The Craft Business Handbook

Wish you could turn your talent for making lovely things into cash? Bored of the 9 to 5 and dreaming of starting your own crafty business, but not sure where to start? Then this is the book for you ! The Craft Business Handbook has ALL the information you need to get started making money from your crafts - NOW ! From setting up as a proper business, producing and pricing your goods for maximum sales and profit, to the various options for selling online, at craft fairs, trade shows and getting your products into retailers, right through to gaining magazine coverage, promoting your business online and managing your business as it grows, this is THE essential guide for any would-be crafty entrepreneur! Whether you're just considering getting started with a crafty business idea, or already selling your wares and looking for ways to grow your business ( think sales reps, fulfillment houses and more!), this handy book - written by craft business expert Alison McNicol - shares tons of insider tips, practical information, and shows how you too can achieve Craft Business success! PLUS - some of the most successful crafty business people around share their stories - how they started and grew their successful craft businesses - prepare to be inspired with in-depth interviews from some of your favorite crafty entrepreneurs around! About The Author Alison McNicol is a serial crafty entrepreneur who has launched several successful craft businesses, selling her products in stores worldwide. She is also the author of several successful craft and craft business books, and founder of The Craft Business Community.com, an online community that provides resources and networking opportunities for crafty entrepreneurs from all over the world. Alison is also author of Craft Business Heroes: How We Did It ( 30 Creative Entrepreneurs Share the Secrets of Their Success)- a companion book to the Craft Business Handbook, featuring 30 more interviews from leading craft entrrepreneurs - Amy Butler, Amy Karol, Sublime Stitching's Jenny Hart, Subversive Cross Stitch founder Julie Jackson and tons more !

Business advice for enterprising crafters, by crafters No one knows more about helping handmade businesses than Hello Craft, the nonprofit trade association for crafty entrepreneurs. Written by the directors of Hello Craft, Handmade to Sell is the most complete, up-to-date, and authoritative guide for DIYers seeking to learn every aspect of selling, marketing, and branding. Based on the Summit of Awesome, Hello Craft’s annual business conference, this book covers topics including: • Developing successful product lines • Copyrights and trademarks • Taking perfect product shots • Using analytics to boost your online sales • Selling at fairs, shows, and other retail outlets • Diversifying income through licensing and teaching • Hiring and outsourcing Throughout, you’ll find expert tips and invaluable strategies and advice from some of the most successful indie crafters and artisans. Whether you’ve only contemplated selling your crafts or want to grow an existing handmade business, Handmade to Sell offers essential guidance for anyone who has ever dreamed of making a living from what they create.

Covers all aspects of managing a craft business, including accounting, legal issues, and taxes.

This volume provides step-by-step directions for starting a craft business. Topics include: building the brand, price principles, auctions, taking photos, different marketplaces, promotion, and product launching. The authors present an in-depth case study of a crafts business that has achieved financial success in just five years.

Filled with visual, step-by-step tutorials, this excellent resource for readers who want to take their craft business to the next level provides branding, selling and merchandising tips along with profiles of some of the world's most successful crafters. Original.

With over 400,000 sellers on Etsy, how can you make YOUR shop stand out and increase your sales? This is a key question for many crafters and artists who are selling online these days. Now here are all the answers and much more from author and Etsy seller Derrick Sutton. Based on Sutton's self-published guide, and drawn from his practical experience, you will learn how to boost your Etsy sales, attract more customers, and expand your online presence. He shares his proven online sales and marketing knowledge in an easily accessible format, complete with simple actions steps at the end of each chapter. Learn how to completely optimize your Etsy shop, website, or blog, and much more. Some of the topics covered include: -How to design a catchy Etsy banner -How to gain an instant analysis of your shop and where you need to focus your efforts -A crash course on photographing your items and key mistakes to avoid class -Fail-safe copywriting secrets -How to take advantage of Etsy's forums, Treasury, and more -The effective way to use Facebook and Twitter, and why so many people get it wrong A perfect gift for entrepreneurial artists, How to Sell Your Crafts Online offers crafters practical internet marketing techniques from an experienced Etsy seller that will pave the way for a profitable online business! Praise for Derrick Sutton's e-Guide Crafting Success: "This is really a great guide through the mind-boggling thicket of internet selling. It's so easy to follow and straight forward..." --- Etsy seller jenniferwhitmer "I definitely saw a difference in my sales after doing many of the things suggested." --- Etsy seller mishmishmarket "A true wealth of useful information." --- Etsy seller helixelemental "[The steps are] easily presented, so making changes to your shop can be done instantly as you are reading." -- Licky Drake, HappyGoLicky Custom Silver Jewelry "A tremendous amount of information. I learned more from [this book] than from anything I have purchased in five years." --- Etsy seller HandpaintedGifts

For crafty entrepreneurs, a highly focused guide to using social media and blogging to measurably impact your sales. If you want to earn income from your creative crafts, social media and craft marketing expert Hilary Pullen will help you develop a 360 degree strategy for online networking, outlining the resources and time you need to commit. She will take you through how to identify who you want to connect with, where you will connect with them, and what type of things you want to share and say to them—all with relevant examples and case studies. You’ll see that with a little planning and management, you can learn to love blogging and social media—and experience it not as a chore but an additional way to make use of your natural creativity! “I know what it takes first hand to market your crafts online and Hilary’s book is one of the most detailed marketing books out there for creative business owners . . . If you are looking for a marketing guide to help your craft business thrive, then you need to pick up Hilary’s book.” —Timothy Adam, Handmadeology

This comprehensive instruction book relates specifically to businesses falling under the "arts and crafts umbrella"--from decorative art to needlecrafts to production and marketing of sideline products. Includes a collection of human interest stories about problem-solving and anecdotes about running a business. Illustrations.