Starting a Crochet Business Part Time, Post 2

Ok, so last time, I talked about starting a crafts business as a part-timer, but this post I want to specialize a bit and talk about crochet as a business.  There is about 1 crocheter to every 4 or 5 knitters out there, maybe even fewer.  This is both good and bad – less competition but less potential customers for crochet patterns.  As for actual crocheted products, unless you come up with something small, easy to make, and marketable and can devote many hours a day to crocheting, it's going to be tough. 

I'm not trying to discourage anyone, just inject a bit of reality and help you think through the possibilities.  Here are some ways to explore whether you are really ready to take the plunge!

1)     Experiment -- read about and try as many different types of crochet as you can.  It will help you discover what you like and don't like making.  You can't do everything, though it can be very tempting when you're starting out.  Heck, you're willing to make just about anything to get a sale or get some buzz, aren't you?!  DON’T.  It is really not sustainable over the medium to long run, and you will start hating what used to be a hobby that you loved.  Don't let that happen.

2)    Hone your skills – you need to be a really good crocheter in order to be able to grow beyond just making gifts for friends and family.  You don't have to know every technique and stitch of crochet or how to make every type of item, but you need to be able to consistently produce professional looking products.  Ways to test yourself and improve would be to check out Crochet Master Class: Lessons and Projects from Today's Top Crocheters, a book that has a number of advanced techniques in it.  Also, the CGOA offers a certification program that helps you build your knowledge and skills.     

3)     Specialize – now that you've probably eliminated some areas of crochet that are just not right for you, start perfecting what you do like making and start experimenting with that area.  This will prepare you for the next step – designing your own crochet projects!

I am really looking forward to hearing about your journey!

Starting a Crafts Business Part Time, Post 1

As a number of you already now, I started Many Creative Gifts in 2005 as a part time way to showcase my crochet items, mainly on Etsy.  I'd make a baby hat or some type of crocheted accessory and post it on the site and wait to see what would happen.  Etsy was in its infancy, and I'd get a decent amount of views and interactions with potential and actual customers.  I also made good use of the "alchemy" feature by searching for customers who were looking to have customized crochet items made for them.  It was an eye opening experience in terms of learning about proper pricing and meeting someone's very specific needs and desires in a final product. 

Now, though, I'm not sure a person new to Etsy could achieve the same experience.  There are sooooo many vendors on Etsy now, I'm just not sure exactly how any one particular vendor can stand out, unless he or she has a very specialized niche that pushes them up the list in a Google search.

So, where to start?  I'm not discouraging an Etsy shop (or one of the other arts seller platforms); I'm just suggesting you have a very specialized angle if you go that route.  Otherwise, consider these possibilities:

1)   Go local – make it known to your family and friends that you've got something you make that you would like to show them.  No pressure, but if they like it, would they like to place an order for themselves or as a gift for someone?  See how that goes.  Although you might not get the same kind of honest, possibly harsh, feedback that you would from strangers, it's a gentler, less scary starting point.  And, frankly, if they are smiling and encouraging you but not willing to fork over some $$ for at least one item, then that's telling in its own way too.

2)   Stay local for a bit – you really might have better luck in local crafts shows and stores at first.  Despite the ease of buying things online, the shopping experience is still best had in person.  Especially if you are in the fiber arts, potential customers like to see the colors in real life, touch the product and get a real feel for it, especially if it's a wearable.  So, take advantage of that and find ways to display your wares.  And be sure to make a few things that you can either carry around with you to show off or wear yourself – that's often how you will get questions or reactions.  Keep business cards and other "swag" with you to hand out to help people remember you and know how to contact you in the future because, even if they are not ready to buy that very minute, you want to leave a good impression for the future.

3)   Start blogging and create a Facebook page – I know, there are a million blogs and pages out there, but again, you've got to start somewhere.  Just like the literary agent  encouraged me to do, start letting people know what it is you do and what it is you have to offer.  Put up some pictures of your products and explain a little about either your creative process or why you created what you did, etc.  The handmade movement has started to evolve from just offering the product itself into presenting a story, a whole package, the whole you.  I'm not saying come up with a sob story to tug at people's hearts because, frankly, it's still about the product in the end.  I'm saying be authentic and just share a bit.  Again, you don't have to spill the beans on all your personal details, just give people a small window into why you and your offerings might appeal to them.  You and your products are unique in some way, and you need to share that.

Ok, that's a lot of information for now.  More will come :-)

Running a Part Time Crafts Business

So, as I last left off, I was describing the amazing event that the Summit of Awesome was and how I hoped to use that experience to keep learning and growing as a crafts business.  Oh, did I mention that I met with a literary agent who. albeit very nicely, kinda shot down all of my book ideas.  But, you know, it was good because I could have continued working on those ideas, using up valuable time and not really getting anywhere (though I still think I'm on to something and will probably start sharing my ideas with you soon through posts to see what kind of reaction I get).  Actually, what she said was very interesting – to get picked up by a literary agent who'd be willing to work with a good book idea, you need to be sharing those ideas and having about 10,000 unique visitors to your blog a week, reacting to those ideas positively!

Now, dear readers, this is where you come in – I really do need you to help me know what you're thinking and feeling about my posts, both good and bad.  Do you like a topic?  Can't stand it and don't want to hear another word about it?  Or, hopefully, can't get enough of it and want to hear more?  Then, please, please, PLEASE, let me know.  Either below through comments, or on my Facebook page, or however you'd like to communicate with me.  I mean, seriously, I will continue to share with you the things that I have found interesting because you can't ask me to provide information about stuff if you don't already know about it, but still, if there is something you want, let me know.  I don't need to hear myself talk, I want to give you the kind of content that is of interest to you, but I can't read your mind :-)  So, as Captain Kirk would say, engage!

Summit of Awesome

So, this past Saturday was the Summit of Awesome, put on by Hello Craft.  And, I must say, it lived up to its name!  First, where else can you just walk in and come upon a table full of fun materials to start creating with?!

There were lots of good presentations on various aspects of running a crafts business:  a woman from MailChimp spoke about the different features available to send out newsletters and other email messages to subscribers; there was a lawyer who talked about the ins and outs of copyright, trademark, and public domain in the arts;  the founder of Spoonflower talked about how he and his partner came up with the idea and how it's been growing over the last 5 years, but not as smoothly as it might appear.  I also really appreciated the presentation from a representative from Outright who explained some of the features of that accounting service (which I already use, but probably not to its full potential).  Actually, after the whole day of presentations, I realized a few key things:

1)     I am operating at a very middling understanding of all the benefits that a number of these online services can provide.

2)     And, to do things right and at the level I would like to do things, I need about 30 hours a day.

3)     And, it's true what they say – a crafts business is probably about 20% crafting and 80% business!

But, you know what, you do what you can do!

I ran into one of my crochet students, and it was great to see her.  I'm impressed by her crochet work and that she has quit her day job and is giving this a try full-time!  Her company is called Penny & Paul, and she is currently making the cutest baby beanies and little shoes.  She's inspiring me in so many ways, and I hope to report soon about some different ways in which we are going to team up :-)

I also ran into a number of other really talented crafters there, and as I said, it was a really inspiring day, though by the end, I had a headache and felt a bit overwhelmed.  I plan, though, to use the experience to really (once again) step back and think about how I use my very limited time.  I'm sure I'll continue to share those struggles with you over many upcoming posts.

New York, New York

Well, I'm back from another trip, though this one was just up to New York for a long weekend.  Didn't make it to a yarn store, though I saw a crocheted hat in Henri Bendel's -- it was $495!  I was going to take a picture of it, but the sales girl was hovering a little too closely.  Heck, I could copy that sucker, and I'd only charge half that amount ;-)

Anyway, I also thought about blogging from the train, the Acela Express has free wifi, but I got a little too comfortable and read some magazines instead.  I'm realizing how fast I've been trying to run on the gerbil wheel and how much I really needed to get off.  Even though I did a lot of walking in NYC, I got a chance to get some R&R too.

So, now that I'm back and trying to do laundry, etc., let's see what thought I can leave you with tonight to hold you over until I get a chance to do a proper blog post.  How about record keeping?  If you've decided to give your business "Rhinestone Widgets" a try, it's important to keep good records of all business-related transactions.  Aside from needing good records when it comes time to file taxes, you'll need them for other federal and state filings too.  Plus, you'll need to think about the legal structure for your business.  I know it sounds scary and overwhelming, but there are a lot of resources out there to help you, many of which are low-cost or free.  Here's a great book to get you started: