You’ve seen the craft shows and have thought to yourself: Well, I could do that! Or maybe you’ve been on pinterest, and have seen all the super cute and simple crafts, and have decided: I want to make those and then sell it! Maybe, you are like me, and you really want to do something to supplement your spouse’s income without having to sacrifice your other responsibilities (kids, other job, etc.). So, you’ve decided to start selling your hand-made crafts. Excellent idea! Crafts are easy to make, relatively cheap to make, and people will buy them. But where on earth do you start? I encourage you to follow along on my 5 part series on how to start up your own selling business.
First of all, I want to encourage you that you most
certainly can do it! Anyone can do it. I am here to help you do
it. So long as you have a craft, and are wiling to put forth a little bit
of time and energy, and you *want* to do it.
This brings us to the part 1 of the series, you have to
choose your craft. There are so very many different crafts that are
available to you, and there are several things to consider when you are
starting up your business as to the *what* part of the craft selling business.
1. Where are your talents? If your strength is in the needle arts, it might not be such a wise decision to sell painted canvasses. Which art style do you feel the most experienced and accomplished in? Start with what you know, and then as your craft selling builds and stabilizes you can branch out and experiment with different styles and mediums.
2. What sort of materials are readily available to you? Different cities have different stores, have different materials. I don’t have a whole lot of luxurious yarns available to me. I cannot readily offer alpaca yarn, or felted wool shawls. I also do not have access to a loom, or spinner. I cannot sell hand-spun yarns. Make sure, before you offer a product, that you have access to the materials that you will need in order to make it.
3. Be reasonable. I love to paint, but with three relatively small children (2 preschoolers and a toddler right now), painting is just not a reasonable craft for me. I can’t just drop my paint brush and rush to the aid of a child. So, I sell a craft that works with the unpredictability that comes with younger children. Realizing what you are able to create in your unique circumstances will save you a lot of stress and possibly wasted materials.
4. What do you enjoy making? Maybe you are an amazing seamstress, but the idea of sewing the same style dress over and over again seems so incredible boring! Whereas unique one-of-a-kind statement jewelry is something different with each and every product.
There are so many different crafts out there, and so many of them come with free tutorials and patterns online. Of course, to be really successful you will have to create something different and unique to you, but it isn’t a bad idea to start off with something common. Go ahead and start off with owl themes. They are popular and they are selling right now. But don’t stick with JUST owls, because everyone and their grandmother is selling owls (which makes for a TON of competition), and trends change so in a few months, owls will be out and something else will be in.
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