Posted by
Tamara Wilson in
Business on
February 28, 2009 |
7 responses Thank you for coming back to visit, Have you signed up for my newsletter to receive business and blogging tips? the sign up box is on the right.
For those who craft for a living (or to make some extra money), craft shows can be very profitable. They put your creations in front of a targeted audience, and they give you the opportunity to interact with potential customers and answer their questions. It’s important to take plenty of products with you, because at a good show they will go faster than you think!
Another great thing about craft shows is that they are great places to get custom orders. They allow customers to take a close look at your work, and if they are impressed but want something different, they might ask you do make something special for them. It’s important to be prepared for this.
Custom orders are wonderful, but if you’re not careful, you might end up overbooking yourself. It is crucial to know how many projects you can realistically do, and how long it will take you to do them. If you take on too much, you could fall behind quickly. Here are some tips to help prevent this:
- Determine how long it takes you to do a simple project. If you truly have no idea, start timing yourself. You’ll need to know this in order to accurately estimate how many projects you can do in a given time frame.
- Take into account any extra work that will be required for a custom order. If a customer requests something that will require a great deal of extra effort or materials, we will usually consider that when quoting a price. But we need to make it a point not to forget to consider it when setting a time frame for the project, too.
- Set limits regarding what you will and will not do on custom orders. Some requests might require expertise that you do not possess, and others might take up more time than you’re willing to spend on a project. Sometimes it pays to say no.
- Give yourself a little extra time for each project. You never know when there might be a delay in getting the materials you need, or when something else might come up and put you behind. It’s better to give yourself a little too much time than not enough.
- Remember that you have a life outside of crafting. When the orders are coming in, it can be tempting to book ourselves solid and not leave any time to do other things. But if we let ourselves get burned out, our work will suffer. Make sure you leave yourself room to take a day off every now and then.
For some crafters, custom orders make up a large portion of their business. But it’s important not to let them take over your life. You need to make sure you have adequate time to do your non-custom work. Doing custom work can be a feat of scheduling, but if you schedule properly, you won’t have to dread it.
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I am not a crafter by trade, but I love craft shows. I think you will do better going to craft shows then just selling online because when I go to shows and see just how cute things are I buy more then I was planning, a picture can help a lot but there is nothing better than seeing it first hand in really life.
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Thank you for tipes , that is great
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There is a local craft show every year that is pretty big. I don’t make anything myself but I do enjoy going to it and seeing all the neat trinkets. These are great tips for anyone going to shows as well. Thanks for sharing.
Interested to know more info regarding crafts. I love craft show.
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Wow, Tam!!!
What a nice post on a marvelous blog!
I enjoy reading all the stuff you post here… though I rarely say a word
Promise I will more often
regards
Guy
I believe having a home job is just to earn some groceries cash. They must always bear in mind that they have other stuffs to do to prevent them from accepting too many custom orders.
Why can’t more folks do what you’re doing with your blog?
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