Humility, Hustle, and Building a Craft Business, w/ NEST founder Rebecca van Bergen

It’s one thing to make, it’s another thing to sell. On this edition of “The Secrets of Mastery,” a production of Craftsmanship Magazine, we talk with Rebecca van Bergen, founder and executive director of NEST, about what craftspeople need to have thriving businesses.

NEST helps craft businesses around the world grow by providing training, resources and sales opportunities.

The international organization has worked with 2000 artisans and businesses in more than 100 countries, from quilters in Alabama to candle makers in Taiwan.

Because of Nest’s work, potters, jewelers and textile workers sell their wares through major brands such as Madewell and Anthropologie.

“One of the questions I’m often asked is whether or not with robotics and AI whether the death of craftsmanship is upon us,” van Bergen tells Craftsmanship Magazine.

“We’ve seen the opposite. And the more we swing in that direction, the more the human psyche craves something else.”

Van Bergen brings her training as a social worker to help craft businesses grow. Her own grandmothers were textile workers. I asked her about what craftspeople need — and offer — in an increasingly manufactured world, and about the role both humility and hustle play in business.

The “Secrets of Mastery” podcast series is a production of Craftsmanship Magazine. It's a series of conversations with artisans and innovators about what it takes to master their craft, and what their journey has taught them.
Craftsmanship Magazine is a multimedia publication about artisans and innovators who are creating a world built to last.

For more Secrets of Mastery episodes, or more stories about craft, check out Craftsmanship.net.

Music in this series is from Blue Dot Sessions. Pauline Bartolone is Senior Audio Editor for Craftsmanship.net. Managing Editor for the magazine is Laurie Weed, and Todd Oppenheimer is the founding editor and executive director.

LINKS:

NEST: https://www.buildanest.org/

Craftsmanship Magazine's podcast page: https://craftsmanship.net/podcasts/

Sign up for Craftsmanship Magazine on Substack: https://craftsmanship.substack.com/