“The Artisan Group has been absolutely fantastic, not only for my sales, but also as a sounding board for advice, promotion, camaraderie — you name it. I have developed so much as an artist and a business owner because of TAG and, specifically, because of the vision, drive, and dedication of Valerie Guerrero, the creator and leader of this group.
I have participated at all levels, as my business has grown, from having my business cards included in GBK’s luxury red carpet celebrity gifting suites to having a featured spot at these same celebrity events. My levels of participation have been entirely voluntary, of course. One could be a member and gain just from that, at no cost, but that doesn’t make much sense. For me, any costs for my participation are advertising expenses that allow my product to be seen by literally thousands of potential buyers, worldwide who would not be directed to my shoppe otherwise. From GBK’s luxury red carpet celebrity gifting suites, to the Country Music Awards, to having production assistants on shows such as The Vampire Diaries use our products for sets and costumes — there is literally no end to the opportunities available with The Artisan Group.
The small picture is that, yes, part of your participation is that you “gift” products to celebrities who already have a lot of stuff. And yes, they may or may not purchase additional products. (I have had some A-listers purchase from me even months after the event.) But you don’t just sit back and wait. You work hard to publicize this as well, and great things can happen.
So the big picture is that your exposure becomes exponential when the media takes hold. My small hometown paper did a full-page story on my Earth Day celebrity gifting last year, and even a year later, people remember that story and approach me. So my local sales have boomed too. My experience with The Artisan Group and Valerie Guerrero as its amazing leader has been top-notch. Her superb working relationship with organizations such as GBK Productions is not happenstance. She works literally night and day on this, focusing on helping promote you, the shoppe owner, as a true artisan. It’s a juried group, and Valerie is very clear from the outset about her expectations of high quality products, professionalism, and mutual respect. Once you are a member, she is right there with you, 100%. In addition, you have access to such amazing support from literally hundreds of artisans worldwide. For example, The Artisan Group is currently being featured through GBK Productions at the Cannes Film Festival. You should hear the buzz being generated by the European Press about this group. It’s astounding. And by the way, it’s sooo fun.”