FREE Checklist for Starting a Craft Business

However you decide to do it the key if your are turning your passion or hobby for crafts into a thriving business online or off is selling your products. I have this great Free checklist for starting a craft business. This is a great quick craft business planner to get you started on the right track. So if you want a FREE Printable Business Startup Checklist for Launching Your Creative business then keep reading this post.

(If this post contains affiliate links please see our full disclosure policy although I have to say I tried really hard to make it interesting and even I struggled to write it so if you really must read it you can find it here)

How do I start a craft business?

For a lot of people setting up online can be the first step without too much cost to set up their own craft business. It doesn’t matter whether you set up online or offline there are a few important considerations, to begin with:

Have a plan
Figure out your costs
Legalities
Identify your customers so you can target what you make to an ideal audience eg. young new moms – this will help you decide what to make that will actually sell not what you necessarily love to make.
Have gorgeous photos of your products to show people both on or offline
Don’t spread yourself to wide only make a few items
Make items that are reproducible
Check out the competition
Decide if you want to go for the offline or online route
Online means you need to choose a domain name and hosting my preference has been using Siteground for hosting as I have had no issues with this company my site speed is fast and they can answer queries quickly plus if you already have a site they can migrate you over for FREE. You will need to add a shop to your Website and one of the main options is Shopify which also allows you to sell products directly through Instagram.
You can use social media for driving traffic on and offline too
Contact magazines
Consider taking more classes so you are advanced at what you do these can also give you the opportunity to network with other crafters in your area of interest
Set up your workspace

Do you need a business license to sell crafts?

This depends on which country you are located in.

Here is a handy resource so you can check for each state what is required with regards to a business license.

StartingYourBusiness

Your company structure

Don’t forget as well you will need to decide how you are going to set your company up is it going to be registered as self-employed or an LLC?

Home

You will need to organize this so that you pay taxes properly.

Here is another handy resource to help you decide which one you may want to do.

( In the UK you can set your self up as self-employed or create a limited company look at HMRC.org to decide how you want to structure your business in the UK)

How can I promote my craft business?

Social media is great for getting the word out.

Pinterest and Instagram are two routes you should explore as they are image focused.

What I would say is avoid spreading yourself too thin on social media try one avenue master it rather than two or three.

If you have a website/ blog and sell things directly via your site you may want to consider using Pinterest as its currently free for business users and can drive potentially hundreds of visitors to your website every day whereas Instagram prefers to keep people on their website rather than send them across to your blog so be aware of this if you are planning to have your own site.

Business cards will help if you are attending crafts fairs to give to potential customers.

Where can I sell my Crafts online for free?

One of the best things you can do is have your own website to promote your products with a shop.

You should definitely go self-hosted which means you will need to buy hosting and a domain name –

I recommend Siteground as they have been excellent.

If you want more information then check my other blog for how to start a blog full of information to get you started.

BLOG Resources

If you don’t want to have your own site then consider having a shop on another platform one of the biggest for handmade items is of course

Etsy

Amazon Handmade has a similar option as well.

You can also consider smaller options like

Zibbet
Folksy (UK)
Bigcommerce
Craftsy
Misi

Resources for Starting your Craft business

Books

19 Crafts to make and sell to make money

Where should you sell your handmade items?

Awesome ideas to maximize productivity in your craft business

Craft Business ideas to make money

How to make money with your craft business offline

Promotional material

Like business cards- make sure you have plenty to give out when you are different events like craft fairs so you can promote your business even if you don’t initially get may orders. This can be especially lucrative if you can direct customers to your online shop as they may purchase later rather than on the day.

Craft Fairs

Make sure you go to the right craft fair for your business

They can be a great way to gauge your new products and talk directly to consumers about changes you may need to make if something isn’t quite right.

Selling wholesale

If you can negotiate good deals with shops some crafts can do this sometimes almost exclusively selling wholesale for their products.

Again it’s important to work out your costs and still have a profit margin.

Drop shipping can be another route too.

Not as complicated as it sounds – you will ship and package your products but the retailer deals with the website and online store set up and any time someone purchases you will receive the order to supply.

How to start a craft workshop for your business

If you have bricks and mortar place for your business can be a great route to get you known and add to your income.

Make sure whatever you plan to teach at a workshop is something you know inside out.

Consider the amount of time it will take to complete the project will it be done within the time of the workshop or will students need longer to complete it.

Doing a test run with friends will allow you to work out any issues in advance and help you set up a lesson plan for the workshop.