Your reading assignment: Craft, Inc.
I'm launching a new line in a few days, so it's pretty crazy around here! All the non-crafty details are driving me nuts: pricing, minimums, lead time, wholesale discounts, and other boring stuff. And because I vowed to go completely DIY, I'm also in-charge of all the non-crafty-but-still-artsy little things like designing the logo, taking photos of the pieces, etcetera, etcetera.
Now, why do I still need a start-up guide when I've been selling my work for almost 7 years now? Believe me, if I had this guide back when I started selling, I'd be rich by now. Haha, not really. But there are so many things I failed to consider when I was starting out, that it's best to take a refresher course.
And Craft, Inc: Turn Your Creative Hobby Into A Business written by Meg Mateo-Ilasco is just what I need. It's God's gift to us crafters attempting to be entrepreneurs. The key word is attempting. Lol. If you're like me, whose right brain is far more assertive than her left, then you probably have trouble keeping the business side of things in check. This is where the book comes in.
It's chock-full of really useful information that actually talks to your right brain - not the usual jargon-y stuff you find in most business books (and believe me, I'm a bookworm/hoarder and I've read my share of business books).
Take for instance the chapter on pricing your work. The most common question I often get in my workshops is: how do you price your work so that you are not over-charging customers yet not under-pricing your time and effort? Over the years, I have come up with my own formula, and I cannot stress enough how important it is that you not sell yourself short. This book explains the factors you need to consider, and goes a step further by providing sample computations.
Must-reads are the chapters on how to grow your brand, and the marketing and publicity strategies that go with it. There's also a chapter on how to deal with being knocked-off. Winkwink!
My favorite parts are the short interviews and profiles peppered all over - it gives you a sneak peek into the world of big-shots like Jonathan Adler and Lotta Anderson, and inspires you to conquer the world. Hehe.
Do yourself a favor. Read the book.
On March 1, visit this blog again to find out what I've been working on. It's not much yet, but I hope it will turn out okay.
Good thing I bought this really handy book a few months ago. I've been dying to write about it for weeks now, but I just didn't know how to start. Well, looks like I found the perfect time to blog about it.
It's chock-full of really useful information that actually talks to your right brain - not the usual jargon-y stuff you find in most business books (and believe me, I'm a bookworm/hoarder and I've read my share of business books).
Take for instance the chapter on pricing your work. The most common question I often get in my workshops is: how do you price your work so that you are not over-charging customers yet not under-pricing your time and effort? Over the years, I have come up with my own formula, and I cannot stress enough how important it is that you not sell yourself short. This book explains the factors you need to consider, and goes a step further by providing sample computations.
Must-reads are the chapters on how to grow your brand, and the marketing and publicity strategies that go with it. There's also a chapter on how to deal with being knocked-off. Winkwink!
My favorite parts are the short interviews and profiles peppered all over - it gives you a sneak peek into the world of big-shots like Jonathan Adler and Lotta Anderson, and inspires you to conquer the world. Hehe.
Do yourself a favor. Read the book.
Comments
Thanks for sharing this Angeli... As always, the pretty nice and kind hearted clay angel for clay beginners like me :)