AOW Insider | Interview: A Conversation with Karen Gibbs

This month, I am delighted to interview Karen Gibbs, co-founder of ByHand Consulting. The company, which she runs alongside her business partner, Colvin English, helps artisan businesses create marketing plans to increase sales and profitability, and supports artisan brands in developing ethical supply partnerships with artisan producers.

Prior to founding AOW Handmade, I had the pleasure of working with Karen and Colvin for over four years. Looking back it was a true highlight in my life and career. To learn under your mentors is a gift and an honor. With that being said, it's a delight to circle back with Karen and hear her thoughts on the sector, where things are headed, as well as her insightful and thoughtful tips for both brands and artisan producers alike.

How did you first get into this line of work?

I had my career “epiphany” standing in the Textile Museum in Washington, DC while marveling at the Rau Collection of silk ikat from Central Asia. It was 1993 and I had recently moved to DC to work in international economic development. Standing in the museum that day, I realized that I wanted to help weaving cooperatives sell their textiles as a way of providing income in areas of the world with few economic opportunities. At the time, the approach was referred to as “trade not aid”. I found it far more appealing than working for large, government-funded development projects. 

Since that moment in the museum, my career path has traversed from NGO’s to consulting to starting my own businesses. Perhaps one of my luckiest moments was meeting Clare Smith, now a long-time mentor and very dear friend. Clare recruited me to join the non-profit organization Aid to Artisans, where I spent nearly 10 years working and traveling the world to provide product development and marketing assistance to artisan businesses. Motivated by the potential I saw in the market and the creative potential of the artisan sector, I partnered with Colvin English to found Melange, a wholesale collection that blended contemporary design with traditional artisan techniques. Melange was like an “MBA” as I gained first-hand experience in running an artisan business – and making it profitable. 

My current company, ByHand Consulting, helps artisan businesses create marketing plans to increase sales and profitability and works with artisan brands to develop ethical supply partnerships with artisan producers. Since COVID, I’ve been offering free webinars to help artisan entrepreneurs adapt their marketing strategies to align with changes in the market so they can position themselves for the opportunities that I believe will present themselves as the market settles into a new reality.

How are you feeling about the state of the sector as a whole? Where do you things moving in the future despite all of the uncertainty?

I have seen the sector change, grow, mature and expand so much over the past 25 years. The state of the artisan sector today makes me sad and hopeful at the same time. It is a strange mix of emotions. I worry because artisan businesses around the world have been impacted drastically by the decline in retail sales as a result of COVID. We’ve seen cancelled orders, customers closing doors, as well as shipping and sourcing challenges. Artisan businesses operate with thin margins in the best of times and have few resources to absorb the dramatic shift in trade that we have seen. They also provide income to artisans and communities with limited or non-existent social infrastructure. The sadness of this reality makes me feel helpless.

Despite these challenges, I remain hopeful that the silver lining of the “great market reset” initiated by COVID will, in fact, increase demand for ethical, sustainable and handmade products in the long run. An optimist by nature, I console my worries in thinking about that silver lining. I see consumers changing how they purchase and being more interested in purpose-based brands. With so many legacy retailers and shopping malls struggling, I see market share shifting to smaller brands with authentic messaging and values. I think the changes in the market will eventually create new opportunities for artisan brands. Entrepreneurs need to stay nimble and adapt their marketing strategies to capture these future opportunities. This is not easy, but I think it will bear results in the long run. 

Can you name some artisan brands or producer groups that are really innovating in terms of engaging with their clients in creative ways during these uncertain times?  

There are many artisan brands and producers who are navigating this time by finding creative ways to stay connected to their customers and innovate products. I admire what Meso Goods has done in developing a wall hanging kit to give people fun craft activities at home. I love how Anchal Project worked with local sewers in the US to create masks in record time – thereby supporting jobs here in the US as well as in India. I love how Injiri has used their social media accounts to share information about the history and origin of the textiles they use. 

What are your top three tips for artisan brands new to this field? 

1.    Make a 2-year business plan and set clear goals. A plan will guide your decisions about how to best use your marketing resources and will give you a sense of accomplishment when you achieve your milestones. I see too many companies dive into business with a mission statement and beautiful products – but without a clear business plan.

2.    Don’t spread yourself thin. New brands are naturally opportunistic – they see an opportunity and try to sell into it. That is good – to a point. Don’t spread yourself across too many product categories and too many channels or you will dilute your limited marketing resources. Focus on specific product categories and channels. Chose a lane and stay in it!

3.    GO FOR IT!!! There are so many market opportunities and so many artisan producers with talents that are market ready. The more artisan entrepreneurs and artisan brands the bigger the artisan market will grow! 

What are your top three tips for artisan producers to build stronger businesses?  

1.    Focus on developing relationships with customers more than selling. Approaching customers with this mindset will give you more insight about them - their business, goals, dreams, and challenges. With this insight you can tailor your products and offers to meet their needs – and sales will flow more naturally.

2.    Invest in digital marketing tools. Stay connected with your customer and raise the visibility of your work through online and digital tools. Online sales and digital platforms for wholesale and export trade shows are exploding right now. Even when we return to in-person selling, I think these digital tools will remain very important to business.

3.    Befriend your best sellers. I am stealing this one from my colleague and friend, Stacy Edgar. Your best-selling products today are most likely going to be your best-sellers tomorrow. Figure out what makes them so appealing – color, price, function, design, etc. Develop new products that share those same characteristics. And keep selling your best-sellers!

I realize more and more people are moving their businesses online - do you think artisan producer groups should also move online? 

If a brand is already selling retail (direct to consumer) then they should move more resources and efforts to online selling. If a brand is focused on wholesale, export or private label production, then selling direct to consumer online would only make sense if they have ample resources to invest in developing a marketing plan around this new channel (selling online direct to consumer is not easy!). That said, I think those wholesale, export and private label companies need to rely more heavily on digital marketing tools, such as email marketing, websites and social media channels, to stay connected with their existing customers and to find new ones.

Where do you think the gaps are within the sector?

That is such a good question! There are many I could name – but I think the biggest gap is recognition of the sector. For those of us who love artisan products and working with artisans, we understand what the “artisan sector” is and what it means. But the sector is not widely understood outside of us “believers”. Sustainability and ethical business practices are gaining recognition and I hope that we can all work to define and raise the visibility of the importance and impact of the artisan sector going forward. Organizations like Nest are doing a good job of this and I am happy to see that the social impact investing event, SOCAP, is hosting a panel discussion on investing in the artisan sector. I hope we see more of this in the future. 

I realize you are an avid traveler, as many of us are. What are you doing to maintain that travel lust and stay inspired? 

I must admit, I am enjoying the slower pace and more time at home. I’ve done too many house projects (my husband and kids are done with me redecorating, moving furniture around, painting, etc.) but it’s been fun to pull out old textiles and re-purpose them into décor. I’ve also really enjoyed connecting with former clients and partners through the webinars we are hosting. It is giving me time to observe the sector and think about how I can be helpful going forward. 

What do you read to stay on top of the market today? 

I read a little bit of everything, I think. I like studying retail reports from industry outlets and mainstream publications like The New York Times, Forbes, The Economist, etc. I like reading the free content from major trend companies. I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts about sustainability, climate change, and social impact investing. I love every opportunity I get to talk to artisan entrepreneurs. 

Anything else you would like to add? 

Thank you for the opportunity to do this interview with you. I really admire the work AOW does to elevate the beauty of artisan products and brands.