Saturday, October 15, 2011

Small Craft Business: What You Must Always Do -- an Incomplete List

Always Always Always:

  •  Have your business license ducks in a row. It's as easy as having one drawer in your desk dedicated to 'business legal stuff.' 
  • Use electronic calendars to alert you. Make the events bossy; tell yourself what to do, to avoid unnecessary worry and thinking.
  • Plan one season ahead. Two is better.
  • Set aside 25% of all money you make, for retail taxes, self-employment taxes, miscellaneous fees, and random things that come up. They always come up. 
  • Take some care with your craft show display. If you are not the Queen of Decor, enlist a friend who is to critique your display, and then LISTEN TO HER. 
  • Accept credit cards. You are shooting your finances in the foot if you don't. It is so easy to accept credit cards nowadays, you are foolish not to do it. Read this post for a review of the Square--it's an amazing, easy device. 
  • Focus your products and approach. You will increase your long-term sales this way, because it is part of your branding. It's better to be known as "the soap lady" than as "that crafter who sells jewelry bags, soap, and garden sculpture."
  • Take inventory on supplies quarterly. Keep a running list of needs and order from it at least quarterly, as well. 
  • Ask customers open-ended questions. Befriend them and know them. At the very least, try to remember their names.
Who could create a complete list? Seriously--it's a task that would take forever and fill several books. I have some research for one book already done. What do you think should be added to my Always Always list?

No comments:

Post a Comment