Start Your Own Arts and Crafts Business

Book excerpt: Do you dream of spending the day working on your favorite craft? Would you like to make money in the process? If you’re ready to take your crafting to the next level, your favorite hobby can become a fun, lucrative, homebased business. Hundreds of thousands of working artisans earn their entire income from the crafts they produce—selling on eBay, at their own online stores, in retail stores, at carts and kiosks, or at craft shows and street fairs. With this expert advice, you can become one of them. This comprehensive guide is packed with useful information from crafts professionals and dozens of resources, such as helpful organizations, publications, software and websites. It covers all aspects of a crafts business: • Exploring the market and choosing a profitable niche • Setting up a workshop that’s conducive to business success • Making your products available in retail stores, carts and kiosks, craft shows and other local markets • Selling your products on eBay, Half.com, Overstock.com, Amazon.com and other global online marketplaces • Advertising and promotion to get the word out about your crafts • Record keeping, taxes, accounting and other business essentials