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Text me about this episode! 5% of employees in the US are millionaires.. and 88% of millionaires are business owners. Success leaves clues, wouldn't you say? This summer, my primary business, Music City Sewing, will turn eight. Eight years of running a small service-based sewing business that on the surface looks super shiny & glittery, peppered with Getty images and exciting opportunities, but when it comes down to it, it’s a blue collar business. It’s alterations, it’s softgoods and merch… it’s just your typical business on Main Street. But it's changed my life, in a way that I could only pray more people get to experience if they have an idea that's bursting at the seams.  Interested in reading up about the Six-Figure Sewing Pattern? Head to sixfiguresewing.com. Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! Money is the scoreboard for the impact you get to have in the world as a business owner.  You know what a red flag looks like in dating, but can you spot the ones that go up in MOST small sewing businesses? I'm bringing you five red flags, five ways sewing businesses waste money. I'm speaking to myself this week, as someone who's made every mistake in the book! Tune in! Get 50% off your first year using my favorite email marketing platform, flodesk by heading to krystaldouglas.com/flodesk. Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! Broke and anxious?? Running a sale is always the way to go to solve your problems, right?  Eeeesh.. How exactly do you plan to make more money at your craft by charging less? I don't believe in regularly running sales on products or services you don't plan to sunset - for these eight reasons. And because it's not enough to tell you why running sales all the time is bankrupting your brand, I also give you five ways to incentivize sales instead of simply slashing prices. Let's go! Artful Agenda promo code: RK405225 Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! Have you ever wondered exactly what's in the clothes you make to sell, or how you could potentially clean up the amount of synthetic dyes and chemicals your customers may be buying? Just because a product is handmade, doesn't mean it's skipped out on containing chemicals that are scientifically-proven to affect our bodies as makers, and inevitably, your end customers. Today's guest is Jeff Garner, a fashion designer of the clothing line Prophetik, and Emmy-winning documentary producer. His newest documentary, Let Them Be Naked debuts May 11th, 2025 and goes in-depth into the research, the education, and the impact our fashion design has on our bodies and our environment.  If there has ever been an episode that left me immediately making lists of ways to make healthy changes in terms of removing toxins from MY WORK, it's this one! Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! We’ve seen bad AI...  in all formats, like blog & image creation, voice cloning, etc. But in order to use AI well, and benefit from its capabilities, you have to FIRST understand how it works, and how to clearly articulate what you want, and SECOND, you have to actual put in effort to creating the right prompt. As a business owner, you get out of it what you put in, so with just a little time in learning how it works, and finding the right types of AI to help you play to your strengths, you can gain even more momentum on your year than you originally thought possible. Let's run through three different ways we're using AI in our sewing business RIGHT NOW, and how we're leveraging it to push past the competition and increase our bottom line. Psssst! Wanna steal my homework? Grab my FREE AI Chat Prompts for Handmade Businesses by visiting krystaldouglas.com/ai. Affiliate link: Save 50% on your first year using Flodesk for your email marketing by clicking here! Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! We don't rise to our goals, we fall to our systems.  Last year, I was gone over HALF of the year, but solely because our business processes are practically muscle memory at this point, our business still continued to grow.  I go behind the scenes in housekeeping for my business at the top of the year, to teach you exactly what steps you should take if you own a handmade business and want a peaceful, organized start to your year, as well as a framework for structuring your craft work! Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! After just a quick year sabbatical, we're back with Season 2 of Pull The Thread Podcast. This is mostly a recap for the past year, as to why Krystal took a break from ALL content creation, as a digital business owner AND brick-and-mortar business owner, and how we're approaching reentry/planning for a profitable, peaceful year. Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! If you're hustling for new clients all day, and working as fast as your little fingers can fly  all night, you've probably been walking the fine line between self-employed and business owner for a while now. Krystal has a couple ways to tell if it's time to make the changes you need for long term stability, as well as a little advice for what's going to be expected of you when you change. Regardless of whether you want to scale your business, or remain a one-person operation, Krystal has tips for what to look out for along the way.  Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! Do you ever feel like people are lapping you? Like everyone else is moving forward, and your current status is... well... stationary?  Episode 27 of Pull the Thread podcast is for the perpetual planner who just can't seem to pull the trigger on launching or is stuck without any growth. Because you only ever really have two choices - you can evolve or remain.  Are you willing to do what it takes?  Krystal guides listeners through a series of practical questions to get unstuck a move forward - what's it gonna be? Questions to answer for your business to move forward: 1.  What do customers want? 2. Can I get them what they want? 3. How do I deliver it to them? 4. Where can we find pockets of target customers who are frustrated with our competition? 5. Where is the competition weak or deficient in delivering the outcomes, solutions, and the value the market demands? 6. What should we be doing to communicate to potential customers that a we are the aspirin for their pain? 7. What are the three primary problems (pains) my target market has? 8. Where have I substituted my judgement for what I want to deliver, for what the customers actually want to receive? 9. How could I check in with our customers to find out what new pains they’re experiencing or gains they want to achieve? Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! September marks my assistant, Natalyn’s one-year anniversary of working at our brick-and-mortar sewing business. I finally dragged her behind the mic to share about the past year, all the hard work she’s put in, and things she’s learned along the way. If you’re considering fashion school, or a career in the hands-on side of creating fashion, this episode is one not to miss. We talk about how she scored her opportunity, what it took to prove herself, things she found surprising, and how she would go about it if she did it all over again. We also delved into my management style, and shared some behind the scenes of our favorite projects we’ve worked on together.  Keep up with Natalyn’s journey by following her on Instagram at @natalynkaser.  Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! These nine (mostly free) tools have changed the game for me in terms of automating and delegating tasks. My goal as a business owner is to not waste any human brainpower whatsoever dong things computers can do more efficiently, and in return, keeping our valuable hands busy doing work that matters for people who care.  My top 9 tools for a more productive, profitable handmade business: Lucky OrangeChatGPTTrelloAnswer the publicHemingway appArtful agenda FlodeskSlackSheets As promised, get 50% off your first year of Flodesk using this code:  https://flodesk.com/c/XNKSAJ Head to KrystalDouglas.come to hop on the mailing list! Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! Derek Thompson says that to sell something familiar, you have to make it surprising. To sell something surprising, you have to make it familiar. "It is in this interplay between familiarity and surprise where the strongest appeal lives. And isn’t that just it? Customers are either torn between their curiosity of new things, and also, a fear of anything too new. Hop into this episode to learn how to walk the line between familiarity and surprise, and to hear a really cool story about how a Russian Jewish immigrant named Rose Blumkin went from buying used clothes for 10 cents to selling her company for $60 million. pullthethreadpodcast.com Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! Did you know Steve Jobs was so upside down on starting Pixar that he was personally funding payroll for months on end before Toy Story was released? He couldn’t secure backing from anyone, but truly believed in the creative underbelly of what was going on inside of those ordinary offices that sat next to an oil refinery. Jobs was $50 million in the hole, but still knew he was onto something in what they were creating. He brought in Lawrence Levy to be his CFO, who documented the tale of tension, creativity, and lunacy, in bringing Pixar to what it's known as today. A five star life requires margin. YOU need breathing room - you need margin in your craft or fashion-based business in order to survive and keep creating. These 10 tips will inject a little more oxygen into your survival helmet from month to month. 50% off your first year code for Flodesk (my preferred email service provider): https://flodesk.com/c/XNKSAJ Subscribe to the mailing list to get more free content like this at krystaldouglas.com. Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! The largest art theft in history happened nearly 33 years ago, in Boston, March 18, 1990. Thieves stole 13 pieces of art valued at over $500 million, from Isabella Gardner Museum. One of the pieces stolen has been valued at $250 million… A reward of $10 million is still being offered for the return of this art.  Have you ever stolen from yourself? If you’re a creative trying to do business by selling the things you make, or your services themselves, most likely, I’m sorry to tell you, you have. This episode is all about the ways you’re stealing from yourself, and how to stop. Dig into other episodes by visiting pullthethreadpodcast.com Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.

Text me about this episode! This episode highlights the pain points of well-intentioned aspiring fashion designers. If a sketch were all one needed, then anyone could be a fashion designer... But it isn't. You don't need to know how to pattern or sew - you just need to communicate with those who do. There are a lot of steps between making a sketch, and having it manufactured into wearable clothing...  I built you a staircase.  Fashion lines are expensive, but they cost even more to start if you don't know what you're doing. The majority of the work happens before you ever approach a factory for manufacturing. You can hire out the skills you don't have, but understand that your adventure buddies (i.e. pattern makers, seamstresses, manufacturers) expect you to at least bring a map before they climb onboard. You've got work to do. Tap into the industry knowledge needed to have a fashion design manufactured. https://projectfashionforward.com Interested in learning from Krystal? Hop on the mailing list on krystaldouglas.com.