There is so much being said about Black Friday at the moment that I thought I'd contribute! It's a crazy time of year with consumerism going through the roof, and whether you agree or not, if you want to grab a bargain, tomorrow is the day to do it.

As you may be aware, the term 'Black Friday' originated in the US in 1952 as an informal name for the day after Thanksgiving Day, in which Christmas Shopping Season started. It has since become much bigger than that, and in the UK we have adopted Black Friday to fall on the last Friday in November where retailers slash their prices hoping for more customers. It also is rarely a one day event as stores have started promoting their sales days, if not weeks, ago and will last through until next week.

For independent sellers though, it get's a bit trickier. There is a lot being written & shared throughout social media at the moment promoting other alternatives to Black Friday, and to bring awareness of the little guys when it comes to doing your Christmas shopping. 

This weekend I spent my time networking, chatting, presenting and generally having the best time at the Outlaw Craft Fair in Cornwall. I was really honoured to be asked to host an evening for the exhibitors at the end of their first day, alongside Poppy Treffry and Kirsten Edwards - two incredibly inspirational women. I had been so excited about this weekend, but as soon as it arrived I was a quivering mess!! I like to think that I am now quite experienced at public speaking, as I present workshops on pretty much a weekly basis, but this was a completely different level. To say I was out of my comfort zone is a massive understatement!!

The weekend itself was amazing. I had a smile on my face as soon as I walked in the door and it didn't leave for the duration of the weekend. What a room - full of a bunch of lovely, talented creatives and definitely what I call my happy place. 

Judi & Kirsty (organisers of Outlaw) asked me to talk a little about the 'business' side of running a creative business and then I had the privilege of interviewing Poppy, before Kirsten spoke from the side of a buyer, having years of experience working in creative retail. I'd prepped, I really had, but you know when you're having an out of body experience, your hands are shaking and you keep forgetting what you are talking about?? Well, yep, that was me! I was told I came across well, but I'm sure I missed so much out that I should have said! So I thought I would summarise what I wanted to say here in case you were interested in what I spoke about - or you were there and didn't understand a word of what I was saying!! 

So, grab yourself a cuppa, put your feet up and have a read...