Rise Up Designs

One of the things you get used to when you run a small business is feedback. It comes from everywhere — customers, friends, family, people at craft fairs, people who see something online. And honestly, most of the time it comes from a good place. People want to help. But if you’ve ever tested a product idea with different people, you know what usually happens. One person will say, “I love it!” Another person will say, “It’s nice, but I’d change this.” Someone else will say, “I like it… but I’d remove that.” And suddenly you’re sitting there thinking, Okay… so what exactly am I supposed to do with all of this? Feedback can be incredibly helpful, but it can also be a little exhausting if you let every opinion pull you in a different direction. What I’ve learned is this: feedback is information, not instruction. Just because someone suggests something doesn’t mean you have to implement it. But it does give you insight. It shows you how people see your work, what catches their at...

  Last week I shared about hitting one year in business. And with a full year under my belt, I’ve started noticing something really important: Patterns matter. When you’ve been in business long enough to see your busy months and your slower months, you stop reacting… and you start preparing. Whether you’re on Etsy, Shopify, Square, doing manual tracking, selling at craft fairs, or running an online shop — the data is there. You just have to pay attention to it. For me, February was slower than January this year. Still grateful for every sale. Still moving. Just… slower. And instead of panicking, I prepared. That slower month gave me space to: Prep inventory Test new products Organize bundles Get ready for my first craft fair in March That’s the shift. Slow doesn’t mean failing. Slow can mean building. When you start recognizing your own rhythms — seasonal shifts, market cycles, customer behavior — you can move with them instead of fighting them. Busy months are fo...

On February 12, I quietly celebrated one full year on Etsy. One year of listings. One year of late-night packing sessions. One year of figuring it out as I go. One year of truly stepping into my business. And I’ve learned a lot. Not the flashy, viral-growth kind of lessons. The steady, grounded kind. The kind you only learn by doing. 1. Stay in Your Lane If you start a business, especially a creative one, everyone will have advice. “Try this.” “You should sell that.” “Have you thought about adding…?” “You’d make more money if…” And listen — most of it comes from a good place. People mean well. But here’s what I’ve learned: You don’t have to make everything. Just because something sells doesn’t mean it’s yours to sell. Just because someone else is successful doing it doesn’t mean it belongs in your shop. There were ideas I chose not to pursue — not because they weren’t good, but because they weren’t me. And that clarity matters. Your lane is powerful when you stay in i...

 OK, so I did a thing I’ve never done before...I paid to boost one of my TikTok videos. 👀 I know...I know...I’m not someone who throws money at ads all the time — I’m a small business, and I like to keep things lean. But I’ve been curious… what would happen if I gave a solid video a little paid push? I decided to test it out with a behind-the-scenes packing video (because who doesn’t love seeing the magic happen?), and y’all — the difference was noticeable. 📈 Here’s what changed: On average, my TikToks get around 100 views The boosted video? It hit 2,000+ views I saw a spike in Etsy traffic, like alot! Sales jumped from 1–2 a day to 5 in one day , and that stayed steady for a few days after RIGHT!? I also tried boosting a post on Instagram and Facebook , and while I did see traffic, it wasn’t nearly as impactful as TikTok - or maybe it takes more time. TikTok definitely gave me the boost. What I think made it work: I picked a video that was already doing ...