Spruce Craft Co. Case Study
I’d like to introduce you to Elise from Spruce Craft Co. She joined Chromatical Club on the 28th of May 2020 and I was surprised to hear that she was keen to be involved in a case study. In the best kind of way.
Elise doesn’t post heaps of posts, ask heaps of questions or utilise all of the knowledge based offerings… yet she STILL get’s oodles of value from the club. She get’s value from one of the other key parts of the club. She logs in to be a part of the community.
A big reason why I started the club was because I knew that many of us creatives worked alone and it can be darn lonely. I wanted to create a safe place where people felt like they weren’t alone, where they were heard, where they felt normal and supported from others in the small business world.
This case study shows that there is many more reasons than just the educational and consulting side of Chromatical Club. You can gain value from being being a part of something bigger. A community of like-minded people.
Why did you join Chromatical Club?
Many factors I think:
I'd heard it been mentioned on different groups, on Instagram although I can't remember exactly where.
Trish’s overall presence and the colour, which appeals to me as a creative, and just a general good friendly feeling about Trish.
Not locked into a contract.
Located in Melb, which may not have been a deal breaker, it was just comforting
Lots of makers and product-based business involved. There seem to be lots of things for service-based business around but not so much for product-based.
The QUICK WE"RE CLOSING THE DOORS, the idea I might miss out and regret it and
Working on my money mindset lately, helped me to 'just do it'.
What did you hope to achieve from joining?
Mostly it was for a general support network honestly.
A feeling that I am 'networking' but without having to go to networking events, because really I'd rather die than walk into a room of COMPLETE strangers.
I'd always heard that people who work alone will feel isolated but I didn't believe that would ever apply to me, until my business got really super busy during the pandemic, and then I did feel shut off from the world because I was SO busy even though I loved it.
The 'marketing and learning' aspect of the club was actually not top of mind for me, it’s become like a super great bonus extra!
What were the biggest challenges you hoped the club could help with?
How to actually 'sell'.
I'm really good at showing all the 'behind-the-scene' stuff and building engagement with my brand, but actually 'selling' is way more difficult.
I need actual prompts to put up the salesy posts and they don't come naturally.
What has been your prior experience in marketing?
No formal experience but I've taken a few different short courses - Facebooks ads, general social media.
I've joined business-related FB groups. I've listened to ALL the podcasts, marketing and business podcasts are my jam. Especially when they highlight makers and their business journey, I LOVE hearing success stories.
I think thats what has lead me to Chromatical club. I usually don't feel confident asking questions in really huge FB groups (thousands ++) but definitely in small groups.
It's also helpful to have masterclasses and Q+A's because when you don't have a lot of marketing experience, often you don't know what you need to be asking.
By listening to other peoples challenges and solutions, you can apply a lot to your own business.
How has Chromatical Club helped you?
So far it's been through watching some of the social media of the others members and being inspired by what they are doing.
Video will be a big one for me to go forward with and there are already members who are killing it with putting their face online.
There is still a lot of videos in the club library that I want to explore and this will probably be the first big goal I set myself for the club, but I feel confident I'll be able to get there.
It does help to know that other people are struggling with the same areas you are, it helps to take some of the pressure we put on ourselves when we feel like 'we should already be doing this or that'.
Has the club helped you more than you expected?
So far, definitely in terms of networking, even having only been a member for a couple of months.
It's also a 'take out what you put in' type of deal, so when you're in the right headspace and are active in the group, you can definitely squeeze a lot of information and support out.
What results have you achieved since joining the club?
One thing I've done since joining the group is create tutorials for my cross stitch kits. Very simply flat-lay voice-over tutorials where I go through whats in the kit, how to start stitching and how to use a hoop.
This project took up such an incredible amount of brain space, learning how to shoot the video, edit, write the scripts, learn Youtube, LISTEN TO MY VOICE (that was the worst bit) but I've known I've needed to do it for about 2 years now. I've just been putting it off and off and off.
This club has contributed to me just accepting what isn't perfect and 'getting it out there'.
The tutorials have really helped - I can share links when people email asking questions (instead of having to type out a whole huge detailed reply), we're getting less emails overall because people aren't needing to ask us about small specific things, and I've had feedback that they are clear and concise and are making people more confident in buying my products.
And strangely, I actually enjoyed the editing part, once I got over the sound of my voice, and I'm looking forward to doing more tutorials in the future. I feel like it was so uncomfortable because it was a big ol' step out of my comfort zone and my area of experience.
How would you put a value on what the club has done for you and your business?
I haven't found another group that is similar. There are large facebook-groups but they can feel overwhelming. There are smaller groups that have a specific purpose (like when completing a course and the group is for follow up questions).
This seems more like a community that other groups I have seen or been apart of.
Speaking of value, what are your thoughts on the price of the club?
Oh yep the price is easily worth the value of the club!
Who would you recommend the club to?
Definitely makers like me, and sole traders who are just looking to connect as well as learn.
Even people who feel like they 'can't take anything more on' because they are busy, there is actually something relaxing about having a group like this.
I suspected I would be too busy to get any value from the group, and it would just add another layer of stress. But I've found it to be really helpful in only a couple of months of membership and I can see the potential for further growth while part of the group.
What do you love about Chromatical Club?
I love that it's super casual.
People can dip in and out as they want, there isn't the pressure to contribute or keep up with posts.
When you log in, you can just join in with whatever is going on at that moment.
Lastly, can you tell us a little more about your businesses and where we can find you online?
I'm Elise, I created Spruce Craft Co. in 2015 to bring bright, colourful, fun cross stitch back into the world.
The big retailers weren't selling modern cross stitch designs so I decided to fill that gaping hole and I've since met so many creative people who have fond childhood memories of cross stitch, and are so happy to relive their old hobby.
I'm proud that all of our kits are handmade in Melbourne. It's taken many years of research but I've now found suppliers that are ethical and high quality, and importantly are supplies that I would want to use as a stitcher myself.
Most of all I love the immediate feedback I get from people on social media, it helps me create designs that people really want (and that I love designing!) I love that people can share their ideas and feel apart of my brand, and change up my designs so suit their own tastes.
You can find me at:
Website: www.sprucecraftco.com
Instagram: @spruce_craft_co
