Opening A Handicraft Business: Startup Guide For Handcrafters

Is handcrafting your cup of tea? Do you love creating interesting and innovative crafts? It is time to turn your hobby into a money making venture. Why not consider opening a handicraft business? You will get to earn income from doing something you love to do. How’s that for productive use of your time?

One thing you must realize before you get started: your talent for creating handicrafts is very much different from the skills required to establish a business. If you are serious about generating profits from your handicraft business, the following are some of the considerations you have to think carefully about.

1. Your objectives - What are your goals for opening this business? Do you want to build the business to augment your family income? Whatever your objectives are, be sure you clearly define them before you even think of starting your business.

2. The demand for your products - This is a very important consideration because, of course, you want to be sure that people will be interested and buy your handicrafts. One way to know if your specific handicraft has a market is checking auction sites. See if there is a high demand (numerous bids) on a craft that’s similar to yours. You can also do an online search to find out how many websites are selling your handcrafted products. That way, you will know what your competitors are offering and what your niche will be.

3. Requirements of your business - You need to have full understanding of what your business requires. Set aside money as capital so that you can cover expenses before you get to earn a profit.

4. Learning business basics - If this is your first time to run a business, you have to devote time for learning the basics of starting and managing a business. The aspects you need to be familiar with include bookkeeping, selling, marketing, and purchasing, among many others. Take crash courses or online programs if you can. But if you plan to hire people to do such tasks for you, you still have to learn how to manage and keep your personnel.

5. Local regulations - As with other kinds of business, you must be knowledgeable about the regulations, particularly when it comes to licensing and permits in your city or state. Determine also the taxes that your state requires from businesses.

6. A separate business account - For your income tax filing convenience, you may want to consider opening an account that’s separate from your personal bank account. With a separate business account bearing your business name, you will be allowed to deduct your business costs from your income.

7. Location of your business - Take into consideration the size of your business as well as its safety and security. Consider also the future expansion of your business when looking for a suitable location.

Opening a handicraft business entails not only the skills needed for crafting handmade products, but also the ability to convert those skills into a profitable business.