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Has anyone ever told you, “You should sell the things you make.” Did it get you thinking about the possibility? If you love to craft or sew, selling handmade items is actually a fun business opportunity. You can make money doing something you love!
Starting a handmade business is not as difficult as you think. What is holding you back?
Are you afraid of the startup costs?
It’s true that you’ll incur some startup costs — supplies, education, website setup, advertising, etc. However, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. Your biggest startup expense is probably supplies. You might even already have some on hand to get you started.
If you want to start a website for your handmade business, you can do it for under $100. You’ll need a domain name, site hosting, and a website builder. I use Bluehost and it works well for my purposes. Typical hosting is $3.95 per month, but they do have a service where they will setup an entire ecommerce website for you for $6.95 per month. You can get started on Etsy, but eventually you’ll want your own website.
Read: Should You Have Your Own Website for Your Handmade Business?
Are you afraid it will take too long to learn?
You don’t need to know everything about running a handmade business before you get started. There is always something new to learn and you might change paths several times along the way. However, investing in some education upfront is super beneficial. It can help you avoid some of the common mistakes.
If you want to learn more about starting a handmade business, Megan Auman has a course on CreativeLive that can help. It is called, How to Make a Living Selling the Things You Make. You can also visit SewingSociety’s Handmade Business page for lots more information on how to get started.
Read: How to Choose a Name for Your Handmade Business
Are you afraid of customer reviews?
Sometimes the internet is not a kind place. I’m sure you’ve read plenty of customer reviews that make you think twice about buying a product. When customers get angry, they can be brutal with their comments and reviews. If you start a handmade business, a bad review is something you’ll probably encounter at some point.
Your mindset is important when it comes to reviews. Getting a bad review really hurts! Yes, you should do all you can to make your customer happy, but sometimes bad reviews come through no fault of your own. For instance, slow shipping times make customers irritated. Honest mistakes on your part can also lead to bad reviews.
Don’t fret too much about customer reviews, though. As long as you have an overwhelmingly larger amount of positive reviews, your handmade shop will not suffer. Do what you can to earn good reviews and brush off the bad reviews that will inevitably come.
I published a sewing machine troubleshooting book on Amazon in 2019. It was something I was proud to have accomplished. I was crushed when I got my first bad review. Someone wrote that it was, “Very Basic!” and gave me a 1-star review. It took me a while to get over it. It helps to see positive reviews come in, too. Learning to deal with reviews is just something you have to do if you want to sell handmade products, or anything else, on the internet. Don’t be afraid. You can do it!
Are you afraid you don’t have the time?
I get it. Life is busy. You probably have a full-time job, take care of kids, and do all sorts of other things. You don’t have to put your life on hold to start a handmade business, though. You can make things to sell in your free time. It won’t feel like work if you set boundaries to ensure you don’t get overwhelmed.
If you truly want to start a handmade business, carve out some time to work on it! Maybe you’ll be able to quit your job someday and run your handmade business full time. Lots of people have achieved that kind of success. It is possible with good products and lots of hard work.
What else is holding you back from starting a handmade business? Let’s talk about your concerns in the comments below.
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