Craft, Inc. Revised Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Turning Your Creative Hobby into a Successful Business

243 Pages·2011·3.11 MB·English

by  Ilasco

Craft INC.
Revised Edition
The Ultimate Guide to Turning Your
Creative Hobby into a Successful
Business
Meg Mateo Ilasco
Text copyright © 2007, 2011 by Margaret Mateo Ilasco.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from
the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-4521-2852-8
The Library of Congress has cataloged the previous edition as follows: Ilasco, Meg Mateo.
Craft, inc. : the ultimate guide to turning your creative hobby into a successful business / Meg Mateo
Ilasco. — Rev. ed p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4521-0141-5
1. New business enterprises—Management. 2. Small business—Management. 3. Home-based businesses—
Management. 4. Self-employed. 5. Hobbies. I. Title.
HD62.5.I39 2011
745.5068 —dc22
2010053576
Designed and Illustrated by Sarah Meyer Cover design by THUSSFARRELL
Typeset by Happenstance Type-O-Rama This book was typeset in Dalliance, Fling, and Gotham 8/11.5
Chronicle Books
To my craft muse and mom,
Dely
Contents
Introduction CHAPTER 1 Your
Creative Mind 10
Creative Mythology Lotta Jansdotter: Surface Designer, Lifestyle Goods What’s Your Creative
Bug? Building Creative Confidence Craft Time A Room with a Muse Jill Bliss: Eco-
Conscious Crafts Sharing Your Dream
Your Business Mind
CHAPTER 2 26
Quiz: Are You Entrepreneur Material? Business Plan Basics Designing Your New Career
Sunshine’s Scarves: Crocheted Scarves Naming Your Baby Business Essentials A Team or
Solo Effort What’s Your Legal Structure? Financing Your Business Beth Weintraub: Etched
Metal Modular Art Record Keeping
Your Personal Style and Your
CHAPTER 3
Products
52
Keeping It Real Creative Mission Statement Company Identity Denyse Schmidt: Quilts
Starting the Ideation Process Capture Your Ideas Setting Goals Market Research Wool &
Hoop: Crewel Kits Trend Watch Copying Your Creative Muses Using Images and Patterns
Ashley G and Drew: Illustrated Prints Packaging Evaluating Your Products Protecting Your
Work
Production and Pricing Plans
CHAPTER 4 74
Sourcing Raw Materials and Vendors In Fiore: Luxury Holistic Skin Care Products Buying
Equipment The Manufacturing Life The Small Object: Curiously Small Crafts Internationally
Made Pricing Your Products Creating a Pricing Formula Evaluating Your Prices Lovely
Design: Found Paper Stationery
Marketing and Publicity Strategies
CHAPTER 5 94
Printed Materials Catalogs Getting Professional-Looking Pictures Online Presence port2port
press: Letterpress Stationery E-mail Blasts Online Communities and Social Media
Design*Sponge: Craft and Design Blog Be Your Own Publicist Press Kits Press Releases
Hiring a Publicist Reaching for the Stars Advertising Creating a Marketing Plan
Making Sales and Order
CHAPTER 6
Fulfillment
122
Online Store Etsy Retail Shows Renegade Craft Fair Consignment Wholesale System
Necessities Poppi: Jewelry Designer Getting Paid Approaching Stores ReForm School:
Craft and Design Boutique Trade Shows New York International Gift Fair Representatives
Being a Good Salesperson Order Fulfillment Customer Service
Ups, Downs, and Next Steps
CHAPTER 7 160
Knocked Off Where Are the Orders? Variegated Inc.: Textiles Burnout Life in Balance
Parent Entrepreneurs Hiring Employees How to Be a Good Employer and Boss Jonathan
Adler: Potter, Designer Other Sources of Income Outgrowing the Home Base Growing Your
Business Calling It Quits
Internet Resources 187
Index 190
Acknowledgments 192
Introduction
If you have ever muttered the words “I wish I could make a living doing [insert
artistic passion here],” you certainly are not alone. For a creative individual like
yourself, trapped in a dour cubicle transcribing letters for your boss or nursing
achy feet after waiting on tables, it’s probably a mantra you recite every day. But
while your coworkers are eyeing the corner office, your goals lie elsewhere. You
ponder throw pillow design possibilities instead of sales reports. Your cubicle
contraband provides temporary fodder for your inventiveness—coasters made of
paper clips, anybody? With your finger poised over the “quit” button, you yearn
for an escape. For now, starting your own creative business may be nothing
more than an idea, but it’s absolutely possible to turn what you do for fun into
what you do to get paid.
These days, it isn’t at all surprising to ask a gal where she got the baubles
draped around her neck, and find her response paired with a handshake and
business card. The urge to make stuff, combined with growing public interest in
design and the renewed popularity of traditional art forms like knitting and
sewing, has made it more appealing than ever to turn a craft into a business. But
how exactly do you make the transition from hobbyist to professional crafter? It
might be hard to imagine making this move, especially when you’re already
holding down a day job to pay the utility bills, school loans, and rent, not to
mention spending time with your friends and family. The good news is that with
planning and determination you can achieve more than you ever thought
possible.
Acting on your desire to earn money from your craft can be an anxiety-filled
proposition. Consider Craft, Inc. your guide as you prepare for this impending
mental and belt-tightening shift. Bridging the gap between your creative vision
and the reality of starting a business, this guide provides advice on putting
together a business plan, creating a line of goods, outsourcing your production,
selling your wares in the wholesale or retail market, and getting editorial
coverage in magazines. In addition, to serve as your muses, established indie
crafters and designers are interviewed throughout.
The road to making your craft a profitable business can be bumpy. It might
take time for your unique style to catch on; even if you become the darling of the
indie design scene and gain instant fans, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll turn a
profit this year, or next year. Building a successful creative business requires
many elements. Some elements are intangible—like luck and timing—and some
you can control—like working hard and arming yourself with knowledge. No
one can predict or prepare you for every obstacle that will come your way, but in
Craft, Inc. you’ll learn about potential pitfalls and ways to protect your business.
It won’t be long until you experience the unbeatable joy of making that first
sale, the empowerment of seeing your name on your very own business cards,
and the thrill of opening your favorite glossy and spotting your work gracing its
pages. Suddenly, you’ll find that the creative business dream you’ve slept on for
years will now keep you up at night, giddy with excitement. And while your old
career simply put food on the table, your new crafting career will feed your soul.
With Craft, Inc. on your side, you will be prepared to successfully take this
creative leap!