[105] Should You Start a Second Shop?

  Have you ever wondered if you should start a second shop? Maybe you’ve started a new craft. Maybe you’ve started making work that is vastly different to your current product lines. Or maybe you want to start selling different types of products all together. So – when is starting a second shop – which is, basically, a second business – the right choice? And when should you just integrate your new work into your existing business? I see this question pop up all the time – so I thought it was time to address it in a podcast ep. In this episode I discuss how I’ve approached this very thing myself – multiple times! – and why I made the decision to run multiple businesses, rather than just squish everything together. I also give you a few questions to consider that will hopefully help you make the right decision for you if and when this question arises.       Quotes and Highlights from this Episode: * Do your multiple product lines have enough in common to exist under the same brand? * Can they be ‘branded’ together – i.e. photography style, target customer etc. Or are they too different? * I’ve started multiple businesses numerous times because I didn’t want to dilute my brands – but it’s a LOT more work to run multiple businesses. So be sure. * Ask yourself the following questions: * Does my new idea have anything in common with my existing brand? * Will incorporating my new idea into my existing brand compliment and improve my brand/shop overall, or dilute it?  * Do I have the time/energy to manage two separate brands/shops? * You want your business to be known for doing one thing well. Don’t fall into the trap of being a ‘little bit of everything’ brand.     Download or Listen to this Episode     You can also subscribe to the podcast and listen to this episode on iTunes + Stitcher)