Blogging for the Win

In the niche of sustainable and ‘farm to table’ crafting, Laura Lee Imhoff and her highly popular blog reign supreme. However, this wasn’t always the case and, as she puts it herself, she never expected her blog’s immense success, or that this would be her future when she first began. 

Despite not knowing what the future would look like, Made by Laura Lee has grown steadily and effectively over the last 8 years leading to many blog views each month without a single dollar spent in advertising. So, the question is, how does she do it? The answer she gives is a culmination of authenticity, finding her niche, and planning for the future she wants even if it isn’t quite the future she receives. As her site bio states, “With a world that has gone high tech, [Laura] has found a niche in the resurgence of old-time crafts: hand embroidery, the creation of canned goods, and giving new life to tired furniture.” This is the niche that has helped her to flourish with her blog being the catalyst for some of her greatest brand achievements likewise. As Laura herself likes to say, “I truly never thought that this humble little blog would transform into a business.”

A Passion Passed Down Through Time

Before beginning her blog and small business, Laura Lee was where most handmade sellers start—in an office job dreaming of something more. While she was unsure of what this fulfilling career would actually be at the time, she knew she had plans to do something else that allowed her creativity to shine through.

What she didn’t know was that her future was actually dependent on her past and the traditions passed down from her grandparents. As Laura puts it, “While I have a fine arts background, I never anticipated that I would have a business making embroidery, canning, and refinishing furniture. I became fascinated by these old-timey crafts as a way to bond with my grandparents. My grandmother was an embroiderer enthusiast and canned produce throughout the spring, summer, and fall. My grandfather had a gift for refinishing furniture that I cannot even begin to describe. After their passing, I became obsessed with continuing these methods in order to stay connected to their memory.”

The tradition, passion, authenticity, and history that came with these artisan crafts is how Laura was able to take a bonding experience with her family and transform it into a thriving business and blog online. From there, it was all about taking these techniques to the next level with entrepreneurial strategies that worked. 

Raising $10,000

To take her passions and turn them into a business, Laura first needed that extra push. She accredits her two friends for this transition from a hobby into a profession and says about her start, “I had two really big cheerleaders. My friend, Lindsey, who was always the loudest and proudest when it came to me starting my business. She was there for the victories and the lowest of lows and tears. The other was my friend, Katrina O’Day, a full-time jewelry designer. She pushed me to do what I love. It is inspiring to see her doing what she loved every single day and it made me believe I could too.”

With the right support system serving as a foundation for her new pursuits, Laura then moved on to the next step—the plan that would help her dreams become a reality. By starting slow and creating a one-year strategy, Laura was able to not just grow her online presence but create her Kickstarter campaign, “Help Made by Laura Lee Grow,” which successfully raised over $10,000 in 30 days.

In response to this success, Laura stated, “I started slow. I kept working and I built up savings before I took the plunge. I made sure I had the full support of my friends and family (let’s face it, they may not be 100% but don’t let that stop you). I had craft fairs and gigs booked in advance, all I did was talk about my business whenever I went out, I messaged people all the time to catch up and mentioned my business, I felt like a walking advertisement. I unapologetically kept pushing through. I launched the Kickstarter, and the rest is history. It was the best thing I ever did for myself.”

Blogging for the Win

It’s not the start of her business or her Kickstarter, however, that truly reflects her dedication and the work she puts into her business daily for it to succeed. Instead, all it takes is one peak into the unapologetically, authentic and valuable content she creates for her blog to see where her true originality and brand identity comes from. 

Initially, the blog began as nothing more than a recommendation from a friend and its content included Laura’s most recent embroidery projects, refinished furniture projects, recipes, and songs she wanted to share with the community. However, the thing that sets her blog apart from the rest and has received the most attention from buyers and sellers is her honest posts about her struggles with ‘Imposter Syndrome’ and her creativity blocks.

“Since the launch of the blog, I’ve also incorporated other topics that are a little deeper, like I previously mentioned writers’ block, but self-doubt from an artists’ perspective, or what it can be like to get lost in the daily grind and hustle to try and make a living. I think my readers have really appreciated the wide variety of posts and opening up on more vulnerable topics.”

When asked what blog posts seem to do the best and receive the most attention from her audience, Laura said, “The blog posts that have been the best for my business are any of the recipes I post. They seem to get the most traffic and views, the most shares, and I always get the most feedback from readers whether it’s with questions or a quick note that says, “I made this, I loved it!””

Another potential reason for these posts doing so well is Laura’s love for making them. As she puts it, “Blogging about food and recipes is definitely the most fun from playing in the kitchen to plating and staging the photos. I think the very close second is my more deliberate musings about life. Since I’ve begun sharing more about myself, it has really allowed space for my readers to feel more comfortable reaching out and having more of a dialogue rather than just, “Hey, read my blog! See what I made!” I think now that I’ve thought about it, I most enjoy the interaction that comes from the blogging itself.”

Through her authenticity, creativity, and consistency in posting, not only has Laura Lee been able to create over 150 blog posts, but has also received her fanbase and attention through them without paying anything for advertising in return. 

When asked about her advertising, Laura Lee replied, “Oddly enough, I do not advertise my blog. I never have. Is that weird? I’ve been fortunate enough to never have to think about advertising the blog. A lot of my traffic happens organically. I mean, I share it on every avenue I can: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and my mailing list. I have a very supportive group of friends that share my posts as well even after all of these years.” This shows the power that a consistent and interesting blog can have for any handmade seller looking to grow and maintain an audience that cares. 

As for the future of her blog, Laura Lee believes that moving more in a ‘farm to table’ direction is the best way to help her brand grow alongside her. “I’m currently running a farm, but it’s my hope to have my own farm someday where everything made by Laura Lee is sourced from and/or inspired by the farm and a sustainable lifestyle. The blog is already moving in this direction with produce-inspired embroidery, locally-sourced produce for my canned goods and recipes, and more.”

It just goes to show that you never have to stay in the niche you began with and that your brand can absolutely change alongside you if you create a support system and fanbase that allows it.

Advice for Other Sellers: ‘Find Your Self Worth and Run With it!’

Having started a successful business from the ground floor up and attaining a large investment into her business from organic marketing alone, it’s no surprise that we at Handmade Seller simply had to ask Laura what advice she could give to other sellers like herself as they begin down this path to success. 

In response, Laura told us, “Do not, under any circumstance, sell yourself short and don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth. The first is something that everyone has told me along the way and it is invaluable. The second one I learned from experience. That was the harder lesson.”

Laura also broke down some of her lows and how she handled them starting out as well. With every success comes a mountain of obstacles and lows before it. For handmade sellers, these are the moments that define them and their dedication to their brands. When asked what her biggest challenges were starting out, Laura Lee stated, “The biggest challenge was taking the jump from a full-time job to being a full-time maker. The fear can be debilitating but once you overcome one hurtle or get a big commission, the taste of success is motivating. The other big fear and challenge that I still continue to grapple with is Imposter Syndrome. It sounds silly, but this is a newer experience for me and I’m working through it. I have a business, a blog, I run a farm, I play music…  and I just wait for someone to be like… Hey! What are you doing? You’re not really good at any of these things.”

However, being able to share these fears and obstacles with her audience has helped Laura Lee to handle these problems with her support system by her side making sure no battle is fought alone. This is where that foundation of family and fan support comes into play.

Lastly, Laura Lee gave this piece of advice for the first year and how to successfully get through it, “The strategy tip I highly recommend and cannot stress enough, and maybe I have not conveyed this appropriately: HAVE A PLAN. I made a one-year plan down to a weekly schedule, with projections, inventory, events, media, and press, etc. I didn’t always meet the goals set, but I was always moving forward and it’s the best thing I continue to do.” 

Although the road is rarely paved for handmade sellers when they set out, all it takes is a bit of planning, dedication, and breaking through barriers as they come along to pave your own road and smoothly cruise down it for years to come. The key is finding a way to connect and, for Laura, that came in the form of a simple blog and the personal stories/successes she’s shared through it. 

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