Digital Solutions Business Feature: Shelley Husband Crochet

“I really do love being the one to make the decisions and work out how to make this work. I control what I produce and have the flexibility to work on what needs to be done as it arises.” - Shelley Husband, Shelley Husband Crochet

Shelley Husband wasn’t necessarily out to start a business. The crochet pattern designer simply saw a need, and decided to fill it.

“A lot of what I produce is a result of the frustrations I experienced when I taught myself to crochet about 12 years ago,” Shelley explains.

“There are so many resources available on the internet these days, and they are sometimes contradictory, often confusing and skip a lot of things you need to know. As a result, the patterns and books I produce for all skill levels have been designed to eliminate the things that can confuse, and support the user to succeed.”

Now the author of seven published books with two more in the works, Shelley has helped thousands of creatives around the world learn the craft of crochet. Though she sometimes contracts others to assist with graphic design, admin and photography, Shelley Husband Crochet is mostly a one-woman-show.

“I really do love being the one to make the decisions and work out how to make it work. I control what I produce and have the flexibility to work on what needs to be done as it arises. It is getting harder as I become more well known to do everything, but for now - I am mostly managing to keep things rolling along.”

Knowing the importance of global accessibility, Shelley has run her business online since the beginning.

“I started with selling digital crochet patterns through pattern selling platforms, but these days I have my own online website and shop. I love this as it means my patterns are available all around the world.”
A savvy marketer, Shelley is also a self-taught digital marketer for her business.

“What I do is constantly changing. A lot of [my digital strategy] is based around social media. I have a strong following on Instagram, as well as a very active Facebook community. I also send a very popular weekly email newsletter. I have yet to capitalise on all of that by advertising, but that is the next thing I am going to put into place.”

Wanting to ensure her strategy was as effective as possible, Shelley turned to the Digital Solutions - Australian Small Business Advisory Services program.

“I was looking for help with understanding Google Analytics better and general reassurance that I was doing all the digital activities as well as I could be, as I taught myself as I built my business,” she explains.

Thanks to the program, Shelley learned the areas she needed to improve on - in particular, her SEO strategy. She is also now looking at her advertising strategy to ensure she is capitalising on the resources she has available.

“Access to online learning is a big one for me. Living so remotely, going to in-person training is not really an option. The one-on-one mentoring was really valuable as it was all specifically about me and my business.”

Would Shelley recommend the Digital Solutions - Australian Small Business Advisory Services program to others?

“Yes, and I have. It is so good to have helpful information on the things I need a bit of extra help with. As much as I try to do all I can, I am fully aware I simply do not have the skills or time to learn to do everything. Access to help like that provided by the program is so good to have.”
Shelley Husband Crochet is based in Narrawong on the south-west coast of Victoria, and her patterns are available globally. If you’re interested in growing your business with the Digital Solutions - Australian Small Business Advisory Services program, see here. 

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