You have a craft business, it’s doing okay, but now you want to find out other ways to increase your income with your craft business.
You have always wanted a craft shop. There is nothing in your area or even in the surrounding suburbs and you are sure that this is going to work. After all, there are pre-schools, a primary school and therefore loads of kids, teachers and probably crafty moms in the area who will surely buy their crafting supplies from you. You open your shop – and it’s quiet. What is wrong?
You don’t want to go back to work for someone else, but you are going to run out of money if you don’t fix this fast. The below ideas do not include Etsy, Shopify or using any social media although those should already be included in your marketing plan.
The below article looks at different ideas that you might not have thought of to help you use your craft business to increase the income streams of your craft business.
Whichever option you choose to do, you should always be looking to grow your email database and the reason is because someone will subscribe to you because they are interested in what you are offering. If treated well, that person will become a loyal fan (good word-of-mouth advertising) and they will become a buying customer.
Here are a few things that you can do to generate more income for your niche:
1. Start a Blog
If you have a website, look at it with fresh eyes or ask an acquaintance to look at it for you. What is their opinion? Does it clearly tell people what you are all about? Do you need to change anything? Do you have a blog tab in your menu to keep posting fresh content for your followers? If you don’t have one yet, then you need to set up a blog now. Your blog WILL generate you additional money through various ways. Have you thought that having a blog about your business, or adding a blog page to your craft business website, can increase your income? By having a blog you can do the following: * sell your craft supplies online * sell your finished products online * sell other crafters’ products online and take a commission * post a new blog post at least once a week showcasing something that is trending and how to do it, or how to create a bird feeder or how to re-use a mason jar as a nightlight.
2. Hold Workshops in Your Shop
Once a week after hours you can hold various workshops in your shop. You provide all of the equipment and make sure you have a large enough table and chairs, and provide tea, coffee and biscuits.increase-income-with-craft-business
If you do not have the expertise to teach something, then find someone who does and pay her for her time.
You can charge for the equipment used and then charge a separate fee for the course, that way you are making sales on your crafting supplies and covering your costs.
You could also do this on Saturday mornings
Another option is to host children’s parties if you have the space and have a craft pack for them, and a teacher to show them what to do.
Advertise in your shop, on social media, with flyers, by word-of-mouth and in your local newspaper. Find out where your audience is online and make sure they know that your business exists. By doing this, you will see an increase in the income of your craft business.
3. What if No-One Comes to Your Workshops?
Sometimes people just won’t show up.
You just knew your craft business was going to expand by having these amazing craft classes, and a market, but then people don’t show up!
It’s honestly not you, it’s definitely them.
Either they don’t have transport, or they sign up and then on the day they’re just lazy and can’t be bothered.
A better idea is to have your clients host these crafting ‘parties’ at their homes. They can invite some friends round, who will become your customers because they’ll love what you do, of course. The hostess can supply the tea, coffee and biscuits and you can give them a gift or a free crafting tool as a thank you.
Top tip: Do not forget to get everyone’s contact details and start an email subscriber list, with their permission
4. Create an Online Course or eBook
Another way that you can increase your income is by creating an online course or an eBook. If your shop is quiet, you most likely have time on your hands. And if you have time on your hands, you can create an online course or eBook even if you have no experience. It is not that difficult. Here are some of your options: * Create a pdf document that someone can buy that can be downloaded * Use an online teaching platform such as Teachable to create an online course * Create a video course You can also create a series that will encourage further sales: Course 1: An Introduction to Scrapbooking Course 2: Advanced Scrapbooking Techniques Course 3: How to Create and Use Various Fonts in Scrapbooking Course 4: Scrapbook Your Child’s School Camp Course 5: How to use a Sizzex Machine (check that is the correct word) If your first course is good, people will be encourage to purchase the next one, and the one after that and the one after that. Above was only about scrapbooking but there are so many craft niches that you can teach about. Once your document has been created, you can sell it from your blog. This is again where you use an automated email process to save new customer’s email addresses and you then have a more professional email response.
5. Grow Your Business with Agents
If you have stock that you need to sell, you can enlist agent’s to help you sell lit and in return they earn a commission. They can either sell just the craft products, or you can package up some products to create a craft gift paxk such as a ‘make your own money box’ and include everything that is needed, including instructions. Don’t forget about teenagers – they also look for ways to make extra income.
6. Start a Crafting Party Business
You are the direct point-of-contact for party clients and you can have a separate tab in your website menu to tell people about this. You can specialize in adults or in children’s parties. Then you employ teams of people to run these parties for you – two people hosting a party and pay them a set fee for the two hours. Responsible teenagers/ college students are great at this. Set up some basic requirements for example: *Minimum 10 children for $150 / R1,500 *For any additional children it could be $15 / R150 per child more *Charge X-amount petrol costs if you want *Give them a couple of craft options based on their party theme *You provide everything: table cloths, art aprons, cleaning jars, all equipment and materials *Include a gift for the birthday girl or boy *Hand our flyers for them to take home Then you can add additional services if you want: * Supply party packs * Photobooth props for fun pics and have the moms post these on to their social media accounts for you #freeadvertising
7. Offer Downloads on Your Blog or Website
This is another great way that you can earn an extra income by doing what you love. What can you offer to someone as a download from your site? For example you could have: * Knitting patterns * Crochet patterns * Colouring-in pages for children or adults Charge $1.00 / R10.00 per download. Make sure that legally you own these or have created them yourself as there are laws in place to stop you from selling other people’s products as your own.
8. Arrange a Craft Market
Get some fellow crafters together and put together your own craft market. If you arrange everything (the location, the crafters, the advertising etc) then you charge each stall holder a fee to be there and exhibit their goods. This will cover costs and leave a bit extra for you as additional income.
9. Increase your Income with Craft Products in Child-Friendly Venues
What products do you have that you can sell to venues where there are children? For example, if you animal mosaic kits, can you get them into the shop at the local zoo? Have you created sticker sets that can be sold at the aquarium? Are there any guesthouses or hotels in your area that would be interested in buying your products for when families are staying with them? Can you think of restaurants in your area that can offer children something to do while waiting for their food?
There are 9 ideas for you to think about to see what would fit you and your situation best. Some area a lot easier to do than others but remember that old saying that goes ‘the harder I work, the luckier I get’. What else would you do to create more income streams as a crafter?
