The updated, Seventh Edition of a perennial best-seller!Profit from the popularity of handmade crafts Make things that sell Find markets for your craftsUpdated content includes discussion of how you can use the Internet to benefit your craft business.Written for anyone who has ever considered taking up crafts or is already involved in crafts as a hobby or business.If you want to turn your hobby into a money-making venture or improve your current sales, you will benefit from the dozens of tips inside this book.The seventh edition includes essential information about:Discovering which crafts sell Determining your skill level Setting competitive prices Choosing the best sales outlets Increasing production The Internet as a sales tool
PREFACE ix1 THE ADVANTAGES OF A CRAFT BUSINESS 12 HOW TO GET STARTED 6a. What to Make 6b. How to Learn Craft Skills 121.Courses 122. Apprenticeship 133. Teaching yourself 14c. Conclusion 143 HOW TO MAKE THINGS THAT WILL SELL 15a. Market Research 17b. Market Test Your Products 194 BEFORE YOU SELL... 20a. Wholesale or Retail? 201. Wholesaling 212. Consignment 213. Retailing 224. Which is best for you? 22b. Pricing Your Work 23iiic. Sales Literature 271. Business cards 272. Brochures and catalogs 285 RETAILING YOUR WORK 29a. Retailing from Your Studio 29b. Retailing Your Work at Craft Markets 301. How to find craft markets 302. How to pick the best craft shows 313. How to get your work into shows 344. Preparing for craft shows 365. How to sell your work at shows 40c. Retailing Your Work through the Mail 431. Direct mail 432. Advertising to solicit mail orders 456 WHOLESALING YOUR WORK 46a. What Kinds of Shops Can You Sell To? 461.Galleries 472. Craft shops 473. Gift/craft shops 474. Gift shops 495. Department stores 496. Other stores 49b. Mass-Market Outlets 50c. How to Get Your Products into Shops 511. Calling on stores 512. The trade show 513. The sales representative 534. The wholesale distributor 555. Wholesaling your work on the Internet 567 SELLING YOUR WORK ONLINE 57a. The Basics 57b. Can You Sell Your Crafts Online? 59c. Online Craft Stores Finding the Best Ones 611. What does the store offer? 622. How much does it cost? 623. How easy is it to find? 634. Does the site download quickly and easily? 635. How are products presented? 636. What kinds of products are offered for sale? 637. How many vendors are represented on the site? 64iv START & RUN A CRAFT BUSINESS8. How much traffic is there? 649. How is the store promoted? 6510. How long has the store been in business? 6511. Who owns and administers the store? 6512. Does the store inspire trust? 66d. Should You Have Your Own Online Store? 66e. Online Stores and Internet Malls 67f. Your Own Web Site 68g. Building Your Web Site 711. Design 712.Graphics 723. Moving your site to the Web 73h. Hiring a Web Developer to Build Your Site 74i. Promoting Your Site 751. Use your domain name as much as possible 762. Submit your site to search engines 763. Optimize the position of your site 764. Get links from related sites 775. Advertise on the Net 776. Make your site sticky 77j. Making Your Work Easy to Buy 781. Offer choices 782. Make everything crystal clear 783. Make yourself real 79k. The Future of Online Shopping for Crafts 79l. Wholesaling Your Work Online 79m. How Craft Businesses Have Fared on the Web 80n. Three Keys to Online Success 818 MARKETING TIPS 82a. Start Out Close to Home 82b. Find Your Own Niche in the Market 83c. Aim for the Highest Quality 83d. Avoid Saturating a Particular Market 83e. Build Customer Loyalty 85f. Set Realistic Marketing Goals 86g. Use Publicity 879 YOUR WORKSHOP 89a. Where to Locate Your Workshop 89b. Planning a Workshop 90CONTENTS v1. The building 902. The interior 9210 PRODUCTION 94a. Bulk Buying 94b.Storage 96c.Orders 96d. Packing 97e.Shipping 97f. Inventory 981. How to keep track of it 982. How big should your inventory be? 993. How much of each item should you carry? 10111 RULES AND REGULATIONS 103a. Retail Sales Tax 104b. Goods and Services Tax (Canada) 104c. Payroll Taxes 1051. If you are in the United States 1062. If you are in Canada 107d. Deadlines for Government Remittances 108e.Licenses 108f. Labeling 1091. In the United States 1092. In Canada 110g.Contracts 1101. Contracts with retail clients 1112. Consignment contracts 111h. Income Taxes 11212 GETTING HELP 113a. Getting a Loan from a Financial Institution 1131. Select the right financial institution 1142. Be well prepared 1143. Sell yourself 1144.Security 1145. What if they turn you down? 115b. Getting a Loan from the Government 1151. In the United States 1152. In Canada 116c. Other Government Assistance 1171. In the United States 1172. In Canada 117vi START & RUN A CRAFT BUSINESSd. Crafts Organizations 1181. Marketing 1182. Other services 1183. Should you join a crafts organization? 11913 KEEPING FINANCIAL RECORDS 120a. What Kind of System? 120b. The Essentials of a Good Bookkeeping System 124c.Income 1241. Invoices and order forms 1252. Managing accounts receivable 125d.Expenses 128e. Journals and the General Ledger 130f. Depreciation 132g. Payroll 133h. Taxes 1331.Income 1342.Expenses 1343.Profits 136i. You and Your Accountant 13714 MANAGING YOUR CRAFT BUSINESS 138a. Business Organization 1381. The sole proprietorship 1382. The partnership 1393. The corporation 139b. Financial Planning 140c. Giving Credit to Your Customers 141d.Insurance 143e. Your Craft Business and Your Family 14415 EXPANDING YOUR CRAFT BUSINESS 146a. How Big Do You Want to Be? 1461. Rate of growth 1472. Profitability 1473.Lifestyle 1484. The market 1485.Quality 148b. Forecasting 1491. Why forecast? 1492. Preparing a forecast 14916 EMPLOYEES: HOW TO HIRE AND TRAIN THEM 153a. Do You Need to Hire Anyone? 153CONTENTS viib. Hiring Employees 154c. Paying Your Employees 1561.Salaries 1562. Wages 1573. Piece rate 157d. Profit Sharing 158e. Cottage Industry 15817 SOME TIPS FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS 160a. Make Your Own Decisions 160b. When You Need Help, Ask for It 161c. Be Thoroughly Professional 162d. Look After Details 162e. Know When to Delegate 162f. Never Stop Learning 163g. Your Leisure Time 163h.Licensing 165i. Protecting Your Craft Designs 166j. Using the Designs of Others 167APPENDIXES1 Directories and Guides 1692 Craft Organizations/Agencies 1723 Online Stores and Malls 187SAMPLES1 Pricing Worksheet 262 News Release 883 Combination Order Book and Inventory List 1004 Plain Rubber Stamped Invoice 1265 Accounts Receivable Ledger 1276 Sample Statement 1297 Synoptic Journal 1318 Cash Flow Statement 1429 Operating Statement 15110 Operating Forecast 152TABLES1 List of Crafts 82 Inventory/Sales Breakdown 102
