Rise Up Designs

 While everyone’s out here planning pool days and vacations, small biz owners? We’re over here thinking about seasonal trends , inventory shifts , and how to make summer sales sparkle . This week’s Flex Friday isn’t about slowing down — it’s about leveling up with intention . Because if you’re an Etsy shop owner (or building any creative biz), summer is the perfect time to: ✅ Refresh. Rethink. Realign. Here’s what I’m doing right now (and maybe you should too): ✔️ Auditing my listings – Are my photos clear? Are the tags and titles still working? What needs a glow-up? ✨📸 ✔️ Looking at seasonal trends – Am I aligned with what people are shopping for right now? Think: weddings, travel gifts, end-of-school, sun + fun! ☀️ ✔️ Checking analytics – What’s selling? What’s not? What needs to be featured more? (Yes, data can be cute.) 📊 ✔️ Planning content – From social posts to product drops, summer is a great time to get ahead — or at least feel a little more in control . 📅 ...

Starting something new always feels a little exciting… and a lot nerve-wracking. 😅 When I launched Wrap & Rise , my idea for a mobile craft party experience, I didn’t know if it would land. I just knew I wanted to create something that brought people together in a creative, fun, low-stress way. 🎨🛻💕 And now that I’ve hosted a few? I’ve learned a lot — about people, about crafting, and about how joy can show up in the smallest details (like picking the perfect tumbler wrap). ☕️🌸 Here’s what I didn’t expect: How much people LOVE choosing their own designs 🖼✨ How relaxing it is when you don’t have to bring supplies or clean up 🧼 How often someone says “I’m not crafty” — and then totally nails it 🎯 How loud the laughs get when the music’s on and everyone’s just playing 🎶😄 How powerful it is to watch people create something with their own hands and feel so proud of it 🙌 Why I Keep Saying Yes to This Idea 👍🏽 Because it’s not just about tumblers. It’s a...

If you’re building a small business—or you love cheering one on—you already know: This journey is amazing, but it’s not easy. Starting and growing a business is full of excitement, late nights, proud moments, and yep, plenty of challenges too. (Hi, have you seen the cost of supplies lately? Thanks a lot, tariffs and inflation.) 📈 And while every sale matters to a small business like mine, support doesn’t always have to mean pulling out your wallet. Sometimes the biggest impact comes from the little things that cost zero dollars but mean the world. ❤️ Whether you’re a fellow maker or a supporter on the sidelines— So how can you support a small business (even if you can’t buy right now)? ✅ Follow Their Social Media Pages Whether you’re a fellow creative or just someone who loves small shops—following matters. The more followers a small business has, the more credible and visible they become. (And yes, it gives us a little happy dance moment, every single time. ☀️) ✅ Like, Comment, ...

 Okay, let’s talk about Pinterest. You know, that platform we all use to save recipes we’ll never cook and DIY projects we’ll never actually attempt? (or is that  Just me? 😆 ) Well, turns out, Pinterest isn’t just for dream home inspiration —it’s a powerful marketing tool for small businesses. So, I decided to test it out for the past 30 days and see if it could actually drive traffic to my Etsy shop . Did it work? Kinda. Was it confusing? A little. Am I sticking with it? Absolutely. Here’s what I learned after one month of trying Pinterest for my small business. 1. Pinterest is More Like Google Than Instagram I went into this thinking Pinterest was just another social media platform. ❌ WRONG. Pinterest is actually a search engine —just like Google or Etsy. Meaning? People use it to search for things they want to buy, learn, or try. 💡 Lesson: If you treat Pinterest like Instagram (just posting random photos), you’re doing it wrong. Instead, you have to use ke...

Let’s be real—when I decided to start Rise Up Designs while working full-time, I thought: 💭 "I’ll just work on my business in my free time. How hard could it be?" 😂 Oh, past me… how adorably clueless you were. (SMH) Because here’s the truth: Balancing a full-time job AND a side business is HARD. Some days, I feel like a productivity queen, knocking out orders, scheduling posts, and managing my Etsy shop like a boss. And other days? I feel like I’m just surviving on caffeine and vibes. If you’re juggling both, you’re not alone. Here’s what I’ve learned about managing the chaos. 1. Time Management is a Myth (Kind Of) I used to think time management meant following a perfectly planned schedule where I worked on my business only during certain hours . HAHA. That's sooooo cute. The reality? Life doesn’t care about your perfectly planned schedule. Some days, I have time and energy to get a ton done. Other days, I just want to eat snacks and stare at the wall. ...

 If you’re anything like me, SEO felt like one of those big, scary, overly complicated things that only tech-savvy people understand. But as I started growing Rise Up Designs , I realized that if I wanted my business to get found online, SEO wasn’t optional. So, I dove in headfirst. And let me tell you—it’s tricky, but not impossible.  I’m still learning, but here’s what I’ve figured out so far about SEO and how it applies to Etsy, blogging, and small business owners like us. 1. SEO = Helping People Find You (Not Just "Gaming the System") When I first heard the term Search Engine Optimization (SEO) , I thought it was all about tricking Google or Etsy into showing my stuff first.  Nope. SEO is really just about helping the right people find you. 💡 The goal: Make it as easy as possible for someone searching for exactly what you sell to find your products, blog, or shop.  The trick? Using the right words in the right places. 2. Keywords Are Everything If you...