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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

Back On the Band Wagon

The move to my new house is finished.  Of course, there are the usual things left to do, such as buying that new sofa, an entryway table, a comfortable chair for the family room.

But, for the moment, I have to wrap my head around this crochet business, again.

How to keep your business plan lean and efficient

So, to get me started, I have a series of questions to ask myself.

How much do I want to earn this month:  $50
How much do I want to earn every month (Or my goal):  $500
How will that be done?:  That is the question that must be answered.  Creating this blog, of course.  

• Listing items for sale on eBay, 
• Etsy, 
• Facebook page, 
• Driving more traffic to my blog and website, 
• Setting up the website.

How to drive traffic to my blog, THIS BLOG, is the next big question.  I am one blog in a sea of bloggers.

A part of this business, any business, is the BUSINESS PLAN.  I have started my plan, but put it on hold because of the job move and the dwelling move.  To review my plan, go to Make a Business Plan, Still in the Planning Stages, Marketing Plan: Step Two, I Have a Home, and Progress. I will be doing that over the next two or three days, just as a personal refresher.

Happy Crocheting!

Karen

Three Weeks?

I can't believe it has been about 3 weeks since my last post.  Things are progressing, albeit slowly.  I have a new house to move into... that will happen this weekend.  AND it has a craft room all for ME!

We have moved to the new location where I work and I am getting settled in, there.

I have been working on my Barbie dress in my spare moments.  I will post some more pictures of her very pretty dress very soon.

For now, the business plan is sort of stagnant and so is my marketing plan.  These will resume when I am settled in my new house and actually have time to think about it. I have taken my own advice and I am not trying to do everything at once.  I felt like I was spinning my wheels and they were totally out of control.

I daily remind myself to take a deep breath, slow down, then reflect.  Crochet is still my favorite relaxation routine.

Happy Crocheting!

Karen

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.

Still in the Planning Stages

Update:

Yesterday, I began working on my business plan. It is not nearly finished; just an outline at the moment.  But, creating the outline forced me to think about which direction I am going with my business.

There is still a lot to do to get the business up and running.  I wish I could say this happens quickly, but it doesn't.  That doesn't mean that I am not posting items to sell already because I am.  My Etsy store is open and ready.  

This morning, I up-dated the "about" page and created store "Sections" to make it easier to find items in my store.  

A little research yesterday revealed what is selling on Etsy and accessories for the discerning young woman seems to be the current hot items.  Also, the most successful Etsy sellers have hundreds of items for sale.  These shops weren't created in a day, so I am now learning the art of patience.  I will continually add and update my shop.

Yesterday, I created a business card, using VistaPrint.  I wanted to upload a picture that I took myself of the Chesapeake Bay, so I had to purchase premium business cards, but they are still well worth the price.

$$$ Tip:  Make sure to track EVERY penny you spend on everything.--craft supplies, business cards, a car door decal, website expenses, tissue paper for wrapping the items for shipping.  You'll thank yourself at tax time. 

An easy way to keep track of expenditures relating to your business is to create a spreadsheet on the internet at a site such as Google. All of my files are on Google Drive so I can access them from my PC, my phone or my work computer during my lunch break.  I don't have to worry about sending a file to myself and wondering if the version I am looking at is the current version.

Write down expenditures as they happen.  Don't put it off or you may forget something.  I keep notes on my phone.  Carry a notebook with you if you don't have a Smart Phone.   The most important thing is to not delay.

$$$ Tip.  Get into the habit of keeping all your receipts, even if it is not related to your business

By keeping every receipt, you can double-check to make certain you have recorded every business expense.

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.