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 :-)

Brand Ideal

I was reading an article on Facebook's upcoming public stock offering. Mark Zuckerberg is quoted as having said "We don't build services to make money; we make money to build better services.... These days, I think more and more people want to use services from companies that believe in something beyond simply maximizing profits." That's a good message to remind yourself about once in a while.

Then, I got an email about the release of a new business book called "Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World's Greatest Companies" by Jim Stengel. I'm also now enrolled in Amanda Aitken's "Girls Guide to Web Design" Jetsetters' class (now you really know why I haven't been blogging lately!). One of the first exercises that Amanda has you do is fill out a three-page questionnaire on how you want your website to look, but it's really so much more than that. Her questions are getting at the heart of what you want your company (and, in some ways, yourself) to look like. 

All of these sources and exercises are getting at the same thing, something that Mr. Stengel has dubbed "brand ideal." What is it that your company, and you, stand for? What are you trying to accomplish (and if your only answer is "making money," try again!)? We all know that any business enterprise is trying to make money, but, these days, it really does have to be about so much more. 

Some describe it as "finding one's passion in life." It's funny, I got rejected by a date way back when because, at the time, I didn't really have a passion I was pursuing. Oh, sure, I enjoyed my job very much, and I enjoyed going to movies, eating out with friends, and so on, but I didn't have a particular activity I was engaged in with the level of passion this guy had with playing the piano. He described how he'd rush home after work in order to be able to play, learn new songs, and spend hours at it. I remember thinking at the time that I couldn't imagine pouring over something with such focus and dedication. Fast forward, and here I am, often spending hours each night working on some aspect of Many Creative Gifts -- the crocheting (and knitting :-) itself, the patterns, the website, the blog, and on and on. And, most importantly, loving every minute of it. You have to -- it's a lot of hard work to achieve that level of focus and dedication, to hone your craft to the point where it's not just a hobby, but frankly is worth sharing with others and, if you so choose, turning it into a potential business.

So, do some hard thinking on this for yourself. We only get 24 hours a day, at least 8 of which I hope you are spending sleeping, so how are you spending your time? Are you spending it on things you enjoy doing? I know that there are things that we all have to do that we don't like doing, but putting all of that aside, what is your passion? And, what are you going to do about it?! If you have a passion and just want to do it for yourself, then that's awesome because there is always the danger of trying to monetize your passion and, instead, losing your love of the activity. But, if you want to turn your passion into a business enterprise, there are a lot of ways to go about doing so, and one of the ways I hope to help you through this blog is by curating some of the resources I've come across that I think have been helpful to me in pursuing my passion. And, Steve, by any chance if you are reading this, I only have one thing to say -- thank you!

Pinterest Mania!

So, I had heard about Pinterest months ago, but said "oh, another service to join?!  just can't do it."  Well, I have discovered the error of my ways --  I am "PhyllisofMCG" so come follow me!  They make it very easy to "pin" items to your site and organize them.  It's funny that I resisted for so long, when I'm the one who has an actual cork board hanging above my desk! 

But, looking at it as a small business owner, I didn't want to just sign up for yet another service that I wasn't going to use.  It's important to assess all of the services you belong to and to either utilize them or bow out.  I know it's a struggle to want to maintain a presence on all of these potentially business enhancing tools, but if you're not able to really keep up with them, your presence isn't going to have that much of an impact (or potentially in a negative way).  So, go check out Pinterest and see if it's right for you, but also take this opportunity to see what other services you should be phasing out.

Mobi

No, not the whale!  It's the means by which one can create an ebook for Kindle.  Since I just went through this process for 101 Crochet Tips, I wanted to share.

Now, first step -- get over your fear of the computer and html :-)  It's really not that hard, especially when a wonderful person posts everything you'll need.  Helen Hanson has a blog on which she very methodically has laid out each step to take.  She really makes it fun and is very responsive when you have a comment or question. I carefully followed each step she suggested, and it worked!  A bit of advice -- be really precise in how you name files and insert the code because just one letter out of whack, and it will not work.

I'm realizing that I haven't posted my musings on running a small business in a while, and I know that, frankly, that's what some of you are more interested in than the crochet.  So, keep a look out for such postings soon.  I feel like I'm still figuring out this blogging thing ;-)

Risk

I've been coming across a number of articles lately that discuss taking risks.  We small business owners know all about that, we do it every day!  But, I'm discovering that, even when I think I'm not getting anywhere (had that feeling lately?), just taking the risk of putting myself out there each day, in any small way, that mere action is what separates us action takers from others who don't follow their ideas or instincts.  I really like Rick Marini's (CEO of BranchOut) recent quote "Ideas are cheap, execution is hard." 

Just doing a little each day to put your ideas into action really can make a difference.  For example, I've been picturing in my head this new pattern for girl and boy baby sweaters.  Now, that's great, but finally going to the yarn store and getting the yarn for them is the first action step that I needed to take.  My next action step is to start figuring out measurements and gauge samples.  What action steps do you need to be taking?! 

For more inspiration, you might want to take a look at Seth Godin's new book Poke the Box -- I really like his writing style, he's not saying anything you don't already deep down know, but he organizes his thoughts in a way that makes you think.

Content

Content, that's what it's really all about.  I've been doing a lot of small business reading again, and there's a lot out there about the importance of engaging in social media, having giveaways, contests, and freebies, and doing videos.  I've gotten some ideas that I probably will be trying out in the next few months, but frankly, the articles that I've appreciated the most and that made the most sense to me were the ones that emphasized the importance of building useful and interesting content.  So, when I disappear for a few days, you all know it's because I'm working on a new design or spending time at the bank trying to get my business checking account straightened out ;-) 

I have a hard time blogging when I really don't have something decent to share with you, though one of the tips that I read said to always have a pen and paper with you so that when ideas do come to mind, you can jot them down and start outlining the post so you'll be ready when you sit down at the computer -- wish I had done that this morning when I came across an article that I wanted to share, and now it's escaped me :-(  I think I might go back to having "theme days" -- certain topics that I cover on certain days.  Either that, or maybe a couple of different topics in each paragraph of a day's post.  Any thoughts?!

Appreciation and Automation

Wow, it's been a busy week!  I don't want to talk too soon, but I think a pattern of mine is going to be published in a magazine!!  I was putting the final touches on the sample to send for approval and still need to double check the pattern before turning that in.  More details will come as things firm up...

Pushing to meet this deadline really made me start appreciating what great opportunities might be opening to me and got me to focus on the positive rather than the negative.  The housework is still piling up, I'm still woefully behind on paperwork, I can't get MailChimp to automatically integrate with PayPal, but hey, I'm trying to let it all slide down my back like water off a duck and "like my life" :-)

Mmm, I am feeling a creativity spurt coming on though -- I've been seeing some really cool patterns in my mind's eye, so I'm hoping I can start actualizing them soon.  As I've written about in the past, I so totally appreciate how small business owners struggle with doing the actual thing that they love (making their product) versus the business, marketing, organizing, etc. side of things.  I'm enjoying trying out some new software products that are supposed to help automate certain functions, and I will definitely share as I find ones that work (probably helpful for me to share the ones that aren't so great either).  I continue to really like MailChimp, but I have been experiencing some problems with trying to get different services to integrate with each other.  Customer service has been responsive though, so I'm hoping to report a happy ending to that saga soon.  I also think it might be time for me to start utilizing an accounting program to keep track of expenses and income (my Excel spreadsheet has been working ok so far, but I'm starting to see limits to my having to input everything manually).  I just read about www.outright.com, which sounds like it might be what I'm looking for, but there is a monthly fee that kicks in after a trial period.  I'm going to keep searching for a free service and will report back on that too!  Let me know if you've had success with a service you like :-)

Email Lists

On my to-do list forever has been the need to get my email lists organized so that I can stay in contact with my customers, my crochet students, and my blog subscribers.  And, I haven't wanted to say it, but the newsletter has been sitting and gathering dust, and I really want to get that up and running again too.  So, I went in search of a mail list service that will meet my needs and not cost too much (ie nothing!). 

Well, I think Mail Chimp is the winner!  It so far meets my 3 criteria:  cost (it's free up to 2000 addresses and 12,000 emails per month), ease of use, and cuteness.  I really like companies that have a theme and a personality.  They don't take themselves too seriously, but they do provide a serious product and service.  They are user friendly for us non-techies, and they offer lots of options, starting with free but then with reasonable add-ons (hey, I'd be glad to start paying if I end up with more than 2,000 followers!)

So far, I figured out how to import the lists of emails that I had already organized in Outlook.  Oh, I also like the fact that they have a lot of free guides and resources targeted to specific things you want to do, like send out a newsletter.  And, they even have a guide for Etsy sellers.  We'll see if this all actually works, but so far so good!

Trust

and how to lose it very quickly!  "Trust" is the latest buzz word being touted in business literature.  I've recently experienced loss of it as a consumer, so it got me thinking about it as a small business owner.  As consumers, we expect businesses to meet our needs without much effort on our parts.  We place an order, and we expect to receive it as described seamlessly. These days, with all the social media and emphasis on making personal connections, even with businesses, we're expecting even more from business owners and feeling downright hurt if our expectations aren't met.  That's even more pressure on the business owner than before!

For example, I had signed up for an online course, which had as part of the package a free one-month trial of an additional service.  The offer was that, after the free trial, my account then would be charged an additional fee each month.  I tried to access the site on which the additional service was being offered, but something technologically wasn't working.  After reporting the problem, I received a personal email from the owner explaining the inaccessibility problem and the solution that would be implemented in the future, and assuring me that my automatic account charge had been cancelled.  I had known exactly the date by which I would need to cancel in order to avoid the charge, but I trusted that the matter had been addressed.  As I'm sure you've figured out by now, I was charged.

Of course, I shot off an email expressing my frustration because I was mad at the owner and myself for not going to the site and ensuring that the account really was cancelled.  But, then, I tried to think through my personal reactions as a consumer and how that might affect how a small business owner should react in such a situation.  The response I received was an example of what I think the current business rhetoric is -- give a detailed explanation of what went wrong.  Yeah, that's great, but frankly as a consumer, I'm not sure I really care what went wrong -- I want to know what you, Ms. Business Owner, are going to do to make things right.  Now, in this particular case, such information was included in the response, but it came later in the email.  I think that information needs to be the first thing that you need to convey to your unhappy customer.

Also, don't read too much into what the consumer is telling you and give answers not warranted or required -- in the response, the owner said "I assure you there was nothing sneaky going on here."  Nowhere in my message did I suggest that I thought that anything had been done deliberately or with malicious intent.  In fact, I had clearly stated that I thought the mistake that the owner (and I) had made was to rely on the automated service of a third party vendor.  Mmmm, why are you (business owner) bringing this up and planting it in my head?!

So, the takeaway lesson here? -- 1) immediately address the steps you have taken or are going to take to ensure a solution to the customer's complaint, 2) if necessary, give some explanation of what went wrong, but don't go on so much that it starts sounding like an excuse, and 3) throw in an attractive treat that will encourage the customer to shake off this bad episode and give you a chance again in the future (pay attention, sometimes the customer will indicate what will make him or her happy and keep them coming back).

How to Sell Online Effectively

Well, I was hoping to catch up on reading all of the articles, downloads, bootcamp modules, etc., that I have put aside on small business and entrepreneurship, but of course, started to get distracted by bright, shiny objects!  I did get some great insights from a recently released eBook by Meylah, a site that seems to combine a storefront platform, a blogging service, and online tutorial sales.  I'm really not up for creating yet another site that I have to maintain, but I do believe they make available a lot of sound advice in setting up your small business.  Here's where you can download the eBook:  http://meylah.com/meylah/meylahs-new-ebook-a-roadmap-to-success-how-to-sell-online-effectively

I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of social media also, but I still find it really hard to open up about myself.  Sometimes, when I write a blog post or send out the newsletter, it feels like it's going out into this black hole.  I mean, really, does a newsletter give advice if no one reads it?!  But, then you discover that people actually do read what you write!  It's so exciting to find out that you've passed along information that others actually read and find useful.  So, even if you are sending out messages and not getting comments or direct messages from your recipients, don't be discouraged, just keep conversing, even if it does seem like a one-sided conversation :-)

Business Ideas and a Crochet Keyboard Duster

What a clever idea!  I saw it and had to share:  http://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet/Easy-Keyboard-Duster

I've got to give this project a try right away, as I stare at the little nasties that seem to have gotten into my keyboard.

Isn't it amazing how someone comes up with something so clever, and we just slap ourselves up side the head and say "why couldn't I have thought of that!?"  Well, there's no reason why you can't.  Often, such ideas come from just doing your normal day-to-day kinds of things, but keeping an open mind to whether a task can be accomplished in a different way or with an aid that will make it easier, faster, better somehow.  In fact, here's a fun but enlightening action item for you -- tomorrow, go through your normal routines, but instead of doing them almost unconsciously, think about them and see what variations you come up with.  This is often how small businesses that become big ones begin!  Good luck!

Creating Vision

So, I'm still trying to recover from all of the travel and the resulting cold, but I think I'm back!  And, of course, the business is always on my mind, and I came across this book "Creating A Vision" by Corey Criswell and Talula Cartwright.  I've talked before about how important it is to really think and know about what it is you are trying to accomplish with your business, but this book really organizes the thought process you should be going through in order to be able to carefully craft a mission/vision statement for your work.

It's worth getting the book, but here's a little bit about what the authors are recommending.  Basically, it's a five-step process to capturing your vision for your business.  You need to think about 1) the big idea, 2) your values, 3) the story, 4) future growth, and 5) change.

Rather than use "rhinestone widgets" as the generic example, I'm actually going to use what I've been putting together for Many Creative Gifts.  First, I really need to articulate the big idea -- the fundamental enduring ideal on which MCG is built.  Thanks to my husband, who articulated it best, MCG is all about "being thoughtful".  I want to be thoughtful towards my customers and provide them with what they are looking for.  I want to help my customers be thoughtful in figuring out gift items for others and themselves.  But, even more than that, it's about being thoughtful, internally and externally, in all aspects of your life -- "mind, body, spirit, ... and of course crochet!"

Next, you want to think about your values -- what do you stand for?  My business is all about thoughtfulness, sharing, and appreciating  and savoring beauty.  I want people to find peace of mind, health, spiritual satisfaction, and to utilize crochet, either by crocheting themselves or sharing crocheted items, to help them achieve these goals.  Crochet can help someone relax and distract her or his mind, get some physical activity (about 100 calories an hour!), give of herself to others, and have fun!

So, what's your story?  What got you to this point where you're sharing with the world of potential customers out there?  I learned how to crochet in 6th grade from a favorite teacher, who taught one of my closest friends and me to make a scarf.  I intermittently crocheted over the years until 2005 when, while cleaning out a closet, I found my hooks and a ton of yarn and decided that either I had to give all this stuff away or really start making use of it.  Since a number of my friends were having babies, I decided I'd start making some (or what I hoped would be) keepsake crocheted items for their shower presents.  It was such a great feeling for me when they would ooooh and aaaaah over the gifts, and I hoped that they felt my love and caring for them and their babies.  My friends encouraged me to try to sell my creations, and this was about the same time that crafting was really making a comeback and Etsy was gaining in popularity.  So, I formed MCG as a limited liability company and I was in business!

Ok, so you've identified your story, where are you planning on going from here?  How do you plan on growing and expanding your business?  Of course, being a "scanner" (that'll be a topic for another post), I couldn't just stick with crochet, oh nooooo, I started to experiment with tie-dye, jewelry, and meditation beads. Now, I've expanded into healthy recipes and gluten-free cooking (more on that later too!).  And, you know, it all fits with my values of helping others with their "mind, body, spirit, and crochet" growth, so it makes sense, at least to me, to expand into these areas.

And, finally, the change factor -- how is your business going to reflect the changing times, and what will you need to do to get yourself moving into the future?  For me, it's going to be about utilizing all these new technologies becoming available to get my message out.  As I've talked about before, I hope to be getting a podcast going soon and making ebooks available.

Now what?  Well, you've got to put all of these thoughts and concepts into one encompassing statement that embodies your vision for your business.  Ok, I'm going to go work on mine and post it later today or tomorrow -- feel free to post yours!

Benign Neglect

Here I am, pontificating about how to run a small crafts business and my Etsy shop looks like *&^$#.  I've been neglecting it, but you will soon discover, it's impossible to stay totally on top of all aspects of your business.  So, choices have to be made, and you have to stop and step back often to assess where you are spending your time.  Early on, I think you have to spend your time establishing your presence in your field.  Ironically, that means a lot of time on the computer (for us creative types, that hurts; but, think of it as just another aspect of being creative).  People need to know you exist before they can even think of buying your rhinestone widgets!  As that starts to fall into place, then you need to start making strategic choices about how you spend your time.  Of course, time needs to be spent actually making your product, but then, back to the computer to let others know your latest designs, etc.  For me, I've been concentrating on coming up with crochet patterns (as opposed to the actual items themselves, but I'm glad to make custom orders ;-)  Thus, I've been spending more time on Ravelry (a community of knitters, crocheters, and designers) posting patterns than on Etsy posting real products.  And, I probably need to step back and think about whether that's a good use of my time or not (I think so, but I do need to think about how to optimize my Etsy shop presence -- any suggestions more than welcome!)

In conjunction with figuring out how to optimize your time spent on your business and establishing your presence on the web, you need to figure out "who you are", "what's your message" and how best to express these answers.  Most business mavens will tell you that you need to formulate a mission statement, tag line, etc.  Don't get caught up in the jargon or formula -- just think about what it is you are trying to do -- "Rhinestones for a shinier world", "My mission is to create the shiniest rhinestone widgets to brighten your day" -- just try to say whatever it is that motivates you to create what you create. Believe me, it will resonate with your customers and yourself much more if you just let it come from your heart.  You will be more motivated to keep creating and getting your message out, and your potential customers will feel your vibe and energy!

Speaking of vibe and energy (or lack thereof), time to go to the day job ;-)

Part-Time Entrepreneur

I'm discovering that my posts on running my business seem to get more hits than the ones on crochet itself!  Hey, that's ok, if I can provide helpful information, whatever it is, I'm glad to do it.  So, I think the next couple of posts will be about trying to run a small business.  A few disclaimers though:  I am fortunate enough to have a day job, so this business of mine is done on the side.  I also have not done a business plan or had to seek outside financing.  In fact, it's not like I'm raking in a ton of $$ or anything, but for me, it's not about that (well, not totally :-)

So, if you are thinking about starting your own business, I think you should consider a few things:

1)  Do you really have the interest and commitment to do this? 

You've got to have an idea for your business that you really are going to enjoy doing, day after day, week after week, etc.  And, you've got to be committed to putting more time into it than you probably think you're going to need to.  I'm sure you've seen plenty of internet advertisements for "Work a Couple of Hours, Earn Millions" programs.  I'm not saying that some of those programs aren't of value, but really, as they say, "if it sounds too good to be true...."  I probably spend about 2 hours each day and even more each weekend day working on some aspect of the business.  Ironically, my day job involves sitting in front of a computer all day, and I chose crochet as a way to use a different part of my brain and different skills to get away from the computer.  But, in this day and age, I'd say that I probably spend 50-70 percent of my time in front of the computer for my small business!  But, more on that in another post.

Another danger -- you might really love doing something right now as a hobby, but think about whether you will still enjoy it as much if it becomes a business.  Why do I keep emphasizing the enjoyment aspect of this?  Because I believe it's the only way that you will achieve the commitment level and be willing to put the time into it that is necessary to even give your business a chance to be successful.  I don't want to discourage anyone, and I'm not a risk taker by nature, so I guess I am trying to offer a different perspective on this topic than you might be getting from other sources.

Ok, there's some food for thought.  Next post, we'll explore some ways to get started if you're on the bandwagon.