This is part of a series of articles about what it’s like to build a craft business. I’ll be sharing insights from what it’s like making craft beer gifts at RainTaps and I’ll also be interviewing other members of the crafter/maker community.
Last week I was getting ready for another pop-up shop at Goorin Bros. I had done one already and it was a fantastic fit, and I was really excited about another chance to hang out with the great crew at Goorin and to chat with more people about my custom beer tap umbrellas.
I was also a little stressed out as I was trying to get as much inventory prepped for the event, the final details were still being worked out for my musical guests, and I had just gotten a couple of last-minute orders that I needed to put together and deliver.
Then I got a message from Only In Boston, did I want to do a Snapchat takeover of their channel during the event?
Wow! I mean as I was doing everything I could think of the promote the event I had a great channel that was giving me the opportunity to do just that.
And I was stuck with a dilemma:
Do I jump at the chance to partner with Only In Boston and highlight my cool umbrellas (and yes, I only make them here in Boston) and try to juggle my first time taking over a Snapchat channel at the same time I’m trying to run an event.
Or do I double down on preparing for the event and getting everything in ready so I don’t have to worry about last minute issues?
I slept on the invite but with all that Goorin Bros was doing for me and the fact that my friend Linnea from Powerslut had stepped up to play for the event I had to do everything I could to give back to them. This would be my chance to bring them all together and connect them with the great people that run Only In Boston.
So it’s a done deal, I’m in!
But what do I have to do…
The OIB crew doesn’t mess around. They’ve got all the details laid out and there are a ton of different options that you can choose from:
Do you want to take over their Snap and their Instagram?
How about video, analytics, content?
Do you want them to send a pro?
Just like the umbrellas and other items I make I’m more of a DIY person so I just selected the basic options and decided to do the takeover on my own.
Now if you’ve never done a takeover (like me) there are some good things to know. OIB has a pretty good process for this and they lay out the details clearly but you still need to read them and I recommend reviewing them a couple of times.
They have a process of booking and confirming your slot and then on the day of the takeover they’ll confirm your time and have you check in just before the event to get the login credentials and to go through I final check of all the critical details.
In the instructions, they’ll have detailed guidelines about things like lighting, phone orientation, text use, if you should use filters, and how long images and filters should last.
Then it was Saturday. I was running all over the place, I had done a ton of prep but I’m always trying to fit more things in. Do I have time to make one more umbrella? Do I have umbrellas from all the breweries that I want? Did I grab the umbrella for the customer that wants to pick up at the event? Do I have the right change on me if someone wants to pay cash? And of course, while I’m overthinking everything I realize I’m running later than I want so I pack everything into my carry bags as quickly as possible and hail a Lyft with my fingers crossed that they have enough room to carry everything. Good news is that I’m in luck and it’s actually a Lyft van that shows up.
The Goorin Bros hat shop in Harvard Square during the RainTaps takeover of Only In Boston
When I got to the Goorin shop everything runs smoothly, I get all my umbrellas and bottle openers set up and start chatting with the customers that come in. I have the take over scheduled for the second half of the event for when Linnea is playing live music. It works out well because I’m able to collect myself a bit, even if I’m double checking my watch every 15 minutes.
Before the takeover, I send out the message to get the login credentials. It’s good that I have the chance to confirm the details, it puts it all at the top of my mind so I’m thinking of the time settings for the images, I’m reinforcing the way I’ll present everything when I get started.
Linnea of Powerslut playing during the RainTaps takeover of Only In Boston at the Goorin Bros hat shop in Harvard Square
When Linnea shows up we get her set up and it’s on. I feel like I’m operating at about 125% but it’s good. I’m bouncing from the front of the store, showing off the event, making sure people are engaging with the music and clapping when a song is done, chatting with customers to let them know what’s going on with the event, showing off the umbrellas and pointing them in the right direction when they’re eyeing a new hat.
I finally start to hit my stride, I’ve got some good posts and have shown off some of the new hats from Goorin Bros, have clips of Linnea playing, caught some friends posing in the shop and was able to show off some of the latest umbrellas that I made (a couple that sold right after I posted them). I post a few final updates on the OIB snap and sign off.
As I packed up I thought it over, definitely the right decision? Yep, definitely the right decision.
It was a lot to take on all at once so if I was a bit more prepared or had a budget in advance I would have had a friend help out with social or I would have opted to have OIB send someone for the takeover. One thing I do have to say is that things like this remind me of why I like to be part of the local community. There are always great people around that are constantly supporting other business and creators. You have the crew at Goorin that have been great hosts, the musicians like Linnea that have played my events, and Only In Boston that provides a great platform to showcase all of the cool things that are going on.