AmandaM

Thanks, guys!

I need a 1" round punch, but have not had much success in finding one that size. Any suggestions??

Hi, I need to cut down some long strips for straps (5/8") and am trying to sort out how to get the best cut. I have a heavy, sharp knife, but haven't had the best success getting perfect cuts. Any tips?

Well thought out, smart designs. Love the adjustability. Why am I trying to make my own quivers when one of these would make me very happy!

Recently, I ran across this great site for folks that really puts the business aspect into perspective for those artisans that would rather just make stuff, rather than think about how to get rid of it. Thought I would share it here. Enjoy. http://www.craftmba.com/

Twitter is a great tool for some of the reasons mentioned above. It does take time (months) to build a following of current and more importantly, potential customers. I have a slightly different view of the horse people/ non owner example. Some of those folks eventually will have a horse and be in the market for your product. You have already done the groundwork and they will hopefully come to you first when ready to purchase. We call them Prospects rather than Customers. You need to look at that group a little differently and not dismiss just because they won't buy today. People are more apt to buy from someone they feel they have a connection with. Especially if it is expensive and/or custom. Build it into part of your overall plan and remember it's low cost aside from just 5 minutes a day to post. A great book on the whole subject of social media marketing is "The New Rules of Marketing and PR", by David Meerman Scott, which coves blogging, Twitter and other channels to help your audience find YOU, instead of the other way around. Smart, eh? A

I have an idea for a project that needs a feather pelt (turkey, pheasant, etc), but don't know the first thing about working with that type of leather. Had anyone done taxidermy or worked with this stuff before? Is it durable? I also need a source, since I didn't get a turkey bowhunting this spring. ;( Have put the word on the street to the guys that I know, but am thinking it may be tough to come up with something. Where do fly-fisherman get theirs? -A

We had a draft in the barn named Moose. A real moose would have been easier to deal with. And smaller. Thanks, A

Metal, not sure what sizes - not chap heavy. Will be used for smaller pockets that get a lot of use, so metal with a good pull tab. Sounds like I need to learn how to set my own lengths.

I need some decent zippers that won't fall apart, that are also short (6-12") The sewing shop zippers are junk and the pull is too small to loop in any leather anyway. Wholesale is good. Where do you guys buy?? I haven't seen any in Tandy or the usual places, but am just starting to look for them. (sorry I think I put this in the wrong section) Thanks! A

I get a lot of supplies from this funky old craft store and they might be able order some moose hide for me. Has anyone worked with it and did it present any problems? I am making archery accessories (quivers, arm guards), not moccasins or saddle seats with it. It seems a little stretchy, but not as bad as deer hide. It had me at the butter soft finish.

If you need to do both on the same piece of leather, which is better to start with? Tooling?

Thanks, guys! I will look up both of those. A

You should get a bounce report back with the urls that did not go through. Remove them after you use the list each time so you aren't paying to send to bad addresses over and over.

I am one of those people that needs to SEE the action to really understand it. I have some great resources on hand for braiding, but I learn best when I can just watch someone do it once or twice. Are there any online videos that do things like the turk head demos?

Ray, to answer your questions... In the US, you can legally rent lists, but you must be careful to follow the CAN-Spam laws to protect folks from getting too much junk they don't want. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAN-SPAM_Act_of_2003 In a nutshell, you must have your business mailing address to prove that it's a real business, give them a way to click and unsubscribe from your lists if they want, since you are sending info they did not request. Some clubs and organizations will let you use their names for free or cheap. Just have to ask. Some will not share. What you want ideally is a database of people that you have already prequalified as good potiental customers by their interests and if they are previous customers, so much the better. The raffle idea works. We gave away an Ipod. Get one on sale someplace for less. Starbucks cards, or Amazon cards work well as bait. It takes a while to build and keep CLEAN (very important) but is very worthwhile, as you are not shotgunning your message to people who won't care. Confirm (double optin) each person that commits to recieving info. Post a link on your website asking people to take the survey. 20% open rate of your message is considered very good. Your response rate will be smaller, and depend on your message, and how well you have crafted your survey. There is a lot of baseline info available on marketing sites that specialize in that sort of thing. Plus, the online services will have posted info as well to help you along the way. The last one I did, did not have a high response rate, but it gave enough to make some decisions about where to advertise and that sort of thing. Think about timing as well - don't send it out on a holiday weekend. If you do print advertising, ask your publication if they would send out the survey request to their database. That way, you don't see the list, but you get the info back. As to which sites, MailChimp (SurveyMonkey) and Constant Contact are both very reputable and have lots of information available to help you. And they are inexpensive. 0.1/0.2 per name. Hope this helps. A

A fast and easy way to get a survey out is use an online service, such as Surveymonkey.com Offer a leather item drawing (everyone gets automatically entered) as the incentive and send out a request to your database via email with a short ask letter to please take five minutes and take your survey, yadda yadda. If your target market is say, archers, then ask to rent the membership list from the local clubs, NFAA, etc. If you use a bigger list service, expect to pay .20/name. Keep it to under 10 questions. It's really not difficult and you will learn alot. Expand your list by asking people to leave their email when they come in to the shop or order something. A