Craft Businesses

First things first:

If you enjoy crafts, you may be considering turning your hobby into your own craft business. Make sure that you think things through first and prepare thoroughly, and you may be onto a winner which allows you to work from home and enjoy your family too.

Make sure that you enjoy what you are doing! You would be surprised at how many people get into a craft business because they see profit potential, rather than because they love the craft itself. You will certainly tire of your business quickly if you do the same. Others think they enjoy their craft but find it soon becomes a chore when they have to turn out their product in quantity. Think into the future. Will you be happy doing the same thing for some time to come? Do you love this particular craft enough?  

Find your niche or USP:

The second thing that you should think about is finding a niche or USP. If you have your own niche or a strong USP, it is easier to attract customers and encourage existing customers to return. The niche could be the craft itself, or the materials and colors that you use for your craft. Your niche could be to appeal to a certain demographic above all others - in which case you will have to do some research to understand who will be interested in your product.

Understand your market:

Understanding your market is a major key to your success. There is no point trying to sell a "hippy" product to an elderly demographic or an upwardly mobile one. Make sure that you can sell your product easily rather than having to search for your particular target market - which can become time consuming and costly too.

Write a business plan:

Writing a business plan will allow you to see where the problems with the business will be, so that you can find the solutions before you invest too much time and money into it. Your business plan should cover everything from the name of your business, the amount of finances and investments needed, the time spent on making and selling your craft, to how you will begin to advertise your product and to whom you will be selling.  Look in your library for help on drawing up a business plan, or do a Google search for "business plan" and find a basic plan to get you started. 

Sometimes, during the process of drawing up a sufficiently detailed business plan, you may realise that your initial excitement begins to die down. This is a sure sign that you should sit on your idea for a few more days, do some more research, and postpone any big spending until you are convinced about what you are doing! It is all too easy to get caught up in the enthusiasm that a new idea brings and leap into something which is not going to work - or work for you - long term!

Set yourself up as a business:

Do it small to start with! Don't spend too much at first - but still try to appear professional. Have postcards, business cards or brochures printed (you can do this quite cheaply through online printing companies such as www.vistaprint.com / www.vistaprint.co.uk or you can go to your local printer for help). Buy a duplicate invoice book - a very cheap way of keeping records of what you sell at craft fairs or other events - but personalise it with your own mini-labels which give your telephone number and email address in case your customer wants to re-order. If you can, ask your customers to write their addresses at the top of the duplicate form, so that you have a record for your database. Alternatively, offer them some incentive to put their name and address in your "book" - perhaps a small freebie, a priority invitation to your next event, and so on.

First sales:

There are many ways to sel your crafts. You can try to find a wholesaler who will take your product on, if you are prepared to provide quantity at a low price. You might be able to display your work in a gallery, in return for a commission if it sells. You could build a website and sell online. You can rent a booth or table at a craft fair or a Christmas event. You can try conventional mail order. You can arrange coffee mornings. Think about your target market, and how you can best reach them.