Flourish with Sarah

10/11/2026

10/11/2026

This is very cool. This Business Insider video takes you behind the scenes at ThredUp, and the amount of clothing they handle and the systems they’ve built to process, organize and sell secondhand pieces are fascinating.

Anyone who resells clothing knows how much work goes into each item. Inspecting, identifying brands, measuring, photographing, pricing, listing and keeping track of inventory all take time. Now imagine managing that process for millions of pieces! Seeing how they use technology and AI to help is incredible.

From a small business perspective, it’s a great reminder that the systems behind your shop deserve just as much attention as the products you sell. Even on a much smaller scale, finding ways to simplify repetitive tasks can give you more time to focus on customers, marketing and growing your business.

I also love seeing innovation that gives existing products another opportunity to be used and enjoyed. There is already so much clothing in the world, and figuring out how to make buying and selling secondhand easier is an interesting business challenge.

If you enjoy resale, retail, technology or seeing how a business operates behind the scenes, give this a watch!

The secondhand clothing market is booming, and AI is helping resell...

10/09/2026

Mark Your Calendars!

Christmas Trends Report LIVE!

Monday, October 19th at 2:30 PM ET

We’re officially heading into the busiest shopping season of the year, and I’ve got a new Flourish Forecast coming your way!

Join me LIVE on October 19th as we take a look at what’s trending for Christmas 2026! We’ll be exploring popular holiday gifts, viral and highly sought-after products, Christmas decor, trending colors and styles, and more!

We’ll talk about what consumers are shopping for, what’s getting attention on social media, and how you can use these trends to inspire your own product offerings, marketing, and holiday sales strategies.

Here’s how you can join or access the report:

I’ll be presenting the report LIVE inside our Flourish with Sarah Facebook group on Monday, October 19th at 2:30 PM ET.

For all Flourish with Sarah Substack member subscribers , I’ll also be publishing the full report on Substack, and it will be delivered directly to your email inbox, so you won’t miss out if you can’t join us live!

Whether you’re creating handmade products, sourcing vintage finds, or planning your online shop’s seasonal promotions, I hope this forecast gives you some fresh ideas and inspiration as we head into the holiday shopping season!

Not a subscriber yet? Come join us at Flourish with Sarah on Substack for small business education, retail trends, marketing strategies, and resources to help you grow your creative business!

Looking forward to sharing it with you! 🫶🏻

10/02/2026

A client and I were talking this week about ways she could create a new stream of revenue in her business without completely reinventing the wheel.

She already has a personalized cosmetic bag that sells really well. She knows how to make it efficiently, she has the materials and inventory on hand, she understands her costs, and she already knows the profit margin works.

So instead of asking, “What completely new product can I create?” we started looking at how she could evolve something that was already working.

We looked at what’s trending right now, what people are excited about, and of course, the holiday gifting season ahead. Mahjong immediately came to mind.

A slightly larger version of the bag she was already making would be perfect for storing and carrying mahjong tiles. So she started working on a fun design specifically for the mahjong player, turning a product she already knows how to make into something that speaks to an entirely new customer and use.

And THAT is smart product development.

She isn’t investing in completely different equipment or learning an entirely new production process. She can continue using many of the materials she already keeps on hand, work within a cost structure she understands, and take a product concept that has already proven successful and give it a new purpose.

Now she has the opportunity to reach a completely different audience with something that is timely, fun, useful and incredibly giftable heading into Q4.

This is why I say your bestseller is market research you already paid for. When something is selling well, don’t just celebrate it. Study it.

What is it about that product that works? Is there another size you could offer? Another use? Another audience? Could it solve a different problem? Could you adapt the design to something that’s trending? Could different photography, packaging or messaging position it for an entirely new buying occasion?

Sometimes growth comes from expanding the possibilities of what’s already working. 🙌🏼🫶🏻🥰

09/29/2026

My conversation with Lyric Montgomery Kinard on the Creatives on Camera podcast is officially live! 🥰

Earlier this summer, Lyric and I sat down to talk about something I think every small business owner building online eventually has to confront:

What happens when the platform you’ve built so much of your business on changes?

I’ve built multiple Facebook communities, including one that grew to nearly 56,000 members and a paid membership community that reached around 2,500 members at its peak. I’ve also built multiple six-figure businesses on Etsy.

Those platforms created incredible opportunities for me and played a huge role in my business journey.

But I’ve also watched the rules change.

Algorithms shift. Reach drops. Marketplace priorities change. Features disappear. What worked for years suddenly doesn’t work the same way anymore.

And when most of your customers, community or income depends on one platform, those changes can have a very real impact on your business.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use Etsy, Facebook, Instagram or other platforms. They absolutely still offer value.BUT It does mean we need to understand the difference between using a platform to grow our business and allowing that platform to become our entire business.

Lyric and I also talked about building a true community versus simply building an audience, declining engagement, ADHD and creative business, failure, comparison, growth and some of the things I wish I had done differently over the past 25 years.

If you’re a maker, artist, reseller, creative teacher, shop owner or product-based small business owner trying to build something that lasts, I think you’ll enjoy this one. 🫶🏻

🎧 Listen to Episode 68 of Creatives on Camera:
https://pod.link/1790887489

▶️ Watch our conversation:
https://youtu.be/zbEv6yaQMc8

📖 Episode + show notes:
https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/blog/when-your-platform-lets-you-down

What happens when your business platform stops working? Sarah Sewell explores platform dependence, online community, and what keeps business alive.

09/24/2026

Etsy has rolled out a pretty significant group of seller updates this September, and several of them address things sellers have been asking for for YEARS. Shared Access is finally here, we can now add a third variation to listings, personalization tools are becoming much more useful, and Etsy is making changes to Shop Stats, Marketplace Insights, listing appeals, Etsy Ads, payments and more.

I am genuinely excited about a lot of these changes, especially Shared Access. For sellers who have reached the point where they need help running their shops, being able to bring someone in without handing over your personal Etsy login is a BIG step forward. To me, this is Etsy finally recognizing that an Etsy seller can grow from maker to merchant to someone leading an actual team.

Of course, I am also keeping a healthy amount of caution in the mix. Some features are still being tested or gradually rolled out, and an announcement is only the beginning. What matters is how these tools actually work once thousands of real businesses begin using them.

I broke down the latest Etsy updates, what I think matters most, what I am excited about and what I think sellers should still watch carefully in my newest Flourish with Sarah article.

If Etsy is part of your business, this is one you’ll want to read before heading into Q4. ❤️

09/21/2026

What a beautiful way to begin a Monday! This morning, a courier arrived at my door with this beautiful bouquet and the sweetest note from one of my clients, Sue, with Once by Sue who is an incredibly talented jewelry designer. I rarely receive flowers, so this was such an unexpected and meaningful surprise. And this color! I think these dusty rose colored roses may officially be my new favorite. 😍

A well deserved shoutout to Grace Rose Farm, too. The packaging and entire unboxing experience were done so beautifully, with so much thought and care in every detail. The presentation made an already special gift feel even more memorable.

I began working with Sue a couple of months ago as her Creative Brand Project Manager. Together, we’ve been developing and refreshing her artisan brand, helping her reach and connect with a new audience, and finding new ways to share her work. I also had the opportunity to design and build her new website, which has been such a rewarding project.

Working remotely isn’t always easy. Sue lives in the Northeast, while I’m down here in the Carolinas, and we both have busy, bustling businesses. Somehow, though, we fell into a rhythm that has felt natural and effortless from the beginning. She has been an absolute joy to work with.

Moments like this remind me how lucky I am to do the work I do. Working alongside designers, makers, and small business owners brings me so much joy and fulfillment. The work itself truly feels like a gift, and most days I feel like I’m the lucky one to have the opportunity to support such creative and talented people.

Thank you, Sue, for the beautiful flowers, your incredibly kind note, and the trust you’ve placed in me and my work. You made my whole day. 🩷

09/20/2026

Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to help people connect with your small brand, but it doesn’t mean you need a dramatic beginning or a perfectly polished founder story.

Start simple: share the meaning behind the everyday decisions you make. Why did you choose that particular material? What inspired a new collection? How is the product made, sourced or packaged? What problem does it solve, or how do you hope someone will feel when they use it?

And remember, your customer should have a place in the story too. Instead of only explaining what you created, help them imagine your product becoming part of their home, wardrobe, celebration or daily routine.

People may discover your business because they like what you sell, but the stories you share give them a reason to remember your brand, connect with your work and continue following along.

What is one part of your brand story you could share this week?

09/20/2026

What happens when overwhelming demand collides with an event that was not prepared to manage it?

The Replacements, Ltd. Yard Sale was scheduled to run from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. By the time we arrived before 8:30 Saturday morning, the road was blocked and the event had already reached capacity. By approximately 10:00, Replacements announced that it had sold through all of the available inventory.

Selling everything may sound like a tremendous business success, but many customers who drove for hours were left sitting in traffic or turned away with very little information.

In my latest substack, I take a closer look at what may have caused the event to unravel, including the unusually generous wagon promotion, and the larger business lesson behind it: demand has to be supported by thoughtful operations, communication, staffing and contingency planning.

I also explore what that incredible turnout tells us about the growing secondhand economy. Thousands of people were willing to wake up before sunrise and travel across cities and states for the opportunity to shop previously owned merchandise. That is a story worth paying attention to.

https://sarahsewell.substack.com/p/replacements-sold-out-but-fumbled