Training
A business teacher built into your shop.
Most handmade sellers learn their business by losing money for five years. Fenfair Core includes training modules that compress that curve. Operator-voice, evidence-based, built around the decisions handmade sellers actually face. Free with your subscription.
Format
Short videos, written notes, worksheets you can use.
Each module is a 5 to 12 minute video paired with a written summary, a downloadable worksheet, and a "next decision" prompt that points to a specific thing in your shop. You watch it once, fill in the worksheet for your business, and ship a decision. Then you keep building.
Modules unlock as you progress through setup, but every module is available on demand any time. Brian records new modules monthly and the back catalog stays current.
What you learn
Ten modules at launch.
- Pricing your handmade work: the formula most sellers use (and why it's wrong), the cost-plus-time-plus-margin framework, how to charge for skill.
- The custom-order workflow: quote, proof, deposit, balance, ship. When to take custom orders, when to refuse, how to set deadlines you can hit.
- Photography on a phone: natural light, hands in frame, the angles that convert. No studio required.
- Shipping handmade safely: kraft vs. bubble vs. corrugated. Insurance thresholds. International basics. When to upcharge.
- Building an email list: opt-in mechanics, what to send, when to send it. Why the list is your insurance policy against marketplace algorithm changes.
- When to leave Etsy (and when not to): the parallel-channel playbook. How to migrate without losing income. When the math says stay.
- Tax and record-keeping basics: what to track from day one. Quarterly tax reality. Inventory math. Not legal advice, practical operator habits.
- The repeat customer strategy: why repeat buyers are five to ten times more profitable. The seven-touch follow-up sequence. Loyalty without a points system.
- Holiday rush prep: Q4 readiness. When to stop taking custom orders. Production batching. Shipping cutoffs that protect your sanity.
- When to hire help: the math that says you're ready. What to outsource first. The contractor vs. employee question. How to write a job description.
Who teaches
From a working handmade operator.
Modules are recorded by Brian Williams, founder of Fenfair and operator of firehelmetshields.com since 2013. Every example is a real handmade business decision: pricing a piece, refusing a custom order, choosing between Stripe options. No business-school framework jargon, no MBA-style case studies, no "let me know if you have questions" empty platitudes.
This is training designed by the kind of person taking it, for the kind of person taking it.
Training included in Fenfair Core.
- All ten launch modules (video + written + worksheet)
- New module monthly, added to the back catalog
- Downloadable worksheets and decision prompts
- Progress tracking tied to your shop setup
- Operator-voice teaching from a working handmade founder
- No upsell tiers. Full library included in Core