Blog Archives

How To Start A Soap Making Business With Nearly Nothing

Learn how to start a soap making business and you can make a serious part-time income.  Problem is though that lots of other people have the same idea.  Trick is most of those people aren't thinking about marketing.  They just want to make soap and hope somebody buys it.  Here's the deal. Before you sell it, make it beautiful.  Take the time to learn how to make really beautiful soap.  It isn't hard to do, but it takes some practice.  Get the right information and practice.  You'll need ...
Read the rest of this entry »

What Vendors Want Most from Show Promoters

If this is your first foray into promoting a craft show or you are looking for ways to make your shows more successful, you have come to the right place.  Understanding what vendors expect of you can be quite tricky.  While promoting a show can seem like a piece of cake, the truth is that vendors are going to look to you if there are few customers or if the show does not go as planned.  With so many expectations, it can be easy to forget how much fun a show can be.  What follows is a bit of ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Work at Home Making Gift Baskets

If you are creative and like to make gifts for others, then a work at home gift basket business might be right for you. Making gift baskets to sell is rewarding and fun. Many people like the idea of giving personalized baskets for holidays, birthdays and special events but don't have the time to put them together. When you start a gift basket business, you'll be supplying them with something they need and getting the opportunity to put your talents to work.Before you start your life as a gift ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Marketing Tips from Successful Crafters

From the feedback I have been getting in the short time since I started TheArtfulCrafter, I've learned that many of my readers are working long and hard at their crafts, but still are having a hard time realizing success. I don't pretend to have all the answers. There is just too much going on for one person to be able to solve all your problems. However, let's break it down into two parts and then try to apply basic business solutions to each part. The Product I'm a pretty good cook. I've won ...
Read the rest of this entry »

How to Make Money Selling Animal Jewelry

Selling Animal Jewelry is fun, profitable and exciting. The demand for this kind of jewelry is growing consistently day-by-day. When pursued in right way, it will earn you handsome revenues. However, like any other line of business, it requires intelligence, focus, the will to do proper research, and educated decisions. The initial investments in time and attention may seem steep, but once you have learned the ropes you shall find that it is one of the most worthwhile things you can do if ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Craft Show Planners Checklist

If you are preparing for a craft show, the biggest piece of advice I can offer you is to create a checklist.  It happens to the best of us at some point in our careers- you arrive early, set everything up just as intended, and somewhere in the middle of the show, you realize that you missed a crucial step.  Whether it was forgetting to bring a certain inventory item, neglecting to bring change for your customers, or leaving the lights you need for your table at home, a single missed step can ...
Read the rest of this entry »

How to Profit from Creative Home Businesses

Ideas for creative home businesses are everywhere. Many of them are already in your head, and you just don't know it. Here are some questions to get your own creative business ideas flowing:

• What hobbies do I enjoy?
• What do I already know how to do?
• Do I want to pursue this full-time or part-time?
• Am I good with my hands?
• Do I want to learn a new craft?
• What do I love?

When it comes to creative home businesses, the last question may be the most important one of all. What do you love to do ...
Read the rest of this entry »

5 Ways to Look Professional when Starting a Craft Show Business

Starting a craft business can be a great way to make extra income. But, to turn your hobby into a business, you need to be professional.These five tips will help you be more professional at your first craft show.Tip One: Be PreparedPractice setting up your booth before you actually go to the show. Where will everything go? Keep a list of everything you use, so you know you won't forget anything. Also, take a picture so you won't forget the layout.Pretend you are buying something from your ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Top 10 Quick and Easy Kid Activities For Those Long Weekends

With the holidays quickly approaching, it's likely that you'll have some unscheduled 'down-time' with your child where you don't have anything actually planned. Just because you don't have any planned activities with your child doesn't mean that they have to languish on the couch in boredom. Take a look at these quick and easy anytime activities. 1. Make Paper Stuff: It doesn't take a lot of work or planning for children to create great paper crafts. You can simply make a lot of paper supplies ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Avoiding Home Business Scams

Now maybe the reason you're interested in setting up a home business is because you've seen an ad somewhere, or you've been approached by someone. It was all about a great work-from-home money-making opportunity, and you're excited. Finally, you can quit your job! If you're thinking of working from home by someone else's rules, though, you have to realise that at least 99% of the offers out there are scams - after all, if it was that easy to pay a few dollars and make thousands, wouldn't ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Taxes for Fair and Festival Vendors

Let's face it. No one likes to deal with taxes. The whole idea of the government taking part of your hard-earned money is annoying, even if you know that it's necessary. As a self-employed arts and crafts or food vendor, your tax debacle each year is even more interesting and twisted. There are a few ways that you can keep your taxes straight, though, which will help you out at the end of the year. First off, record everything. Yes, every single little thing that you spend money on or make ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Insurance for Artists

Unfortunately it's true that even the most creative and care-free among us must be insured against the potential difficulties of life. As an independent artist and craftsperson, you are no less in need of insurance than a businessman or an automotive worker, but insurance may be a little trickier for you to obtain. Basically, you have to figure out how to get health insurance, property insurance, and liability insurance. Health insurance is pretty obvious, but this is probably the type of ...
Read the rest of this entry »

SWAP MEETS - A FUN WAY TO MAKE MONEY ON THE WEEKENDS

SWAP MEETS - A FUN WAY TO MAKE MONEY ON THE WEEKENDS By Darren Hendricks Looking for a way to make extra money, meet lots of interesting people, spend quality time with your family, enjoy the great outdoors ... and do it all without missing a day of work? Or maybe your goal is to make two or three-day weekends the only working days of the week. You may be able to do all of that and more as a Swap Meet/Flea Market marketer! You can find regularly scheduled Swap Meets and Flea Markets in cities ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Reading and Resources for Artists

As an artist, it's very important that you stay on top of your chosen field of work. You'll want to do this by reading news about art, but if you're trying to sell your works, you'll also want to read about ways to increase your business. There are plenty of websites, books, and resources out there for artists just like you who want to make a living off of doing what they love. First off, you'll probably want to start with the boring but essential reading. Check out websites like your state's ...
Read the rest of this entry »

How to Start a Santa Letter Business

Money is tight in a lot of families right now. Everywhere, women are trying to think of ideas to make money to help bring in a little extra income. You don't want to fall for a scam but you do want something that is easy to do and still have time for your kids. There are a lot of legitimate businesses available, although it can oftentimes be hard to find them. Starting a Santa letter business may be just what you're looking for. What is a Santa Letter Business? Every year, children all ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Online Benefits for Craft Businesses

The internet has an endless number of benefits for craftspeople, not just as a medium for selling the end product but for each step that leads to sales. The fact that you are reading this shows that you already utilise the web for information but perhaps you have not yet considered some of the following points presented. The ideas provided in this article have come from interviews with craftspeople, conducted for AussieCrafts.com, in the interest of sharing information with our peers. When ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Stage a Christmas Craft Show - DIY Way to Launch Your Craft Business

If you are wanting to start a craft business, why not start with a DIY Christmas Craft Show? If you have a passion for creating, and you have a houseful of products, this is one of the best times of year to make the leap from hobby to business. The best place to have your Christmas Craft Show, is your own house. It doesn't have to be huge, but you do need to do some prep work. Start by clearing out the room you plan to have your craft show in. Get a couple of tubs, and start clearing away all ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Creating Wonderful Displays for Your Handcrafts

Signing up for my first craft show, fulfilled my long time dream of creating something that would be marketable and enjoyed by others. My goal to build a display that would not only enhance my work, but would cause a customer to stop, look & purchase, proved to be a problem. I am sure like others, my misguided thinking, expecting that I would create a wonderfully marvelous display first time around, with props that I would use forever. Thinking I was getting great value for my money ...
Read the rest of this entry »

A Thing of The Past or The Wave of The Future?

The world of small businesses started crashing down in the recent past and continues to do so. Not long ago many home businesses were thriving, but now they're caving in to a faltering economy. Let's take, for example, handmade crafts. While crafting was a lucrative home-based business as little as two or three years ago, it's seen nothing but a decline in sales since then. Many crafters have gone completely out of business in the past year alone. Why? Because the average American has less ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Which Craft Shows Do I Choose?

Every weekend, nearly 600 craft shows take place around the U.S.--that's around 30,000 a year--offering more than 10,000 full-time craftspeople a place to sell their craft show items. According to a National Endowment for the Arts survey, nearly 70 million people attend craft shows annually. Now, you've selected the craft you want to produce, you've started production, you've tested prices and set up your business. You're ready to take your craft show items on the road. In order to do that, you ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Are You Making Money At Craft Shows?

If you are involved in the crafts business, and are profitable, you are among the rare breed who have successfully combined art with business. If, however, you still have yet to show a profit (or enough profit) after a show, this article may get you going in the right direction. Whatever reason you have to enter the craft show business world, you probably will have a big wake-up call when set your intention to move from pastime to profits. Because you may not make a profit initially (it could ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Production and Pricing of Craft Show Items

This is where you can really make or break your craft show career. Being able to produce quality crafts as efficiently and affordably as possible is the key to making a tidy profit from craft shows. How Production Evolves How you handle production of your craft show items will evolve over time. Initially you may produce all your craft items alone. This will likely be the most cost effective way to start your craft show creations. As your business grows, you may decide it is best to find ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Capturing the Craft Show Market

Finding the right product to sell at a craft show is extremely important in finding success on the craft show circuit. You may already have an excellent craft product or line of products you are creating or even selling, or you may be looking for a craft to produce in order to enter the business. In either case, market research is going to help you find a craft show product that you can produce at a low enough cost to net a profit - and one that you will enjoy making. If you don't spend time ...
Read the rest of this entry »