On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about buying and selling a craft business with my guests Lisa Shroyer and Leanne Pressly.
This episode is a bit of a different show format because we focus on how to buy or sell a business. So often in the crafts industry, businesses just close, rather than go through a sale process. Part of the reason this happens is that selling a business can be a lot of work. It requires preparation, and the due diligence process can be rough. And part of the reason is that it can be hard to find eligible buyers who truly get the crafts industry and aren’t just looking to make fast cash. But with Stitchcraft Marketing, we have a great seller success story. We invite Leanne and Lisa to share their experience selling and buying a business.
Lisa is a lifelong knitter with a career spanning the craft industry, media, and tech. Prior to acquiring Stitchcraft, she worked at Interweave, F+W Media, Craftsy, NBCUniversal, and BiggerPockets. She lives in Colorado, where she spends her weekends hiking and trail running.
Leanne is an accomplished entrepreneur and businesswoman with extensive experience in the craft and hobby industry. Leanne founded Stitchcraft Marketing in 2009 and worked with over 300 companies in the fiber and fabric space. Having sold the agency in 2026, Leanne is focusing on getting more time in her craft room, sewing, knitting, making pottery, and lots of sourdough bread. She lives in Colorado and enjoys hiking, skiing, and spending time with her family in the outdoors.
This episode is sponsored by Eucalan.
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Leanne begins by sharing her experience as the founder of Stitchcraft Marketing. She discusses selling Stitchcraft Marketing, a niche marketing agency specializing in fiber and fabric companies, after 16 years in operation.
Leanne explains why she decided to sell. The sale process began about a year ago and was completed in January of this year, with Leanne ensuring the business remained viable before she began to feel burnt out.
Lisa, the new owner, talks about why she wanted to buy an existing business rather than start one from scratch.
Leanne explains the preparation process for selling her business, which included hiring a financially savvy team member, a mentor, an exit strategy coach, and relying on her existing accountant and bookkeeper. She emphasized the importance of having clean books and consistent records to build trust with potential buyers.
We talk about the importance of clean books, of comprehensive standard operating procedures, and about the replaceability of the owner.
Leanne and Lisa discussed the details of their business sale, clarifying that it was structured as an asset sale rather than a stock sale to maintain the parent company and provide tax advantages. Leanne shared that maintaining a partnership mindset was crucial during negotiations, especially since there was an owner finance component and she had a vested interest in Lisa’s success as the buyer. The negotiation process went smoothly due to direct communication between the parties, avoiding the need for a broker as an intermediary.
Lisa took full ownership of Stitchcraft Marketing, with Leanne staying on as president for one year to provide support and transition assistance. Leanne structured her advisory role with front-loaded hours that decrease each quarter, working without payment to ensure Lisa’s success during the transition period. Lisa shares her vision for expanding the agency’s services and optimizing operations.
Read more about the sale of Stitchcraft Marketing in this article by Lisa and Leanne that we published shortly before this episode aired.
And, of course, I ask Lisa and Leanne to recommend great stuff they’re loving right now.
Leanne recommends:
Lisa recommends:
- Best American Short Stories 2025
- Fuzzy pink yarn
- International knitting creators on Instagram
Keep up with Stitchcraft Marketing on their website, on Facebook, and on Instagram.
Craft Industry Alliance members can learn more about buying and selling a business in our recorded webinar on this topic.
