Savvy Crafting » Smart Methods to Keeping Overhead Low in your Hand Made Crafting Business

Smart Methods to Keeping Overhead Low in your Hand Made Crafting Business | Savvy Crafting

Feb 12 2007

Smart Methods to Keeping Overhead Low in your Hand Made Crafting Business

Published by Jennifer at 11:28 am under Craft Business

Crafting can get expensive. The materials alone can break you if you do not know where to purchase them, or what materials to use. You can find creative ways to keep your costs down while starting your hand made crafting business. Please read the following tips which will help you run and inexpensive creative venture:

Use materials that otherwise would be thrown away:

Some people have thoroughly washed and sanitized old empty tin cans, plastic milk cartons, glass bottles, and other items that normally would be thrown away and use them for crafts. If you are going to use discard items, however, you may want to check out safety regulations regarding these if you plan to use these items to mass-produce large quantities of crafted items. Another option is to find access to discarded yet clean and used containers used for packaging. If you can find a way to gain access to these materials you can cut your costs by being creative with these. They have often become plant holders, gift baskets, and even candle molds, among other things. Use your imagination when thinking of creating new crafts.

Purchase materials and tools from thrift shops, discount stores, or wholesale outlets:

Sometimes you can find used baskets, tins, bottles, glasses, and other containers that are just right for crafting. These are often found at thrift stores, discount stores, or at places who sell craft supplies in bulk. Purchasing crafts at these places is much cheaper than purchasing crafts materials from specialty craft stores. This same principal applies to craft tools and machines such as paper cutters, crafting scissors, candle molds, Exacto blade knives, rulers, and even workspace furniture. Anything you need you can possibly find for less at the previously mentioned places. Sometimes you can find inexpensive ceramic items and fake flowers at dollar stores as well to use. Shop around and you will find what you are looking for.

Set up creative low-cost marketing programs:

You may not be able to afford to advertise on television, or radio. However, you can advertise with fliers, word-of-mouth (more on this later), and by way of direct marketing either through e-mail, by phone, or by postal mail. You can also find inexpensive ways to promote your craft business by advertising on the Internet. You can find both free and inexpensive places to post directory ads which searchers will find. Not only that but you can set up ads that you would place which would link to your site that you are only charged for when people actually click on that ad.

Set up an online store:

If you cannot afford to purchase a building and have a storefront, you can set up a virtual one online. It costs quite a bit less to display product by way of the Internet that it does in “real life.” You can store your merchandise right at your home and then ship it off to your customer upon order. This takes a littler longer, but customers often do not mind because they like the convenience of purchasing items off the Internet. In fact, this would be a great way to reach the elderly, since more and more senior citizens are learning how to use the Internet. Anybody who does not have a car or is unable to drive can access products through the Internet as well, with a little help from those in charge of them. This could cut down on the shopping time that caretakers will have as well.

Work out of your home:

Another method of keeping cost low is to work out of your home. This can be quite risky if you are inviting customers into your home. However, with proper security, and people looking out for you, this method of business operation can work for you. Either that, or you can do part of your marketing on line, and you can just produce at home, and still keep your home private.

Take advantage of word-of-mouth advertising:

If you offer top quality customer services and product to your customers they will want to buy from you again and again. Not only that, but they will want to tell more and more people about your services as well. In fact, you can even offer your customers incentives if they refer people to you that buy from you. One of the most common incentives would be a discount on a product that you sell, or cash back. This is one of the most powerful forms of marketing for small businesses-especially for craft businesses of any kind.

Find low-cost alternatives for materials used:

Sometimes you can cheaper ways to create the same result. For example, if you are involved in the craft of creative gift-wrapping, you can purchase large quantities of white freeze paper, which has the same glossy feel to it as white wrapping paper. You can work this type of paper in the same way you would for ordinary plain white wrapping paper. Furthermore, you save over a dollar on every single roll that you buy, and you end up with quite a bit more yards of paper. Another example is that you can purchase packs of children’s glitter, which is of similar quality as the high-priced glitter sold in specialty craft shops. Not only that, but you can find items such as fake flowers at dollar stores, along with the foams and bases that you use to form lifelike flower arrangements.

Invent crafts that can be made from inexpensive items:

If you want to create new crafts, you can use ordinary items such as tin foil, colored plastic wraps, holiday cake cups, shredded paper brown paper bags, stickers (although you have to check the copyright rules on using them for mass marketing), stamps, cardstock paper, wood glue, glue sticks, and any other item that is easily versatile. You can make thousands and thousands of different projects using these items. For ideas how to make crafts from ordinary household items you may want to consult craft books.

You can find countless other ways to keep costs low as well. If you are looking for ways to plan, start, and market your craft products you can also consult business professionals who can assist you. They can help you with money management, bookkeeping, taxes, and other aspects of business as well. Soon you will have quite the high quality crafting business. It will take hard work and patience on your part, but you can do it.