Highlights from Craft + Commerce 2025
A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Craft + Commerce conference for creators hosted by Kit, an email marketing platform built by creators, for creators. It was my first time attending this conference, and it was my first blogging conference in 10 years! (I attended the very last Texas Style Council CAMP back in 2015, before my blog was even called Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair.)
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is based right here in Boise, so the conference was also held right here in Boise! I am so fortunate to have a conference like Craft + Commerce in my hometown. (I would have gone in 2024 if we hadn’t been in Scotland that same weekend.) I met people from all over the country plus a few folks that travelled to Boise from abroad!
Interested in learning more about the conference? Read on for my full experience at Craft + Commerce 2025 and a quick list of my biggest highlights and takeaways! If you’re also a creator in any way, I hope I can encourage you to either check out C+C in the future OR inspire you to attend another conference for creators.
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Craft + Commerce 2025
I had no idea what to expect going into my very first Craft + Commerce conference, so below, I shared a recap of each day of the conference along with the keynote speakers and workshops I attended. I also wrote out a quick list of my own personal highlights, too!
The C+C conference agenda was made up of these events:
Keynotes (20-minute-long presentations by invited speakers; 6-8 per day, half in the morning and half in the afternoon)
Workshops (1-hour-long presentations/guided workshops led by a variety of industry experts; 2 per day)
Events (opening party/happy hour, happy hour, closing party)
Attendee-led meetups (other C+C attendees put together fun events, including coffee chats, morning runs, karaoke night, whitewater rafting, and tons more)
Studio time at Kit Studios (attendees could reserve a private room to record a podcast, interview, video, and/or social media content)
Day 1: Registration
Craft + Commerce opened up with registration and an evening happy hour in the conference venue, Treefort Music Hall, located in BoDo in downtown Boise. (Side note: Treefort Music Hall is a GREAT venue for concerts!) I worked a full shift at my day job and then headed over!
Luckily, the registration line wasn’t too long. I talked to the lady in front of me (she was from San Diego), grabbed my badge (which for some reason had my full government name on it even though I know I filled in my nickname, ha), and was given some goodies, including a small notebook for session notes and a book, When I Start My Business, I’ll Be Happy by Sam Vander Wielen, one of the keynote speakers and workshop hosts.
I was terrified to walk into happy hour because I went into the conference not knowing anyone. I ended up running into Jen, the owner of the barre studio I’ve been attending regularly for over a year! It was great to see a face I knew! She introduced me to Eric Rhodes, the local DJ hired to get the party going at C+C.
After enjoying a free drink (on Kit) and making my own C+C merch item (you could pick between two tee styles or a tote and pick one of two designs in one of two colors, white or light blue), I called it an evening. I opted for a black cropped tee with the Craft + Commerce text on the front along with the skyline of Boise!
Day 2: Keynotes + Workshops
Day 2—the first full day of the conference—kicked off bright and early! The conference started at 8:30 am, and the first keynote was at 8:45 am. They had a book signing starting at 7:30 am, which I really wanted to go to, but I knew I would not be able to get myself out of bed that early.
The Thursday morning keynotes were given by Clay Hebert, Shane Martin, Liz Wilcox, and two Kit employees (Nathan Barry, founder and CEO, and Katie Swett Miller, VP of product). I especially loved Clay’s keynote about the art of introducing yourself, and I’ve been a member of Liz Wilcox’s Email Marketing Membership since she launched it, basically, so it was fun to hear about her success with it! (You may have seen her on Survivor?!)
Following the keynotes, I attended the “What’s Actually Working to Grow Email Lists in 2025” workshop hosted by Matt Molen of Email Crush and learned some new tips and tricks that I’m hoping will grow my own email list! The workshops were all scattered between Treefort Music Hall and conference rooms in the three neighboring hotels (Hampton Inn, Residence Inn, and Inn at 500).
We had a lunch break in between the morning workshop and afternoon workshop, but instead of sitting down for lunch, I booked a blowout at Lunatic Fringe Salon (located just down the street from the venue) because my brother was having his courthouse wedding at the capitol THAT NIGHT! I was happy to have someone else deal with my hair (and the shampoo/head massage felt so indulgent in the middle of a “work day”!).
In the early afternoon, I attended the “The Mini Money Maker and Tiny Offer, Big Impact” workshop hosted by Liz Wilcox. During that workshop, she shared tips for coming up with our own tiny offers that could have a big impact on our business revenue (her EMM is only $9/month and has resulted in close to $1 million in recurring revenue).
We broke into small groups and discussed our ideas and helped our groupmates flesh out their ideas. I didn’t have any good ideas for myself, but it was interesting to hear what others were doing in their businesses and what they were considering for their tiny offers!
On the way back to Treefort Music Hall for more keynotes, I saw a creator whose content I’ve listened to myself (the Interview Boss podcast!) and was thrilled to tell her how much I appreciated it! Pat Flynn, Nisha Vora, Sam Vander Wielen, and Chris Donnelly shared their tips on scaling, sustainable productivity, being authentic, and more. I felt so inspired at the end!
Another evening happy hour capped off day 2 of Craft + Commerce, but I had to miss it and the final keynote to attend my brother’s wedding! I ran to my car to drop off my conference things, change shoes, touch up makeup, and then pack my purse before speed walking through downtown Boise.
Day 3: Keynotes + Workshops
Day 3 also kicked off bright and early with another book signing at 7 or 7:30 am (not sure of the exact time because I couldn’t make it!) and keynotes starting at 8:45 am. I was thrilled to hear from Tori Dunlap, founder of Her First $100k, in the first keynote. (I preordered her book, Financial Feminist, and am finally getting around to reading it over two years later. 🙈)
Tori’s keynote focused on social media success and her strategy for going viral (and turning followers into clients). We also heard keynotes from Amanda Goetz, Dara Ladjevardian, and Tristan de Montebello. I enjoyed all of them but was especially surprised by and impressed with Tristan’s keynote. He’s a co-creator of Ultraspeaking (more on this later!).
After grabbing a quick coffee drink with Jen, I thought I was headed to one session about email marketing but ended up in a different session about email marketing (got my locations mixed up!). I think either would have been great, and I learned a LOT in the workshop I ended up in: “Get Your Newsletter Roasted Live!” with Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop of the Growth in Reverse podcast.
The roasting was really not mean at all, and looking at real creator’s actual websites, landing pages, and email newsletters REALLY helped me consider my own! I didn’t have mine roasted but they probably would have enjoyed it since I use Flodesk. 😆
For lunch, I wandered over to The Warehouse Food Hall along with many of the other attendees. One of my favorites, Anzalone Pizza, now offers a lunch special (large slice and drink), so I enjoyed a slice of pepperoni and a Sprite on the patio with my Kindle!
In the afternoon, Ultraspeaking founders Tristan de Montebello (who did one of the morning keynotes) and Michael Gendler hosted a workshop. They founded Ultraspeaking to “gamify” public speaking and teach methods for improving your speaking and your confidence in any setting, formal or informal.
I enjoyed the keynote so much that I decided to attend, even though I was terrified of being called on, ha! Luckily there were a number of willing participants who all did GREAT. We got to see some of their public speaking games available on their website in action, and it made me want to take the games back to my day job! (Check them out!)
The main conference wrapped up with keynotes by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Lestraundra (Les) Alfred, and a panel with Nathan Barry and a few other creators. Afterward, I walked to Kit Studios to see what was going on there (Ecamm producers was hosting one of a few workshops on video editing) and got a tour of the Kit Studios podcast and video space that is free for Kit Creator clients to use! (All the rooms are Taylor Swift themed.)
C+C closed things out with the closing party back at Treefort Music Hall! They had glow sticks, candy from my youth (ring pops, push pops), retro games set up around the room, and a station where you could cover your face in glitter. DJ Eric Rhodes returned to get everyone on the dance floor! It was a fun way to finish the conference.
Highlights from Craft + Commerce 2025
After going into the Craft + Commerce conference feeling nervous and unsure if I even belonged there (I constantly felt like I had nothing to offer anyone), I left C+C feeling inspired and less alone in my creator journey. I couldn’t get over just how amazing it is that Boise—my lil hometown in Idaho—is home to this conference that creators traveled to from all over the country (and even abroad)!
Here are some of my biggest highlights:
Repurpose existing content to serve readers. I love when this is reiterated because I have a TON of existing content on my blog and Instagram and I know I’m not using it to the fullest extent.
Share your story authentically. Be real with your readers and followers. Share the highs and the lows (without getting into personal details). They want a reason to root for you/your business.
Don’t speak to get a reaction or to impress others. (And play with the games on the Ultraspeaking website to get better at public speaking!)
AI is the future, so don’t panic (yet). As you can imagine, AI was a hot topic at this year’s conference. A common theme shared by the speakers was that AI is not going to go away, so don’t panic—learn to adapt. And most importantly, keep the humanity in your business.
I will always gladly accept a free book! We received SIX business- or creator-related books at C+C. I’m so excited to read them.
Don’t be afraid to meet new people! I was absolutely terrified to introduce myself to others, so I appreciated when someone else came up to me. I enjoyed it every time! Everyone had such different creator businesses, and it was fascinating to me.
Maybe my most important takeaway of all: I decided that I enjoyed this conference so much that I needed to attend it AGAIN and already purchased my ticket for Craft + Commerce 2026! Maybe I’ll see you there? 😉