Six Business Tips for the Creative Hobbyist

Six Business Tips for the Creative Hobbyist

Is a Business the next step for you? Are you constantly working on your creative hobby, spending every spare moment creating fun new products? Craft people, artists, writers, and others who are creative find they are spending more time with their craft than they do anything else. Maybe it’s time to think about turning that sideline hobby into a business you can enjoy and profit from.

I was one of those creatives. I would spend my spare time sewing, writing and creating beautiful things for my family and friends just because I enjoyed doing it. A  while back I was encouraged by several to turn my hobby into a business. 

I want to help you do the same, to find a way to make your passion prosperous for you. Follow along the journey as we both learn to build a business.

Use these 6 tips to help you get started.

Find Wholesale supplies.

Begin by finding wholesale suppliers. If you create any kind of product from tangible items then you will need to find wholesale suppliers to build the products. This will cut down your costs to make the item, allowing you to make a bigger profit without out pricing yourself.

I remember in my first off-line craft business, I started out selling my handmade candles using supplies I bought at the local craft store. Big mistake!! I couldn’t price my candles high enough to recoup my costs and still be in competition price wise, with my competitors. I learned the hard way, find wholesale suppliers.

Do a search online for (your niche)wholesale supplies.

Remember why you are doing this.

Often when we decide to start a home business we get so caught up in the business part of it, the marketing and the paperwork we forget why we really wanted to do this. Spend time every day stepping away from the business side and enjoy the creative side.

In my online writing business, I have this problem. I am so busy trying to find clients, writing for clients and marketing my services that I forget to take an hour each day and write for myself. I have a passion for the written word but without putting words down everyday on my own fiction book, I get burned out and wonder why I began this home business to start with. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing for my clients too. But in the end, it’s not my fiction work.

Talk to others for help.

Talk to others in the same hobby who are already making a living with their passions. Ask them questions. Is the creative business still enjoyable? What does it take to get started? Where do they get their supplies? What is their biggest concerns?

This is where belonging to a group of like minded people will help out. Join online forums and social media groups that are in the same hobby. Check out other businesses online and become a part of their network. You can learn a lot from each other.

Visit trade shows.

Trade shows are a wonderful way to get ideas of what is selling and the way people are selling them. You can find trade shows in most major cities. Make friends with other sellers. Talk to them about your ideas. All creative people love talking about their hobbies. So don’t be shy.

Create a website.

In this day of fast paced technology, a website is a must. You can sell from etsy.com and other sites like this at first. But in the long run having your own website is best.

The type of site you need will depend on the type of wares or services you are selling. For physical products you will need a shopping cart system, a site that can showcase your products well and a site host. I use Hostgator, a simple WordPress site that is self hosted, and Paypal for my site.

If you are on a tight budget you can get started with your website for under $20 a month. Hostgator has very affordable plans, WordPress is free as is Paypal. You will also need some type of email program to keep in touch with your customers. I use Aweber to send out auto responder messages to potential clients and customers.  We’ll talk more about this in future posts.
Ask others who have sites you like what type of website they have and who their shopping cart is.

Narrow your niche.

This is a biggie. Many people think the more they have to offer the more they will sell. Often though the opposite is true. you should start with one or two products or services.

Let’s say you love to sew and do crafts. You create clothes, dolls, jewelry, toys and home decor items. Well, when someone comes to your site, they see all these different items in different niches. They become overwhelmed and end up not purchasing anything. It is better to start with a narrower niche, such as creating soft toys for babies.

This is what I did with my candle business. I started out with hand made candles then gradually added scented soaps and bath lotions and then gift baskets. As your customer list grows, you will know what they want and can grow and add new areas.
Once you get a taste of being your own boss, of seeing the joy others find in your creative projects, your life will change forever. You’ll be able to enjoy your new career while making money from something you are passionate about until you are ready to retire!! What could be better?

If you need help setting up a website, need content to help sell the items or just want some help finding direction, contact me and we’ll talk.