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How to start a craft business

Written by: Crissy Herron Gipson

Article Overview: Turning your hobby into a craft business offers you the opportunity to do what you love to do and make some money in the process.

How to start a craft business

Many of us have craft supplies filling our closets and spilling into any available vacant location in our homes and garages. You may even have an inventory of completed projects taking up space; why not put those projects and supplies to good use by turning your craft into a business? Turning your hobby into a craft business offers you the opportunity to do what you love to do and make some money in the process.

What kind of products should you make? Start out with something you already make. Do you work well with fabric? You could make quilts, wall hangings, custom curtains, home décor; your only limitation is your imagination. Does working with jewelry bring you joy? Custom jewelry will never go out of fashion. Are your gift baskets a hit during the holiday season? Why not extend them beyond the holidays by offering baskets for all occasions? Do you enjoy scrapbooking? Why not offer custom photo albums to those who may not have the creativity to make their own. Do you find painting home décor relaxing? Why not create custom themes? Create and sell multiple items as a package deal. The possibilities are endless, just be creative and have fun!

Once you have an idea of what you want to sell, where will you sell it? One of the most cost effective ways is to sell online. Selling online also enables you to reach beyond your local market. Create yourself a website and display photos of your various projects and ship to customers that you wouldn’t have reached otherwise.

Not ready to sell online, that is ok there are still plenty of options for selling locally. You can rent space in craft shops, just go in as needed to replace your stock and let them take care of the sales for you. Flea markets aren’t just for antiques and used equipment anymore; rent a table or booth and tap into that exposure. Many organizations are now expanding there craft fairs throughout the year, check your local paper for listings. You can rent kiosk space at your local mall; many even have the types that are used for display purposes, so you don’t have to sit there all day. You can rent tables or booths at your local home shows. All it really takes is to start out with one or two showings and additional doors of opportunity will come your way.

Turning your craft into a business is a quick and simple way to make money doing something that you enjoy, but how to start a craft business is up to you. The possibilities are endless; just don’t forget to carry your business cards with you at all times, you never know when you will walk through the door of opportunity!

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Article Tags: closets, cor, craft business, craft fairs, craft shops, craft supplies, creativity, custom curtains, custom jewelry, custom photo albums, custom themes, flea markets, garages, gift baskets, holiday season, kiosk, local mall, local market, taking up space, wall hangings



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