Girl Gang Craft The Podcast

The sisters and co-founders behind Sonu Company Payal and Kajal Vitha, share their family’s legacy of becoming a bespoke jewelry business. As 3rd generation jewelers, Payal and Kajal tell us about launching their business together, their fruitful dive into reality television, and the reinvention of their business that was inspired by their Dad’s impactful role in the jewelry industry.

Key Moments:

✿ Launching their biz from the need to help guide couples to find the right set ring for them

✿ “It shouldn’t break the bank to invest in good quality jewelry”

✿ “We’re your jewelers for generations.” how Sonu Co creates an atmosphere that encourages you to come back for all of your jewelry needs

✿ Pitching and being chosen as featured jewelers for the reality couple shows Indian Matchmaking, The Ultimatum, and Love Is Blind

✿ We learn about the Kimberly process, mine diamonds vs. lab grown, and the difference between 14, 18, and 22 karat gold.

✿ “If you’re on a reality show, always have a plan B!” Their fun behind the scenes experience being in front of the camera when filming Indian Matchmaking

Girl Gang Craft listeners get a very special discount! use code “TRIBE” for $50 off your purchase of $249 or more at sonucompany.com

Follow Sonu Co on instagram @Sonu.Company

Get 50% off your first year of Flodesk at bit.ly/GGCFlodesk

Apply to Faire at faire.com/apply/girlgangcraft

Our Mother’s Day Gift Guide is still live! Shop at girlgangcraft.com/giftguide4mom

Oakland Craft Fair is this Saturday May 18th! RSVP to Oak and all our shows at girlgangcraft.com/events

Do you have a business question you need an answer to? Call the GGC Hotline at ‪413-961-0855‬ and we’ll read + answer your questions live on the pod

Instagram: @PhoebeSherman @GirlGangCraft

TikTok: @Phoebe.Sherman

YouTube: @girlgangcraft

For episode shownotes and transcript, please visit our website

[Content Warning] this episode contains speak of domestic violence so please take care while listening

Missing Witches is an art and activism project and public research project, created by Amy Torok and Risa Dickens: old friends, creative collaborators, curious crafters, big cacklers, howlers at the moon, grumpy old crones, just a couple of perpetual baby Witches living, writing, and recording out in the woods on unceded Anishinaabe territory, in Quebec, Canada.

Risa joins Phoebe today and takes us on her journey of the roots that grew Missing Witches, finding Re-Enchantment in the world, why she moved to the woods and left her tech career behind, the business that formed from the project, and their dedication to reparations which inspires their work.

In May, Missing Witches is hosting a Reparations Fundraiser. Every $10 donated enters you a chance to win a magical prize. Go to MissingWitches.com/reparations for donation details.

Key Moments:

✿ Risa tells us about not aligning with a hyper-feminine origin story and reclaiming her own identity of being a witch

✿ “As much as I just want to run away and hide under the moss and return my body to the soil and be a full time witch, I need to stand up for myself in this system a little bit more first."

✿ The tech platforms they've built to share newsletters, zines, and interact with their web coven

✿ Making the shift to be community supported and removing all ad funded support

✿ Why they chose to dedicate a months salary every year to Reparations

Find the Missing Witches books, podcast, zine and coven at missingwitches.com

Follow them on Instagram @missingwitches

Get 50% off your first year of Flodesk at bit.ly/GGCFlodesk

Apply to Faire at faire.com/apply/girlgangcraft

Shop our Mother’s Day Gift Guide at girlgangcraft.com/giftguide4mom

Event Season is coming up! RSVP at girlgangcraft.com/events

Do you have a business question you need an answer to? Call the GGC Hotline at ‪413-961-0855‬ and we’ll read + answer your questions live on the pod

Instagram: @PhoebeSherman @GirlGangCraft

TikTok: @Phoebe.Sherman

YouTube: @girlgangcraft

For episode shownotes and transcript, please visit our website

In this Solo episode, Phoebe tells us about the lessons she’s learned on her entrepreneurial journey including:

✿ being flexible

✿ being kind to yourself

✿ managing trolling

✿ how to ask for what you want

mother's day gift guide is live and features products from 30 fem owned small businesses

RSVP to our craft fair events

Leave us a 5 star review on apple podcasts with your instagram handle and be entered to win a coaching call with Phoebe

Have a burning business question you need an answer to? Call the GGC Hotline at ‪413-961-0855‬ and we’ll answer your question on the pod

Get 50% off your first year of Flodesk at bit.ly/GGCFlodesk

Apply to Faire at faire.com/apply/girlgangcraft

Instagram: @PhoebeSherman @GirlGangCraft

TikTok: @Phoebe.Sherman

YouTube: @girlgangcraft

For episode shownotes and transcript, please visit our website

Jessica Korthuis is the Co-founder & CEO of Her Brand & Co., a modern marketing educational company for female founders that offers free marketing classes for entrepreneurs. Jessica is a prominent speaker on marketing and entrepreneurship as well as a formal advisor to several female-founded companies who are using their brands to do good in the world. She is a proud mompreneur with a passion for writing and is a fierce advocate for women driving wealth creation.

In this episode, we break down the big questions that product based businesses need to be asking themselves in order to stand out and prosper as a small business in a competitive market.

Topics and big questions we ask and discuss:

✿ What does your brand stand for and what problems does your product solve?

✿ How do you differentiate your product from the product on the shelf next to yours?

✿ A Hero product: What it is and how having a hero product consistently drives your sales, “They see it. They like it. They love it. They buy it.”

✿ The reasons behind why your conversion rates may be low

✿ How does your product make your customers' life better?

Girl Gang Craft and Her Brand & Co. are collaborating! Visit Girl Gang Craft X Her Brand & Co. landing page at https://herbrandandco.com/free-platform-ggc to gain FREE access to the Her Brand & Co platform to equip you with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to unleash your potential and take your business to new heights.

Ready to start email marketing for your brand? Get 50% off your first year of Flodesk at bit.ly/GGCFlodesk

It’s time for you to dive into wholesale for your business. Apply to Faire at faire.com/apply/girlgangcraft

Do you have a business question you need an answer to? Call the GGC Hotline at ‪413-961-0855‬ and we’ll read + answer your questions live on the pod

Event Season is coming up! RSVP at girlgangcraft.com/events

Instagram: @PhoebeSherman @GirlGangCraft

TikTok: @Phoebe.Sherman

YouTube: @girlgangcraft

For episode shownotes and transcript, please visit our website

In this Solo episode, Phoebe goes deep into her experiences (the good and the bad!) working with brand partners, as well as what it’s like to secure brand partnerships as a key revenue source, plus:

✿ why partnerships have saved her business

✿ myths about working with big brands

✿ how she got into pitching partners

✿ aligning brand partners with her business ethos

If you’re interested in developing a new revenue stream by pitching and working with brands then take our Brand Partnership Course for $57 to help you secure your first collab. Enroll here

Do you have a burning business question you need an answer to? Call us at ‪413-961-0855‬ and we’ll read and answer your question on the pod

Win a 30 minute coaching call with Phoebe! Leave a 5 Star Review on Apple Podcasts with a note about why you love the show and how it has been helpful to you. Leave your instagram handle in the comment. One winner will be selected monthly

Follow us @GirlGangCraft + @PhoebeSherman on Instagram

@Phoebe.Sherman On TikTok

Like, subscribe, and watch our full convos on YouTube

For episode shownotes and transcript, please visit our website

Julie Nguyen, the artist behind Fake Cakery, grew up with a passion for baking and began her culinary education and career as a baker at the age of thirteen. Her business specializes in producing realistic-looking dessert themed art that function as stash boxes, grinders, and more.

In this episode, Julie shares her insight about going viral, building a product based business, having a social media media presence, successful email marketing, and working with manufacturers.

Key moments:

✿ How Julie’s love of baking inspired a functional product line and business

✿ What it was like for Julie to grow her following overnight and needing to strategize product development to fulfill the demand

✿ How having a work studio with a camera always set up for filming helps ease the process of content creation

✿ Working with manufacturers and trusting they will be honest but being aware of red flags when something doesn’t feel right

✿ How to approach international shipping for your business and finding a shipping provider that works for you (and how it’s not so daunting once you get a grasp on it)

Shop Fake Cakery and sign up for her email list to learn about new launches at fakecakery.com

Get 50% off your first year of Flodesk atbit.ly/GGCFlodesk

Win a 30 minute coaching call with Phoebe. Leave us a 5 Star Review on Apple Podcasts with a note about why you love the show and how it has been helpful to you. Leave your instagram handle in the comment. One winner will be selected monthly.

Do you have a business question you need an answer to? Call or text us at ‪413-961-0855‬ and we’ll read + answer your question live on the pod

@PhoebeSherman and @GirlGangCraft on Instagram

@Phoebe.Sherman On TikTok

Like, subscribe, and watch our convos on YouTube

For episode shownotes and transcript, please visit our website

Amy Larson is the founder of culinary retail brand Overseasoned and the owner of her Newport, Rhode Island flagship store Matriarch, a gift and book shop that spotlights woman owned businesses. In this episode, Amy tells us how she transformed her love of food from a side hustle, to a full-time business venture. How vending at craft fairs expanded her audience and grew customer interest, and when she seized the moment to go all in with Overseasoned to build a sustainable and profitable feminist forward business.

Key moments:

✿ From Markets to Brick and Mortar; How Amy’s dive into craft fairs helped her grow her brand to the opening of her storefront.

✿ Amy's strategies to increase sales and move sticky inventory

✿ How pairing her love of food with feminism resonates with her customers, “I do have a community and social responsibility aligned with my business and so I'm looking out for ways to speak to those things that people are really caring about.”

✿ On expanding to wholesale, “Growing my wholesale business helped me get a lot more exposure, and I still think that wholesale is an amazing strategy.”

✿ Finding the right balance for product inventory for in store customers, online shoppers, wholesale buyers, and for pop ups or craft fairs.

✿ On being a buyer and on Faire, “I refine it to women owned business. I also want to be a place to introduce people to brands, especially if they're really small or they're getting started or they have this unique offering.”

Check out Amy’s flagship store Matriarch in Newport, RI and shop her website atwww.overseasoned.com

Get featured on GGC's Mother's Day Gift Guide

Providence Craft Fair apps close 4/12. Apply now at girlgangcraft.com/apply

Drive your sales and expand your revenue with Faire. Apply now atfaire.com/apply/girlgangcraft

Get 50% off your first year of Flodesk at bit.ly/GGCFlodesk

Win a 30 minute coaching call with Phoebe. Leave us a 5 Star Review on Apple Podcasts with a note about why you love the show and how it has been helpful to you. Leave your instagram handle in the comment. One winner will be selected monthly.

@PhoebeSherman and @GirlGangCraft on Instagram

@Phoebe.Sherman On TikTok

Like, subscribe, and watch our convos on YouTube

For episode shownotes and transcript, please visit our website

Nicole Stevenson, founder of Dear Handmade Life, is a pillar in the creation of California Craft Fairs. Phoebe and Nicole talk about the beginning days of starting Craft Cation and Dear Handmade Life, growing a successful business by managing a team, dedicating time to being creative, and balancing it all while being present for her family.

Key Points:

✿ Nicole tells us about the early days of starting a craft fair business and being challenged to show that she should be taken seriously

✿ How hiring a team has brought Nicole balance and helped her gain the ability to delegate tasks as a CEO

✿ “Any progress you’re making towards your goals is progress. Even if you’re just working on it 5 minutes a night, you’re getting closer to that dream”

✿ On being intentional when consuming social media, “Look and say, this is my time. I'm making this decision. This is my intent”

✿ What we’re seeing small biz owners struggle with the most is keeping up with marketing and social media

✿ How to utilize project management systems to be on track of your goals like using airtable, asana, google calendar, or batching and scheduling content so you don’t burn out from posting

For more on Nicole’s craft events visit dearhandmadelife.com

Applications are now open for their Patchwork Show

Get featured on GGC's Mother's Day Gift Guide

Salem, and Sacramento Craft Fair apps close 3/29, Providence apps close 4/12

Apply now at girlgangcraft.com/apply

Streamline your email marketing with Flodesk and get 50% off your first year at bit.ly/GGCFlodesk

Girl Gang Craft Email Marketing Class

Win a 30 minute coaching call with Phoebe! Leave us a 5 Star Review on Apple Podcasts with a note about why you love the show and how it has been helpful to you. Leave your instagram handle in the comment. One winner will be selected monthly.

@PhoebeSherman and @GirlGangCraft on Instagram

@Phoebe.Sherman On TikTok

Like, subscribe, and watch our convos on YouTube

For episode shownotes and transcript, please visit our website

In this solo episode, Phoebe talks about craft fair tips– how to treat each show as an experiment, tips and tricks for load-in and load out, ideas for booth displays, and more.

Key Points:

✿ Social media does not define our success and how we are perceived on social media does not define our success.

✿ Craft Fairs are a great opportunity for increasing revenue, building community, and gaining awareness about your brand.

✿ It's important to keep an open mind and think about Craft Fairs as a marketing experiment because not every craft fair is going to work for you.

✿ The TikTok ban; how it’s detrimental to be collecting email addresses and directing those followers/customers to other social platforms or monetizing thru Patreon or Substack.

Download our free Craft Fair e-book

Amazon shop for craft fair displays

Get featured on our Mother's Day Gift Guide

Summer Craft Fair applications are closing soon, apply now at girlgangcraft.com/apply

Follow us on Instagram @PhoebeSherman and @GirlGangCraft

On TikTok @Phoebe.Sherman

Like, subscribe, and watch our convos on YouTube

For episode shownotes and transcript, please visit our website

Win a 30 minute coaching call with Phoebe! Leave us a 5 Star Review on Apple Podcasts with a note about why you love the show and how it has been helpful to you. Leave your instagram handle in the comment. One winner will be selected monthly.

Emily Chandra is the owner and founder of Seacoast Stilettos, an inclusive dance space that encourages folks to reclaim their power with dance. In her signature Seacoast Stilettos dance classes, Emily serves empowerment and community along with hype at her Peabody, Massachusetts studio.

Key Moments from this episode:

✿ Emily tells us how we can use dance as a beautiful and cathartic way to release and shake off trauma that's stored in the body

✿ On creating an inclusive dance studio,“We are really big on empowerment and celebration of the individual and of the collective of different body types, genders, expressions, and levels while also incorporating sensuality with a focus on celebrating sexuality.”

✿ Advice as a business owner, Emily tells us to stay true to what lights you up and the people who are also lit up by that will align.

✿ How she partners with local videographers to capture videos of classes for social media promos and so new students can see themselves represented at her studio.

✿ On handling pushback, “I have the platform and I have the voice, the opportunity, and the privilege to showcase what I'm doing. Why not put it out there? We're allowed out, we’re confident in our sexuality, and that can rub a lot of people the wrong way. So it is a scary thing. And it's also an important thing to be able to use our voice and speak up”

Follow Emily on Instagram at @emily__chandra and @SeacoastStilettos

Visit Seacoaststilettos.com for all class offerings.

Event apps are open, apply now to all GGC Events

Get featured on our Mother's Day Gift Guide

Follow us on Instagram @PhoebeSherman and @GirlGangCraft

On TikTok @Phoebe.Sherman

Like, subscribe, and watch our convos on YouTube

For episode shownotes and transcript, please visit our website

If you enjoyed this episode, please share with a friend and leave us a 5 star review!

Show Notes