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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.

I have a home

The next part of my  marketing plan has been accomplished:  I bought a domain.  I now reside at www.ChesapeakeBayCrochet.com. Right now, the only thing there is a notification that the website is under construction.

$$$ TIP:  Be sure to include the cost of the domain and the hosting in your expenses.  If you purchase any software, such as a shopping cart application, be sure to include that cost, too.

I also ordered business cards and business card labels from Vistaprint that look remarkably like the picture on the right.  The image is a photo I took of Chesapeake Bay with the Chesapeake Baby Bridge Tunnel in the distance.  This is at the eastern-most edge of the bay and I took the photo from a point on the Eastern Shore.

The labels look just like the business card.  

The key to a successful start-up, is to do something to further your business every day.  Make sure you take a step forward every day.  In addition to designing and ordering business and buying the domain, I crocheted a bath set for my "Spa Collection."  It consists of a bath puff, a wash cloth and two face scrubbies.  I intend to package them in a white box that is about 6"x6"x6" and tied up with blue twine.  All I need to get is some tissue paper to wrap the items in and some pretty little hostess soaps, maybe in the shape of a sea shell... or I may even go shell collecting so I can place a few sea shells in the box. 

The idea is to make it cute and sell-able!

Marketing Plan: Step Two

I figured out WHO to sell to, so now I need to figure out WHERE to sell my craft items.

An internet search points strongly to Etsy as the ideal place to sell hand-made crafts.  Also, eBay, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.  Artsy Shark has an article titled, 125+  Places Artists can Sell Online. Not every site will apply to your craft, so look them over to decide which ones will work the best for you.

Most definitely, the best place to sell items online is through your own website. You won't have to pay a middle man for the space you use, although the site will cost money to set up and maintain.  It is always best to buy a website that matches the name of your company because that is where most people will search for you.

 If you choose a free hosting site, you will be plastered with tons of advertising that the host chooses and makes your site look less than professional.  Running a business through freewebs.com or yahoo.com makes you look unprofessional and in turn, may discourage others from buying from you.

Many people are afraid of credit card theft online, so offering the option to pay with Paypal on your site is best.

$$$ Tip:  Remember to track all of your website expenses from hosting, registering the domain name, SEO charges, advertising, cost of building the website, pay-per-click campaigns and any other costs associated with your website.  You can deduct these expenses on your taxes. 

If you are getting a sense that an online business is not going to happen overnight, you are correct. It will only happen with a lot of work and planning.  To be successful, you will have to plan, organize, offer great products, a great product presentation, great customer service, and fast and friendly service.

Marketing Plan: Step One

In working on a business, one of the most important aspects is the marketing plan.  Figuring out your marketing strategy may take a few days or even weeks.

It is easy to ask, "Why do I need a marketing plan?"  The truth is, most consumers are lazy.  They depend on the entrepreneur to tell them what they want to buy and why.

Your marketing plan will include several sections.

The most important FIRST section is to find out who is buying your products.  Even if your product or service has world-wide appeal, you will need to focus on the segment of the population where the majority of what you offer will be sold.

In my case, selling at craft shows will probably not be an ideal market for me because the people going to those expect a bargain.  The market I am searching for is one that appreciates hand-made items and understanding the time it takes to make something.

Craft items are purchased primarily by women--whether it be an items for the home, baby and children's items, or accessories and clothing for themselves.

The next step is to decide WHERE to sell the articles.

Make a Business Plan

Planning is easy for me.  I do it all the time.  I make lists.  I make lists to tell me where my lists are located.  I plan.  I organize.  

The plan I am talking about, today, is a Business Plan for your Craft Business.

Even if all you have is a small Etsy store, you have to plan how you are going to DO your business.  No small business is too small for a business plan. Even if you simply take the time to jot down a few ideas, it will help you to stay focused on your business.  


I found this list here, and I don't believe I can make a better one. 

• Define your business goals and objectives
• Will help you to identify your target audience
• Enable you to identify the best business model for your business
• Assist with cash flow forecasting
• Enables you to better understand the business sector of your business
• Identify the skills needed to manage and operate your business
• Identify the technology needed to manage and grow your business
• Gain valuable information about your competitors
• Develop your marketing plan
• Identify and develop your branding strategy

At this stage of the game, you don't need a full blown formal business plan--the kind that is required if you are approaching investors or looking for a bank loan.  What you do need is a list of ideas.  Be honest about what you can actually accomplish by yourself in your one-woman enterprise, but don't sell yourself short, either.  

Remember, a business plan can always be adjusted as circumstances change.  Any plan you make is not chiseled in stone and is as close as a delete button.  Be flexible.

If you start out making expensive Barbie Dresses, don't forget your objective is to make money, so include a few "bread and butter" items that can be produced quickly and sold quickly.  You can change from making Victorian pot holders to socks at any time. 

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.