First, a few updates:

• Bluprint extended free access to their courses through 4/16
• ServSafe is offering free food safety training for the rest of this month
• If your state doesn't allow online sales or in-state shipping, Erica Smith from the Institute for Justice wants to know if you've been negatively affected by the coronavirus. She's looking to improve the laws in your state! You can email her at [email protected]
• I'm giving a live, free online workshop next Wednesday (details below) about using email marketing in your business, and I'll be answering your questions in real-time

Okay, let's talk about the coronavirus, how it's impacting the cottage food industry, and what you can do about it.

Most cottage food businesses rely on direct, in-person sales, so with society mostly banning in-person gatherings (like farmers markets), it's clearly problematic.

Many people have asked me if I have any ideas for how to sell their products during this crisis. Yes, I do!

Imagine this: your farmers market just closed unexpectedly due to the coronavirus. You think, "No problem, I'll just email everyone to let them know." You communicate directly with them, and not only keep sales flowing with pickup and delivery orders, but actually increase your business because people are avoiding grocery stores.

Indeed, many people have actually been busier than ever right now, baking their buns off! I hear that bread is an especially popular item.

But this assumes that you have a reliable and effective way to communicate with customers, and most cottage food businesses don't.

Social media tools like Facebook and Instagram pale in comparison to the effectiveness of email.

And whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, my guess is that you're not sending nearly enough emails to your customers.

Heck, there's a good chance you're not sending ANY emails to your customers. We need to fix that!

That's why I'm running a live, free online workshop next Wednesday about leveraging email marketing, and how I've used it in my fudge business.

I will also be answering your questions in real-time, whether they be about the coronavirus, email marketing, or anything else related to cottage food.

I will be sharing a variety of strategies, and I hope you'll walk away with many actionable ideas that will help you now and into the future.

And let's be clear: this isn't just useful in a pandemic. I think you'll find these techniques vital in every stage of your business!

I will be going live next Wednesday at 11am my time (Pacific time), and there will be a chatroom for everyone to interact.

Click Here To Sign Up for the Email Marketing Workshop

Even if you can't attend live, sign up anyway to let me know you're interested, and I'll send you the replay when it's available.

I hope to see you in the chatroom next week!

David

P.S. For the record, this is my first time doing a live presentation on Forrager, so I'm sure I'll be learning with you! :)