Are you looking to make some changes in your life as we move forward into 2017? This is the time of year when we all start reflecting on the last 365 days and how we feel about them, our general satisfaction with the direction of our lives, and considering where we might want to go next. A lot of us are deeply satisfied with our family lives, but somewhat less so with our careers – and we all know that it gets progressively more upsetting to go into a job you don’t like every day without feeling as though there’s much hope for things changing in the future! Luckily, many of us have a lot of other skills and hobbies that we’d like to explore further. Here are some tips on how you can make your crafting skills into a career in 2017…
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Get Professional
Even if you’re a stay at home mom who’s been out of the workplace for a few years, it’s important to maintain a high standard of professionalism as you embark on a new career. If you promise to do something, make sure that it gets done in a timely fashion, and keep your lines of communication open whenever you can. Be pleasant and professional at all times.
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Organise Yourself
If you’re running your own business, it’s absolutely vital that you organise yourself well. If you need to, you should hire an accountant to keep your records in order. If you decide to do it yourself, be absolutely scrupulous about your book keeping and keep careful records of your outgoings and incomings to prove that it’s a profitable business. This will also help you considerably when it comes to paying your taxes – you want to be sure that everything you’re doing is absolutely legal!
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Get Online
If you’re not particularly good with computers, now is the time to learn. One way to make money from your crafting business is to make yourself a name on the internet. Set up an Etsy store so you can sell your wares online and look into setting up a blog as well with your own domain name so it’s easy for people to find. Make sure that you use social media, and announce your new products or when you’re restocking your store on Facebook and Twitter. You could also set up a Youtube channel with tutorials on it – use a Youtube channel art maker to ensure that your videos look professional. Interact with other craftspeople so you can work together to promote each other’s products.
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Promote Yourself
Don’t be afraid of a little self promotion. If you’re setting up a stall at a local craft fair, advertise online and to your friends, and get professional posters printed up to entice people over to your table. If your wares come in boxes, get labels with your own logo printed up, along with business cards. Although you shouldn’t work for free, offer discounted prices to companies who want to employ you for longer contracts, and talk to local charity event organisers about working together and getting your product inside their gift bags.
