Craft Business

It's really easy to start a business in pretty much any craft. Making a successful craft business is a different matter.

Presuming you have a saleable product (and from some craft shows and fairs not everyone does !) then the first thing to do is figure out your finances (most crafters work on a shoestring so don't feel alone about that !)
At some point in the future you will have to deal with the dreaded income tax and either stsate taxes or VAT. That's why its really important right from the start to keep accounts (I know - yawn,yawn) but its more sensible than trying in two or three years time to get that suitcase from under the bed and try to figure it all out.

So it is VITAL to keep records not only of your sales but most importantly about your puchases - you will be able to claim against tax not only your basic materials and supplies,magazines,books,classes,workshops etc but also your car and allied expenses,your electricity and pretty much everything that you would normally associate with an office - except the office turns out to be your home.
That's enough about finance - what do you make that will sell ?
People in the art world have a knack of making or painting things first and then trying to find a market for them. That's the wrong way to do things.
To Succeed in business with your craft you have to find out what people are actually looking for.

There's a great way of doing this - its called eBay (huh ?) That's rigt eBay is going to be your BIG shop window to the world and eBay offers something called PULSE -which is what people are actually looking for ! This makes the whole craft business realy easy.
Log on to eBay and then look at the following url :
http://pulse.ebay.com/
(Gosh that was hard wasn't it ?) In the Category box at the left fill in Crafts
This is what the left hand windw showed me :
1. stampin up
2. scrapbooking
3. creative memories
4. fabric
5. beads
6. yarn
7. cricut
8. sizzix
9. close to my heart
10. cross stitch

and these are the current most request eBay items .
This information is SOLID GOLD - its buyers looking for things ... but it gets better ! Go back to the Catrgory box and a whole new list of eBay catgories drops down and if you press on these the most requested items again will pop into the left hand window. Don't forget these are real people looking for real craft items today !
Lets look at Candle & Soap Making
What are people looking for ?
1. candles
2. lot
3. silicone mold
4. soap
5. beeswax
6. soap molds
7. fragrance oil
8. soap cutter
9. wax
10. candle making

Nw you get a feel for what is popular in your specific field (This works for EVERY category on eBay)

So if your particular field is not being looked for then check out allied fields. Or make a decision to become a craft supplier to other crafters - and for that just go to EBays Wholesale section and split what you buy into smaller quantities to sell to other crafters.

Ever noticed that some people make real money at craft shows ? Why not join them and do the same !
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If you are a proficient craftsperson then why not teach others your craft ?
Run a workshop and charge each person $ 100 to $ 200 a day to attend (throw in a lunch if you're feeling sociable !)
Teach the basics of your craft but limit the numbers to 6 or 8 people to give them personal attention.
Ass on the costs of the basic materials (and lunch) and make sure everyone goes home with a piece of art/craft that they have made themselves (with a little help from you !) They will be happy,their friends will be jealous and you can always give attendees a small brochure with a list of your workshops for the future (better still give them 6 brochures each to give to friends while they are still realy enthusiastic )
You will clear 600 to 800 $ in a day - cash or check only please ! and have a great time teachng others.
This will happily fund new materials for your next enterprise. (Double the cost of materials before you add in the price to ensure you don't make a loss by things going up in price)