You love crafting and now you feel ready to make an earning out of it? That’s great! But you need to know that craft business is a difficult activity, and that those who are not well prepared for it will fail horribly. So, before you start printing out flyers about your independent crafting, it is still time to sit down and consider your first steps. Remember, preparation is the key to success, and that is valid for talented crafters too!
Get Started With All The Little Administrative Steps
Going professional with your crafting hobby requires a solid setup, as discussed on a previous article of this blog, https://lookwhatmomfound.com/2016/12/lets-go-pro-make-money-crafting-hobbies.html. As you decide to take the freelancing route, you need to make it clear, especially for yourself, that this is a business that requires a professional attitude. This means that you need to develop a professional persona for your business, and remember to reply to your clients rapidly and helpfully. Make sure to remain available over the phone and via emails during your official working hours, and to get a business phone number if you can. This will help you separate private life from work. As you are ready to go public and attract clients, it is helpful to have your own website, which you can build easily with professional platforms.
Keep A Business Mindset: Make Room In Your Life
There is a misconception that going professional means having to invest in a vast office. This is wrong: All you need is to make room for your business activities. This could be with a room in your home, for example. Starting in an home office position will require the use of smart crafting tools that won’t invade your living space. Using small tools that works, such as a mini sewing machine for sew crafters,http://sewingmachinejudge.com/kenmore-ultra-mini-sewing-machine/ for example, can be a great support as you begin as a freelancer. You will also need to be careful to explain to your friends and family that working from home doesn’t mean that you are available during your working hours. Last, but not least, you should keep your crafting equipment away from children, who could damage it or get hurt. As a crafter, you will need to be creative at all times, so do make sure to always take a notebook with you: You never know when an interesting idea could come!
Build Up A Network
Successful businesses, even craft ones, need a good marketing plan to survive. While you may not have the budget to hire a marketing team of experts, you can certainly rely on the best marketing tools around you. Remember that when it comes down to craft, the best publicity is to see the actual end result. Therefore you will need to take pictures of your creations and to share them with your audience. Fortunately, modern social media platforms, such as Instagram.com are great for showing visuals to a large public. You can even build a group of followers! But this is not all. It is not uncommon for craft centers to promote their local crafters and invite them for a talk or an exhibition from time to time. This is an opportunity that you cannot miss, so get in touch with your local craft services as soon as you can!
