Home Crafting Business

If you like to make special baskets, or create birthday cards, home crafting could be the business for you! A home crafting business takes special talent and friends to get you started. Things to keep in mind when you are ready to start your business:

1. Who are your customers?

Customers can be anyone that is interested in your product. It is best if you start with the people you are closest to, such as your family, your friends, and your business contacts. These people will be the most open to your sales pitch and to spreading the word about your new products.

2. Pricing your craft fairly.

It is best to first look at the amount of money it takes to create your home craft. Let's say you want to make a pet rock business. Obviously, the rock is free, however, the accessories to attach to the rock will cost some money. Also, your time is worth money as well.

Let's build our own pet rock business to figure out pricing and profit:

Rocks = $0

Materials
Eyes = $.05
Clothing = $.30
Accessories = $.25

Time
Cleaning = 5 min
Assembly = 30 min
35 min@$6.50/hr = $3.79

Shipping
Postage = $1.00
Pack mat. = $.05
Ship box = $.00

Total Cost = $5.44

You figure that it is about $5.44 to make one rock look good enough to sell. You know that this price is fairly high for a rock. Therefore, you want to find competitors with a product that is similar to see what people might pay for your rock. You travel out to Ebay and find pet rocks average between $3.00 - $5.00 for a nice one. Your rocks are better than the listed rocks, so you figure you can make your sales at $5.44. That is enough money to cover your time at minimum wage.

The big money comes when you can "assembly line" the rocks and cut down your time.

3. Where to buy materials.

Materials cost can determine whether making a craft could be lucrative or not. There are many places to buy crafting supplies and materials. Open your snail mail coupons, watch your local newspapers and watch for sales at every opportunity. Staying with one store may be convenient, but may not provide you with the best pricing.

American Pride in Home Crafting

The Woman's Garden received the honor of interviewing a woman who does home crafting as her "WAHM" job. The honor comes in two forms, one is that she has found a home business that she truly enjoys, and the other is the American pride she puts into each and every one of her products.

Jackie Thompson is a mother of two boys and a grandmother of many little ones. She lives in Killeen, Texas with her husband of 28 years and her two Boston Terriers. Jackie is a crafter by nature and started her small business making cloth dolls. Since then, her business moved into a different direction when one day came that a customer asked her if she could make a purse out of a military uniform.

"My very first customer absolutely loves her purse. She loves it so much that she wanted to order another one," says Jackie. "The day she received it, it was stolen right out from under her. She was heart broken." This customer was more concerned for her handmade purse than she was for the contents. Luckily, Jackie was able to make her a new one.

We asked Jackie to tell us a little about her home business, such as the amount of time it takes her to make a handbag. She replied, "It depends on what I am making. I can make several clutch purses in a day. My bigger purses take longer. For example I had a lady order a diaper bag and a matching changing pad and that took me about three days to complete."

Of course, having such a grand idea takes inspiration! Jackie found it in her mother, her husband and her customers. "My husband is my inspiration. He is retired Air Force. I made a purse for myself that represented him being in Vietnam and serving his country." Jackie also served in the military herself. "The best decision I ever made was when I joined the Air Force. It was a life changing experience for me. I also met my husband while I was in the Air Force."

Jackie may not have a lot of spare time due to her home business, but she and her husband do find time together whenever they can. Her terriers are a big part of Jackie's fan club as well. "My dogs are constantly under foot. They go everywhere I go. When I am sewing, cutting out material, ironing they are right there with me. They are stuck like glue."

This home business has been in operation only since January of this year, and yet, Jackie has already served 35 customers. Her goal is to make at least 10 purses per month. She really wants her business to keep going.

Her customers are found by word of mouth. "That has been the best advertising for me. I also network online. I talk to anyone and everyone who will listen to me. Most of the time they want to see pictures of what I do. That is usually all it takes for someone to order from me."

The Woman's Garden believes that this is the ultimate gift for military families. We wanted to know how long Jackie would be doing this home business. Jackie replied, "Let's put it this way, I wish I had started this sooner. I see myself making these purses till I can't see to sew anymore." To find Jackie Thompson, please visit her crafting web site at Jackie's Kreations.