Are you a crafty person? You are ready to learn how to start your own craft business.
There are many artists who paint, stitch and print their way through the world. Crafting is a great way to unwind and let your creative side shine.
Crafting could be more than a hobby.
Statista estimates that the global crafts market will reach $50.9 billion in 2024. It’s easier than ever to open a craft shop online. This will allow you to take your crafting skills to new heights.
You can turn your passion into a profitable online business by building an online crafting business. You can choose to make it a full-time job or if you are looking for a side income.
How do you start? This checklist will help you start your own craft business.
What do I need to start a craft business?
1. Identify a gap in the Market
First, decide what products you want to sell. The things you enjoy making will partly influence your decision on what “craft” to make. It’s important to do market research and find out what your company could sell.
To make your customers more likely to purchase from you, look at your industry. You might be a great soap maker, but there are many other soap makers out there. How will you stand out? Perhaps you could offer soap made from 100% organic ingredients and with special ingredients.
Individualized art: Many people love to commission pieces that are tailored to their specific needs. You can sell portraits of customers and their pets, or create art based upon the unique things that your clients love like a book or videogame.
Gift baskets: It can be difficult to find the right gift for someone you care about. Gift baskets that are specifically made for one occasion can help relieve stress and ease the burden on your audience.
Beauty and skincare: This is an entire industry. Selling perfumes, soaps and bath bombs is a way to combine your passion for beauty and your passion for creating.
Jewelry: Create your own double pearl earrings. You can also make your own necklace. When it comes to selling easy crafts, jewelry is a no-brainer. You might consider starting a jewelry business if you discover that people love your designs.
Google Trends can be used to get more inspiration. You can also ask your friends what they would like to buy.
Many people are looking for a hatbox these days. You could sell this item through your craft shop.
2. Learn more about your audience
There are many options for those who want to start a crafts business. This industry allows you to target different consumer segments and demographics based on what products you sell.
You might target older customers if you sell home accessories like blanket covers and key hooks. You can target a younger audience if you sell handmade friendship bracelets or bath bombs.
Consider who is most likely to fall for your products in order to identify your target market. Your primary customers if you start a small business selling baby blankets may be the parents. You could also target relatives looking for baby shower gifts.
Think about your audience when researching them
- Your primary goals when purchasing your product
- Pressure points
- Likes and dislikings
- Location, age, gender and gender
- Behavior (where they surf online)
3. Make a business plan
You’ll get distracted by things like choosing the products to sell and identifying your audience when you learn how to sell crafts online. It’s not enough to just get excited about it.
A craft business plan is essential. It is your compass, and will keep you on the right track no matter what happens in the industry.
Your vision and mission statement are the foundation of your business plan. These documents can be especially useful if you are trying to obtain business financing from a bank. These are the essential points to include in your business plan:
- An executive summary
- Description of your craft business
- Analyse of the market and competitive factors
- SWOT analysis
- Marketing and sales plan
- Management team for company
- Financial projections
You can find helpful video tutorials online to help you write your business plan if you are still unsure about how to start a crafting business. You can also use a template for your business plan. You can change the information to reflect your business’ vision and nature.
4. Get crafting
It’s now time for some fun!
This step will help you create a plan of how you want to make your crafts. This process can be started in many ways. You could take online lessons or watch webinars to help you improve your skills. You could, for example, learn how to make jewelry chains or create your own earrings. Try:
Online workshops: You can find many sites like CreativeBug that offer classes in knitting, crocheting, sewing and quilting. YouTube and Facebook may have videos that can help.
Try new ideas. Make a list of your favorite crafting techniques and work from there. Making your own soap might appeal to you. In that case, it may be worth researching the types of ingredients available online. You should invest in the right tools to create amazing ceramics if you are thinking about starting a pottery company.
You need to create the right space in your home if you want to start a crafts business. You can create a space for furniture upcycling and blanket knitting. You should have plenty of storage space and all the tools that you require.
5. Locate a Manufacturer/Supplier
Scaling a business is difficult when you are the only one creating your ideas. You’ll likely need help in order to maintain a work-life balance as your business grows. It could be easier to manage your business by finding a manufacturer that can produce your designs.
It is important to find a supplier that can supply you with the raw materials necessary to make your products. You might need to pay extra for specific types of wool or threads for the embroidery business. Consider:
Quality of the crafts You can make a huge impact on your audience by investing in the right materials.
Samples: Get samples from suppliers if you are interested in long-term business relationships. Consider drafting contract terms to keep you fully stocked throughout the year once you have found supplies that you like.
Locality: It is a good idea for you to locate someone who can supply and manufacture your goods. While it might sound like a great way to save money, you could end up waiting for a long time to receive the goods you require. If you are in the US, working with local vendors like Handshake could result in faster shipping and better product quality.
Dropshipping is a cheaper business model that can be used by beginners to start a craft business. You can set up an online craft shop and sell products. A third-party supplier handles the fulfillment of an order placed through your online store. This includes packaging and delivery to the customer. Dropshipping is a way to save time and money on warehouse costs. Dropshipping is a great business model for craft entrepreneurs who prefer to concentrate on marketing and less on inventory management.
6. Create Your Brand
A craft business’s brand is the most important thing you can do. People will buy from brands they trust and like. You need to make a lasting impression by branding. A memorable company name, an appealing logo, meaningful colors, and a distinctive voice are all part of good branding.
It’s easier than you think to create a brand thanks to the many online tools available. Shopify, for example, offers the following:
- Logo maker
- Video maker
- Domain name generator
- Generator of business names
- Slogan maker
This tool makes it easy to build a memorable business. You can add keywords like “ceramics” and “knitting” to the slogan maker to generate great slogans.
You can also hire professionals at Fiverr, Upwork and DesignCrowd if you have trouble designing everything.
7. Fulfill your Legal and Logistics Needs
Your checklist should include making sure that your company is properly set up from both a legal and logistical perspective. Even if you are selling handmade scarves, that doesn’t mean your business needs to be registered.
You can find a lot of information online about how to legally set up a crafts business. Or, talk to a tax professional. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Permits, licenses, and registration of businesses
- SKUs for your product lines
- Shipping costs and weight
- Shipping restrictions applicable to your products
- Production overheads and costs
- Sales and business taxes
- Requests for patents, trademarks, and copyright
- Talk to a professional if you are worried that you may not have the right paperwork or don’t understand certain documents.
8. Create Your Online Craft Store
It’s a lot of fun to design an online shop, just like creating your favorite crafts.
You have the opportunity to combine different aspects such as your brand colors, logo and product pages so you can create an entire online storefront. Shopify makes it easy to create a professional-looking website. You can do this in just 30 minutes.
Dropshipping can be a time- and cost-saving option. You can access DSers, which is an AliExpress import app that Shopify uses.
- For extra assistance, you can hire a designer or expert to help with your website.
- Listed below are some of the most important things to remember:
- Engaging product descriptions that inspire and engage your customers are key to selling crafts
- Amazing photos of your handcrafted items
- Landing pages that encourage people build a relationship and to contact your company
- Privacy policies, terms and condition, return policy and shipping policies
- Shipping rates and zones
- Payout pages and gateways are available.
Shopify’s unique feature is the ability to modify various elements. From your templates and themes to resources and other tools. This can make your store stand out.
9. Market Your Crafts
Learning how to start a business in craft is not easy. It’s difficult to find customers for your shop. Selling crafts is only possible with marketing. Your budget and the strategies that you choose will influence how much you spend on promotions.
Take, for example:
Email marketing is a great way to build relationships with customers and encourage them long-term purchases from your company. Segment your audience according to the crafts they enjoy in order to keep your messages relevant.
Social media marketing can be a great way for customers to stay in touch with you every day. Customers can see how to make your products by creating YouTube tutorials and snapping pictures for Instagram. You can also create boards on Pinterest.
Influencer marketing can be a great way for your brand to gain a reputation boost. To increase your chances of meeting the right customers, you can partner with experts in your field. There are influencers on every platform: TikTok, Clubhouse, Facebook and many more.
Online Craft Stores
Are you still looking for ideas about how to start your own craft business? These are examples of successful craft brands that will inspire you.
1. Artisaire
The Artisaire brand is a great example of a crafts business offering a variety of wax sealing stamps, supplies and other products. Here you can find everything, from custom stamps for your letters to amazing waxes. This is a wonderful example of how craft companies can be niche in their product selections and still appeal to a wide audience.
Artisaire manufactures all its products in Canada, and the business is run by the Thomsens.
2. Honeybunch Shop
Lisa Jolly founded Honeybunch, a shop that is built on passion. Lisa Jolly, the founder of Honeybunch, believes in creating amazing soaps and bath products using natural ingredients. Lisa began her retail career and launched several businesses before starting the Honeybunch Shop.
Jolly claims that she was not an expert in soap making when she started her online shop. However, she soon learned.
3. Cedar and Sail
Cedar and Sail’s story shows that anyone can start a business and follow their passions. It was an idea to create unique accessories and designs for homes with 3D printers. Today, the brand offers a wide range of small, but very attractive, items, such as coasters, planters, candles, and planters.
Cedar and Sail was started by someone who wanted more of the things they love in their spare time. The company is now a huge success.
It’s time to get crafty!
This article should have shown that starting a craft business is not as difficult as it appears. You’re halfway to your goal once you have a business idea based on your passions and know that there is a market for your products.
You can easily run a successful craft business by adding the right sales tools, such as an ecommerce site and dropshipping services, to the mix.