On the 1st of January I declared 2012 the Year of the Creative Entrepreneur-now its time to make good on this promise. Are you ready?

For almost 2 years I’ve had at least one email a day from creative businesses asking me everything from how to choose a designer  to where they can find help with marketing + all things in-between. You want to know the ins and outs of hiring help and I love replying and referring to various resources and services or finding someone with the answer to write for us. The best part is watching these collaborations lead to amazing things or transformations!

In my decade of community work I loved being the girl with the answers. When a youth was suddenly homeless I knew where to go. If a small non-profit wanted to expand I told them how to find funding. I could connect a new mother struggling with breastfeeding or postpartum with the help she needed.When a young girl told me she was being abused or wanted to change her life, I knew who to call and what to say. I loved this part of my work the most!  I always kept a binder stuffed full of numbers and contacts so that I could easily find the right info. Over the years I made a number of different resource guides for youth, families, and communities.

So when I was brainstorming ideas for how I could bring my all skills to Oh My! Handmade and our own community I had a major eureka moment. Why not create a resource guide specifically to help creatives navigate growing their businesses and find the help they need? One that would reassure as much as it informed and inspired…the Oh My! Handmade Guide to Businessy Goodness was born.

Inspired by your questions, emails and tweets, our guide is going to put the information and contacts you need into one easy to search place. When you are ready to grow and expand or if you are already in the process our guide will be there to help. Of course it will also be beautiful, creative and engaging, just like Oh My is. I got playful and created a guide that I think is the love child of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and the Yellow Pages (but not in a copyright infringing sort of way). No boring list for us, this baby will be fun AND functional! The place to come when you need to know where to turn.

<<download the promo kit>>

Available here April of 2012 the guide will be offered by donation with a suggested price of $2. Our Shopping Guide is also getting a makeover and will become an online extension of the guide. Exciting times!

<<check out the online guide>>

Do you offer a service, supply or resource for creative entrepreneurs that needs to be showcased in our guide? Join us now! Ad space is available to fit all budgets starting today but spaces are very limited and must be reserved by March 1st.

<<buy your ad here>>

I am making a home for all my skills here on Oh My! and have created services + supports for creative businesses-I have my wand and am ready to sprinkle magic stardust on your business!

<<visit services & supports>>

Let’s get excited about April and make sure all the right services and supplies are listed in our pages. Does the idea make you shout hallelujah, this is just what I need? Thinking of someone or something that a creative biz owner HAS to know about? A question you need to see answered? Tell us in the comments or shout it out on Twitter. Let everyone know that this is something our community has been needing!

<<Tweet it out!>>

PSA: Stay calm. Please don’t panic: the @ohmyhandmade Guide to Businessy Goodness arrives April http://bit.ly/zxhdAy #omhg click to tweet 

The love child of the Hitchhikers Guide & yellow pages the @ohmyhandmade Guide to Businessy Goodness is due April http://bit.ly/zxhdAy #omhg click to tweet

Psst! You should be in the @ohmyhandmade Guide to Businessy Goodness because… http://bit.ly/zxhdAy #omhg click to tweet