of this is that I’ve actually put more thought into my display set up for indoor shows. It definitely looks more cohesive and less haphazard now.

If you haven’t noticed the updated header on the website yet, I now have a Commissions page. It’s still evolving, but there’s now a form for inquiries. I do plan to add specific forms for Dragons and Chthulu in the coming months.

There will be one product update in November, once all the shows for 2024 are finished. I just have too much product to make in the next 3 months (plus a kid and a day job) and won’t have time to add product  to the website before then.

I’ve decided not to start posting on YouTube until after Jan 1 2025. This is before many reasons. A few of those reasons are because of the kiddo being under foot when I’m not at my day job. He starts school in a week, so I’m planning on getting some recording done then. Twitch streams will start back up then as well.

I’m going to be trying something a little different with the social media content starting Sept 1. Follow me on Insta/Facebook for more on that. I’m still working out all of those details, so I’ll share more on that next week.

If you need to find me on my socials, use https://linktr.ee/OctojellyCrochet

Is it August Already?

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So…with in the next 90 days, I will have 3 events.

These will be my 3 largest and 3 final events for 2024.

The September event will also be my longest event since I started doing events in 2020.

I am planning on using all of my free time to make a lot of products, some of which will be never before seen product.

I have also started experimenting with glow-in-the-dark yarn. Pictures are coming to the social media soon.

If you are interested, I’ll be streaming tomorrow (Sunday 8/4) from about 9:30 PM until  6 AM or  until I feel like sleeping, whichever happens first.

The regular streaming schedule will start back up after the 26th of August, as that is when Quality Control will be starting 1st Grade.

I also plan on getting a regular blog schedule actually hammered out before then, too. So far, I have the tea blog done to Wednesdays, and the Fact/Opinion days are on Fridays, but I’m debating moving those to Saturdays.

What do you think?

It’s July?

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We are now halfway through 2024, and things are starting to come together with the social media side of the business.

The site as had 10,000 all time views as of this last weekend. For a 5 year old blog with an inconsistent posting schedule, I think that’s awesome.

You will notice, going forward that there will be more consistency with the blog and posting. I’ve been working on improving the SEO for the business, which is not as easy as people make it sound, but I’m getting there.

I have an event on July 27 at the Chesapeake Public Library in Chesapeake, Virginia. It will run from 10am until 5pm.

I’m planning on doing some day streaming this week. Just 2 days as my day-job schedule is all over the place at the moment.

My Twitch link is https://www.twitch.tv/octojellycrochet

 

If you’re still reading this far, I have a Giveaway happening on my Instagram . My goal is to reach atleast 500 followers by the end of July. I’m currently at 269.

 

 

 

The LLC Turns 1

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So, thanks to a Facebook notice, I remember that the LLC turns 1 today.

The business itself is actually 3 years old, turning 4 in March of 2025.

This last year has definitely been interesting. There’s been some changes I wasn’t expecting, and some new things added that I wasn’t anticipating doing as quickly.

I plan on doing more Twitch streams in the coming year and actually be serious about getting the YouTube channel up and running.

I’ll been meeting with a Marketing Mentor next week to help me get an actual game plan together on improving my marketing/social media game.

My hope, is that between improving my marketing game and the 3 live events I still have this year, that 2025 will be a good year for the company.

There will be new blog series coming in July, and the tea one will be coming back as well. I just got in 32 new teas from Friday Afternoon Teas that I can’t wait to tell all of you about.

Also, the 15% off Coupon (code SUMMER) is still good until tomorrow night.

The Brand Overhaul Starts Today

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If you’ve been following me on any of the socials (https://linktr.ee/OctojellyCrochet) than you’ve seen whispers on what I am about to elaborate on.

Since October of 2023 I have been putting serious research into how social media works for small businesses. I’ve take all of that research and come up with a new marketing plan for the business. I’ll be introducing this plan in phases. Starting with overhauling this website , the Facebook page and the Instagram profile. Phase 2 will be the YouTube, Twitch and TikTok channels. Phases 3 will be new, steady blog series, some revived old ones, and a few new ones, and a steady Twitch schedule. Phase 4 plan involves YouTube videos and a posting schedule.

I’ve decided to open Commissions for late June and July. I may keep them open longer than that, but that depends on how the next 2 months go. I’m currently working on a form to streamline the process. The link for commissions will go live at the end of June. I’ll be sure to announce on all the socials when it does.

I have a couple of new blog series planned. The one I am most excited about is a Friday small business series where I’ll be talking about a fellow small business that I think will appeal to my readers. They  won’t always be a crochet business. If you know a small business that might be interested in this, please let me know.

I will be streaming on Twitch in June. The plan is to stream atleast 2 days a week. Not sure which 2 days, but I will send out a weekly email with the streaming schedule as well as post it on my Instagram.

I have IAWIA on June 2 at Tradition Brewing Company in Newport News, Virginia. There will be a product update in the week afterwards. There will also be a sale June 16-22. More details on that after IAWIA.

If you like the changes, or don’t like the changes, please let me know. If you have suggestions for me, please let me know. I am open to any suggestions.



Impact-Site-Verification: 5642b9d6-f3ce-4c30-a17f-42e2f13659be

Tidewater ComiCon 2024 : My Thoughts

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So I’ve been trying to write this since Sunday night.

I had a wonderful time at Tidewater ComiCon. I saw some current friends and made a few new ones. I also found a couple of vendors that I think other people will like. I’ll mention them in a bit.

As always after an event of this size, Vendor Fatigue is absolutely a thing, and if anyone tells you otherwise, they probably don’t do busy shows. This is being written 2 days after the show and I’m still mentally and physically recovering from it. I apologize now, if I seem to jump around a bit in this post.

As far as the shows for 2024 go, this was my highest money making one yet, coming in at just over $400 in sales. I sold quite a bit more than I thought that I would, and I have some new ideas for products to make for the rest of the shows that I have planned for 2024. Among the ideas is more button-eye creatures and more SteamPunk Cthulhu, possibly dragons/wyverns as well.

There were a lot of really awesome cosplays, though, I did not get pictures as I was swamped with customers when that really interesting once came by my table. I think my favorite that I was as the Mandalorian meets Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas mashup.

My favorite part of Tidewater Comicon? Anxiety the Octojelly, after 4 years, finally found it’s forever home. I shall miss it at my booths, but I have decided to do more of the odd button eye creatures in it’s honor.

I also discovered, close to the end of the event, that the big QR code I had up to let people find my linktree without a business card, did not , infact, go to my linktree. I will be remedying this before IAWIA on June 2.

Now, onto the vendors I want to give a shout out too:

  1. Brittany Dinosaur I actually know this one personally, and count her and her husband as a couple of my closest friends. She make really great products. Her product lines has cups, shadow boxes, dice bags and glass work. Her shop is found on Etsy.
  2. Trinkets & Toadstools Tidewater ComiCon was the first time I mets them, but I love their products. I purchased earrings and hair sticks from them, and I am obsessed with them. They have a lot of cottagecore themed products.
  3. Jpax Artworks This was his first show. I love his work. I bought 2 octopus prints from him. It’s octopus’, I was not about to not buy them. He doesn’t currently have a shop, but his Instagram (which I have linked), does have information about how to contact him for commissions.
  4. Suitable Beasts The owner is another person, that I know outside the convention world. I met him and his very artistic daughter, at a local small business meetup. He make creatures using suit jackets. I find them delightful.

I highly recommend you check them out. They are delightful business owners, and they all have wonderful products.

The prints from Jpax Artworks and the hairsticks from Trinkets & Toadstools

A Smattering of Everything

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So, how are we all doing?

I’m taking a breather from the IRL things and making more product to drop a quick update.

Bacon’s Castle was awesome. Despite the overcast skies and lower than expected turn out, I am happy with my profits.

I would relax more, but my next event is in 10 days, and I need atleast twice the amount of finished product than I currently have, so that I have enough options for people.

I also need to add more Pride-related pieces to my inventory for the Pride kick off event I have on June 2. I’m thing Pride Goblins and Pride Dragons. What do you think?

For those of you who do the weekly/every other week markets and hold down a full-time job…. how do you not kill your social battery in the process?

The Yarn blog series will start sometime in June, and the Crochet Book Reviews Blogs will start after Tidewater ComiCon.

Bacon’s Castle

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So I’m out at Bacon’s Castle in Surry, Virginia today.

For those of you who can’t make it to today’s event, but would like to know more about this place, I figured I’d write a summarized blog about this place.

I say summerizied because Bacon’s Castle happens to be the oldest brick home in Virginia. It was built in 1665, and is the only surviving example of High Jacobean architecture in the United States.

The “Castle” when first built was called Allen’s Brick House, as it was owned and built by Arthur Allen. It wasn’t until 1676 that it earned the moniker “Bacon’s Castle”. It was during the rebellion known as “Bacon’s Rebellion”, that several of Nathaniel Bacon’s men occupied the home for 4 months. The moniker was giving to the house after that, and it’s been stuck with the name since.

The “Castle” is owned and maintained by Preservation Virginia who maintain 6 historic sites in Virginia and have saved over 400 historic places since their founding in 1889.

There will be a post on Tuesday about the event itself, my thoughts and how it compared to last years event.

It’s Gonna Be May!

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Sorry, not sorry. I was born in 1985, this will always be a thing for people of my generation.

There’s alot going on this month.

I’m starting my brand relaunch today on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. The brand relaunch for YouTube and Twitch will start next week. If you’d like to see those posts, make sure you are following me on those sites. I did make each of those links clickable.

I have the Bacon’s Castle Village Faire on Saturday, May 4. It will be from 10am to 4pm at the Bacon’s Castle in Surry, Virginia. Click the link if you would like more details. I do plan on making a YouTube video about the event to post sometime next week. This will be my second year at this event.

I also have the Tidewater ComiCon from May 18-19. This will be it’s 10th year, and they have a lot of exciting things planned. I will post a better update about this particular event as it gets closer. I do plan on making a prep YouTube video and a YouTube video about the event, which will have my thoughts and scenes from the event. This will be my first year at this event.

I plan on writing more tea blogs this month, and along with my thoughts (and where to get them) on the Crochet books in my collection, and what I think of the different yarn brands in my collection. More on that next week though.

I have big plans for the YouTube channel once i get done recording all of the Granny Square patterns I have already posted. More on that later this month though, as there is a lot of show prep that needs to be done first.

In preparation for new videos on the YouTube Channel, what would you like to see me record?