Small Business Research and Enterprise

By Becky Ackerman, founder of I Do Handmade

You’ve got the products, the passion, you’ve probably got a beautifully curated Instagram grid and a growing collection of bubble wrap.

So why does it feel like not much is happening?

If you’re in your first year and feeling stuck, you are not the problem. Your products almost certainly aren’t the problem either. It’s usually one of these five things.

1. Waiting to feel ready

There’s a version of your business that lives in your head. The one where the branding is perfect, the website is finished, and then, only then, you’ll start putting yourself out there.

That version never arrives. There’s always something else to tweak.

Visibility is not a reward for being ready. It’s a decision you make before you feel ready.

What to do instead: Give yourself one afternoon to get the basics in place, a consistent name, a clear description of what you sell, adding the links for people to buy. Then start showing up. Refine as you go.

2. Selling in one place

The same market every month. One Etsy shop. An Instagram account. And then frustration when sales don’t come.

Different customers find you in different ways. Some at a market, some through a stockist, some via a press feature or a gift guide. The more doors you have open, the more likely someone is to walk through one of them. You can’t predict which one will work hardest for you, so the goal is to open as many as you reasonably can.

What to do instead: Think beyond markets and social media. Stockists, corporate pop-ups, gift guide submissions, unusual venues. These are real opportunities that most first-year sellers don’t know exist. Try and add a new way for customers to find you each month and after 6 months you’ll have so much knowledge to know where to put your energy.

3. Not knowing your numbers

Numbers aren’t the fun part. But neither is working flat out, every weekend and not making money.

If you don’t know your margin, you can’t judge whether a market is worth doing. If your pricing isn’t right, you might be losing money every time you get a sale without realising it. Most first-year sellers undercharge, not because they’re careless, but because the idea of someone walking away over the price feels awful. The problem is that low prices create a cycle that’s hard to break.

What to do instead: Add up your real costs, materials, time, packaging, fees. Price for profit, not just to seem accessible. You are allowed to make money.

4. No plan, just a lot of busy

Without a plan, everything feels urgent. You end up reactive, spreading energy thinly across lots of things and never really moving forward.

Product businesses don’t usually fail because of a lack of effort. They fail because that effort isn’t pointed in the right direction at the right time.

What to do instead: Map out the next six months. What opportunities suit your product and your season? What comes first? A rough plan beats no plan every time.

5. Posting but not being visible

Posting and being visible are not the same thing. If your social media content is mainly photos of your products sitting beautifully on a mantle piece, describing the soft cotton and sustainable ingredients you’ve used, you’re presenting yourself as a catalogue.

The brands who build a healthy customer base, share the story behind the work, show their process, and give their ideal customer something worth stopping for. 

Social media has changed so much in such a short space of time, and the content that does well is the one that stops the scroll, creates an emotion, makes people feel like ‘oh that’s so me!’ We’re now fighting for people’s attention.

Social media done well is about building a relationship before someone ever buys. Your personality is part of what people are buying into.

What to do instead: Think about who your ideal customer is, what would they find useful or interesting. Take a candle brand, bringing calm to the home – talk about ways to destress, or the perfect hot drink concoction to go with a relaxing candle-lit evening, or the must-watch Netflix series’ to watch. Weave your products into everyday valuable content.

Want more help?

Get Seen, Get Selling is my ebook for first-year UK product sellers. This 75 paged blueprint, covers market organisers, stockists, pitch templates, pricing guidance, a six-month roadmap, and 100 Reel hooks ready to use. The guide I wish I’d had in year one when I sold products.

Grab it as an instant download here, the first 50 buyers to purchase will also receive a free 2026 Product Sales Calendar.

You’ve got the products. Let’s make sure the right people know about them.

About the writer

Becky Ackerman is the founder of I Do Handmade, who supports the growth of product-selling businesses helping them grow faster and sell more. Founded in 2013, she helps small independents flourish, through her latest book, a business boosting app, pop-ups in iconic locations and in-person and online networking events. Becky is on a mission to disrupt the retail industry, truly helping small businesses to succeed and thrive, showcasing a nation of talented creatives, makers and artists giving them the attention and recognition they deserve.

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