Classes & Workshops.

New Shops

For owners in their first one to three years of business. Talk through the challenges of the startup phase, including building your first customer base, managing early cash flow, choosing your initial inventory and class offerings, and avoiding the mistakes that trip up so many new shops. Connect with others who remember exactly what you're going through right now.

Small Shops

For established shop owners running lean, close-knit operations, often with a small staff or just family help. Dig into the realities of wearing every hat: balancing the books, buying inventory, running the sales floor, and building community, all without a large team behind you. Share what's working, troubleshoot what isn't, and pick up ideas you can put to use as soon as you're home.

Large Shops

For owners managing multiple staff members, higher inventory volume, and more complex operations. Discuss the challenges that come with scale, including hiring and training, delegating without losing your shop's personality, managing systems and logistics, and planning for growth. Trade strategies with peers who are solving the same problems at a similar size.

Designers & Teachers

For pattern designers, class instructors, and other creative professionals working across the industry rather than from behind a single storefront. Talk through building and protecting your creative brand, pricing your work and your time, structuring licensing and teaching relationships with shops, and navigating a career that depends on relationships with many businesses rather than one.

Cringe to Creator: Unlocking Your Creator Potential

Tiffany Hardin

Many people hold themselves back from creating content because they feel awkward on camera or worry about being judged. This class will help you push past that self-consciousness and start showing up authentically online. You'll explore practical exercises for building confidence, finding your unique voice, and getting comfortable with visibility. It's designed to help you grow a personal brand without losing yourself in the process, turning "cringe" into a starting point rather than a roadblock.

Stitching Together Your Systems: How to Build Business Processes That Actually Stick

Kathy Cruz

Independent Retail Coach Kathy Cruz makes systems and processes approachable for creative business owners. Instead of overwhelming you with complicated operations manuals or corporate jargon, she'll show you a practical framework for building systems one step at a time. You'll learn which systems to build first, how to document them so they're actually used, and how simple checklists, workflows, and clear processes become valuable business assets that improve consistency, strengthen your team, and create a business that can continue growing without relying on you for everything.

The $120K Turnaround Case File: How to Spot the Profit Leaks Holding Back Your Store's Cash Flow

Kathy Cruz

If you've ever looked at your sales and wondered, "I'm making money…so where is it going?", this session is for you. Independent Retail Coach Kathy Cruz shares the real story behind one retailer's $120K turnaround and the first step that changed everything. Through a real-life case study and a hands-on Profit Leak Analyzer exercise, you'll learn how to identify hidden profit leaks, better understand the relationship between profit margins, inventory, and cash flow, and begin looking at your numbers with more confidence and less confusion. You'll leave with practical insights you can apply immediately and a clear understanding of where to focus first to improve your store's financial health.

Creator Marketing 101 for Small Businesses

Tiffany Hardin

Small businesses often assume influencer marketing is only for big brands with big budgets - this class will show you why that's not true. We'll walk through how to identify the right creators for your niche, structure partnerships that fit a modest budget, and measure whether a campaign is actually working. You'll learn practical steps for reaching out, setting expectations, and building relationships that turn into repeat collaborations. By the end, you'll have a clear, low-risk framework for making creator marketing part of your growth strategy.

Building an Email List of Fans Who Actually Buy

Elizabeth Chappell

When you have a business, people need to know what you sell, and to keep winning new customers you have to continually add people to your email list. Growing that list is one of the most common weak spots for craft businesses, but it doesn't have to be complicated. Elizabeth Chappell walks through how to create a freebie, or opt-in, that attracts the right people and turns casual followers into buyers. You'll leave with a concrete, actionable framework you can apply to any craft product, whether you sell patterns, kits, or finished goods.

Online Sales Academy: How Craft Retailers are Creating Thriving Online Stores

Josh Orr

A strategic walkthrough of how retailers are approaching online sales, not as a technology focus but as a sales channel that serves customers just like a storefront: driving both online and storefront traffic, converting sales, and creating repeat purchases. You'll gain:

• A strategic understanding of how to apply your brand and customer connection in your online store
• Short-term tactical changes you can make to begin moving the needle
• How to rethink your site to make it about the customer rather than the brand
• A toolkit with easy-to-implement Canva templates, AI prompts for site copy, and more