Small Business Marketing Tips for Makers with Jessi McNeal Marketing + Bookkeeping

June 10, 2026

Listen on → APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY

In this episode of Hey Julie by Moss Bags, I’m joined by Jessi McNeal of Jessi McNeal Marketing + Bookkeeping for a conversation about small business marketing, wholesale pitching, email marketing, AI, and the real-life evolution that can happen when you build a creative business over time.

Jessi describes her work as:

“Solutions For Your Small Business. I can handle your marketing & bookkeeping, so you can stay focused on doing what you love most in your business.”

And that is exactly the heart of this conversation.

Jessi has worn many creative hats over the years. She is a maker, artist, singer, songwriter, and now a marketing and bookkeeping support person for other small businesses. Her story started with creativity in many forms - music, painting, writing, and eventually product-based work through her pet brand, The Cheery Pet.

What I loved about this conversation is that Jessi understands both sides of small business. She knows what it feels like to make, package, ship, market, and then wonder if the whole thing is actually sustainable. Now, she uses that lived experience to support other makers, product-based business owners, brick-and-mortar shops, and creative entrepreneurs.

This episode is especially helpful if you are a product-based business owner, or creative entrepreneur who feels overwhelmed by marketing and unsure where to focus next.

Connect with Jessi

Website: jessimcneal.com
Instagram: @jessimcnealmarketing

From Maker to Marketing Support

Jessi’s story began in a creative family. Her dad was a musician, and her mom had a sewing business, creating custom work for interior designers. Jessi grew up surrounded by music, sewing, art, and creativity.

After years of focusing on music, she found her way back to painting. She started bringing artwork to her concerts and selling prints at her merch table. Eventually, that creative work evolved into painting custom pet portraits on ornaments.

The ornaments took off quickly.

At first, Jessi was hand-painting every single ornament. As orders came in, she realized the model was not sustainable. She was charging around $30 per ornament, but each one required original artwork. It was meaningful, but exhausting.

That led her to create a more scalable product line. She painted different dog and cat breeds, reproduced the artwork on ornaments, magnets, mugs, and stationery, and eventually designed fabric for pet bandanas.

But like so many makers know, growth often comes with new challenges.

Her bandanas were popular through both wholesale and direct-to-consumer sales, but they were labor-heavy. Jessi was printing fabric through a U.S.-based fabric printer, sewing the bandanas herself, and trying to keep up with demand. To scale, she would have needed to outsource more production, possibly overseas, and order in larger quantities.

Instead, she paused and asked a deeper question:
Is this still working for me?

That question led her toward a new chapter.

Knowing When Your Business Needs to Shift

One of the most relatable parts of this conversation was hearing Jessi talk about the moment she knew something had to change.

She was heading into a trip with a friend, but instead of feeling excited, she felt completely overwhelmed by orders, shipping, production, and the pressure of keeping up. She opened her notes app and wrote that she wanted something different.

Her product business had been fun. It had worked. It had grown. But it was no longer serving her in the same way.

That is such an important reminder for small business owners: just because something works does not mean it has to stay the same forever.

Sometimes the business can be successful and still need to evolve. Sometimes the thing you built was exactly right for one season, but not the next. And sometimes the most honest business decision is not to push harder, but to ask what actually feels sustainable.

For Jessi, the answer was supporting others.

She had always loved the business side of being a maker - the websites, newsletters, branding, storytelling, product positioning, and strategy. While many makers would rather only make the product and not think about the rest, Jessi genuinely enjoyed the “everything else.”

So she started testing a new direction.

Her goal was simple: get two clients within a few months.

Instead, she was close to capacity within a few months.

What Makers Are Overthinking in Marketing

One of my favorite questions from the episode was:

What are makers overthinking in their marketing?

Jessi’s answer was: everything!

She sees two common patterns.

Some small business owners are trying to optimize every tiny part of their business. They want every flow, every email, every product page, every social media post, and every system to be perfect. But when you are a small business owner with limited time and resources, that level of perfection can become a trap.

Other business owners are so overwhelmed by all the information that they become paralyzed. They do not know where to start, so they do not start anywhere.

Jessi’s advice is to simplify.

Start with one thing. And for many small businesses, that one thing is the website.

Your website is your home base. It tells your brand story, showcases your products, and helps move customers toward buying. If your website is unclear, confusing, or missing the human story behind your brand, then your social media and email marketing may not work as well as they could.

Before trying to do everything, Jessi recommends starting with the foundation.

Why Your Website Still Matters

Social media is important, but your website is where people often go when they are deciding whether to trust you, buy from you, or learn more about your business.

Jessi shared that one of the first places she looks when shopping online is the About page.

And so many small businesses miss that opportunity.

Your About page does not have to be complicated, but it should help people understand who you are, what you make, and why it matters. Jessi pointed out that in a world of AI, fake accounts, and faceless online businesses, people want to know there is a real human behind the brand.

That does not mean you have to become a full-time influencer or put your face everywhere. But having at least one photo of yourself, even from a distance or in your workspace, can help people connect.

People buy from people.

For makers and creative business owners, your story is part of the value of what you sell.

Wholesale Pitching Tips for Makers

Jessi also shared so much practical advice about wholesale.

She has done wholesale for her own product-based business, and now she supports clients with wholesale pitching. She explained that wholesale outreach can happen in a few different ways.

You can start simply with your own inbox and a spreadsheet. Find shops that feel like a good fit, track who you contacted, and follow up over time.

For businesses that are further along, there are software tools that can help organize leads and automate parts of the wholesale outreach process. But Jessi was clear that if you are just starting, you do not need to invest in complicated tools right away.

A simple spreadsheet is enough.

She also emphasized that wholesale pitching is a numbers game. You may send many pitches and receive only a few responses. That does not mean it is not working. It means consistency and follow-up matter.

When writing a wholesale pitch, Jessi recommends keeping it short and focused.

Include:

Who you are
What you make
Why your product could work well in their shop
How your product supports their customer
A clear visual of your product
Any helpful data, like strong sell-through or bestsellers
Seasonal relevance when possible

The biggest shift is making the pitch about the shop, not just about you.

You are not only asking them to carry your product. You are showing them how your product can help their store, serve their customers, and fit into their buying season.

Using Faire for Wholesale

We also talked about Faire, the wholesale platform many makers use to connect with retailers.

Jessi recommends being on Faire, even though many makers have a love-hate relationship with the fees. Her perspective is that Faire can function almost like a sales rep. If the platform is bringing in orders, then the commission can be seen as part of the cost of customer acquisition.

Of course, this only works if your pricing is strong enough to support wholesale margins.

We also talked about the importance of using your Faire Direct link when you are personally reaching out to shops. If you bring the customer to Faire yourself, you want to make sure you are getting credit for that relationship.

One practical tip: include your Faire Direct link in your email signature, wholesale outreach emails, and even Instagram messages when appropriate.

And if you are sending samples to a shop, follow up by email the same day with your Faire Direct link so there is a clear record of your outreach.

Start Local with Wholesale

Another helpful wholesale reminder from Jessi was to start local.

Local shops often want to carry products from local makers because customers love buying things with a local story. If someone is visiting a town, shopping, or buying a gift, knowing that the product was made nearby adds meaning.

For makers who feel intimidated by wholesale outreach, local shops can be a great place to begin. The conversation may feel more natural, and you already have a point of connection.

Start with the resources and relationships closest to you.

What’s Working in Direct-to-Consumer Marketing

Direct-to-consumer marketing is hard right now, and we both acknowledged that honestly.

There is not one magic answer. But Jessi shared a few places where makers can focus.

First, make sure your website is clear and human.

Second, make sure your story is visible.

Third, use email marketing.

Email does not have to be complicated. If you can only send one email a month, send one email a month. If you can send two, great. If weekly feels doable, even better. But the key is to start with what you can sustain.

Jessi also shared that shorter emails often perform better for product-based businesses. Instead of packing every update, product, story, and announcement into one long email, try one clear image, a little bit of story, and one clear call to action.

Give people a reason to click through to your website.

Longer story-based emails can still have a place, especially when you are building connection, but if the goal is traffic or sales, short and focused can work better.

AI for Small Business Owners

AI came up toward the end of our conversation, and Jessi gave such a balanced perspective.

AI is here. It is a tool. But it is not your brain.

Jessi uses AI for things like first drafts, brainstorming, organizing ideas, building strategies, and helping with client work. But she also edits heavily afterward to make sure the final result still sounds human.

Some of the AI "tells" she watches for are:

Too many em dashes
Overly flowery language
Repetitive phrasing
Too many lists of three
Generic wording that does not sound like the person or brand

The reminder here is simple: AI can help you get unstuck, but it should not replace your voice.

For small business owners, AI can be useful for organizing ideas, improving grammar, mapping out a plan, brainstorming email topics, or helping with SEO. But your story, perspective, humor, values, and lived experience still matter most.

Especially for makers, the human part is the brand.

What to Do When Business Feels Overwhelming

Near the end of the episode, I asked Jessi what she would say to someone who has been in business for a while and feels completely overwhelmed.

Her first advice was simple:

Take a deep breath.

Then quiet the outside noise. Maybe take a break from business influencers, peers, and the constant stream of advice on Instagram. Get quiet enough to hear yourself think.

Then brain dump everything that feels overwhelming.

Once it is all out of your head, pick one thing.

For many people, that one thing might be the website. For others, it might be product photography, email marketing, wholesale outreach, or getting a clearer system in place.

But the point is not to fix everything at once.

The point is to choose one next step.

Key Takeaways

Your business is allowed to evolve, even if what you built is working.
Makers often overthink marketing by trying to do everything at once.
Your website is your home base and should clearly tell your story.
People want to know there is a real human behind the brand.
Wholesale pitching works best when it is short, clear, visual, and shop-focused.
Faire can be a helpful wholesale tool if your pricing supports the fees.
Local shops are a great place to begin with wholesale outreach.
Email marketing still matters, and it does not have to be complicated.
AI can help with brainstorming, planning, and drafting, but it should not replace your voice.
When business feels overwhelming, quiet the noise and choose one next step.