When you’re a Mum it can be hard to find a part-time flexible job to suit you and your family. If you’re looking for something that will suit your creativity and bring you some much-needed income, then starting your own craft business might be for you. Here is what you need to know before starting up.
Know your finances and budget
Make a business plan, even if you don’t need to borrow any money from the bank or investors. This involves writing down all the financial outgoings you have. These will be things like materials, website costs, advertising, stationery, payment for craft stalls and other costs like a proportion of your home’s utilities if you’re working from home, or studio space. You are unlikely to make money straight away, so you need to budget for this.
Then you need to work out how much you’re going to charge for each item. What you need to factor in is not just the cost of the materials, but how long each item takes you to make and the skill involved in making it. Is your design really unique? You may be able to charge more. Take a look at similar items for sale and more importantly, what they actually sold for. How many have sold? Is there a market for them? You also need to think about what packaging you will be using and the cost of that should be included in your price. Some sellers will say ‘Free postage,’ but it is actually incorporated in the price.
How much time do you have?
If you’re a busy Mum of three children under five, will you really have the time to dedicate to it? The amount of extra income you will get from the time you are able to put into it might be negligible. You’re better off if you can have at least a few hours a day to put into it.
Register as self-employed
Technically, you don’t have to register as self-employed until you are making over £1000 in the financial year (April to April). What you make as profit is your incomings from sales minus your expenses like we talked about above. A simple spreadsheet is all you need to keep track of your accounts. Later on, you might want to hire an accountant to submit your self-assessment, but in the beginning, you can do it yourself.
Branding
Once you are happy with the product you are going to make and sell, think about the branding. You can get a logo made pretty cheaply from Fiverr, or you can make one yourself from a free template on Canva. Either way, think about who you are marketing to, what sort of product you are selling, and the message behind it if any. For example, is your product eco friendly, vegan, hand made and unique? Take advantage that you’re a Mum and a small business. Get involved with the support small movement. Think about colours, fonts and pictures carefully.
Packaging
How will you package your items? A lot of people want plastic-free packaging or easily recyclable packaging these days, so consider that before making your choice. If you’re on TikTok or Instagram, I have seen so many businesses show themselves packaging orders customers have made and it’s so satisfying to watch! It’s also a really good marketing ploy.
If you’ve got your branding right, you might want to consider custom printed boxes with your logo or a message on them, or a particular shape. The postage costs change according to size, so a letterbox size is cheaper than a higher depth box even if the weight is the same.
Where to sell your craft items
There are many places to sell your craft items now, both online and offline. Here are a few ideas:
Online
- Etsy
- Ebay
- Amazon handmade
- Olio made
- Facebook marketplace
- Your own website
Offline
- Craft fairs
- Local newsagents
- Local café
- Local gift shop
- Market stall
- Car boot sale
- Nearly new sale
How to market yourself and get sales
Apart from just listing your items on selling sites and hoping for the best, you will need to do some marketing. If you’ve done your homework before starting, it will be easier. I touched on it earlier by talking about researching your competitors for pricing. Make sure there is a demand for what you’re making. Lurk around in forums and Facebook groups where your target audience is. If your item is say, custom candles, take a look in home groups and candle lovers. What questions are they asking, what do they buy? Once you’re in these groups and a valued member, you will be able to promote your business.
Create content on social media that will engage your audience and make them interested in what you’re selling. Show them behind the scenes video footage and photograph your items with interesting backgrounds and enticing interiors. You don’t have to have a fancy camera, your phone camera will do. Play around with props and backdrops and you will soon get a feel for it.
Get family and friends to try your product and encourage them to spread the word. When you get customers, send them a card with the order and encourage them to leave a review or post on social media.
Create a weekly or monthly giveaway for a small item or voucher and people have to spread the word to enter.
If your product is good, all these methods will work for you. Any feedback you get, learn from it, adapt and grow.
I hope this guide has helped you if you’re thinking about starting your own craft business. Let me know how you get on.
Disclosure: collaborative post
