Everything Old is New Again

I recently ran a poll on Facebook to find out what is the best name for my craft business that has actually been in existence for nearly 5 years:  It looks like CHESAPEAKE BAY CROCHET is the winner.

Initially, I chose wisely.  I considered other ideas like, Chain Stitch, Hot Pink Crochet, Karen Crochets and on and on.  But Chesapeake Bay Crochet is the hands down winner.

I'll go with a winner every time.

So, I make hand made crochet items and I sell them.  HAND MADE.  No made by a machine or by a robot.  Hand made by ME.

I am working on updating my blog and my image for a better online presence.  I know how to do this!  I have a quality product at fair prices.  So, diving right in, again...

Mandala Crocheted by Kay Crochet

The New Chapter

Many people get panicked when they find themselves unemployed, but not me.  I recently quit a job that paid me really well so I could concentrate on my online business.  I really want to make a go of this opportunity.  I have laid the preliminary ground work to this adventure and now, I have to move full steam ahead.

Am I scared?  Yes.  Am I uncertain about the future?  Yes.  Am I willing to plow ahead?  Yes.

I could have been the author of the book in the picture because I feel happier and calmer now than I have in a long time--the result of ditching the job that demanded too much of my time, energy and resources.

This new chapter is just beginning, but I will keep you posted with my thoughts and feelings and ideas.  I will try to chronicle what works and what doesn't when starting an online store.  

New Year, New Post

It has been a crazy few months with moving into my new home and trying to get it set up properly.  Then, there was my yearly let's-see-if-I-can-totally-avoid-the holidays mind set and a 3 week long visit from my parents.

Realization set in that I have neglected my blog for quite some time.  I have neglected my online business.  I have neglected my Avon Business.  

The New Year is here and I have set a few goals for myself.

So, here is my 2014 Checklist:

1. Make items to sell on Etsy and/or ebay
2. Solidify the Steampunk Barbie ideas
3. Update biz plan
4. Market, Market, Market the ideas
5. Complete Website www.chesapeakecrochet.com

Karen Pope is Madam Crocheterie, the Hooker By Night.  She CROCHETS in her spare moments, makes time for CROCHET,  and sells her creations on Etsy.  Follow her on Twitter, and Facebook.  Find her on Google+
She writes about CROCHET and creating a CROCHET Business

New ByLine

I am creating a Google Authorship ByLine to sign all my posts.

Read about creating an online persona with Google+ and start linking all your posts to Google.

My New Byline:

Karen Pope is Madam Crocheterie, the Hooker By Night.  She CROCHETS in her spare moments, makes time for CROCHET,  and sells her creations on Etsy.  Follow her on Twitter, and Facebook.  Find her on Google+
She writes about CROCHET and creating a CROCHET Business

So, I intend to add this byline to the bottom of every Blogger post.

Happy Crocheting!

Karen Pope is Madam Crocheterie, the Hooker By Night.  She CROCHETS in her spare moments, makes time for CROCHET,  and sells her creations on Etsy.  Follow her on Twitter, and Facebook.  Find her on Google+
She writes about CROCHET and creating a CROCHET Business

Progress

The work on my new venture progresses.

Today, I found a great tool that will help with tracking the progress of my online sales.

It is a spreadsheet that can filled out on a monthly basis.  The link can be found HERE

The blog owner said this about her spreadsheet:

I created an excel spreadsheet earlier this year and I fill it out at the end of each month. Why? Because I was feeling discouraged. I felt my business wasn’t growing fast enough, that I wasn’t making enough progress. 

Do you know what I found out? My blog readership doubles about every 5 months. My Esty income doubles every month and my and my social media accounts grow slow but sure. I call it my growth report card and I’m always pleased to see the numbers grow each time I fill it out. It’s slow growth but it’s there, and the spreadsheet doesn’t lie. I’ll include a copy for you. It’s an excel spreadsheet so feel free to change it around and include other areas in which you want to measure your business growth.

I have included the link to her spreadsheet above.

At this stage of opening your new business, have you:

• Decided what to sell?
• Decided where to sell?
• Counted the cost of setting up your business?
• Thought about a website and/or actually purchased a domain?
• Set up an Etsy store?
• Ordered business cards?
• Started your business plan?
• Started your marketing plan?

Now may be a good time to review your progress.

Yarn Head

I think about yarn all the time. Does it show?

Today, I had to go to LabCorp, which always screws up the rest of my day.  The vampire there sucked 4 tubes of blood from me, I was fasting, and then started feeling woozy from blood loss.

Needless to say, my morning started off badly and the day hasn't improved, except, during lunch while I was surfing, I found a very cute image.

Day 1: Starting my Craft Business

The key to starting any business is doing research.  This applies to a craft business.

I have begun to make a series of lists.  A list of things I need to list, if you will. 

• What do I want to sell?
• Who will buy the products?
• Do I want to specialize?
• How much does each item cost?
• How much is shipping?
• How much time to I have to spend on this project?
• What inventory do I have on hand?
• What do I need to buy?
• Where will I sell the items?
• How will I promote myself?
• What are my goals?

I am a consummate list maker, so this part is easy for me. Gathering all of this information is necessary for  creating a business plan.  Every successful business owner has created a business plan at some point.

Today, I simply have a ton of information rolling around in my brain and very little on paper.  What I do have is this:

What do I want to sell?  Hand-made crocheted items and original patterns, mostly with a vintage or Victorian look.  The reason for this is because I love lace and lacy items.  I love crochet thread items.  I love trims on pillow cases, napkins, curtains, doilies, doll dresses, lacy cuffs, lacy collars, lacy gloves... well, you get the idea.

The first piece of advice I can give anyone who wants to follow in my slow and plodding footsteps is to KEEP VERY CAREFUL RECORDS OF EVERYTHING.  This information will be important to your business plan and also to the IRS at tax time. 

Also, subscribe to any newsletters that pertain to your craft.  For instance, I have just recently subscribed to Creative Income from FaveCrafts.com .  Not only should you subscribe to the newsletters, make sure you read them as they may contain something that will give you that jolt of encouragement you need right at that moment.