Blog Archives

10 Things You Should Know When Thinking of Turning Your Hobby into a Business

Deciding whether you hobby could become a profitable business can be a tough decision.  Your product may be interesting, but will it sell? Do you have what it takes to make your craft or project into a real moneymaker? 1. Is your idea profitable?  One of the first things you need to consider is whether your idea is profitable.  Consider how long it takes to make your items as well as how quickly they sell.  Take the time to do the math.  Factor in costs, travel expenses, and things of that ...
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An Excellent Reading and Resource List for Self Employed Entrepreneurs

If you are self employed and are looking for information and resources to help you become more successful or to help answer important questions about taxes, laws, and other aspects of ownership, you might be surprised how much information is available.  When you know where to look, you can find information regarding many facets of self employment.  What follows is a short list of some of the best books and blogs available for people who are self employed. BooksMinding Her Own Business by Jan ...
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Resources for Turning Your Hobby into a Business

If you're a long-time crafter who really enjoys making soap, jewelry, shirts, or whatever else, chances are likely that you can turn your passion into big bucks. There are so many festivals and fairs around the nation where people just like you sell their wares, and you can be one of those people. All you need is a little gumption and some great resources to help you navigate the process of starting and running your own business. To start, check out general business planning guidelines, and ...
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Readings and Resources for Festival Food Vendors

If you're a food vendor interested in building your business even more, or if you're new to the trade and are simply considering starting your food vending business, there is a lot to learn. Not only do you have to know how to prepare your chosen food, how to attract customers, how to deal with money, and how to sign up for fairs and festivals, but you also have to know how to balance your books, do your taxes, and prepare all the other endless little things that will keep your business ...
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A Different View

I love to offer a different view, or "take", on things and this pastel painting certainly does that. One in a new series of paintings that explores reflections on shiny surfaces, this also qualifies as an equine work, as well. I am very happy with the feel of wind in the horse's mane and the warmth of the sun hitting the worn leather on the tack . A sunny pastoral landscape is captured in the silver reflection. To see more of my new paintings visit ...
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New Beginnings

Spring is on the way and with it comes new beginnings. New painting ideas, new shows and competitions, galleries reopening after being closed for the winter season and many, many new painting opportunities. Anticipation, joy and feelings of renewal fill us all as we enter this new season of hope. The painting shown here captures the spirit of Spring and is one of a series on the changing seasons and birds that I am currently working on. Each will be small enough to hang in this grouping of ...
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First Place Award Winning Acrylic Painting -"Ready to Work"

First Place Honors                   'Ready to Work' was awarded First Place honors at The Meeker Classic International Art Competition in September, 2009, and will be the image used on the poster, brochure, postcard and other memorabilia for the 2010 event. The show is held in conjunction with the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials that takes place each September in northwestern ...
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Artwork on Tile by Debbie Hughbanks

Artwork on Tile I am pleased to tell my clients, family and friends that as of March 2010, there is an exciting new outlet where you can find my artwork. A limited number of my images are now licensed to a company to be used in the creation of tile for your home applications. You can visit this company's website at and then find my selection at 'New Designs' or by selecting my name under 'Artist'. They are offering a diverse sampling of my art. These tiles are offered in ceramic, marble ...
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“The Shepherd of Brie” - Award Winning Pastel

Debbie Hughbanks was extremely honored to have received a Second Place Award in Pastels at the 2010 Art Show at the Dog Show held early this year in Wichita, Kansas. This annual competition is a national event and receives hundreds of submissions from both two-dimensional and 3-D artists depicting dogs in every imaginable setting.             Her painting is of a Briard herding sheep. I was happy with my composition and light and was ...
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8 Tips to Promote Your Online Craft Store

You created a pretty web site displaying the crafts that are your pride and joy, now what? There are many tricks you can use to promote your new business and show the world your crafts.- Build a mailing list! It's one of the best ways to get new AND return customers when you deal online. Give the option on your site, when they make a purchase, on your flyers at craft fairs... the possibilities are endless. Once you have a customer list, you can send reminders, rebates, exclusive products and ...
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Inventory Tracking: It Can Make You or Break You

Keeping track of your inventory is vital for success at fairs and festivals, no matter what you're selling. Successful vendors of hot dogs, paintings, clothes, jewelry, soup, and anything else you can think of must properly track their inventory. Can you imagine having to shut down at a festival early because you didn't have enough product to keep selling? This would be a good day only if you had three times more customers than normal! One of the best places to start is, well, by making an ...
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How to Use Overseas Outsourcing to Increase Your Profits Today!

If you think about your business, you probably have many projects written down on pieces of paper, on your computer, or just in the back of your mind that you know if you were able to complete them, you would see more revenue, increase your profits, become more efficient, and reach more customers. Now, if you have employees working in your local office, you want to think about all the costs associated with having them. You have their salary. You have any benefits that you pay for them. You ...
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