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Your craft -

Firstly, choose your craft. It should be something you know and enjoy, perhaps a hobby or something you did when you were younger. The most important thing is that you love it.

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Long term -

In the beginning, it's okay to make everything by hand. But when you start having more orders, make sure your product is reproducible on a larger scale.

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Market research -

Go online and find all the information you can about your product. The different types, where they are sold, what is most popular, and so on. This way you can either identify a gap in the market or even just discover whether there is a market for your craft in the first place.

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Record -

Get a notebook and jot down all the different materials, sizes, and colors that you could make your product in. This will give you a good reference point later on as to what is in demand.

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Do they want it? -

Ask yourself the hard question: do people really want this? A good way to answer this is by asking on a public forum, or even just asking those nearest to you (provided they will be honest).

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Online shop -

The easiest way to make your business is to find a ready-made online platform that does a lot of the stuff for you. Make a seller's account. It will be blank at first, but we'll show you how to make the shop welcoming and attractive.

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Name and logo -

One of the first things customers will see is the name and logo of your craft brand. There are online generators for names and logos, but it's best to try and make them yourself. Create a few options and post them on a craft group as a questionnaire, and let your future customers vote on which ones they like best.

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Photography -

Photos are the most important part of having online success. Many customers buy solely depending on how nice the photos of your products are.

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Natural light -

How can you take good photos? Firstly, make sure you take all of the photographs in a room filled with natural light.

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Background -

Secondly, try and use the same background for all of your photographs. This way your storefront online will look neat and pretty.

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Focused -

It goes without saying that you need to use a high-quality camera in order to ensure that the photos are focused and up to the best standards.

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Be bold -

You can be experimental. Try out different angles and zoom in to show specific details of your work. As long as you have at least one photograph that shows the whole object, you can be creative with the rest.

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Props -

A great way to jazz up photographs is to add complementary props. For example, if you have a yellow hat, place a bowl of lemons in the vicinity. Or a bunch of mint for peppermint oil.

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Your story -

In your storefront, there is a place to write about yourself and your shop. Write a nice story about how you came to create your product, your influences, and how your craft enhances your life. Think like a salesperson!

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Money -

A strict rule in the craft trade is "do not compete on price." Really have a think about how much skill and time you have to put into creating your product. Just because it is your hobby does not mean you should underprice it.

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Price -

Remember that there will always be cheaper products out there. You will sell your product based on its quality and branding, not the price. Otherwise, you will never make a profit to reinvest and grow.

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About you -

People like to know about other people. Make it easy for your customers to get to know you. Not just your story, but also your personality and lifestyle. Or at least your online persona.

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Social media -

A key component to selling online is keeping an active social media presence. Make accounts on all of them and post at least once a week. In each bio, put the link to your online shop.

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Color scheme -

The most important online media for selling is Instagram. Create your account so that it is visually pleasing. You can do this by sticking to a color scheme and stylizing your pictures.

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Business appearance -

To be a professional crafter, you have to look like one. Not with your clothing, but with your domain. The end game is to have a store with your own domain name. If you don't do this at first, at least buy the domain and post the link to your online shop on it.

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In the loop -

You will build up a following if you keep updating your media. A great way to do this is by blogging. Document every step you take during this process and talk to your audience.

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Little details -

Little details are very important in the craft business. With every package, send a handwritten note to the seller and make the parcel look pretty. Customers always appreciate this.

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Mailing list -

Ask your customers to give you their email addresses so you can contact them directly with deals and shop updates. By having regular correspondence with them, they will become more loyal to your shop.

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Customer service -

When dealing with clients, remain friendly and polite but still professional. Always help when there is a problem, but recognize when a client is making a ridiculous request.

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Customer service -

No matter how annoying a customer is, never talk bad about them online. Instead, reply quickly to their requests.

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Persistence -

Building a successful craft business is not a sprint. You have to work on it every day to improve and grow. Be patient.

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Enjoyment -

It cannot be stressed enough that, if you have taken the decision to become a craft entrepreneur, you must love what you do. It will make the journey so much more enjoyable.

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Change -

While you may be an expert on your craft, no one is perfect. You have to be open to change both in your product and management style. Keep an open mind throughout.

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Improve -

Keep a journal from the beginning of the process and review it weekly. Highlight what you could do better in the coming week, and also underline what you did well.

Sources: (Create & Thrive)(U.S. Small Business Administration)

See also: Discover origami, the ancient art of paper folding

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