When you are looking to set up a crafting business it can be daunting and can create a lot of fear and anxiety even before you begin so hopefully this guide can help alleviate some fears and concerns you may have. So let’s get started.
We need a plan of action, a set of guidelines we need to follow so we can stay on target:
- Think of a craft that would appeal to a certain type of customer
- Create items for your target customer
- Create a small product range but don’t go too broad.
- Learn the legal requirements for your crafting business
- Work on brand awareness
- Stand out from your competition
- Work hard
For many of us we love to get our hands dirty, to grab hold of some glue and paint and turn out some great little pieces but can we do it full time? Can we do it fast? More importantly, can we do it with little to no money?
The answer to that is a resounding yes. Sadly, we live in a world where we toss away a lot of garbage, packaging, and often unwanted items. But fortunately, we live in a world where we toss away a lot of garbage, packaging, and often unwanted items.
This means that you have access to lots and lots of recyclable materials and you can use those to make crafts for almost nothing. Yes, you have to buy glue, paint, and other materials but the bulk of what you need is literally being tossed away by everyone.
Think of a craft that would appeal to a certain type of customer
When people first get started they go about things all wrong. They first think of cool things that want to make and then spend time, effort, and sometimes money making them only then to find out nobody wants to buy them. Disillusionment sets in and the business fails as quickly as it was born.
What we need to do first is to find out what your target customer likes. Think about your craft business idea and what you’d like to make and then search online to see how popular that item would be. If you pick something like jewelry then you’ll have a tough time as the competition is massive and for you to break into this niche as a new crafter on a budget is next to impossible.
If you are interested in jewelry, instead of thinking about jewelry, how about jewelry boxes, or racks, or even travel bags. Yes, there is still a lot of competition but now you can be more you and create items with your style. For example, many people would love a ‘steampunk’ style jewelry box even though they own regular mainstream style jewelry.
Create items for your target customer
So now you have an idea of who you want to target then it’s time to step into their shoes and think hard about them. Rather than trying to create generic items and hope they like them, think about your crafts with a purpose. For many crafts they have that curb appeal, they are cute, funky, cool, or inspiring but usually, the crafter doesn’t think about utility.
Making crafts that help your customer solve a problem or satisfy a need can really bring in the bucks. For example, many men of all ages play wargames, many wargames involve buying expensive plastic buildings, vehicles, and terrain. At the time of writing this article, I just checked the price of a plastic model 40′ shipping container 1:87 scale on eBay and the price is $28.99 with small discounts for multiple purchases. If you were to make these from corrugated cardboard boxes, cotton bud sticks, paint, and glue, you could easily make one for less than $2. Factoring in the fact that it’s less durable than plastic you could still easily charge $10 per item and walk away with a healthy profit and your customer saves a packet into the bargain.
Create a small product range but don’t go too broad.
Now that you have an idea of what you would like to produce think about a range of products you could make to appeal to your customer.
Using the above wargame example, you could create small corrugated iron (from cardboard) buildings, fences, containers, walls and smaller scatter pieces for the customer to use to create game scenarios for a lower cost than buying pricey expansion packs from the original games company.
Avoid making more than a dozen or so items at the beginning. If you have to buy crafting materials to be able to make 30 or 40 different pieces then you run the risk of paying out a lot of money before you begin to make any.
Start small and master your craft and scale your crafting business up as you need to. By focusing your range you will be able to make items in bulk which will speed up your production time.
Learn the legal requirements for your crafting business
Knowing the law is essential for running any kind of business and a crafting business will be no exception. Some of the things you may need to consider are:
Product safety
Can your product be used easily and safely? Are there small parts that can fall off and create choking hazards for children? Is your product fragile and can cause injury if it gets broken?
Do you have to use dangerous or toxic materials to craft?
If so do you have the right safety equipment and a safe working environment? Do you have adequate medical backup in case of injury?
Are you allowed to run a business from your home?
If you don’t own your home you may need permission from the owner to set up a business in your home. Even if you do own your home you still need to satisfy legal requirements before you can begin.
Taxation
If you are making money from your business then you will need to declare your earnings to your government’s tax department to ensure you pay the correct amount of tax to keep you on the right side of the law.
Work on brand awareness
Having a target market and a great product range is all well and good but you also need a good strong brand to keep you recognizable in your area of crafting so coming up with a brand that connects you to your products is key.
Using the above example with gaming terrain, having a brand with lots of primary colors and cute baby animals would clash severely with your brand so having something in a futuristic gaming style or something with a more modern twist would be more suitable.
Stand out from your competition
Try not to be another clone of a more popular product as you will just get lost in the weeds and forgotten. It’s better to stand out to a few than be lost to all.
Try to make you, your products, and your brand a little different, even if you are in a competitive niche. In some ways that can make or break your crafting business.
Marketing
Fortunately for us, we have access to social media so this is no longer an expensive endeavor. It does however cost you in time rather than money so try not to get bogged down with trying to hit every single social media site there is, you will burn out and lose hope and spend more time marketing than you do making.
Pick 1 or 2 complementary platforms and market there. If your products are aimed at females then Pinterest and Instagram are great as the majority of users are female on these platforms, if you are appealing to males then maybe Pinterest and Facebook. If your work has a lot of detail then maybe Youtube and Facebook. Don’t try too many as you need to be pushing out products rather than becoming a social media star.
Remember once you have got a core product range then you can push out promotional material to your platforms and once you have become established then you may be able to branch out or even pay someone to do this for you when you start to become successful.
Work hard
This goes without saying. It often takes time to get things rolling at the outset but once you get a little traction then it can snowball very quickly so make sure you do your due diligence with the key elements of your business like production and quality, materials management, marketing, and finances. Then you’ll have a successful crafting business before you even know it.
If you are looking for some crafting ideas then check out these articles where you can see how you can turn your recycling into great, sellable crafts in a jiffy.
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