Jan 27, 2015
This Week’s Episode
In this week’s episode, I share an interview with Tamara Kelly from Moogly. Tamara’s crochet and knitting business is quite varied, and I talk to her about how she got her start, how she diversifies her income, and her tips for blogging and time management.
You can find Tamara online on the Moogly website and blog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Ravelry, Tumblr, and Twitter. I previously interviewed her on the Underground Crafter blog here.
About Tamara Kelly
Tamara started crocheting when her oldest child was young. After her other children were born, she hoped to make some side income by selling her crocheted items. She sold her finished projects informally through friends and on Facebook. Soon, she converted a mommy blog she had started into a platform to support the sales of her crocheted items.
Tamara discovered that the free patterns she shared were some of her most popular posts, and since she preferred creating new designs to crocheting the same projects over and over, she decided to change the focus of her blog, and her business.
In addition to income from advertising and affiliate relationships on her blog, Tamara recently began working as a freelance designer for magazines, teaching a Craftsy course, and writing sponsored posts on Moogly.
About Moogly
In this interview, Tamara talks about the evolution of her own business and shares several tips for other yarn industry indies.
Diversify your income
Tamara adds new income streams when she feels confident about her schedule and processes related to her existing income streams. The internet changes quickly, so she takes a trial and error approach. She regularly rotates affiliate partners based on earnings. She tries to remain open to new opportunities. Tamara also repurposes content when possible.
Network online and in person at industry events
Tamara encourages bloggers and other small business owners to network within the industry. When possible, she encourages attendance at industry events. Tamara also suggests carrying your business cards everywhere since you’ll never know who you may meet. (And, she shares her tips for navigating the Knit and Crochet Show Designer Meet and Greet in the audio interview.)
Tamara also shared several ideas for powering up your blog.
- Network with other bloggers with a similar style and audience. Tamara recommends doing this online and in person when possible.
- Develop a working schedule including an editorial calendar for your blog.Tamara developed her own schedule and calendar system.
- Focus on photography and photo editing because blogging and social media are very visual. Tamara emphasizes using natural lighting, taking lots of pictures, and using PicMonkey for photo editing when necessary.
If you enjoyed this episode
The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in January, 2015. Be aware that content may be outdated.
If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).