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Resources to Help You Grow Your Crafty Business by Rebeca Mojica Many crafters are happy to create for the sheer love of creating. Some craft as a hobby to generate a bit of income—at least enough to pay for the crafting supplies! That's wonderful...but this article is not for you. Rather, this is for the antsy crafter who cannot rest until she is making her craft day in and day out. It is for the entrepreneur who wants to combine creativity with business. It is for the guy who can't imagine spending his life working for someone else and is willing to take risks and give up the "security" of a "real" job in order to eventually have the freedom to be his own boss. Yes, this article is for the folks who actually want to make a living by crafting. Is it possible? Yes, of course. But that doesn't mean it is easy. It requires hard work. A lot of hard work. Not only must you be an expert at what you make, but you must look for innovative ways to find new customers; you must analyze financial data; you must streamline your processes and above all, you must always look at what you do as a business, not just a fun side hobby. This means doing what is best for the business and not letting personal emotions interfere. In five years, I was able to grow Blue Buddha Boutique from a one-woman operation to a company with multiple employees shipping to customers across the world. That is what I wanted to do, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's what you want. Maybe you still want to travel the country to teach your skill to others. Maybe your goal is to have a business that is so successful you can give out a $10,000 college scholarship to an art student every year. Or maybe you don't want employees, but you want your business to be big and healthy enough to support you into retirement. It doesn't matter what your specific goals are, but make sure you have goals. Define what you want your business to look like by the end of this year, and then next year, and five years from now. You want to do $250,000 in sales by 2012: OK, great. How do you get there? How much do you have to grow each year to get to your goal? Make sure you're creating SMART goals—that is, your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. (Do a Google search for SMART goals, and you'll find plenty of articles to help you learn more about these goals and how to create them.) Sound overwhelming? I won't lie and say it's easy. Luckily, though, there is no shortage of books, magazines and people who can help you achieve your goals. Over the years, I have turned to many publications and mentors for information and advice. Below are just a few of my favorite resources that have been instrumental in taking my business to the next level: So, for all you crafty entrepreneurs: dream big, live smart and fufill your goals. You can do it! I hope some of these resources will help you get there, and if you find some of them particularly useful, please drop me a line to let me know!
Feel free to contact Rebeca as always with questions or comments. |
