Arts ‘N Crafts Business Alliance

There is nothing more rewarding for many individuals than starting a business from scratch and watching it grow and prosper before their very eyes. Over the years, goals have shifted from securing a job until retirement, to creating a lasting personal business. People want to do what they love and love what they do. It is especially rewarding when the business is based on a craft the person enjoys doing.

Small businesses are always popping up, established on the premise of a dream by an entrepreneur. Many businesses are based upon a special hobby or talent.

But starting a business, even if it is a small operation, takes a lot of thought and careful planning. Because markets are constantly on the rise and fall, smaller businesses and corporations usually feel the brunt of a slow economy first.

Before you decide to open up a craft store, there are some important considerations to make as a way to ensure your ultimate success.

The first important aspect to consider when starting a business is basing it on something you absolutely love doing. Too often, people want to open up a business for the sole purpose of making money. When times are tough and the cash is not flowing in, it is easy for an individual to get discouraged.

Starting a business of any kind takes extreme dedication, and having a passion for your craft will help provide the extra stamina it takes to see through the rough patches in a market?s economy. Eventually the tides turn and you will start seeing profits for all your hard work and commitment.

When you consider making your craft into a full-time career, it is always a good idea to launch your specialty in a small market. This means selling your products at local craft fairs or to friends and family through home shows. You get a solid idea on why people enjoy buying your creations. You may learn a few extra tips from other craft enthusiasts at the local shows, too.

Learning your hobby before trying to tackle a national market is a wise move to make in the business world, especially when it costs obscene amounts of money to buy advertising for national retailers or mail-order advertisements. Many first-time entrepreneurs go into opening a business with the mindset that they have to start big and start fast. Only in rare instances does this approach truly succeed.

Another important aspect to consider when turning your craft into a moneymaking business is to avoid borrowing a lot of money from banks, friends or family. This goes back to the up-and-down economy. Nothing frustrates a new business owner more than not making money and having to pay large loans off. It is smart to save some money before you even consider opening a business up to act as a buffer for the first couple of years.

The world is unlimited when it comes to opening a craft business. Many individuals have been successful. Whether you are selling specialty-made dollhouses or fine jewelry, starting frugally helps you succeed greatly.

Learn more about the fascinating world of miniatures. Visit TheMagicalDollhouse.com today for a great selection of doll houses and dollhouse accessories from top miniature companies.

Permission granted to reproduce this article.

Taking your love for crafting and turning it into a business can be one of the hardest decisions for any crafter. Most crafter’s I’ve come across usually start off making crafts for friends and family. The idea of selling their craft’s is the furthest thing from their mind.

There are many pro’s and con’s to taking your hobby into a business:

PRO’S

• Creating an income with something you like doing
• You can work from home
• You can create your own work hours
• You can sell at craft fairs and special events
• You can sell online
• You can create a mail order catalog
• Best of all you can still spend time with your family

Sounds good so far? Did I mention you can make money with something you really enjoy doing?

Most crafter’s already know they can create beautiful artwork, yes, art, just by putting together pieces of materials or using their creative innovative minds to create something from other things. Crafter’s are not just people who make craft’s they are in fact Artisans. Yes, like Van Gogh or Picasso a crafter takes objects and create beautiful works of arts! The same can be said for graphic designers, painter’s, ceramist, knitter’s, etc . . . each of these individuals create beautiful wares that are often time one of a kind pieces.

Making a hobby into a business however, is not as easy as it seems. Even if you’ve got friends and family that love to “receive” your creations, will they buy it? Let’s take a look at the unsavory side of craft businesses.

CON’S

• Lack of support from friends and family – some will think your hobby should just be that – a hobby!
• Lack of time – many crafter’s will find this to be a habitual problem. Lack of time for family, lack of time for housework, lack of time for self.
• Business Mambo Jambo – crafting as a business requires one to understand and undertake all the necessary paperwork required to create a craft business, ie. business license, accounting, inventory, expense report, sales tax, etc . . .
• Marketing Confusion – although it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out, marketing one’s products can be a confusing problem. How do you price your products? Where do I sell my products? Should I make a catalog? Should I create a website?

These are just a few of the major Con’s to creating a business from your hobby. I ended off with creating a website for a very specific reason. If you’re reading this, you either have a craft business online with an already created website or is thinking of creating one.

If you are the latter, you’re in luck. You are about to learn what you need to know before creating a website.

Before I continue on . . . I need to explain that a hobby can be turned into a lucrative business if handled properly.

The mistake of many crafter’s is jumping in without knowing first all that it will entail and not truly understanding how to run a profitable craft business.

First thing first.

What should you do before you turn your hobby into a business?

Research! Yes, research! Find out if there is a need for the type of products you will be creating. Find out what type of products you will decide to ultimately sell. Who is your competition? How much can you sell your products for and still make a profit. Find out what you need to do to make your business legal. Create a Business Plan. Most of all “Talk to your family”. Will you get their support?

Support from your immediate family is important. Unfortunately, sometimes this can be one of the hardest obstacles. Some will think it’s a great idea, while other’s will not be as supportive as you might have thought and then there are those who will half way support you but will want some proof that it will work before they give you whole support. Sound familiar?

Don’t worry too much about the doubting “Thomas” you’ll encounter. What is most important in this scenario is your persistence and willingness to learn, bend and grow with your craft business.

Taking your business online, well, that’s a whole new different ball game! I’ve been online since about the beginning of the internet and I’ve seen many creative crafter’s throw in the towel. They fell for the many myths that many internet marker’s fall for. The most pertinent myth” Build it and they will come”. This is the biggest bull you’ll ever hear.

A brick and mortar business is easier to market with it’s physical products than it is to market a business online! That my friends is pure unadulterated facts!

Don’t be fooled by someone who has created a successful business offline telling you that a marketing plan for an offline business is the same for an online business. Another crock!

There are many important factors that you should familiarize yourself with before attempting to put your business online.

Yes, you can build a successful business online with your crafts or art work! It has been done and you can do it, barring of course that you take the time to “Research and Learn” before you create your business website!

The most important fact you need to know about your business website is this. It is the only thing your potential customer will be able to use to judge or gauge the type of business you have!

They can’t touch or feel your products, but your website is the only representation you have to win new customers and retain them.

A well created website should not only contain products, it should contain information that will help build trust! The average internet surfer usually do not come online to shop! The internet was created to provide information. A webmaster or an ecommerce owner should provide that! Useful information that brings internet surfer’s to your website who eventually finds your site also sells products!

Before any of this can be achieved, there are a few crucial information I wish every crafter or artisan would learn before deciding to create a website presence. Many jump in and figure they can create a website with Frontpage or Word or maybe buy a template and start creating their website.

The excitement of seeing their site online with their company name, can blind many into thinking they are now going to have a business that will start selling their products – to the world! WRONG!

I’ve seen many sites who have been online for a couple of years, met owners who are still struggling to make sales, etc . . what do you think they have in common? They do not understand the necessary crucial elements to create a well built search engine friendly and internet surfer friendly website!

Many crafter’s or new site owners fail to realize the following facts:

• Learning Basic HTML is a MUST for any site owner
• Learning how to Structure a website – goes hand in hand with basic html, but it also means you need to figure out what type of information you will provide on your site. How will you present it to your potential customers or site visitors? Colors, design, graphics, structure all very important elements to a well built site.
• Understanding how the search engine works is crucially important – this information helps you create a better website
• Understanding and Utilizing free to reproduce information – helps build trust and brings in internet surfers looking for information you’ve decide to add to your website content
• Free Stuff or Public Domain products. There are many free to use programs, scripts, etc . . . that can be used to create your website without paying for them.
• You have to spend money to make money. Unfortunately, sometimes it is necessary to pay for products and advertising in order to make your online business successful. Purchasing a domain name and server space is one of these necessary expenses.

This is just a short list of what one must know before creating a business online. However, the most important of them all is learning basic html. This knowledge will help you start your website creation and learn as well as grow as you go. Spending your money to pay for your site to be made is one way of getting started. Beware of this important factor when hiring someone to do your site. There is a great big difference between a web designer and a web developer. Discover the difference if you decide to take this route.

Turning a hobby into a successful online business is achievable. As with any business it should not be a venture taken lightly. Planning is important. Learning how to create a website for your potential customers as well as making it search engine friendly is one of the biggest obstacles you’ll come across.

Your willingness to learn and understand how the internet works, the type of information you need to add to your content as well as creating a well structured website specifically created for ease of use is one of the first steps into creating a prominent successful online presence.

Do your homework, research, research, research! The internet is a virtual bottomless pit of free information. There isn’t any question you can come up with that can’t be answered online. Use the many free groups and bulletin boards. Visit sites and see what it is about them that you like that you might want to integrate with your own site creation. Learn Basic HTML. Take some free online courses.

You can turn your hobby into a successful online business if you do the necessary research. Anyone can build a website, but will they come?