This so that it will be available starting Saturday morning to view on michaels.com
So again, welcome to the people that are coming in now. Thanks for being patient in the waiting room. We have roughly 500 very eager and happy people to be with us tonight.
Through all sorts of areas of the country so great. So on behalf of Michael's, I would like to say how honored, we are to have Karen Baxter, Miss creative co with us.
So before I turn it over to her. I just, again, wanted to say thank you and it looks like Karen that everyone is ready to learn more about making sure that they have the right mindset to run their business. So I'll turn it over to you.
Well, I cannot let me turn the camera on. Where's the button.
Here I am, y'all.
Listen, I am not look
Y'all know me and the ones that don't you learn me very quickly. I'm a big hearted individual and I'm emotional okay because I'm a creative and I'm sensitive. Okay.
But to see these numbers coming in here and that you guys are choosing
To spend time with me. I have a little music going on because when I ever I do my lives. I always have some music in the background.
But I want to turn it down so I could pay closer attention because I'm known to break out in dance a little bit during alive but I'ma try to be good at this time, but I am so emotional right now that you guys are here.
I appreciate it. Appreciate it. I think all of the people that have been with me on this journey.
Even Michaels specially has been with me on this journey, even when they didn't do it because plenty of days I walked in Rome, the aisles of Michael buying stuff. I need to own stock y'all probably need to own stock if you're anything like me,
And I have
I would have never thought that I would be here.
I just wouldn't have at that time in my life. And that's about mindset. And that's what we're here to talk about today. I'll tell you a little bit about me. I'll tell you about my story.
But we're here about being a maker and how our mindset affects our money. Okay, being a creative is very different.
Learning how to make money as a creative is very different than buying products wholesale and selling them retail. It's a different thing.
So like I tell everybody. I can tell you all day long about the particulars about branding about marketing. I could tell you all about how to price your product platforms to sell on SEO strategies algorithms.
But it won't matter at all until you get that mind right you understand the mind. That's where it all starts. Okay, so what I'm going to do is make sure guys before I get started I'm gonna give you a minute. Okay, so I don't want y'all to say she didn't tell me about this later on.
I want you guys to go over to my website, which is MS MS creative CE o.com and I want you to download your makers mindset and money workbook. Okay, this is like a little notepad for you today. This is a
Letter from me to you some questions that I want you to think about on your journey. This time, and some notes okay for you to take and you can keep this so you can refer back to it later.
Okay. It's also great because this, this will be recorded and up on the Michaels website so you need to. If you need to replay it or watch it or whatever, you will be able to use your little handy dandy notepad.
And write stuff now. Okay, so going grab that it is now 808808 my time 708 Central time which is Michael's time. All right, I'm gonna give you
Two minutes to three minutes to go grab it and download it and then we're going to get started and y'all better be ready because
A LOT OF PEOPLE ON HERE THEY ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOU DID I do you deal with a lot of folks already know, but in case you don't be ready because we're going to dig deep.
We're going to dig deep, we only have a short amount of time. But in that amount of time. We're going to have a mind shift.
Okay. Um, and you probably will ask what does anything any of this have to do with creating or crafting
Well, it has everything to do with it. If you're trying to make money from your crafting. It has everything to do with it. So, trust me. Trust me. I'm not going to lead you wrong. Trust me. Okay, so
It is now 809 I'm going to turn off my camera for just one second, I'm gonna give you a minute to go and grab it and I'm gonna be back and you better be ready. All right, give me a second, listen to a little music in the interval
If you're just joining us, Miss Baxter is giving everyone a few moments to go to her website, which you see pictured on the page now to go and grab
The download of your workbook. So if you're just joining us, this is a great time to go and do that she'll be back with us in just a few moments.
If I may say something if for all of you who do not know, miss, Karen. You guys are in for a very special treat this young lady speaks from her heart.
She's authentic. She's knowledgeable. She by the time you finish this you will want to go make a plan. I promise you, you're going to have a plan, you're going to think about your mindset and have a plan. So get ready.
I see that some hands are raised. She will have a Q AMP. A at the end of this talk, so
Thank you. Janine.
Y'all, that was my best it I didn't pay her to say that either.
I didn't say hello to say that. Okay, I gotta take off my arm I got an iPhone watch right, I got to take it all because I feel like my arm is going to vibrate off my body because y'all are going to grab that download. I love it. I love it. I love it. Okay, so let's get started.
All these wonderful notes and messages in the chat. Thank y'all. I appreciate it. I can't answer each one of them, but I see him, I acknowledge it and I appreciate it. Okay, so the first thing we're going to talk about today.
Is your mindset and why it matters in crafting what I tell my team and I tell a lot of people all the time. Is that crafting is heart and soul work.
It comes from your heart and within your soul. It is something that you have thought up in your brain. You've seen it. You've formulated in in your mind.
And it comes out through the tips of your fingers. Okay. It is a very personal situation.
So you cannot go into it because the you're not attached to a purse or handbag or a car or whatever it is you're trying to sell.
You are not attached to that you didn't create it, you didn't put your personality and in your vibe in your energy. You didn't do any of that.
It's just something that you saw on the shelf. Oh, it might sell it might not. Let me buy it and see if you do it it sales. If it doesn't, you don't take it personal. You didn't make it right.
Different with crafting when you are crafting, it is all it is you and you take it personal, you know, that whole saying, like I just said, I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my stuff right
So when you aren't going into the craft world, you have to shift your mindset from being a crafter or a hobbyist and go into it as a business. That is why my tagline if you got your notes, I need you to write this down.
I'm going to teach you how to take your mindset in your business from the backroom into the boardroom. So you can take your business to the bank. Okay, say with me or type it with me backroom boardroom business bank. Okay.
See what you have to do is shift the way you used to think as a crafter doing this as a hobby to how people think in the business world, and you have to apply business principles.
To your crafting business. If you want to really make it successful. Otherwise you will just be spinning your wheels in the back room.
Wondering why your stuff is not selling being sensitive because your friends and family are not supporting you.
Reducing your prices because you're so desperate for sale and eventually just quitting because you feel like nobody. It's not worth anything. Okay.
When, when you understand how your mind works and how it is important. Very good backroom boardroom business bank.
Um, how is how important that my shift is and when you make the shift, you will see avenues open up to you that you never saw before.
You will see things that makes so much sense that you were confused about before. And this whole journey into the crafting business.
Will be a whole lot simpler on a certain level. Don't get me wrong.
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. Okay. You have to be ready for because you're going to incur all kinds of obstacles, but you got to be ready for it. But if you are, and you're willing to go through it. Trust me, it will be worth it. Okay.
So heart and soul work. You're emotional about your stuff. But why are you emotional about your stuff.
Because you, I urge you to dig deep now needs are rhetorical questions.
What, what is it in you that makes you feel
Like we're scared to put it out there.
A lot of times we're afraid to put our stuff out there you know why because it's personal. And if people reject it, you will feel like they are rejecting you
And that's understandable because you put your time and your energy into it.
So if you put it on the website or not even a website. Most of us new crafters we start out on Instagram or on Facebook or you put it on your personal pages.
And then when your family or your friends or your followers or whatever. Don't give you 1000 likes. They don't even say a p i must say one word. Oh, that's cute.
You get a little sensitive, like, Well, what's wrong with my stuff. And then you start to take it personally because it's my stuff. It's not just something random
And and that can be discouraging because a lot of times because of that sensitivity. You are attaching your emotions and your self worth to what other people perceive your art as what you have to understand is our
Somehow I got muted by accident. I apologize. But somehow, um, what happens is
And I lost my thought.
Um,
Once we are not accepted by our people are try, we tend to start looking in second guessing ourselves and that creates a downward spiral.
So what you have to do is start to work on yourself. Get your mindset together. Understand that everybody is not your customer.
Especially your friends and your family and because their friends and family. You don't look at them as a stranger, you have certain expectations on your friends and family that you don't have on people that you don't know
It would bother you if other people did not, you know, probably set buy from you but it won't affect you as much if your friends and family. Don't buy from you.
So that's why you have to shift your mindset and understand. Listen, I am worth it regardless if my friends and family. Don't buy from me or not.
You have to understand your own worth and that requires you digging deep because when you are out there on the open market. You are subject to things.
That you're not subject to when you're just a hobbyist you are looked at in a different light. You're a business and businesses have expectations. You have to mentally be ready for that.
I hope that's making sense to you. You also have to be ready because once your mindset is on business Mo, you will soon learn to trust your worth and trust what you're saying and what you think.
Because right now, some people are in a situation where their self worth. Therefore, they're worth of their item is dictated by what other people say.
And I understand it because I was like that too. If someone I remember very vividly like I would make something and I would have to ask my friends what they thought this was. Were you know what I'm talking about. You ask your friends. Well, what would you pay for this.
Like, how much would you buy this school. Okay. Because you I didn't know. I didn't. I wasn't trusting myself because I wasn't confident in my own skill.
OK, so I'll make it, and then I'll send it to my friend, or I'll show a hey, how much would you buy for this and then I would base my work on whatever she or he would say,
And then if they say, well, I will only pay $5 for and I'm thinking, you ought to be paying 50 then I'm like second guessing like, well, maybe I'm not as good as I thought I was right.
But that's a part of that mindset shift. You have to be willing to know how good you really are. See, here's the thing. You're a crafter and everybody else's not
Because you know how to do stuff. Other people don't know how to do. And that's why they will come to you. What is your secret sauce. If you're looking
In the makers handbook. I gave you, first of all, I want you to ask yourself, what's your why
Like why are you even doing this. Why, why do you want to. Is it just to make money.
Is it because you want a side hustle, are you, what's your purpose. Because otherwise you'll be putting a whole lot of effort into something
That's not going to stick long because you don't really have a foundation, you don't really have a purpose. Every really thriving business has a mission statement.
And they have a purpose. That's a business way to think I need you to get out of the back room and into the boardroom, in the boardroom. They're writing down what the mission statement is
So I need you to write down your mission statement. What is your why, why are you doing this.
Okay. Is it for someone else, or is it for you is to pay bills. What is a purpose, not the result of the action. But the reason behind the reason behind. You're doing it.
Then I asked you, do you feel intimidated to share your new business, and if so, why and be honest with yourself. Nobody else is going to see this but you
Why are you intimidated.
Why do you feel like nobody is going to buy your stuff. Why
If you have those issues and those problems. I need you to deal with it so that doesn't come out in your craft.
Because remember, I told you his heart and soul. So whatever is in you, it will come out of you and it will show in the vibe and the feeling and the energy of your craft.
And then when you do that, it will show in the vibe and the energy of how you promote it. If you are insecure with yourself and insecure with your own problem, can you please tell me why I need to buy it.
Now, for those of you that don't know me and new there's this thing I do call, blink, blink, like I'm really trying to get you to think like, blink, blink, so be used to that. It's going to come. OK. So again,
If you don't feel good about yourself and your stuff. Why do I need to give you my money.
Blink blink.
Why, so I need for you to get past your stuff. Now, this is too short of a event tonight a meeting tonight for us to really dig deep into that because I could go there with you.
But I'm giving you those high points that I really want you to write down and I want you to say it. Be real about it like
If they don't buy this. I'm gonna feel bad it if they don't support me. It's going to make me feel worthless, whatever it is, I need you to just write it out because you know what, when you write stuff out.
And you get it out of your system. It actually loses power. Did you know that when you write stuff down and get it out of you. It actually loses power over you.
And it helps you to think and then you know how sometimes you'll be talking and you hear yourself talking and you realize that that doesn't make any sense at all.
And you answer your own questions. That's what happens when you write. So that's why I want you to start here. So you can have take the next week to cleanse that so when we come back, same time, same place next week.
We can talk about how now you're ready mentally to get to the business. Okay, so let's let's go back. The next thing is what is your secret sauce. Okay. Why don't people want to buy from you, what is it that you have and nobody else hands. What is that
Huh.
Because see what you failed realize what comes easy for you is hard for someone else, what comes easy for you is hard for someone else. That took that was a hard pill for me to swallow because it took me a long time to say
Nobody gonna want to hear what I have to say.
Cuz everything I'm telling you, everybody already knows that.
Mm hmm.
Because this kind of stuff comes easy to me. I thought
I couldn't price myself right I couldn't even with my crafting and I just realized I really didn't introduce myself will go back to that.
But will even with my crafting I wasn't pricing myself right because I didn't understand that my knowledge was worth something. I didn't understand that I was worth something.
See, when you realize how good you are, and you are. Own your greatness see owning your greatness. There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes beach because of our life experiences society, whatever it is.
Sometimes it teaches us to play down, who we are and what we are our skills, our abilities, you know, don't, don't, don't talk about your good stuff too much. Nobody wants to hear that don't brag that type thing.
So because we've been conditioned to do that now that you're trying to start a business, especially what items that you created
All of those thought processes are rolling around in your head and saying, Oh, you can't do this. Oh, nobody wants to hear that don't don't don't promote yourself. I hear that all the time is so hard for me to promote myself. I feel like I'm being pushy.
I feel like I'm pushing myself on people is so hard for me to sell myself. I don't like sales. I don't like pushing people. So when you keep saying that. Guess what, it's so hard for you to say, hey, I make whatever it is, is so very hard for you to say that
But it's because of the conditioning.
You have to be willing to break the cycle. You have to be willing to fight yourself because your innate what automatically comes to you is to push down your greatness.
You have to be willing to break out of that and break through that. So it's not being brag. It's not being cocky. It's being confident
In your abilities and the fact that, you know, something and you know how to create something you do listen, do y'all understand how amazing it is that you are able to create everybody does not have that ability.
Their paper everybody can't just say something in their minds. I think of it.
And then let it release into the world through their fingertips. Everybody does not have that. Do you understand. That's a gift.
Do you understand that's a, that's a gift.
So when people are coming to you and saying, I want to buy they're paying you not only for the product before your gift.
But you have to accept that it is a gift and you are somewhat of an anomaly. Now, everybody can pick up some paper and some glue and some glitter and put it together.
That's crafting but when I'm saying, being a creator. When you are sewing and designing and making stuff that people want to actually buy. That's a whole different level, sweetie.
And gentlemen.
That's a whole different level. And I need you to understand that and accept that, because once you understand that. Now you are going to start commanding your worth.
Now when I teach you about pricing.
When I teach you about marketing when I develop you into the business woman or man that you need to be. Guess what, you're not going to have a problem because you understand, Okay, I could do that because I know I'm worthy of that.
That price right there. And once you tell me how to break it down and I say, oh, this is actually the price. I've been selling it for $10 but I really should be selling it for 50, you're not gonna have a problem because you know you work okay if I told some of you right now.
That mask. If you're mad matchmakers out there. The master to selling for $5 you need to be charging $20 Shelby like no
You're not ready for that. That's why I need you to get your mind together so you can be ready for what I'm a brain these next couple of weeks. So going back to the
workbook. What is your secret sauce. What is it that you can do that nobody else does. Because remember, you can't be me. You can be him. You can be her. You can be them.
All you can do is be you. So I'ma tell you right now, you're wasting your time looking at everyone else trying to do what they do. Now let me, let me explain that these other people do T shirts. You want to do T shirts, nothing wrong with that.
What I'm saying is
You can do T shirts, the way I do T shirts, even if we're using the same t shirt, the same vinyl, the same heat press the same cutting machine, the same everything you're sure is going to be different from mine. Why, because you're not me. That's why you're not me.
Okay, you have your own flavor. You have your own way of doing things. You have your own energy. You have your own vibe. And that, my dear. Is your seat results. Okay, so you can be inspired. I want you guys to start using
I want you guys to start using
Words differently. Don't say I want to be like somebody, you can say I'm inspired by that person because when you are inspired by that person they make you want to be a better you not a better them. They make you want to be a better you
So I need you to be inspired by people that you see not try to be the people that you see my shift.
And once you can do that now you are on your own path.
You're not on their path trying to rush you know y'all know about interstates and highways and you know how you have the fastest
The main interstate and then you have the the surface Street. What is it I can't remember. What's the name of the little side that's running right along the highway. Y'all know what I'm talking about.
forgot the name of there's a term for it, but that little side street you're on the side street you're on my highway on my side street, you can't be on my way. I'm on my highway. You are necessary. You want to be on your own interstate.
You want to be running as hard as you can run, not as hard as I can run. Okay. And there's enough street fact you have everybody okay
So I want you to mind shift that because what you say to yourself when you keep saying to yourself, I want to be like someone else, your mind is saying, oh,
You don't want to be like you. You want to be like them. So let me do everything I can. Because we, I talked about this yesterday and another meeting your mind is a tricky thing. Okay. It's a very tricky thing.
You have a subconscious and unconscious mind.
And your subconscious mind doesn't know right, wrong, good or bad, only what you tell it consistently over time.
So if you consistently over time. Tell your mind that the sky is green, your mind is going to believe the sky is green. That's just what's going to happen. It doesn't know right, wrong, good or bad.
And guess what it'll do it'll make you make decisions about your life based on the sky being green, which is not really the truth.
Because you've told yourself that time. It's almost like what you focus on is what get bigger, what you say to yourself all the time is what manifest example. When you're looking for a car. Okay, when you're out and you're looking for car and you're looking for green and purple Honda Accord.
What do you all of a sudden see everywhere. You see a green and purple Honda Accord everywhere, right.
That's because you're focusing on that kind of car and that color those cars probably were there the whole time. But because you weren't focused on it. Your mind wasn't creating opportunities for you to see it.
Okay, but now that you're focused on it. Your brain is trying to balance, what you're wanting and what is understand that your brain is always trying to balance your insight with your outside. So it makes your brain, notice the things that you keep saying you want
So if you keep saying, I don't want to be fat. What are you keep saying fat. So guess what you are bad, or possibly you keep making decisions based on that. So, what you should say is I want to be healthy.
I want to be fit that type thing. So guess what your brain focuses on helping you make choices to sustain what it is you want. So therefore, in business and in crafting, you have to say what you really want, not what you don't want what you really want.
That's what you have to talk and this is this is a mind shift because you've probably been saying the wrong thing to yourself a lot for years.
And all of a sudden you coming in here. One, this change things, your mind is going to fight you.
So you have to just like if you're on a diet. Just like if you're exercising or whatever or you have to be on a certain healthy, healthy meal regimen.
Let's say you're gluten free. You got to be gluten free. You guys celiac disease. Now, so guess what you have to do you have to read everything
You have to read, you have to make a conscious choice.
Until it becomes second nature. And it's going to be hard. Just like when working out, you have muscle memory on your body. Your body is like no I don't want to work out. I like sitting on the couch. What is the problem and it's painful.
It's tiring it wears you out and makes you want to stop because your brain is saying this is not what you want it. Wait a minute. Now this isn't what you want it. You want to sit on the couch.
Now all of a sudden you want me to do this. It's muscle memory, even in your brain. So you have to consciously think about changing your mindset for success.
You have to do what it takes to get rid of all of the stuff that you didn't want you have to do what you didn't do before because if you want change, you have to change.
Blink blink.
If you want change, you have to change.
Once you do it enough it will become second nature.
And once it becomes second nature, you will recognize the pitfalls, you will recognize the people in the environments that do not serve you anymore.
Okay. And so that brings me to the next thing that I want you to start doing in the workbook speak life into your business.
Write down all the positive things about yourself and about your products, why does it work. Why are you good at it. Why does the world wanted or needed
Because sometimes, excuse me, they don't even know that they need, whatever it is. You guys don't even know. So you need to tell me why need it.
Why do I need to
Find those pros, the pros and say anything about cons. Yeah, the pros. What is it about you and your product that will make people want to buy from you.
And be honest with yourself because again we have been taught. Hey, don't toot your own horn. Hey, don't talk about yourself so much
We've been taught that this is a point where you can do that it's necessary. That's what big businesses do they don't sit and cower in the corner in the boardroom.
They sit down and say give me a reason they have a whole whiteboard in the back. Why do people want this product. What do we need to do to stand out from the crowd. Look at bread. Look at the bread aisle.
How many, how many loaves of bread. How many brands of bread. So what are you going to do to stand out from the hundred loaves of bread on the bread I, what are you going to do
Because there's a whole lot of people that do T shirts low. A lot of people that MIT.
Whole lot of people that do crafting and cricket and silhouettes and all of that, there's a whole bunch of that. Why do they need you and what can you bring because you know people by the person not always the product. Y'all know that
If you don't, you need to write it down. Write it down.
People by the person they don't always buy the product they're buying you
Okay, my shift.
Okay.
Now, so, and then you have your notes page. So I hope y'all taking some good notes. All right. Um, I need you to work on getting past your mental blocks.
I need you to work on getting past the, I don't want to sell.
You'll get past that once you understand your worth. The only reason why you don't do that is because you feel insecure.
With who you are in your product and you don't want to talk about it because you're afraid of getting turned down you're afraid of being judged. But let me tell you once you know your worth. And you know your products work. You don't really care about that anymore.
You don't, you don't. It doesn't bother you. Do you think Michaels really cares about the other two stores. They didn't really care. You know, now don't get me wrong, they look at they do look at the numbers business decision.
But they're not going to not do what they do because somebody else is doing it, they're gonna figure out how to do it better.
Okay, you have to do the same thing boardroom mentality.
And that's a beautiful thing when you can combine the boardroom mentality with this craft that nobody else can do but you even if, again, even if I'm doing the same t shirt. I didn't do you did it. I didn't do it, so nobody can do a t shirt like you do a t shirt.
Makes sense. I hope this makes somebody type in the chat. Makes sense.
Right now. Okay, now I need you to do things. I need you to be aware of certain people in that. Thank you. Make sense make sense. Thank you very much. Make sure y'all listening.
Now,
Knowing your worth. Get past your mental blocks. I need you to fortify your mind. I need you to fortify your mind, that means you need to pay attention to your environment.
The people that trust me when you start going on to this journey when you go on to this journey of entrepreneurship, especially crafting
Because listen. Here's the thing. A lot of people that don't understand crafting think, Oh, that's cute. That's just a little hobby. That's so sweet can really make no money with that. Can you trust me.
And that will that will make you feel like, Oh my God, what am I doing, so I need for you to learn to categorize these people. And I also need for you to show these people grace.
Because they're not crafters so they really don't understand why you get so excited about paper.
And want them to feel the paper, the texture on the paper. They don't care or why do you hoard fabric. Like, why do you buy fabric or paper you buy three you buy one to use one, the key.
One to play with, or want to sale. Okay. Want to use for yourself one to try to sail and want to keep in hoard
They don't understand that. So sometimes people are not your inner circle are not always going to get excited for you the way you want them to
It. They're just not it doesn't mean that they don't support you. They just really don't know how to support you, because that's not their thing.
So what you have to do is get yourself into an environment where people can support that part of you.
Stop trying to force these people over here to be with they're not, you're wasting your time and your discouraging yourself.
Which you need to do is get out and network come to classes like these were on a live class there's over 100 is that 600 I can't even see people on here network.
network with other people in in in on these classes Michaels has a whole slew of classes, get on here and learn something new.
And reach out. There's a little chat room right here, reach out and say, Hey, would be a craft, buddy.
You know, getting somebody groups and connect with other like minded individuals.
That can encourage you see that's what I had to do. I have a handful, like literally a handful of friends.
That are really into crafting, I have a ton of friends that support me and what I do. Some of them are on here today. They don't care about crafting they care about me. They don't care about crafting so that doesn't mean that they don't support me though. Right.
So I have a tribe of women friends that also are a pet as passionate about crafting is I am I remember being in Michaels for years.
On lives on I y'all. Some of y'all know I go into Michaels, and just do a live and walk around the store and talk about stuff all day like that's what I do.
But they listen to me because they think like me you can't expect to get the same support from people that don't understand
What you're doing love them anyway and let them be and go find your tribe. Okay so environment is key. Watch what you listen to.
Whether it be on the radio, the TV watch who you associate with, whether it be on the radio, the TV books you read stuff you watch because all of that affects your mind.
All i don't think that that is not affecting your subconscious because it is if you're listening to stuff that's not uplifting and up building. How do you expect for your you to come out that way. You are a product of your environment. And if your environment is constantly
Oh, what you're going to be all the time. So I need y'all to shift that's a shift. Trust me, the CEOs of companies they watch their association.
They watch their inner circle and the people that that has their ear, they watch that because they understand that you listen to me. Write it down. Y'all ready, you got Europeans are you ready, you're ready.
The typing the thing that says rating.
I need to see it. Ready. Ah, that's what I'm talking about.
You are the total sum. Listen, you are the total sum of the five people that you hang around the most
Directly down to understand that.
You are the total sum of the five people that you hang around the most
Okay, so if you're right around you're hanging around people, places and things see association is not just one on one, talking to somebody
When you associate with somebody you listening to what they have to say you absorbing whatever energy. They're giving out that includes TV.
They may not see you but you see them. So whatever you're absorbing into your brain, you're associating with
Feeling whenever you are listening to certain music reading certain things. Guess what you're absorbing this association.
And so if your association and the people that are around you are naysayers and
Put, put downers and all of that stuff. And I don't have nothing but negative stuff to say, not necessarily to you about life in general, nothing is working there like er from Winnie the Pooh, something is always wrong.
Guess what.
You'll find yourself struggling to rise because the people that are with you are not helping you, they don't. And sometimes they really don't mean it. They really don't they do on what they know how to do. But now that you know better. You got to do better.
Okay, so I want you to watch your association, I need you to be aware of dream killers or dream bullies.
You know some of the people. They're like, Oh, that is so cute, like I said, they really support you.
But on the flip side, so do you really think that's a real job. Do you really think you can get some money with that, you know, maybe you need to get a real job.
I like I like what you make. Oh man that's gorgeous, but you need to get a real job. That's kind of a bully and they don't even realize that they honestly think that they're helping you. They honestly think that they're helping you.
So that's what you need to pay attention to the dream killers and make sure that you have a tribe of people that are willing to challenge your spirit challenge your worth challenge you to be better. Okay.
I need you to find your tribe. I need you to listen and read to something empowering on a daily basis. Find something affirmations. Use your affirmations to help you get better with whatever you're going through and dealing with. Okay, that's going to help you.
So that's basically it. I need for you to understand that your environment plays a lot in who you are and what you do in your business.
I need you to take time to have confidence in yourself, do the things that you need to do to build that confidence because that is going to help you drive your business. It's also going to make you do the things the hard stuff.
That get out of your shell stuff. The push harder stuff when you want to go to sleep stuff is going to help you do that. Because like next week when we talk, we're going to be talking about pricing.
We're going to be talking about branding and marketing and it's going to be a real eye opener. But I need you to be able to absorb it, because when I tell you these things. You say, Oh, I can see myself doing these things now because I'm worth it. Okay.
So when you're in the boardroom. I need you to think like you're in the boardroom, not that you're in that background being scared.
Put on your alter ego. Do whatever you need to do to get into the boardroom and be a boss at the head of the table because this is your company, you are the CEO of your business and of your life. So I need you to act like it. Okay.
Now,
Your turn.
Your turn. I need you to tell me what you've learned tonight and I needed. I need for you. I'm going to try to open this thing up to meet go has her hand raised. I'm to meet the
Selection from the choir. If I could sing, sweetie. I would but y'all don't want to hear that, um,
What questions do I have, tell me my team is out here. Um, y'all. Give me a couple of questions that I can hit while I'm getting ready. Let me go back because some of you guys really don't know some of you don't know me. Okay.
So what I do want to do is tell you a little bit. I should have done this in the beginning right but I forgot. So what, who am I, my name is Karen Baxter, as you know,
I am a ball so entrepreneur. I have been a craft from printer full time for over six years. That means that I have supported myself full time.
On crafting and making things I pay all my bills myself with the money that I earned from crafting okay
But it took me a minute to get here. Okay. DOESN'T HAVE TO TAKE LONG IT. I'm saying my experience. Okay, but I've been doing this for over six plus years I have been an entrepreneur.
For over 25 years. Okay. I am a licensed real estate agent i and i have so more than $2 million dollars in a year and got awards for selling real estate.
I did very well in real estate until the crash.
And I started working as an assistant to somebody who had, you know, some stuff going on. And they actually bought a franchise, a
tax preparation franchise. They didn't want to run it. They just wanted to say here, do it here. They just wanted the dividends from it. Right.
So they gave me the keys to the kingdom, if you would, and I built a thriving business for them. Well, like always had, and I won't say always, but a lot of times that happens when you are the employee and the employer.
The equitable portion between the work in the Prophet don't add up. And so things did they started doing things that didn't just didn't work for me. And so I went out on my own and I started my own tax business.
And so I actually am the owner of a tax preparation firm and I have been that owner for about seven years.
However, my the majority of my income does not come from tax preparation. It comes from crafting and plus tax preparation is a couple of months at the year and that's that.
So I started that business but one year, I was so, like, because I'm right and left brain.
Okay, so I've got the logic, but I'm creative it for a long time because people make fun of me being creative, because then
You know, being creative. You're A Nerd, and they make fun of you, it will see crafting has come out of the closet, so to speak. It is like on Front Street. It's like, Hello, I'm here either deal with me or I don't know what's wrong with you type situation now.
But back, man. I used to get made fun of for one, even as a grown woman for crafting
You know, people say, Oh, why are you over there playing with construction paper and some glitter, like what is wrong with you because I was doing like scrapbooks before scrapbooks really hot.
So I kind of stopped crafting for a while and then I was just all logic like taxes and real estate. This that
One year it was a particularly excuse the pun taxing year and I needed an outlet
I had been crocheting, but I really needed an outlet and they had those pretty African print skirts that were just coming out the men and I want it was so bad.
I went shopping for one, and they were like 300 bucks. I was not paying 300. Well, my mother. Hey, and this had to be, oh no, maybe 2000
I don't know.
789, something like that. I guess maybe longer my mother had purchased me a sewing machine. I see my mother is a master seamstress when I was growing up, she made me cut those darn patterns out. I hated it.
Now, wish I knew everything. My mom knew but I she was a master say or she got me a sewing machine. And where did it go in the closet at the bottom because I'm not sewing.
But that year. I wanted this skirt. So I pulled out my sewing machine with at this point was probably about 15 years old, but it was brand new, but it was still 15 years old.
I got out and I looked at a couple of videos. I'm still friends with who the person who really taught me how to make the skirt, because see my mama lesson.
But she was like, you should have learned when I was trying to teach you, ya know how mamas. Are they don't get me wrong, she will help me.
She will help me when I need it. Like my. Can you please help me like you should have learned when I was trying to teach you. My mom's old school.
So I figured it out. She helped me because she's gonna make me do it myself. Now she helped me but I finally did it. I did it. And I put it on Facebook, just to say, look what I did it.
And guess what somebody eventually said, I want you to make me skirt and I'll pay you for it. I said, Wait a minute, hold on.
Now the business side the business side of me was like I can get paid to make some skirts.
Now, I'm not even gonna tell you how much the skirt was the very first skirt. I did. It was a struggle. Now we talking about the long maxi skirts. It was a struggle for me to charge her $35. It was a struggle in my soul shoe, the fabric cost more than $25
Or $35
But I learned it was an experience I had to go through it. I learned and that's when it was born to Ky designs which is my creative side of my business MCI designs, named after my kids now you're in Kyle and the guy.
Was born and I've never looked back. I had to get the creative stuff out of my life, my head. And once I did. There's no way to put all of this back in the box. It's just not gonna happen.
And so here I am I wrong I my happy place is in the craft store.
If you love me and you want to give me something, give me a gift card to Michael's. How about that. Give me a gift card.
Absolutely. So that is my story. I have been online for a while and then I became an admin.
For the beautiful group, the largest online group of women of color who craft black girls craft, I will. I'm an admin for them been that way for a little over a year now.
And I can't say that this journey has not been fraught with ups and downs but every single moment has been worth it.
And I'm telling you, it took me a while to get my mindset, right. But once I got it right.
Here we are, here I am on Michaels com telling you about the mindset that I didn't have back then, but I had it now. So understand, I'm not just talking. I'm telling you, from experience. What I know will work for you.
Okay, so
I am so glad to hear some of you it's going so fast it's going so fast that I can't, I can't read my team out there. Do we can you inbox me or text me any questions that you've seen that I need to answer.
Because I want to
give people the opportunity to ask me whatever they want to ask me, I think.
Aaron, yes.
I'm sorry.
Where is it, is it in the
Chat privately.
In the chat.
Well, I have one from a Mrs. J. She wants to know, how can she hone in on a particular craft when she can do so many things. It's a
Great question, because as crafters we we don't figure out everything
That has to do with your purpose, you have to figure out what your purposes. And then you have to figure out which one of those crafts are going to help you with your purpose.
Purpose and passion are two different things. Passion is this thing that you really love to do passionately my passion currently in probably for extremely long time
Is painting I when I tell you I love to paint poor and resin poor, I cannot tell you how much I love it. That is a passion.
But the purpose behind that is I've taken that as a vehicle to teach other women to empower themselves and help them level themselves up.
Through making art because look, once you start paint pouring and you create
masterpieces. Guess what your confidence shoots through the world. So that's what I do, but my vehicle my pat my purpose is to empower people
To feel better about themselves so they can level up their lives. So you got to figure out what your passion and your purpose is and figure out which one of those things.
Are really going to help you on that path to your purpose because that's where your longevity comes into it. You're not jumping in and out. Now, don't let people put you in a box. Don't let people make you feel that
Because you want to do T shirts and sneakers or baby clothes and beads, whatever that you're all over the place. You're not. You're still in the same box you're crafting now you can't ever do everything all at one time.
You can't. You can't be TIP TOP AND MASTER T shirts and beads and this and that all at one time.
But what you can do is stop learn and master this then move to the next thing, master that move to the next thing, and master that and add those things into your brand.
As you've mastered that because see what we don't do is we don't have step what we don't do is put things out there into the marketplace that are not perfect. Not perfect real perfect but are not mastered
Because we're professionals, because we're in the boardroom now. Right. And we don't put things out to the public unless everything is on point, because that's your brand. Okay.
So don't let people tell you, hey, you can't. That's the word we got to remove from our vocabulary. You can't, I can't, can't
But what I will tell you is to strategize because that's what you do in the boardroom you strategize companies are always adding new lines new lines new lines. But guess what they don't just wake up one day and throw a line on the shelf. They strategize it
They test it. They go through a process and then they do it, you have to think the same way. But you can do that. I hope that answers the question.
Okay, give me another question.
Hey Karen is Chantel ever going so fast. I didn't catch the names. I'm sorry, but one young lady wants to know how do you handle naysayers in your own home.
Ah,
That's this that's a question that touches me because so many people go through that someone very close to me in my family.
Told me that they, you know, because I have, you know, stuff. I have a house. I have a nicely.
Decorated house. I have a house, a car. I've got lights and water and all of this stuff right
And you know, I keep my hair done so.
There's no way that you could possibly
Be supporting yourself on a needle and thread.
That's what I was told. No way. You must be doing some other stuff because unmentionable things because there's no way you could be supporting yourself on a needle and thread.
While I'm here because of the needle and thread. I'm on the screen because of the needle and thread, because that's where it all started.
Sometimes, that is where it hurts the most and it hurts because of expectations.
Because you expect your family, especially or your friends see those titles words are powerful words are powerful. So when your family mother, father, sister, brother, cousin husband, wife, whoever the expectation is there that they're going to support you, no matter what. Right.
And you're not wrong for that. You're not wrong for that. But when they don't do the things that you expect them to do it hits you and makes you doubt yourself.
Okay, so what you have to do is unfortunately you can't keep going to that person in your household and expecting them to be anything different than what they are. I'm a run that bag. Do y'all listen to him.
Did you write that down. You can't keep going to a person expecting them to be something different.
Than what they are and if they only shown you, they've already shown you where they are.
You have to accept that.
It will hurt. There's nothing I can do to take that away from you, it will hurt.
But that's where you have to develop yourself love and get your mindset that they don't like it or they don't support you, for whatever but that there's not support has nothing to do what you you understand that. Right.
What other people choices are has nothing to do with you. That's because that's what they want to do or don't want to do you still have value and you still have worth
So you have to let them be where they are. Let them be where they are and then you keep going forward.
And what is for you and the people who are your tribe, they will find you, they will connect with you, they will uplift you and they will give you exactly what you need. But I have to tell you the journey to entrepreneurship self love and self worth, and my shift mindset shifting
A lot of times is a lonely road, I have to tell you that I'm not gonna lie to you, sometimes you're by yourself on the road.
You know, on those long stretches of highway when you're traveling and it's just you on the road. There's nobody on the other side coming towards you.
Is no you can't see no tail lights and you can't see no headlights behind you. There's a stretch of highway that you're just on the road by yourself, then all of a sudden, people will catch up to you.
Right then, if they go ride with you. Are they gonna pass you to depends on you. And then sometimes you catch up to the people ahead of you.
If you don't pass them. Are you gonna ride with them, you'll find your tribe, but just understand there's a stretch of road that you're just going to be by yourself and be okay with that. It's okay.
It's okay. It doesn't have anything to do with your self worth, because of what they chose to do
Hope that helps. Hey,
This is Tracy
I have a question from a young lady who just says if
She asked you find your tribe.
Being you and being authentically you when you are authentically you and you allow yourself to be seen. You go places where your tribe is. And when you do that, those people gravitate to you.
My tribe that is here. I went, I didn't know almost none of them on here that are my tribe I heart. I didn't know them until I got into black girls craft in other crafting groups.
And then we gravitated to each other and now they're here helping me on my journey is I help them on theirs.
But you have to be in the places where the people that think like you are. If you don't, then you can't be sitting at home with the naysayers and wondering why don't have a tribe.
You have to put some effort into this. It's not opportunity just like try just not not know you got to go open the door, you, you gotta, you gotta go get them. You gotta go get him. But the only way you can do that is you got to be authentically you
And sometimes it takes a minute for you to get there. But you have to be authentically you
Make sense
Okay, what else I got
And we get ready to wrap it up in a minute. But we still got a little time.
How do you juggle time management. I don't know how to close shop, honey, who said that China, um, that's a good question. A lot of women and men have problems balancing their time. Here's the thing. I offered to you. So my issue if you reading
There's no such thing as balance.
When it comes to crafting
There's no, there's
There's no such thing as balance. And so what we try to do is balanced by the word and definition is you have two objects that are equally the waiting ways equally at the same time.
You have a scale. See the at these balances. At the same time, they are at the same place at the same time. This is not balanced.
This is not balanced. This is balanced. Okay. So, by definition, how in the world do you do that when you're at work and crafting at the same time.
Can't do it one something is going to go lacking. Right. So what you have to do is make a decision.
And see As creatives. We don't like to be on time clocks, we don't we don't like to. We don't like any of it right because we're creatives. We just want to create
But what you have to do is you have to designate time because you have responsibilities you have families husbands, wives children jobs. What other obligations that you have, you have to schedule time for sales to say the problem is
You're so busy trying to do everything for everybody. Then when you finally get a chance to do for you. You don't ever want to stop. You don't want to stop.
But if you and then you feel guilty because you didn't do the things that you were supposed to do, because you over here plan in glitter. Okay.
So you have to manage your time and create a harmonious lifestyle, not a balance because it's really, it's hard to have you just can't have a bounce. You have to have a harmonious life so that everything that you do is in harmony with what you want in your world makes sense.
Okay, so
When you have done all of your stuff. The kids, the family, the job. The whatever is taking care of. Now you don't have a problem.
But. See also you have to make time for self you make time for crafting and you make time for self two different things. See
Because time for self means that you do, cut it off at a certain time so you can get the proper rest.
So you could go take a luxurious bath and chill out. So you can drink a glass of wine and watch your favorite TV show, you need to have time now don't get me wrong, I understand, because to me, my time for self is my craft time
Was really not. It's really not crafting is crafting time but self love time is when you step away from whatever you're doing, just to re Energize Yourself, just to love on yourself a little bit
Do that schedule that in. And that's going to help you even be better in your craft because you're real wet. Yo, you're well rested, your mind is working right, all of that kind of stuff like that and then you become more creative when you take care of better care of yourself.
When do you know you're ready to walk away from the nine to five take a leap of faith, you just answer your question right there.
When you take the I can't. Well, I definitely can't answer that question for you because I'm not in your world. I don't know what your finances are, but I need for you to be a business. I need you to think on a business level fiscal responsibility. Okay.
I call myself unemployable cuz
You know my life story. I don't have. And I don't mind telling you, I don't have a college degree. I don't
I don't, I went to college for a brief moment. And that was it. College is not for me. Okay. But, um,
So, at my age, I can't go out and get a job and make the same money I'm making doing it at home. I can't. And then on top of that, when I go to a job job. I'm like, I'm I could be making something. I don't want to do this deployable
But what I what you do have to do is you have to count the cost. You always have to count the cost, just like a business before they launch a new product, build a new store do a new campaign.
They have to count the cost. So look at your what you're doing, build your business. Make sure you've mastered whatever it is that you're trying to work towards
Make sure if you're in a position to do it save a little bit because in the beginning, you have to do what's called priming the pump priming the pump. You know what that means.
If you don't, if you ever looked at a whale or a pump on and even when you're doing the gas pump, sometimes you got to hit the lever, a couple of times before the gas comes out.
Or if it's a pump. You got to pump, pump or like a lotion bottle. You got to pump.
Before the lotion actually hits your hand and comes out. That's what you call priming the pump. So what you have to do is you have to do some work.
Before you actually get paid. And it starts flowing. You need to make sure that you have some money stored up some reserves or something to pay your bills because you really cannot be creative. It's hard to be creative. When you're broke, listen to me now.
I'm talking from experience is hard to be creative. When you're broke
And when you broke. You become desperate when you become desperate people smell it on you. And when they smell it on you. It stinks and they run away.
Money runs away from desperation, trust me when I tell you. So I need you to be clear, I need you to be creative, so that you can make your money. Okay. And the only way to do that is that your bases are covered.
I'm just telling you from experience.
So priming the pump build your social medias and your client base create an email marketing system. All of that stuff will talk about later in other classes.
But those are some of the things that you prepare yourself build the foundation don't have faith. Don't get me wrong, because even once you've done all of that stuff. You have to have faith enough to leave the nine to five and rely on whatever you set up.
But set it up right set yourself up for success. Don't just jump out there.
But I'm not saying, wait. Listen, I'm not saying wait till all the moon and the stars align because that'll never happen.
At some point you'll have to make a move and get it done.
Okay, no, you're not automatically enrolled. Hopefully I was supposed to get it up today but forgive me.
I'm I could not get it over to the Michaels team to get it up. So tomorrow at the latest, I will have the next class to them so that we could get it up on the site and you guys can start registering for that. Okay. Um, what else
This was oh great, great, great, great. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Thank you. So I think that's it. If we don't have any more questions, we are doing really well on time. I expected to go over. I was doing really good
Because the people that do know me know our I'm just getting warmed up at an hour. Um, okay.
Um, so make sure
Make sure that you follow me on Instagram. Ms. Creative CEO on Instagram is also that on Facebook, my bit my craft side is an Akai designs that's on Instagram and Facebook as well.
My website is Miss creative CEO is creative ceo.com that download will be up for a couple more days, but it will go away when the next class comes up.
Because then I'll create something for that class. Okay, so if you haven't grabbed it, I need you to go over to miss creative co.com and scroll down just a little bit. And you'll see where you can click and download it for free and then
Go shopping Michaels.
And
Yes, yes.
This is gentle
A lot of people have been saying are you going to create a support group for these classes on Facebook.
That is a good question.
I actually have a group, I just haven't been as active in that group, as I admittedly should be. And it's called the creative boss collective
Creative boss collective affectionately known as CBC, you can go and find that on Facebook creative boss collective go ahead and join that group. Um, and we can get, we can get some work done in there. We're going to start getting some work done in there. How about that.
Creative boss Collective on Facebook. Okay, any other questions team.
So this is Debbie from Michaels I did want to say thank you so much.
Miss Karen for being so inspirational tonight and really teaching us a lot. I know that I personally walked away with many key points that I'm going to keep in mind when I think about, you know, going from the back room to the boardroom to the bank.
So I got down
From the back room to the boardroom to the bank.
Hey,
They know
I can't wait till next week, I wrote down your Facebook group because I'm going to go and join it so that I can keep up with you.
But I do hope that each and every person on this call just choose to spend next Thursday night with us.
And one of my favorite shows just ended last Thursday night. So I've been looking for something to take its place.
So this is definitely where I'll be spending my next next few Thursday nights with you. So I hope everyone else will join us for Michael's community classroom.
And Miss creative CEO Karen Baxter. So don't forget to go download or workbook, just like she said join her facebook group, subscribe, give her all the love watch her video when it
launches on Saturday morning on michaels.com slash classes and she and I will work together tomorrow to get our next class up
Thank you so much. Debbie Mallory.
He's not on here anymore with
Tom
Thumb, I know it was a three letter word, Tom. I'm sorry, but let him know. Thank you so much. I appreciate Michael seriously, for having me and my tribe and my
Everybody, I really do appreciate it and I look forward to it backroom business, what did I say backroom boardroom business bank. Don't forget it.
Thank you.
Thank you, y'all. Have a great night.
Good night.
