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In this month's issue of Inspiri Art and Craft Business Newsletter:

New at Inspiri Art and Craft

I'm being very careful about the products and services I'll recommend here. That means it'll take time to develop a full range of resources to cover all of your craft business needs. Right now, (since it's been the theme of the month here at Inspiri) you'll find plenty of resources for building an online craft business.

Please be patient with me, and over time this section will cover a thorough list of resources covering a broad range of craft business needs.

Feature Article

Are You Ready to be an Entrepreneur?
Be Honest About Your Skills.

Building a home craft business, or any business for that matter, requires a broad range of skills and knowledge. Some of those skills and knowledge will be well within your comfort zone, others probably will not. Assuming you have the skills to create a marketable craft product, here are a few other skill requirements that come with the territory of running a home craft business:

Sales:

• Negotiating with suppliers, customers, retailers and promoters
  
• Providing outstanding customer service, following up with customers' questions and addressing any concerns they may have
  
• Tracking competitors, understanding your competition, their unique place in the market and how you can profitably compete with them

Marketing:

• Planning, developing and assessing the effectiveness of advertising and promotion strategies
  
• Copy writing
  
• Creating packaging and marketing materials

Financial and Accounting:

• Creating cash flow projections and profit and loss statements
  
• Bookkeeping, budgeting and billing
  
• Tax preparation
  
• Assessing the cost effectiveness of suppliers, sales strategies and service providers

That list is by no means all inclusive. But before you run away in fear after thinking about all of the tasks involved in running a craft business, keep in mind that you do not have to be good at all of these things. I certainly am not.

It is important to be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Go ahead and take on the tasks that you can competently manage on your own. However, it will be important to be honest with yourself when you need some support.

That doesn't mean you'll need to spend a lot of money hiring some consultant every time you need help (although I wouldn't recommend skimping on certain professional services such as legal or accounting assistance when you need them). Try to do some creative bartering with friends, other professional craft artists or other small business owners to keep costs manageable.

Being honest with yourself about your strengths and creative about finding support for the more challenging aspects of running your craft business will save you a lot of time, mistakes and frustration and allow you to focus on the areas in which you really shine.

Online Craft Business Resource

“Logic will get you from A to B.
Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Albert Einstein

Thanks for reading the Inspiri Art and Craft Business Newsletter.