Unexpected Business Lessons From a Creator Conference
Hello All,
Last week, I was in Boise attending the Craft + Commerce conference which brought together a variety of creators, educators, and entrepreneurs.
This kind of conference isn’t usually in my wheelhouse since it wasn’t finance-related. I quickly realized, thought, that I had more in common with many of the attendees than I often do at accounting conferences as the way we’re building our businesses, and the goals we're hoping to achieve, are much more aligned.
One of my goals, in addition to learning about topics that were directly related to what I'm doing, was to have real human interactions. This doesn't come naturally to me as I'm reserved by nature and often find it challenging to initiate conversations.
To partially overcome this, I signed up for a "wilderness hike" (its quite lovely in Boise) before the start of the conference where I had no choice but to talk to people. Additionally, this gave me an anchor i.e. familiar faces to connect with when the conference actually began.
Somewhat surprisingly, this strategy worked better than I hoped and I had some great, impactful conversations (it helped that the people at the conference were forthcoming and intelligent). I came away with several connections that I hope to follow up with over the coming months.
In terms of the learning, while much of the advice was geared toward online creators, the underlying lessons were unexpectedly relevant to any small business owner. Here are a few things I’ve been reflecting on since coming back:
1. Know how to introduce yourself.
The very first keynote taught us how to distill what we do into one clear, confident sentence, in the form of: “I help [who] do [what].”
For me, it’s: I help Canadian small business owners simplify their finances.
When you're networking or talk about yourself, you are almost always asked "what you do". Getting this right forces clarity about who you serve and what it is that you want them to achieve. It is also makes it more likely that the person you are speaking with will remember you and potentially reach out to you in the future.
2. Not everyone is for you.
Tori Dunlap, a finance creator, talked about she uses the word "patriarchy" in her messaging. A number of people are turned off by this, which was her point. She knows exactly who she’s speaking to.
Your content, services, or message won’t resonate with everyone and they're not meant to. If you know your customer, and speak to them, your impact will be more powerful. A great quote that she had was "if you're speaking to everybody, you're speaking to nobody".
3. Simplicity sells.
Liz Wilcox, a colourful (literally!) and dynamic figure, built a six-figure business around a $9/month email membership by consistently delivering value. It’s a reminder that your offer doesn’t have to be complex just helpful, well-positioned, and priced to feel like a no-brainer.
4.Transcend AI
AI is entrenched in our everyday lives, and it’s changing the way we create. What we, as humans have to offer, is our voice and our judgment. We can curate content, build trust and create communities that offer value beyond what AI is able to offer.
5. Focus brings momentum.
Instead of doing ten things at once, experiment with one thing for a couple of weeks. Get better at it. Then move on or go deeper. This advice felt especially relevant for business owners who wear multiple hats.
6. Tell better stories.
People remember stories, not bullet points. The goal is to make your content aspirational, educational, or entertaining. If you can do all three, you'll likely have a customer for life.
One speaker said: If you can make someone laugh or cry, you’ll have them hooked.
By sharing real moments, struggles, and wins, you build authentic human connections.
Let me know if any of this resonates with you and/or what you’re working on by simply replying to this email. As always, I love hearing from you.
Have a great weekend!
Ronika
