Starting your crafty business. Part 1 - So, you want to start a crafty business?

So, you've amassed a pile of whatever your crafty madness is...jewelry, collage, afghans...whatever your awesome creativity has spawned and you have that moment, the one where you think "whatever am I going o do with all these?" Everyone you know has one; you even gave one to that person don the street, you know, the one everyone sees but no one knows. Yeah, that one. Now what? Then you get the bright idea (or, in my case, some one says) "you should sell these!" Okay! Hmmm... Okay? How do I do that? 

Decisions, decisions. Online shop? Craft fair? Consignment? Wholesale to that little shop? All of the above? How do you choose?  Well, there is a lot to think about before you decide which way to go with your new crafty busines. Yes, business. The first time you take money for your creation you are leaving the world of crafty hobby and move over to crafty business. You're gonna need to decide if its just a little hobby business that is just a means to buy more crafting supplies, or will it become your sole income. Either way, you're gonna need some stuff. First and forwmost, if you are planning on selling anywhere outside of the occasional one-off with the gal in the cubicle down the hall, you are going o need a sellers permit. Here in California, they're free.  You've got to have one if you are going o sell at craft fairs or to that little boutique. You don't need one if you are going to consign (the consignment shop will have one though).  The cool bonus of your sellers permit is that you can now purchase your supplies wholesale!  Also, depending on your local laws and regulations, you may need a business license, check with your city or county. That will cost you money annually, but for a tiny home-based crafty business it will be nominal.

Does it seem like too much? Yes? Turn back now! No? Alright then, lets go! 

You need to decide how you want to get your stuff out there. I'll leave you with this until next time; how do you want to sell your craft? You'll need to decide that, so you can figure out your prices. No matter what, you don't want to lose money on this endeavor, so you really need to decide that question first. 

So, come back next Wednesday for Part 2 - Okay, I've decided how I want to sell it, how do I price it? 

 

Upcoming Show Schedule - Updated

Just a quick update up upcoming shows where Juli's Jewels will be vending.

Restoration Church, 8098 Foothills Blvd #900, Roseville

Saturday, October 5th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

2nd Annual Craft Fair, Arden Church of the Nazarene. 3337 Arden Way, Sacramento

Saturday, October 12th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

I've applied to and I'm still waiting to hear back about the Nevada City Craft Fair, which will be held in December, and the Orangevale Parks and Recreation District's 16th Annual Holiday Craft Fair; It's in November. I'm also looking at a couple other dates and IndieSacramento is in the planning stages of a pampering/pre-holiday shopping day! More details to come on all of these.

 

 

Friday the 13th

It's Friday the 13th and I'm having a Flash Sale in the shop! Everything is 13% off today only. That includes the already reduced priced items in the Clearance section of the shop. Here's the link, just in case.

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/JulisJewels

New Product Display Cards

GoFundMe

I never thought I'd do it but the time has come...I am asking for money. The economy has taken it's toll on my little business, and frankly, if I can't start doing more shows and turning a little profit, I'm going to have to quit...and the thought of that just makes me sick. Making jewelry brings me joy; it has gotten me through some really rough patches, but if I can't sell any jewelry, truly I wont be able to make any more. In the last two years I have actually given away in my little fan page contests and random love, more jewelry than I have actually sold. Sadly, I wish I could just give it all away, as I am not exactly the best sales person out there. Being an introvert and somewhat shy make it very challenging to work my own booth at shows, I am always very grateful when someone comes to shows and helps me sell.

Honestly, I'd really rather have you buy my jewelry, but since thats not really happeming right now, I'm  trying this. Please check out my GoFundMe page - http://www.gofundme.com/49baqs If you can help, I would appreciate it more than you can ever know. Anything will help, but I have set up three levels that will get you a small gift/token of my appreciation. I am asking for funds to replace my canopy, some over used tools, fuel and enamel powders so that I can continue enameling, and funds for show booth fees.

If you can't help out monetarily, please send me your good thoughts and wishes, so that maybe your positive energy will find it's way into my campaign.

Thanks for listening.

Example of $100 thank you gift

Example of $75 thank you gift

More fun with Enameling

I'm finally feeling comfortable enough with my enameling to add it to designs using my favorite metal, natural brass. The designs have been fun to play with and I like playing with colors and textures.

Here is what I've been doing, in order of completion:

Peirced and Layered

Lovely Layers

Stamped and Embossed

A little bit of everything

Textures and layered colors

I think they are really turning out nicely; what do you think?

How to survive an outdoor craft show-repost

This is a pretty good post, so I thought I'd share it again.

Okay, I know we've all seen the great lists for being prepared for craft fairs/shows, what to take, etc. This is not that kind of list. This is more survival based...

1. Know what the weather is supposed to be like, in advance. Check with the Weather Channel or AccuWeather the day before the show. Check it again in the morning, it might have changed while you were sleeping. Also, if you are near where the show will be held, look out the window. I cannot stress this enough.
2. Prepare for the weather to change during the day while you are at the show. I have set up my booth in the rain in the morning and been roasting with the intense heat and humidity by closing time. Wear light layers and if you wore tennies, bring sandals (or vice versa).
3. If it's going to be windy, forget the canopy. Yes, you can get sand bags or other kinds of weights for your canopy, but they don't always help...better to be same than sorry. It's just not safe, your canopy can move or worse, fly. Duct tape comes in clear! Get a roll. People don't really see it and your displays will be less likely to blow away. Also, keep your displays low or flat. .
4. Table cloth clips are cheap and you can purchase them at your favorite big box store (i.e. Target, K-Mart, etc.) in the camping or outdoors section.
5. Those chairs you get for camping will save wear and tear on your good folding chairs, as long as they aren't too comfy. (Falling asleep is just not professional.)

I know this sounds a little tongue in cheek, but I'm serious. Also, if you live in the Sacramento Region, outdoor (especially parking lot) sales in October are crazy. It will be windy, it may be rainy, It might be hot or really chilly. Just be aware. Oh, and try to have some fun.

Starting your crafty business, Part 2 - Okay, I've decided how I want to sell it, how do I price it?

Okay! You've made the big decision to sell your handmade awesomeness and now you are ready to price it...umm...yeah...but how?

It's a pretty big deal, getting the prices right. You want to be able to make a profit otherwise you might as well go back to giving it away. You want to be competitive with other artisans and crafters, too.

Do not sell your stuff cheaply! It, and you, are worth more than that. Undervaluing your items hurts you in the long run, but it also hurts the handmade marketplace. That being said, there is also a limit of what your regional market will bear. Yes, you have to take your customer type into consideration when pricing your items, but that doesn't mean selling an item for less, sometimes it means revamping your line to fit your customer base (i.e. making less expensive pieces for the church bazaar vs. the high end ones you make for the gallery).

You have to remember, this is now a business. Even if you are just a hobbyist, you are going to need to keep records of your supplies and what you paid for them. You are going to need to know how long it takes you to make a piece (including design time). You need to decide what your time it worth. Imagine you did this as a job; what is your boss paying you per hour to create your awesomeness? Most artisans rate their time in the $18-$20 range. I think you're worth it, you should too. Trust me, you wouldn't do this job for minimum wage. You also need to add some overhead for packaging and other materials that can't make it into the rest of the price, because all of that stuff really goes into making your sale.

There are several formulas for pricing items to keep you competitive and profitable; the one I use is pretty simple. First I figure the base price, that is the price it cost me to make it. I add parts plus time (labor) plus overhead (I use a flat 20% on the parts + labor to get my overhead). To get my base. (P + L + O = B)

My parts on this piece were $5, my labor was 15 minutes at $20, so $5, my overhead then was 20% of $10, so $2. Adding these all together, my base price for this item is $12. This is what it costs me to make this item. If I were to sell the item at this price, I would have no profit whatsoever.

On top of my base price, I have 3 price points; wholesale, direct and retail. The markup I use for wholesale is 2.5 times parts plus labor and over head. (P*2.5 + L + O = W); for direct it’s 3 and for retail it’s 6.

So, an item that costs me $12 to make would be priced at $19.50 for wholesale, $22 for direct and $37 for retail.

You will have to decide what you think is the right pricing for your craft business, but remember, there is no benefit to you or anyone for underpricing (and undervaluing) your work.