Get a return on your time sooner to grow faster 

Recently, we expanded into [roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels). To do so, we made a substantial investment in new label printing and finishing machinery. Since the printers arrived months before our finishing machine, we soft-launched by purchasing a low-end finishing machine that could only make [circle roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/products/circle-roll-labels). 

No one would have faulted us if we delayed launching until the proper finishing machine arrived. What would have seemed odd is if all of the machines arrived and then we continually postponed launching while they collected dust. You don't make business investments and not put them to use. 

> You don't make business investments and not put them to use."

Despite the obviousness of this principle, businesses struggle with it when investments are not physical. It would make anyone uneasy to see a machine sitting unused, but it's not as bothersome if human effort is invested in a project that gets delayed. This is an unfortunate because investments of time are significantly more valuable than investments of money. We can make more money, but we can't make more time. 

> Investments of time are significantly more valuable than investments of money."

Since most projects require collaboration, as soon as anyone invests time in a project, you are essentially letting an investment collect dust if you cause it to be postponed. 

Let's consider the life of a generic project:

1. Someone notices a problem with one of our processes and suggests a solution. 
2. A product designer, reviews the problem and proposed solution and drafts a spec for the design team. 
3. The design team creates mockups based on the product spec and iterate until everyone is happy. 
4. The project is placed in the development queue to be worked on. 
5. Development begins work on the project and submit a pull request once it's ready to be reviewed. 
6. The developer waits for feedback on the pull request and iterates accordingly.  
7. Once everyone is happy the pull request gets merged. 
8. Information gets disseminated about the feature so we can make use of it. 

Realistically, once step 1 is complete, someone invested time towards a project that should yield a positive return. The investment at this point isn't huge, but it grows as each additional step in the sequence is completed. As we get further along the process, the downside of delaying becomes greater as a larger investment is now sitting idle, collecting dust.

Business growth is all about return on investment. To enjoy strong growth and solid financials, you pick high return projects and execute them quickly. Picking the right projects is incredibly difficult. Getting them done faster is not. Since returns tend to compound and this cycle repeats constantly, shortening it has a major impact on long run growth. The sooner we get a return on capital spent (monetary or human), the faster we grow. 

> Picking the right projects is incredibly difficult. Getting them done faster is not."

This doesn't mean projects shouldn't be delayed or abandoned. If you discover a project is without merit it should be abandoned. Picking the right projects matters and sometimes we start the wrong ones. 

But, if something is worth doing, then it should be completed quickly. Investments in human effort shouldn't be viewed any differently than investments in machinery. You'd feel weird seeing a machine not being used and you should feel equally weird letting your coworker's effort go un-used. 

Our team works extraordinarily well together because we share a similar perspective on work. If you have a desire to do great work in a stress-free work environment, [we're hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers?ref=blog).


To enjoy strong growth and solid financials, you pick high return projects and execute them quickly. 

The Sticker Mule guide to Slack

![The Sticker Mule guide to Slack ](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/adc78a94269658848a6339ddef5a2992d387bc66)

Collectively, [Asana](http://asana.com) and [Slack](http://slack.com) manage the majority of our communication at Sticker Mule. We use Asana to handle task related conversations and Slack to handle everything else. Your company might prefer a task management tool other than Asana; the important thing is that you use one. 

To help onboard new team members, we created documentation explaining [how we use Asana](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/the-remote-team-guide-to-asana). I decided to also share our tips and conventions for using Slack for the benefit of prospective team members ([we’re hiring!](https://www.stickermule.com/careers)) and anyone that needs to coordinate a remote team. 


## Integrating Slack with your task management workflow

Tasks are the essence of business so it’s important to think about how Slack integrates with your overall task management workflow. To ensure our task management system & Slack play well together, we have four guidelines explaining when it’s appropriate to communicate via Slack or Asana. If you use a different task management tool like simply replace Asana with your tool of choice and these same guidelines will still apply to your organization. 

### Create Asana tasks once they’re identified via Slack.
New tasks are often identified during Slack conversations, but they should quickly be migrated to Asana where they can be easily managed. You can use [Slack’s Asana integration](https://slack.com/apps/A0F81FK1C-asana) to quickly add tasks by typing “/asana add Task Name” to create a task. 

### Avoid asking teammates to perform tasks in Slack.
It’s tempting to ask people to do things via Slack, but it’s best to create Asana tasks that can be easily recalled, assigned and completed when time permits. Slack messages are easily lost once read so it’s not ideal to issue tasks via Slack. 

### Avoid discussing existing Asana tasks in Slack.
Keep task related conversations within Asana so that they stay in context and can be responded to at the participant's convenience. Occasionally, it may make sense to have a Slack call to discuss a task, but action points from that call should be posted to Asana. 

## 19 additional Slack tips & tricks

### 1. Avoid using @everyone.
@here is less disruptive since it only notifies people that are working. Alternatively, use @mention if you want to post something publicly but only need to notify specific people. 

### 2. Use do not disturb to stay focused. 
When you need to focus on your work for prolonged periods of time use Slack’s [Do Not Disturb feature](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/214908388-Using-Do-Not-Disturb-in-Slack) to temporarily turn off notifications so you’re not distracted. 

### 3. Configure your work schedule. 
Slack lets you configure your work schedule so that messages don’t bother you when you’re off the clock. This allows coworkers to message you at night without worrying about bothering you since Slack will wait until you’re working to deliver the message. 

### 4. Mute infrequently used channels.
Some channels you’ll find yourself using infrequently. Rather than constantly leaving and joining them it’s best to [mute them](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/204411433-Muting-a-channel) so they don’t bother you, but you’re still able to use them when needed. 

### 5. Prefer Slack calls
Standardization makes training and onboarding easier. [Slack’s calling features](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/216771908-Making-voice-calls-in-Slack) are powerful and continue to improve so we are gradually phasing out other voice applications. The one exception is we still use [Zoom](https://zoom.us/) for video conference calls. 

### 6. Use group chats. 
Don’t hold the same conversation with multiple people individually. Instead loop teammates into conversations as needed by using group chats. Slack also lets you quickly convert a group chat into a group call. 

### 7. Create custom emoji.
Ask your design team to spend a day creating a few [custom emoji](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/206870177-Creating-custom-emoji) for the team to use. We rather enjoy inserting emoji-fied versions of each other into chats. 

### 8. Setup a few trigger words.
Don’t go overboard, but creating a few triggers that insert random nonsense into your chats is a great way to add amusement to your day and confuse new hires when they first stumble upon them. 

### 9. Create private channels for trips & meetups. 
Private channels are a great way to keep everyone in-sync during a company trip or meetup. We recommend creating them before the trip starts so everyone is aware they exist. 

### 10. Add a profile photograph.
We highly recommend [adding a profile photograph](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/204092246-Editing-your-profile) so that coworkers can put a face with your name. Although we’re remote it’s still good to see each other so that when we do meet there’s already some familiarity. 

### 11. Hangout in your team’s dedicated channel.
We create a channel for every team and encourage team members to primarily use that channel to discuss work and life with their teammates. 

### 12. Use Zight to share screenshots.
[Zight](https://zight.com/) is a handy tool for sharing screenshots via shortened URLs. Slack automatically inserts the image into the chat when you share a screenshot via a Zight link. 

### 13. Archive inactive channels.
It’s easy to create a lot of channels so you should occasionally cull your channel list by archiving ones with low activity. You may want to abandon a channel entirely or merge the  channel into another one with a broader purpose. 

### 14. Edit existing messages instead of sending new ones.
If you mistype your message it’s better to edit your message than sending a new one. Slack lets you easily do this by hitting the up arrow. This reduces confusion and the number of notifications others receive.

### 15. Set highlight words

![highlight words in slack](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/513f69fb28040936d004022e3077eea408a6ee78)

If you mute channels that you do not use frequently, it can be helpful to set a few highlight words based on your role. 

For example, if you are a content manager you might set “blog” as a highlight word. (To find highlight words after the initial notification, click on the “@” symbol located at top right.)

### 16. Use keyboard shortcuts
Slack has a ton of amazing [keyboard shortcuts](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/201374536-Slack-keyboard-shortcuts). My favorites are CMD+K (Quick switch), CMD+U (Upload a file), Shift+Enter (Create a new line), & Alt+Shift+Down Arrow (Next unread message) and CMD+/ (view keyboard shortcuts). 

### 17. Use the mobile app (optional). 
If your job involves being away from your computer a lot then the mobile app is highly recommended. 

### 18. Cross post content instead of uploading twice (optional). 
Slack has a handy feature that lets you cross post content across channels & messages instead of uploading twice. This is especially handy when you’re on mobile with limited bandwidth. 

### 19. Star specific channels & team members (optional) 
Starring a channel or a team member places it above all other channels and direct messages. This makes it easier to find and send a message to the people you interact with repeatedly.

## Conclusion
Slack is the fastest adopted and most heavily used application at Sticker Mule. It quickly replaced email and increased our cohesion despite being an entirely remote team. 

I hope this document helps both our team and others get more value from Slack.

Our team works extraordinarily well together not just because we share the same tools, but because we share a similar perspective on work. We all tend to be [humble, independent, logical, thoughtful and autodidactic](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/characteristics-we-look-for-in-team-members). 

If you have these characteristics too, [we're hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers?ref=blog).

Get the Sticker Mule secrets to using Slack with our remote team. Here are the guidelines we use, and suggest for other remote teams, as well. 

How to build your Etsy shop brand 

Wouldn’t it be great if every one of your Etsy customers sent others to your shop?

As a small business owner, you want people to enjoy your creations and tell others. You don’t just want them to come back and buy again. You also want them to recommend your shop to their friends and help you grow. But if you’re a small Etsy shop owner, you might recognize this conversation:

“I found this super cute Etsy shop the other day.” “What’s it called?” “...I can’t remember.”

Now, that’s tragic. The good news is that a combination of good branding on Etsy along with some simple Etsy SEO will make it easier for your customers to not only find you the first time but remember your name and share it with all their friends.

## How to get noticed on Etsy in 2020

A major issue with selling on Etsy is being found in the first place. There are thousands of sellers who create similar products, so when a potential customer is simply referred to finding you “on Etsy,” it’s almost impossible to relocate an exact item.

It’s not easy for buyers to just “find you on Etsy”.

Here’s a simple search on Etsy for a purse. As you can see, there are thousands of results and it would be hard to get your purse to stand out in search. To bring your shop to the top, you need to start with a little Etsy SEO.

![etsy purse search](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/55ccb07e52ddca834203f5acfbba83229ee86b34)

### What you need to know about SEO for Etsy

Did you know that Etsy runs its own SEO game? And playing by Etsy’s rules is what all those big, successful shops are doing to succeed?

Thankfully, Etsy doesn’t keep its SEO program a secret. The Etsy staff keep an up-to-date guide on the site called “[How Etsy Search Works](https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/how-etsy-search-works/375461474487)”.

Shops get found on Etsy in two phases:

- Query matching
- Ranking

Query matching happens when your new customer does a search on Etsy for a product. Then, Etsy looks through all the listings that match the query.

Ranking is similar to Google. The Etsy team wants to provide buyers with the most accurate search results. So, they look through the listings and pull out the ones that best match the search term. Usually, these products then make up the top selling Etsy items thanks to sheer visibility alone.

You want the product Etsy chooses for page one to be yours. So, how do you make it happen? The answer is finding the best keywords for Etsy.

### How to find the best Etsy SEO keywords

To get started with SEO on Etsy, you need to find the right keywords, which is a funny way of saying “a couple of words that accurately describe your product.” 

Keywords are the foundation of setting up an Etsy store: choose the right ones, and getting found is easier. Using keywords that don’t match your product or the buyer’s intent will make it harder for you to use more advanced tools to get ahead.

1. __Start with Etsy’s own search tool.__ You can learn a lot about what people search for on Etsy simply by doing lots of searches yourself. You can see what other keyword suggestions Etsy makes and figure out what kind of products come up when you hit the ‘search’ button. Write your findings down, but don’t rely on this method alone!
2. __Confirm your hunch with an Etsy keyword tool.__ You don’t need to play a guessing game with keywords. You can confirm your suspicion and use data to find the most popular keywords by turning to tools like the Etsy Keyword Tool Dominator. If you’re new to Etsy and don’t have cash to spare for keyword research, you can also use the Google Keyword Planner, which is available at the unbeatable cost of absolutely free.
3. __Optimize your title, tags, attributes, and categories__. With your list of sweet keywords ready to go, it’s time to sprinkle them around your store like magic dust. Add them to every aspect of your listing, including in your content. If you’re brand new to Etsy, you can find a short guide to the different parts of your listing, like titles, tags, and categories, [over on Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/ie/seller-handbook/article/keywords-101-everything-you-need-to-know/382774281517).

By building a foundation of accurate and highly-searchable keywords, you’re preparing yourself to be found by [Etsy’s 41.03 million active buyers](https://www.marketplacepulse.com/stats/etsy/etsy-number-of-active-buyers-3).

## What are examples of successful Etsy brands?

Now that you’re on your way to taking over the top spot in the Etsy rankings, what you need is branding. Branding is more than coming up with names for an Etsy shop: true branding helps people remember your store so they can come back again — and bring their friends.
Branding is a highly individual exercise. Your brand is a reflection of your shop. But if you’re new to buying and selling online, you may find you need some inspiration to kick-start your branding brainstorm. 
To get started, let’s take a look at three Etsy shops who are already successful.

### Lovelane branded by quality & photography

![lovelane etsy page](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/367448538328af4596f0b12734c596d90fdb1427)

[Lovelane](https://www.etsy.com/shop/lovelane) is a custom children’s costume shop with gorgeous photography and glowing reviews. They have a logo, several places for you to follow them on social media, and a website. 

The company is especially active on Instagram where you can see dozens of pictures of their products in use. 

What really stands out for this brand is the unique quality of their children’s costumes and photography that goes beyond the effort of what a normal shop would. 

They have images of children in their costumes playing. There is a nice touch of a child being held in the air in their costume to fly like a superhero. And, you’ll find a few pets and babies in costumes as well.

__Takeaway Tip:__ Be creative with what you offer, and show it being used in your photography. Skip ‘stock’ images, and ask customers to come back and leave a review. Social proof is a great way to show others how great your product is.

### Creepy St. Shop is a fun nightmare

![etsy creepy st ](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e92b9fd21bb79ab1ee05c2174bd2c9fa3b645622)

When it comes to horror films you either love them or hate them. Lisa from [Creepy St.](https://etsy.com/shop/CreepySt) loves them so much she’s set up her own Etsy shop selling goods celebrating horror film culture. 

Lisa has a fun logo with a skull to indicate the dark nature of her shop. Most items in the shop are related to the horror world, and she stays consistent with her scary brand. 

What’s really fun is how Creepy St. shares horror flicks links, history and facts on social media. She’s active in getting recognition for her brand, while also providing a newsfeed that is interesting to her followers on Twitter.

__Takeaway Tip:__ Entertain your buyers. From the design of her logo to the fun newsfeed, Lisa is able to keep people interested in her shop by staying active with industry news.

### Shine Invitations for beautiful wedding stationery

![shine invitations etsy page](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9dad33d8f5e371fad3a0187c829435dcf7aed7e2)

The wedding category is massive on Etsy. To stand out, a store has to optimize every setting and option. [Shine Wedding](https://etsy.com/shop/ShineInvitations) Invitations does this very well. From their photos, to their titles and descriptions they use every opportunity to show the elegance of their invitations. 

For branding they make sure to use their company name in emails and they refer people to their actual website and social media accounts (where they are highly active). 

__Takeaway Tip:__ Use fonts in your products and photos to stay consistent with your branding. In these pictures they use elegant fonts consistent with wedding invitations.  

## What you can learn from successful Etsy brands

Setting up your shop with a fluid theme is one way to help people remember your brand, but successful shops also do a lot behind the scenes. Here are more ways to work on your branding.

### Use your Etsy shop name in emails

When you send emails about your shop, use your shop name in your signature and at the top of the email. Say “thank you for shopping at My Etsy Shop.”

### Set up social media accounts for your Etsy shop

 If you don’t already have social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram, set them up and start using them. The more active you are, the more likely you are to bring visitors to your shop. You don’t have to be on all social media networks.

### Work with others

[Etsy has communities](http://etsy.com/teams), and there are several other places that Etsy sellers congregate to support each other. You can find these places by searching on Google for the Etsy sellers group.

Surprise and delight customers with little branding touches: Even though you’re an online business, most customers will still experience your product offline. Thoughtful packaging, with branded touches like custom stickers and labels, will help you bring your online brand into the real world from the very first moment your product reaches your customers hands!

Check out our [packaging and branding](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/brand-package-etsy-products) post for more tips on what to include in Etsy packaging.

## Get ready to make money on Etsy

Popular shops on Etsy have a lot to teach those who are willing to pay attention. Be sure to check out other shops to see what they are doing to increase sales, and gain exposure to their products.

As you learn more you can implement similar changes both when you start your Etsy store and as you continue growing your brand on Etsy.

There are countless ways to grow your brand using stickers and other custom printed products. Why not get started with branding and packaging, and watch your business grow from there?

<ButtonCta text="Create custom packaging for $29" size="large" variant="secondary" align="center" href="https://www.stickermule.com/custom-packaging" />

Want to stand out from the crowd? Branding your Etsy shop is the first step to making more money. Find a step-by-step branding guide with examples here.

15 highly rated free design courses 

Design is a major factor in how people view your company and website. But, what if you don’t know how to design, or can’t afford a full-time designer?

Luckily, there is [Studio](https://www.stickermule.com/studio). A free, easy-to-use online design tool with over 1000+ templates and counting.

But regardless of what tool you use, it's helpful to understand what makes a good design.

We get asked all the time if we know of design courses, especially by people looking to make their own [vinyl decals](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers). 

With that in mind we’ve picked out 15 free design courses that’ll help you build your design skills. Check them out:

## Introductory design courses for newbies
![Introductory design courses for newbies](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/4fc19671966dc043afc2df9cb7f5f96b7951a68a)

### Intro to the design of everyday things (Udacity)

This course on Udacity is created for anyone interested in design, it provides a summary of key concepts from the first two chapters of [The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman](https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded-ebook/dp/B00E257T6C/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1). The course trains you to recognize how design affects everyday life and how to make better design decisions.

Check out [Intro to the design of everyday things](https://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-the-design-of-everyday-things--design101) on Udacity.

### Introduction to graphic design (Udacity)

Here you’ll learn the basics of design theory to create amazing graphics. Unlike other courses you won’t be learning about Photoshop or Illustrator, you will be learning the 5 basics of design. This lays the foundation for a career of design success.

> Great for very early beginners. If you're thinking about pursuing graphic design, but you're just not sure if it's a good fit for you, this course is helpful in giving clear definitions so you know exactly what graphic design means. -Melanie Baker

Check out [Introduction to graphic design](https://www.udemy.com/introduction-to-graphic-design/) on Udacity.

### Photo editing essentials: growing your brand (Skillshare)

[PicMonkey’s](https://www.picmonkey.com/) Jen Reiner shares how to edit a picture and make it awesome without the need for Photoshop. This class is perfect for beginners in design or those that don't want to buy photoshop. Every lesson includes tips and hacks to make your job easier. 

Check out [Photo editing essentials: growing your brand](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/photography/Photo-Editing-Essentials-Growing-Your-Brand/855732974) on Skillshare.

## Design principles courses
![Design principles](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/cb44ac4f7971ee85df1c495d21ae22122a254e67)

### Creative concepting: getting to better ideas faster (Skillshare)

This course by Jessica Moon, creative director at Digital Telephathy, explains how to execute design correctly. She shares exercises, concepts and tactics throughout this 40 minute course. This course is best for anyone serious about becoming professional designer. 

> I absolutely recommend this class to remind some of the key shortcuts and the best ways to make the design process easier and quicker. Great tips! Thank you, I really enjoyed your class. - Cata Gomez

Check out [Creative concepting: getting to better ideas faster](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Creative-Concepting-Getting-to-Better-Ideas-Faster/1408421897) on Skillshare

### Design pitfalls (David Kadavy)

Design Pitfalls is designed by David Kadavy, the author of the best-selling book [Design for Hackers](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119998956/?tag=lilgreendot-20), and lead design at multiple startups. The 6 lessons are delivered 3 times a week for 2 weeks. Each lesson focuses on a pitfall and how to avoid them.

Check out [Design pitfalls](http://designforhackers.com) on Design for Hackers.

### Don't fear the Internet

Everyone has a website these days but not all are visually appealing. With this course you learn “not to fear the Internet” and create a website that incorporates elements of design to increase your visits and engagement. You’ll also learn to take a basic wordpress blog and manipulate the css, html (and some php!) to match your aesthetic. 

Check out [Don't fear the Internet](http://www.dontfeartheinternet.com/).

## Courses on typography & fonts
![Typography & Fonts](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/58c90e3dc8be3b2eb9f2157ea7ccb265fce7f89b)

### Choosing the right font (Canva)

Choosing the right font means the difference between looking like a professional and an amateur. Consider how many people ‘love’ Comic Sans but the professional community finds it childish. 

[Canva](https://www.canva.com/design/DAAkValF-K4/remix) offers a free course that helps you choose the right font for your message, and overall design project. Using the fonts you learned about in this course would help you make some killer [custom magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets), give it a shot.

Check out [Choosing the right font](https://www.canva.com/design/DAAkValF-K4/remix) on Canva.

### Typography that works: typographic composition and fonts (Skillshare)

Skillshare offers a more in-depth font course that helps you recognize, use and create awesome compositions with typeface. Beyond choosing fonts, you’ll learn the different types of fonts, when they should be used and what works best for your readers. 

> Lovely introduction to typography with great examples and thought provoking content. Really useful, and achievable projects. -Ann O'neill

[Typography that works: typographic composition and fonts](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Typography-That-Works-Typographic-Composition-and-Fonts/1694217981) on Skillshare.

## Sketching & illustration courses
![Sketch & Vector Graphic Design](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/68fdaa955ceece2b50c574d877d025da62e02ffc)

### How to sketch like an industrial designer (Skillshare)

Julia Troy, who is Quirky's Design Director, created this class to teach you how to sketch your product idea into an image that is presentable and accurately illustrates your idea. This course is best for aspiring industrial designers and anyone that is prototyping an idea or invention.

Check out [How to sketch like an industrial designer](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/How-to-Sketch-Like-an-Industrial-Designer/625650159) on Skillshare

### Vector illustration: design a playful character using geometric shapes (Skillshare)

Vector illustrations are a huge part of design, with the help of Jonathan Ball’s instructions you will learn to create playful characters in vector form. This course is great for anyone interested in design since vector format is used universally.

Check out [Vector illustration: design a playful character using geometric shapes](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Vector-Illustration-Design-a-Playful-Character-Using-Geometric-Shapes/1832339814) on Skillshare

## Logo design courses
![Logo design courses](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/a7b19a52cd02e2c0821b1e5dbc78effb9ec58132)

### Graphic design 101: Why that logo is so compelling (Udemy)

Logos are a huge part of your company, they are usually the first thing a client sees and can be influential in decision making. This course explains what makes a logo attractive and how the design process works, so you can choose the perfect logo for your company.

Check out [Graphic design 101: Why that logo is so compelling](https://www.udemy.com/graphic-design-secrets/) on Udemy.

### Creating brand systems: an overview of combining logos and type (Skillshare)

This short class is made for creatives, illustrators, designers or anyone is interested in learning what goes into creating a dynamic logo. Designers Mike Ski and Jessie Jay created this course and have included simple side projects to help create your own dynamic logo at the end of the class. 

Check out [Creating brand systems: an overview of combining logos and type](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Creating-Brand-Systems-An-Overview-of-Combining-Logos-and-Type/1941759612) on Skillshare.

## Design courses for marketing & startups
![Design for Marketing & Startups](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9adbad75b9ff85d7e90ceb677e767113b4e91537)

### Startups, this is how design works

Startups have to compete with the hundreds of designers at companies like Apple, Google and Facebook. This is perfect for employees in startups or those interested in startup design. The course teaches everything a startup needs to know about design including: logo creation, innovative UI and how to beat your competitors with awesome, kick-ass design. 

Check out [Startups, this is how design works](https://startupsthisishowdesignworks.com/).

### Web design essentials: creating marketing homepages that drive results (Skillshare)

This 60 minute course is for anyone interested in designing websites with high engagement and results. Dennis Field, a product evangelist and designer, teaches narrowing your creative process and capitalizing on feedback. 

Check out [Web design essentials: creating marketing homepages that drive results](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Web-Design-Essentials-Creating-Marketing-Homepages-That-Drive-Results/1513598221) on Skillshare.

### Principles of UX design (Invision)

Timothy Embretson from Best Buy takes you through the importance of user experience in this free design course by [Invision](http://invisionapp.com). This course is great for anyone designing a website, app or web tool.  

Check out [Principles of UX design](https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/ux-principles-to-guide-your-product-design/) from Invision.

## Over to you
Approaching design on your own is no small feat but there are loads of resources that will help you along the way. The most important thing you can do is practice, innovate, and create on a regular basis. 

Ready to see how that new logo or illustration looks in print? Why not start with some custom stickers or magnets? Get $10 off your first order when you sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />

Improve your design skills with 15 free and highly-rated design courses. 

How to engage your online community with swag 

Building an online community is fun, but it can also be daunting. Even with a lot of members there may be very little activity. As a community manager it’s your job to activate your community and engage them with a variety of activities. 

One way to do this is by using swag, or free gifts. Done correctly and at the right times, swag campaigns can improve overall engagement, increase excitement about your community, get members to use word-of-mouth marketing, and grow your community to astounding numbers.  

## Why swag works for engaging your community

Swag can be a cost-effective way to reward community members. It works because it gives members the opportunity to show off their excitement for the community in real life. 

This often encourages others to investigate the site or brand name to see why this person is so enamored. Assuming everything else in the community is optimized this should lead to more activity, sign ups and engagement. 

But rewards like this must be used correctly, or the campaign could backfire turning into a massive waste of money with few new users gained.

## Successfully giving swag to your community

### Start by identifying a specific goal for your campaign. 
Do you want more members (hopefully active members), more traffic, more engagement from current members, or more referrals from current members? 

All of these things might sound nice, but choose 1 or 2 goals that would impact the community most and focus on making these things happen.

### Choose a specific action you want members to take. 
What do you want members to do? Put stickers up around San Francisco, Boston or NYC? Wear your t-shirts to big events? Share an image on social media with an explanation of why they love being active in the community? 

Be creative here, since that will get more members active in the campaign. Think big, you’ll want maximum exposure. 

### Decide who gets the items. 
You can thank new members for joining, reward the most active members by sending them an unexpected gift, give to members who used to be active but have recently slowed down, or you could choose to entice influencers who could share about your community. 

### Run the campaign.
If you are going to incorporate social media, giveaways or sweepstakes, now is the time to run it. If you are not using these things or you want to give away the items first, skip this step. 

### Ship items to recipients. 
Packaging is important here, you can go the extra mile to engage your recipients without spending a lot. Include a handwritten note, give them instructions or ask them to share on social media (“We’d love it if you could take a pic and share it on Twitter”) but don’t demand anything. 

## Common swag & stories of success

It’s a lot easier to imagine your campaign once you’ve heard about others who have been successful. We’ve put together a list of items and some stories of success to help jumpstart your creativity.

**T-shirts**- Not especially low cost when you are scaling, but an exciting prize for the most dedicated members of your community. Be sure to pick a quality, soft t-shirt to get people wearing it for you.

**Examples**: [Inbound.org](http://inbound.org) used t-shirts to reward their most loyal evangelist members. For a short time, anyone who referred 5 members to the site got a free t-shirt, anywhere in the world. 

Sujan Patel wrote about giving away t-shirts in his popular ebook on growth. By giving away t-shirts (that people wore) the company received a lot of word of mouth and were able to growth hack their way to more users. 

**Stickers**- One of the most economical ways to give physical products to your members, because they can be quite inexpensive and cheap to ship. A lot of companies will include [die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) as additional gifts in shipping because they are fun and low cost. 

Be smart and give your users a list of ideas of where to use your stickers , too. 

Some ideas: 

* Laptop covers
* Back of their tablets
* On street posts
* Posted to bulletin boards
* On skateboards or helmets
* Vehicles
* Moleskine notebooks

**Example**: Reddit is one of the most popular communities sites online and they’ve [used stickers quite extensively to help their brand grow]( https://www.fastcompany.com/1841389/how-reddit-built-its-empire-500-bucks-stickers-and-giving-people-what-they-want).

A quick search on Google will display several subreddits that have used stickers to connect with their communities as well. Here are a few from that search:

![sticker subreddits](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/88a1c0ce2a7c3e35572963b777799f38d19c58ba)

These stickers have been used all around towns to get people exposed to new brands, on packages for the same reason, in sticker exchanges, on game consoles, bikes, briefcases, laptop bags and more. 

**Notebooks** - Business people are constantly taking notes and writing things down, and a moleskine notebook is the perfect place to do it. That’s why we love branded notebooks. 

**Examples**: 
Here is a moleskine notebook Elevator Agency got from HubSpot. As an added bonus for HubSpot, the agency posted it on Twitter (exposure). 

![Moleskine notebook from HubSpot](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/aaceb1c626f577d0a466782dd6bec2366c6b239f)

When I first joined [Coschedule](http://coschedule.com) in 2014 as a paid member I received a notebook and a couple of stickers in the mail. 

A month later when I unexpectedly stopped blogging I continued as a paying member for a few more months because I loved the notebook so much and wanted to support them.

Another option for getting your swag out to members when you don’t have a budget for it, is to set up a store they can shop. There are several companies that act as fulfillment centers and you can put your brand on a lot of items without having to worry about ordering, stocking and shipping. 

## Swag can get expensive & here’s how to fix it

One of the main drawbacks of using swag is the cost. Sending 1000 t-shirts can cost $15,000 or more with shipping. Stickers can cost $500-$1000 to send to the same number of members with shipping and often get more exposure. 

A few ways you can lower swag expenses:

**Only send swag to the most active members**- many people will want free gifts so you’ll need to be selective. Sending gifts to members who are never active can be a huge waste of resources.

**Choose items within your budget**- T-shirts and gift cards are for communities with big budgets. Notebooks and stickers are great for communities of all budgets. What really matters is the presentation of the gifts.

**Avoid low quality gifts**- Totes seem like a great gift, but are often low quality, unless you are willing to foot a higher cost. Skip items that are low quality, like stiff t-shirts, because you’ll end up replacing them, or the member won’t use them as you’d hoped.

**Don’t offer items your audience won’t want**- If you’ve recently wrote a book, you might be inclined to offer the book as a gift (this helps increase your sales and promotes the book to your members), but you still end up footing the bill. If they want your book, they will buy it, swag should be a gift just for them.

### Conclusion
Offering your community gifts or swag is a great way to encourage more engagement, word-of-mouth and new members. 

By following the tips we’ve included here, you should be able to stay within your campaign budgets, while getting the most return on investment. 

If you have a community you'd like to reward with swag, why not start with stickers? [Get $10 off your first order](https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog) when you sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />

Learn how swag helps improve engagement, increases word-of-mouth marketing, and grows your community. 

Introducing transfer stickers 

<WistiaVideo videoId="uiehr72ygz" />

We soft launched [transfer stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers) in late 2015. Since then we’ve been quietly polishing the manufacturing process to prepare for a bigger, official launch. 

Transfer stickers are, by far, the most difficult product we make. Not only is the manufacturing challenging, but proofing and artwork setup are especially difficult too. Now that we solved most of the challenges with making these at scale we think transfer stickers are going to be our biggest product ever. 

Starting today, we're excited to announce transfer stickers are *officially available in white & black* in quantities up to 1,000 units per design. After uploading your design, simply choose if you want your design in black or white vinyl.

![How to pick your vinyl decal color](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/ac9a6c4d142300f7e53b7a466024a9122e406bde)

Just like the rest of our product line, you can benefit from free worldwide shipping, [automatic discounts](https://www.stickermule.com/automatic-discounts) and [multiple design discounts](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/introducing-multiple-design-discount) when you order (you can also include other products like [custom magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets) to your order for a discount). Beyond that, ordering transfer stickers from Sticker Mule comes with a few exclusive benefits we think you’ll love including:

## Design flexibility
Existing vendors for transfer stickers have extreme limitations on the types of designs they’re willing to make. This is because the more complicated the design the more difficult it becomes to make. Consequently, most vendors want to review the design before accepting it and frequently reject designs that are too complex. We still have some restrictions on what we can do, but ultimately we offer more flexibility than you’ll find elsewhere. 

## Simple pricing
In addition to being willing & able to accept more complex designs than other vendors, we also offer simple pricing model that doesn’t care about the complexity of your design. While other vendors need to review your design to estimate what they’ll charge you to make it, we offer low prices upfront before seeing your design. 

## Bulk ordering
Making transfer stickers in bulk quantities is a big challenge that we’ve happily solved. Every transfer sticker order ships in 5 days or less. By comparison, other vendors insist on reviewing your order before sharing turnaround and frequently take weeks to make them. It’s typical for other vendors to quote 6 - 8 weeks to produce a large order. At Sticker Mule, we’ll always do it in 5 days with free shipping. 

![White and Black Custom Transfer Stickers or Vinyl Decals](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/c5c50d197c5e72d6f2423ec85d812e8496f35297)

## What's next
So far, the response to our transfer stickers has been tremendous. Reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but, more importantly, our customers are sending us [amazingly unique designs](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/15-awesome-transfer-sticker-designs)  that they say no one has ever been able to make. We have big ideas on how to continue improving this product and plan to continue pushing to make it a success over the coming months.

If you haven’t had a chance yet, try our [transfer stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers) today and let us know what you think. 

<ButtonCta text="Try transfer stickers" href="https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers" />

We're excited to announce transfer stickers are officially available in white & black vinyl in quantities up to 1,000 units per design. 

Decision making principles 

Not only is our team remote, but we also tend to work independently. Generally, after a 2 - 4 week onboarding period, new team members at Sticker Mule are able to independently decide what makes the most sense for them to pursue. To keep us aligned, we manage via mutually agreed upon principles that guide our decision making. 

As our team grows and we add new areas of responsibility to our organization, we decided to codify the decision principles we have followed to get us to this point. I thought it helpful to share these for the benefit of prospective team members as well as anyone else that’s curious how we operate Sticker Mule. 

## The 10 principles that guide all of our decisions at Sticker Mule

__1. Do not waste time.__

"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” - George Patton. Time is finite and the rate at which we complete projects drives growth and profitability. 

__2. Saving time > saving money.__

Since time is finite and fixed, it’s more important than money. We cannot make more time, and fast execution makes us more money.

__3. Recurring savings > 1 time savings.__

Do not fret about 1 time savings or expenses. Recurring costs are what matter. 

__4. Revenue = traffic * conversion rate * avg. order size.__

There are only 3 ways to increase revenue: 1) increase traffic, 2) improve conversion, and 3) raise the avg. order size. 

__5. Process improvements > capital investment > adding staff.__

It’s better to fix a broken process than to make capital investments and better to make capital investments than increase headcount. 

__6. Prioritize based on benefit and time to implement.__

Pursue quick wins with high return before difficult projects with moderate return. 

__7. Delegate when possible.__

If a subordinate can do a task let them do it, but don’t push work onto people that are already busy or unable to do the work you are delegating. 

__8. Avoid ideas that do not scale.__

If you find yourself saying “well as long as this doesn’t become too popular we should be okay” then you’re probably discussing something that’s not worth doing. 

__9. Do not undercut competition.__

Let competition win on price to avoid a race to the bottom. Our aim is to win on service & experience. 

__10. Do not be dogmatic.__

At times, it makes sense to ignore these principles but we should do so knowingly. 

## Concluding thoughts

Our team works extraordinarily well together not just because we share the same decision making principles, but because we share a similar perspective on work. 

We all tend to be [humble, independent, logical, thoughtful and autodidactic](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/characteristics-we-look-for-in-team-members). If you share these characteristics too, [we're hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers?ref=blog).

Here are 10 principles that guide all of our decisions at Sticker Mule. 

How to build an international ecommerce company 

![How to build an international ecommerce company](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/966a6654690f5f5ae42f0f3e478060cf95362dd5)

Last year, Sticker Mule shipped to __87 countries__. It's been a long process to lay a foundation to support international customers and we still have a lot to do. Since the decision to go international is one faced by every ecommerce company, I thought it’d be worth sharing our approach. 

Anyone looking to go international should understand 2 things before embarking on the journey: 

* International business is difficult and initially unprofitable. In order to effectively support foreign customers, you’ll likely take a loss early on as you build international volume. 
* Shipping worldwide is expensive and customers don’t want to be penalized for being far from your fulfillment center. 

Despite the costs involved in growing internationally, there are a number of upsides.

## Why you should sell internationally 
Aside from the obvious potential to acquire international revenue, there are three additional benefits to growing internationally that are worth considering.

### There's a lot of international web traffic to acquire.
Between paid and search traffic there’s a tremendous amount of international traffic to capture. International markets are not as saturated as the U.S. so it's easier to build both paid and organic search traffic.

> International markets are not as saturated as the U.S. so it's easier to build both paid and organic search traffic. [Click to Tweet](https://ctt.ec/2mgNH)

The downside is you need to manage a variety of country specific SEO & SEM strategies whereas in the U.S. you need to execute one strategy for a large market. 

### Internationalizing exposes you to additional partnerships.
I loosely define partnerships to include anyone that can send you traffic. By supporting an international audience you'll quickly notice that the variety of websites and people willing to send you traffic grows. Even bloggers that have a primarily domestic audience want to write about companies that support their foreign readers. 

### It aids your recruiting efforts to become international. 
Recruiting internationally is a tremendous benefit to us. The best talent and potential team members live all over the world. To date, only 10% of our development team works domestically. We pay domestic wages regardless of location because it’s fair and hiring the best people is more important than saving a buck. 

## 13 steps to building an international ecommerce company

Our 13 steps to becoming international are roughly sorted based on difficulty and importance. Steps that are easier and more important are at the top. We suspect most businesses will find it advantageous to implement these improvements from top to bottom.

### 1. Ship to foreign countries
An obvious starting point, but easier said than done. To start here, you’ll need a shipping system that supports international shipments. Initially, we used a 3rd party application until we were ready to build our own. 

### 2. Ship to foreign countries with tracking
Initially, it’s tempting to ship without tracking because it’s considerably more expensive to provide it. However, as your international volume grows you’ll find not having package tracking is a substantial burden. Delays and lost packages are more common internationally so tracking is necessary to troubleshoot problematic shipments. 

### 3. Ship to foreign countries quickly and with delivery estimates
Once you add support for package tracking you’ll find the next concern for your customers is to get their packages faster and with guaranteed delivery dates. This is mostly possible but at a considerable expense. 

### 4. Support international currencies
Inevitably it will make sense to add support for international currencies too. We started with the most popular ones including Canadian Dollars, British Pounds and the Euro. 

### 5. Support the metric system 
Depending on your product offering this is more or less important but since size is a critical aspect of our product line we decided it was necessary to support the metric system. 

### 6. Internationalize address forms
International addresses have different formats and it’s ideal to provide customers with an experience they recognize to help them fill in addresses correctly and avoid shipping delays. This is something I haven’t seen anyone implement effectively but it’s on our roadmap. 

### 7. Internationalize text content 
There are a variety of translation services and agencies to help with internationalizing content. It can be a considerable expense initially and challenging to maintain, but it’s a necessary step to becoming completely international. 

### 8. Internationalize video content
The next step beyond internationalizing your text content is to internationalize videos. We took a small step in this direction with internationalized captions but eventually we want to internationalize the voiceovers and footage too. 

### 9. Internationalize images
Familiar images help make customers feel more comfortable with your brand. Product photos, customer lists and screenshots all benefit from internationalization at some point. 

### 10. Internationalize hosting
As your international traffic grows it’s worth looking at how to further globalize your hosting configuration. Your site might be fast domestically but you’ll want to ensure visitors from your most popular regions have a similar experience. 

### 11. Provide customer support in foreign languages
Foreign customers are always happier to receive support in their native language. This is a considerable challenge and one we only started to undertake. 

### 12. Operate international fulfillment centers
Hopefully, international revenue will grow to the point where you can justify regional fulfillment centers which will finally position you to provide foreign customers with the same experience you provide customers in your home country. 

### 13. Advertise in international markets
Inevitably, you’ll want to build out an international advertising strategy. This is likely easier to do profitably once you operate regionally, but you could consider doing it sooner to build volume faster. 

International advertising tends to be less expensive, but, unless you’re operating locally, your margins may already be so diminished that justifying an ad budget is difficult. 

## Concluding thought
At Sticker Mule, our small team works from 8 countries including England, Ireland, Poland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Italy, Canada and the United States. Cultural diversity has been immensely beneficial. It’s both encouraged and enabled us to build a platform for international growth. 

We still have a long way to go to fully execute the international roadmap identified this article, but we’re excited to continue growing our community of customers and colleagues worldwide. If you believe you can play a part in our international growth, [we're hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers?ref=blog).

Building an international ecommerce company isn't easy. So we've broken down the steps we've been following to help you get started. 

Introducing multiple design discounts 

<WistiaVideo videoKey="multiple_designs" />

In the past year, we've added new products and features to help our customers save time and money. This week we're highlighting our multiple design discount feature for custom made products. Although customers have been saving with this feature for over a year, we've improved it to include our newest products like [transfer stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers), [circle roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/products/circle-roll-labels), and [custom magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets).

Sticker Mule's multiple design discount saves you money when you add different artwork, sizes, and products to your cart at the same time. More individual line items in your cart results in a larger discount. The discount works in addition to our bulk order discounts for each product.

To calculate the discount, we determine the total amount of material and labor required to process the entire batch of designs you want.

The feature is flexible, calculated automatically and can be used to order different quantities of each line item. This allows you to save more by ordering different designs, sizes and products — or all three at once.

![Multiple design discount GIF](https://cl.ly/3u1A3w1W1q3O/faq-multiple-design-discount.gif)

## Different designs

If you’re rebranding a logo, testing a new product label, or experimenting with a few designs, it’s only fair that you can make all of the variations into custom stickers for cheap. Even in small quantities, you’ll see your discount add up quickly when you upload your designs.

## Different sizes

You can also order different sizes of the same design or of different designs. It’s common for small businesses that use Sticker Mule to have one logo or design made into different sizes for different uses. For example, a small business might have one artwork that is made into three different sizes for packaging their products, sealing thank you notes, or giving away to customers. 

## Different products

Multiple design discounts apply across product lines too. To see the greatest savings, order transfer stickers (custom vinyl decals), custom magnets, wall graphics, die cut stickers, kiss cut stickers (and more) together. You’ll still receive a discount if you use the same artwork and size across different products.

## Average savings

A typical order with multiple designs receives more than $24 in discounts. Recently, we’ve seen this number increase as people add [transfer stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers) and [custom magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets) to their orders.

So next time you order, try a few extra designs or grab a [wall graphic](https://www.stickermule.com/products/wall-graphics) for the office before you checkout.


Test different designs at the same time and take advantage of our multiple design discount. 

Introducing custom magnets 

Starting today, we're excited to announce [custom magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets) are officially available. While very similar to stickers in look, the production of magnets is unique. Like our other new products, we invested heavily in the best machines and technology. Our custom magnets have a better print quality and a more precise cut than was previously available.

![Introducing die cut custom magnets](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e369a4f9d59ef83cd8bbbb21519233d591356d7c)

### Quality
Our [magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets) are printed with a matte finish on a 30 mil thick flexible magnetic material and are suitable for indoor metallic surfaces. We intentionally chose better, stronger magnet material to offer a superior product. 

In the coming months, we’ll offer outdoor magnets that feature a protective laminate and an even stronger magnetism.

### No designer, no problem
Our magnets are cut precisely to fit the shape of your design and in any size. We automatically figure out the cut line based on the artwork you upload making it easy to order business card magnets, photo magnets, calendar magnets, save the date magnets, ribbon magnets, logo magnets and more. 

While we accept any file type, it’s important to know that you do not need templates, a professional designer or Photoshop to submit your artwork. Simply upload your photo or artwork as is and our team will create a free digital proof for you in less than 4 hours. 

### Experience
As with all of our products, ordering [custom magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets) from Sticker Mule is as affordable as it is easy. Magnets are part of our [automatic discounts](https://www.stickermule.com/automatic-discounts) so that you pay only for the exact size of your magnet. If you order a 3" x 3" magnet, but the size is actually 2.8" x 3" your price will be adjusted automatically during proofing.  You’ll also receive discounts when you [order multiple designs](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/introducing-multiple-design-discount).

Want to try custom magnets for yourself? Order [10 custom magnets with your design](https://www.stickermule.com/products/magnet-samples) for just $9.

<ButtonCta text="Get 10 custom magnets for $9" href="https://www.stickermule.com/products/magnet-samples?ref=blog" />


Custom magnets from Sticker Mule are printed with a matte finish, can be cut to any shape, and feature a flexible magnetic sheeting. 

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