Start Your Own Craft Business

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    If you think you might want to start your own craft business, there are plenty of reasons why this can be a great opportunity. You'll get to feed your creative impulses, have freedom to structure your own day to day activities, and build a business that’s uniquely your own. Here are several ways you could benefit when you start your own craft business:

Flexibility
Unless you commit to opening a retail store that requires fixed work hours to sell your crafts, you'll have enormous flexibility in your work hours when you start your own craft business. If you're not working at another, more traditional job, while you're launching your craft business, you'll be available during the day for family. A home craft business can be a good solution if you want to spend more time with your family but want to make an income and stay active in the business world.

Money
As an employee, you're limited by the wage your employer is willing to pay and the going rate for your particular field of work. As a business owner, you are only limited by the brains and motivation that you put into building your business. If you start your own craft business, the more effort and smart planning you put into your business, the more you benefit directly from your own work.

Responsibility
It's your business – you're it. There's no boss hanging over your shoulder, causing you stress or undermining your bright ideas. If you think a project is a great idea, you get to make it happen. You get to build something from the ground up that is your own and a reflection of your values. Any business success is always your success.

Making Money with Art
If you love art and creativity, then making money with art can be a very rewarding benefit when you start your own craft business. When you get to do what you love, it doesn't feel like work.

Work to Your Strengths
You get to structure your own working conditions. If you are more focused in the afternoon and evening, you can chose to work at those times. As long as you're meeting your customers' needs, you can work in whatever way works best for you.

No Commute!
As someone who used to waste 10 hours and $70.00 per week on gas commuting to work, I still love the feeling of rolling out of bed and "commuting" about 25 feet to my home office and studio. $70.00 per week in gas is a $3500.00 per year after tax expense just to get to work. 10 hours per week traveling to work is 500 hours - almost 21 days - per year that I now get to spend with my family instead of sitting in traffic.

Part Time Flexibility
You can start your own craft business on a part time basis. Unlike some other types of businesses, you don't have to jump into it full time immediately. If you're not prepared to or not interested in giving up your regular job, or if you have other responsibilities that require a lot of your time, you can grow a craft business in a way that meets your other personal, financial and career needs and goals.

Personal Satisfaction
It can be immensely satisfying to build a business that is completely your own.

Relatively Low Costs
Compared with a business that requires a formal retail or office space outside of your home, the amount of money required to operate and start your own craft business can be relatively low. You'll need to be strategic about where you spend your money and the nature of your product if you need to operate on a shoestring, but it is possible with a craft business start up.

Limited Child Care Expenses
If you don't also have a traditional job, it's often possible to limit your child care expenses when you run a home craft business. Although I still have child care needs, I was able to take my son out of formal daycare when I started to work from home. That decision saved us about $6500.00 per year in child care expenses, and in some locations child care is much more expensive than that.

Tax Benefits
I've said it before, I'm not an accountant, but depending on your local tax laws, you'll likely find plenty of expenses you can write off if you start working from home.

Fewer Expenses
In some ways, there are fewer expenses associated with working from home (compared with working out of the home). There are some big, obvious expenses that may be eliminated if you start your own craft business, such as travel expenses if you currently commute, and child care if you have kids. Those expenses alone totaled about $10,000.00 for my family. Then there are the little expenses that add up, like all of the office gifts that you're expected to contribute to, a work wardrobe if that's expected in your line of work and eating out costs when you’re too tired from your work day to make lunch or dinner.

Since working from home eliminated my "going to work" expenses by over $10,000.00, I can make $10,000.00 less per year in net profit and not feel any effect in my standard of living. These kinds of savings can help out in the early lean years of your business when you're just starting out.

Working from home has been a great opportunity and decision for me and my family. There are many fantastic potential benefits inherent in running a home craft business, and it can be a great career option for a creative and self motivated person. Working from home is not without its challenges though. If you think you'd like to start your own craft business, I would suggest that you learn everything you can about the business first so you can think through the benefits, and the challenges of a home craft business start up. That way you'll make a well informed choice that is a good fit for your needs and expectations.

 
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