Handmade Success

Starting a crochet business is a popular option among fiber arts businesses.

Crochet is a fun activity with utility. Plus, it can bring in money if operated as a business.

If you intend to start a successful home-based business. Then, you can read further.

What You Need To Know Before Starting A Crochet Business

It may seem easy to crochet and put up your products on the internet. But it takes much more than that to run a successful crochet business.

So, before taking the plunge, you should be aware of the following.

1. Create Handmade Crochet Items

This goes with a mention that you must know how to crochet to sell crochet items.

The only way around not crocheting yourself is by outsourcing or employing. If you know someone who is a pro with the art of crochet. Then, you can associate with them for a crochet business startup. 

Do not think that to run a crochet business you need to be a pro with complicated designs. You can even create chunky blankets with simple finger crochet.

You can succeed even with beginner crochet skills as long as you know who will buy from you. That brings us to the topic of —–>

2. Set Your Crochet Target Market

As someone who runs a business, I know the importance of positioning. This one is the most difficult analogy for a newbie to understand.

As an analogy, you must not provide everything to everyone. Rather, provide a particular market segment with irresistible offers. 

My crochet business niche was handmade jewelry and accessories. So, I never drifted to amigurumi or afghans.  

Likewise, decide on crochet niche ideas for your crochet business.

In summary, do not provide every item to everyone. Rather make a decision on what will you provide to a specific clientele.

3. Identify Your Business With A Name

Starting a crochet business requires a business name. You must devote time and thought to the process. 

Naming your handmade business after your name is an obvious option. That way your business identifies with your personality.

Try to stick to a small name that is unique and easy to pronounce. Also, ensure that there is no controversy or ill-meaning with that name anywhere in the World.

Else, it would become cumbersome as your business grows. So, give a deep thought to choosing crochet business names ideas.

4. Track Down Wholesale Suppliers 

No crochet business would fulfill without supplies. Therefore, you need basic threads and crochet hooks for starting a crochet business.

For this business, the demand for yarn and threads is high. Thus, finding a wholesale vendor is an absolute necessity. 

Try to have at least 2 different vendors for an uninterrupted supply chain. Having a pool of vendors ensures that your customers and the business do not suffer. 

You can look for local suppliers. Or get a bulk deal from an online vendor.

5. Come Up With Appropriate Pricing

After dabbling in so many businesses, I know how important pricing is. Wrong pricing can affect your clientele. The worst is that it may even force you to shut down.

Pricing does get overwhelming due to capital and operational expenses. But it gets a little easier if you multiply all your tangible costs with a fixed multiple. I stick to 3 as a number. From there you can always go a digit lower/higher as per your business needs.

Else, involving each and every cost in a product will be challenging.

6. Package Your Crochet Products

A crochet shipment should never reach the customer in a deplorable state. That is why sturdy packaging is mandatory.

Try to look for packaging materials that protect your crochet artwork. If possible, include sustainable packaging elements to reduce waste.

You can partner with professional delivery services for shipments. That will bring in appreciation and loyalty from your customers. In turn, it would translate to more business and an increment in average order value.

7. Identify The Best Places To Sell Crochet Items

No business can survive without selling. Thus, to start a crochet business, you should know crochet items that sell.

Amigurumi and chunky blankets are some of the best-selling ones. But you should go with your selected niche category.  

Once you start selling crochet, you will know the most profitable crochet items. 

Then, you can build up your display as your audience desires.

Craft shows are one of the best options to sell in person. Alongside, you should target selling online as well.

If you are a newbie, you can start with Etsy. Then, move on to creating your own e-commerce platform.

8. Comply With Laws and Regulations 

It may not seem necessary to even think about laws while running a hobby business. But if you are starting a crochet business with a professional mindset. Then, you have to give a thought to the laws.

Considering the lawsuits filed on Etsy in recent times. You must ensure that your products comply with safety standards.

9. Keep Marketing Forever

This one is true for any and every business. 

Marketing puts the word around, which then facilitates sales.

You can go ahead and start making reels on Instagram. But do consider some relevant hashtags to grab opportunities of crochet business.

Though, blogging is the best long-term marketing plan for the crochet business startup.

10. Work With A Simple Crochet Business Plan

A business plan is mandatory for a successful crochet business. It will help you manage and organize the repetitive chores.

Some of them are:

• Project Planning
• Stock Inventory Tracking
• Counting Rows While crocheting
• Organizing Patterns
• Project Return On Investments (ROI) Tracker
• Craft Events Database
• New Product Development Inspiration

You can keep tracking the above activities on your own. You also have the option to use the one that I sell as a planner.

No matter how you plan to optimize these activities, it is important to complete them.

11. Keep Learning And Improving

Without learning, growth takes a back seat. Therefore, while starting a crochet business, try to do the following:

• Keep a tab on trending crochet items.
• Gather information on competitors’ best-selling crochet products.
• Learn the tips/hacks/tricks for new crochet stitches.
• Figure out ways to reduce packaging and shipping costs.
• Look for ways to reach and grow your customer base.

In Conclusion

There are several crochet business ideas that you can consider as a handmade startup.

Crochet skills come in handy to create apparel, accessories, and toys. 

But you should know how to market and sell to make profits after creation.

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Did you ever fumble while selling handmade products?

Did your competition make you question if you should sell at higher prices? Or is the decline in sales making you feel the other way around?

If questions like these perplex you. Then, you must read further.

How To Price Handmade Items

Before you decide how to price crochet blankets, you must know what is the cost of making one.

Thus, you need to know —–>

How Is Handmade Pricing Calculated 

First things first. There is no set formula to price handmade items.

As the market is super duper fragmented, there is no one way to price.

So, as many handmade artists, as many price points.

Thus, to come up with a selling price knowing costing is vital.

For a handmade business, the following could be the costs:

1. Raw Materials and Supplies

These are the basic ingredients to create a product. So, for a souvenir business, you would need magnets, glue, and several other craft supplies. 

Even the digital printables business requires a laptop and paper for testing prints.

2. Time Spent 

This cost is the most difficult one to calculate. That is because there is no fixed value to calculate the worth of time. Moreover, the value of time spent is different for every individual.

Though one can factor in the minimum labor wages in a specific country to put a value on this one. But that value will be capricious.

3. Shipping Costs 

The growing fuel costs have a direct impact on this one. The more your handmade business grows, the more will be your shipping costs.

So, in the long run, it becomes a good problem to have.

4. Marketing Costs

No business can survive without marketing. Though, social media does not require a cost to start. But going beyond organic will require the expenditure in ads.

If marketing is offline, then, the costs would vary as per the medium.

5. Legal Costs

Licenses cost a significant sum if you are selling cosmetics or food. Moreover, as per your local laws, there could be a license fee to run a handmade business.

Trademarks, patents, and taxes as per the revenue are some other legal expenses.

6. Employee Costs

This would be the same as the cost of time spent if you are the sole employee. But if you have people working for you, then, that is an additional expense.

7. Packaging Costs

Packaging handmade items is a significant cost considering global shipping options. Robust packaging requires materials that ensure safety and durability.

Moreover, customers expect handmade brands with sustainable packaging materials. This adds to the expenses of a handmade business.

8. Craft Fair Fees

Before Etsy, craft fairs and farmers’ markets were the only hope for handmade sellers. 

Even though Etsy is synonymous with handmade transactions. Still, the lure of craft fairs is rampant for creatives. 

The fairs charge a cost for display. Thus, adding to the expenses for a handmade entrepreneur.

9. Display Material Costs

Participation in craft fairs requires varied display materials. The list could range from stands, shelves, and racks to labels and lighting. Thus, another set of expenses. 

10. Online Platform Costs

This one is obvious. Etsy is the market leader that charges 20 cents per listing. There are subsequent charges for sales, advertising, and payment gateways.

Selling through a self-hosted website also has a cost. The alternate option to reduce costs is to sell on Gumroad instead of Etsy.

11. Website Costs

Over the years, sellers are experiencing lower sales with Etsy. Though even worse is Etsy shutting down shops. 

So, having a website along with Etsy provides a buffer. But this buffer does involve an additional cost.

12. Email Costs

Years of experience have taught me that email beats every other form of marketing. Sending an email to a customer builds a direct line of contact minus distractions.

An effective email strategy is more important than having a website or social media. 

Some email marketing providers operate on a freemium model. But the professional ones that deliver do cost some serious bucks.

13. Learning Costs

Learning can never stop for any business. For a handmade one, it is imperative as creatives require a plethoric amount of skills to thrive.

14. Software/Tools Cost

There are many tools and software to run a handmade business. To enlist the basics, Quickbooks, design software, SEO tools, and cameras are some of the few.

15. Machinery Costs

It may seem like an oxymoron to include machines in a handmade business. But the fact is that some handmade businesses do involve essential mechanical equipment. 

Sewing machines, Cricut, or Printers are the common ones. Then, for the ceramic business, pottery wheels and kilns are the machinery.

The topic of handmade vs machine-made is a point of debate. But it is inevitable to purchase/lease machines in a few handmade businesses. Hence, an additional cost.

16. Office Rent/Lease

My handmade business started in my bedroom. That is common to most small businesses.

But as the commercial entity grows, there is a need for a dedicated space.

So, an added cost of a bought/leased/rented space.

17. Utility Costs

Electricity, water, and gas have a major contribution to utility costs. Depending upon the nature of the business, other costs could add up.

For a soap business, waste disposal is an added utility cost.

18. Vendor Services Cost

Vendors are the backbone of a steady business. They provide the materials needed for the smooth functioning of a business. 

Hence, their services add up to the cost of running a successful handmade business.

What Is The Craft Pricing Formula

As you can see, there are numerous costs to operate a handmade business. Thus, pricing becomes a challenging task.

Moreover, the costs differ for every entity depending upon the nature of the business.

That is why it is impossible to devise a standard pricing formula.

Over the years, I have tried different pricing models. The one that I now stick to is a simple one. It is three times the price of your costs. It is that simple.

As a formula, it is as below:

Selling Price = 3 x (all the tangible costs)

Tangible costs mean the countable ones and have a price tag on them. Hence, it will exclude the time spent. Also, it does not have one-time charges like the legal costs.

It may seem inefficient as it does not involve complicated calculations. But if you put it to use, you will realize that it covers all the costs. Plus, it does bring in profits as well.

Talking about profits takes us to —–>

How Much Profit Margin Is Good For Handmade Products

Profits are subjective to your appetite for ambition. But talking about my experience, any figure beyond 10% is healthy.

So, if your profit margin percentage keeps increasing. Then, for sure your pricing is doing fine.

Conclusion

Pricing is always a challenge even after putting years into a handmade business. That could be the reason why there are several discussions on how to price handmade items. But none comes as a close fit as an absolute answer.

That is why this post makes an attempt to lower the overwhelm regarding this topic. This is not the ultimate guide on how to price handmade items. But it does give a base to price right as a beginner in handmade business. 

Let me know if it solved your purpose. Or share your pricing formula for handmade products.

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Did you try art NFTs in your attempt to figure out how to monetize digital art? 

But did the whole experience leave you confused? Then, there are simpler ways apart from selling digital art as NFT.

It works when you are not confident about how to make money as an artist online.

Find out about them by reading below.

23 Ways To Know How To Monetize Digital Art

1. Sell Digital Art Prints

If you create physical art. Then, you can create their digital version to sell as well.

The best part is that this technique works on almost all art forms.

2. Sell Physical Art + Upsell

You need to understand the art of upselling to perform this task. It involves selling the physical art form + 1. Adding a few more dollars to the physical art and clubbing a digital version can do wonders.

3. Print-On-Demand 

Print-On-Demand involves converting digital art to a physical form. There are several companies like Redbubble and Zazzle that you can use.

You can create mockups of your art on everyday objects of utility. Then, people buy those products which then get shipped by the POD companies.

With the POD option, there are innumerable options to sell digital art. Think in terms of bottles, mobile sleeves, backpacks, t-shirts, tote bags, etc.

4. Collaborate With Brands/Companies 

As a creative maker, you can work for companies. Various organizations need artists to visualize their product designs. Awesomemaps employs artists to create products designed with maps as a theme. You can work with organizations like these to monetize digital art creations.

5. Offer Services On Freelancing Websites

Most artists know how to monetize digital art by freelancing. You can offer your services to other artists and organizations. Or you can offer it on freelancing websites like Fiverr and Upwork.

Getting a foothold on freelancing websites takes effort. You should emphasize building strong connections with clients. That way you will establish a stable foundation. 

6. Start Your Website  

This piece of advice can never go wrong. Irrespective of the niche of your art, a website is a must.

A self-hosted website facilitates monetizing by working as a platform for opportunities. Display ads and selling art as an affiliate are some of the monetization methods. Though there is always the option to sell your original artwork on the website. 

7. Start A Youtube Channel

Displaying your art through videos on YouTube is a great way to garner an audience. The more you post, the more you get to connect. 

In all likelihood, your audience will engage with your videos and end up buying your artwork. Furthermore, the monetization opportunities from YouTube will add to your bottom line.

8. Sell Stickers

The demand for stickers never ebbs. They are popular with planners, organizers, and journals. The best part is that they sell well in digital form as well.

If you have a flair for illustrations and shapes. Then, try selling digital stickers or stickers. One can download stickers and print them. 

Stickers are a wonderful addition to a stationery business. I also sell them in my digital shop.

9. Sell Coloring Books

Coloring is popular for all age groups. So, you can create them for kids as well as adults. I buy coloring book pages in a digital pdf format to download and use. 

Several artists sell digital coloring books on Etsy.

10. Offer Illustrations As A Service

Even if you know nothing about how to monetize digital art, you can draw for others.

Many columnists and writers require drawings and illustrations for their content.

As an artist, you can offer your services to them.

11. Offer Printable Designing Services 

I got no education in design. Hence, I struggle in creating printables. But still, I manage to sell printables in my digital shop. 

If I knew some graphic designers, I would have taken their services. 

Like me, there must be many digital entrepreneurs requiring printable designing services. So, as an artist, you can offer digital printable designing services.

12. Write A Book 

Art is a skill that only a few can possess. Hence, you can introduce your design process to others through a book.

It could be a self-help book that can teach art and design. Artists like Austin Kleon have done the same with success.

Amazon Kindle is a great platform to sell self-published books. Others are Kobo, Lullu, and Smashwords are some probable alternatives.

13. Sell Design Courses  

If you cannot write a book to teach art. Then, creating videos to teach is another option.

Platforms like Skillshare and Udemy are popular for learning almost any topic.

You can also use course platforms like Teachable and Thinkific.

14. Tattoo 

The tattoo is popular as a tangible art done on bodies. But you can sell it in a digital form by creating temporary tattoo designs.

On can download and print temporary tattoos on sticky paper.  They are a great digital product to create and sell.

15. Designing E-Invites

Digital invitations are a norm in this fast-paced technology era. Celebrations like marriage, birthdays, and official events require digital invitations. 

You can design unique invitation letters or poster content for events. 

16. Stock Photography 

It goes without saying that digital pictures are a huge business. Almost every business buys stock imagery.

Hence, the photography business of selling photos online is a great idea. Considering the competition in this business, sticking to a niche will help.

17. Workshops

I am sure you know how to monetize digital art by conducting workshops.  

Till you gain experience in selling art online, you can take online art workshops. Workshops happen online as well as offline.

18. Comics

Creating comic books and cartoon strips is a great way to put your illustrator skills to use. 

The comics could be both digital and physical. You could weave a story around an interesting character for comic strips.

Artist Nathan W Pyle can be a role model for digital comic artists. His webcomic series Strange Planet is a global rage.  

19. Cartoon Clips

Much like comics, cartoons, and animated clips have an audience. You can cater to them by providing entertaining cartoon series. 

Simon’s Cat is a great way to learn how to monetize digital art. The series has expanded to a digital shop with branded merchandise.

20. Design Consultancy

Offering creative knowledge to organizations is one of the ways to make money. You can offer your design expertise through Zoom calls. 

Apps like Acuity can help you with online appointments.

21. Crowdfunding

Indiegogo, GoFundMe, and Kickstarter help innovations find money and support.

You can use them as per the art project that you are working on.

Solutions offering utility and a universal appeal do well on these crowdfunding platforms.

22. Design Contests

Design Contest is a website that helps connect designers with anyone having a need for a design.

As the name suggests, artists compete in a contest to bag the project. There is tremendous scope to get work through this platform. 

There are other options like 99Designs and DesignCrowd.

23. Printables

I saved the best one for the last. This is the monetization method that works best for me. 

Printables sell as Amazon digital products. Or you can sell them on your website. You can even sell them as digital downloads on Etsy. 

Most of the printables are in PDF format. Hence, they work as downloads that one can print and use forever. 

Conclusion

If you keep asking yourself how do I sell my digital art? Then, this is the article you should keep coming back to.

It enlists some of the most places where to sell digital products.

You can try as many as you can to figure out how to monetize digital art.

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Handmade sellers keep looking for Etsy alternatives. It does not matter how satisfied you are with Etsy as a platform. It does matter to know what you can do better for your business.

As a creative entrepreneur, do you keep asking yourself – Do I need an e-commerce website? Then, you need to check out the following:

Etsy Vs Own Website: 9 Key Differences

1. Trust And Validation From The Community

It is one of the most pertinent differences between Etsy and any other platform. The large user base of Etsy brings auto-validation to the platform. 

The mammoth site has about 7.3 million sellers and 93.9 million buyers.

On the other hand, there is no concrete data on how many artists have self-owned websites. Thus, bringing a trust deficit in starting a stand-alone website.

2. Ease Of Starting

If technology is a challenge, then for sure, Etsy is an obvious choice vs a website. 

The idea of starting a website overwhelms artists. But as a matter of fact, it is not that difficult to do so.  

The argument is similar to convincing an artist to begin selling on Etsy. The way selling on Etsy has become natural to artists. So, can become starting a website to sell art.

3. Marketplace Advantage And Disadvantages

Then comes the pros and cons of the marketplace economy. 

It is probable to make a sale on Etsy the moment you list. It is possible because of the marketplace advantage of Etsy. The platform already has buyers eyeing products. Hence, you can make a sale within a few days or even hours of listing. 

But the marketplace comes as a double edge sword. Over-saturated niches struggle for sales due to fierce competition. Sales in a crowded niche would require SEO skills and paid advertising.

For your own website, sales would depend on your marketing capabilities. So, the better you are at SEO and email marketing, the more the potential for sales.

4. Huge And Confusing Fees

Etsy confuses me all the time with its prices. It consists of 5 components:

Listing Fees

Transaction Fees

Payment Processing Fees

Advertising Fees

Shipping Label Fees

The first three fees are mandatory, while the last two are optional. 

The listing fee of $0.20 cents is regardless of whether or not the item sells.  

Transaction fees are 6.5% of the selling price. 

Payment processing fees differ for countries. But it is a minimum of 3% plus some fixed amount.

As you can see, selling on Etsy gets expensive over time. So, if you sell for $1000, you lose about $100.

Setting up your website to sell crafts is not the cheapest way to sell online. The costs include:

• Domain charges
• Hosting fees
• Email marketing expenditures
• SEO Apps 
• Payment Processor Charges

It gets difficult to put prices on these as it depends on the company/plans you buy. But if you start with Shopify, the basic fee is $29 per month. In addition, there is 2.9% + $0.30 cents per transaction.

So, if you sell for $1000, you lose only about $30-50. That is because the monthly cost would average out on all your sold inventory.

I do not want to start on the gift-wrapping expenses that Etsy charges. The reputation of the platform is for handmade items. Hence, it is a given that most requests are for handmade gifts that require devout wrapping.

But if you offer wrapping and shipping as paid service. Then, it adds to the charges that you pay to Etsy. It becomes a problem when buyers filter out sellers who charge for shipping. That adds to the extra expenses of making a sale.

But that will not be the case with your shop. You pay Shopify on the final selling price. This weeds out a lot of confusion in the minds of the buyers. They either choose or do not choose gift wrapping.  

5. Too Much Competition

If you are reading this, then, I am sure you suffer from dwindling sales on Etsy.

I get it because a platform ends up getting fierce competition.

The few possible ways to survive heavy competition are:

• Lowering Prices
• Advertising More

But both these tactics eat away your margins. Thus, bringing you back to square one.

With your website, it is possible to find customers who stick with you. The brand recall value is high when you operate as an individual store. That is one way to weed off competition from me-too brands on Etsy.

6. No Control Over Data And Consumer Information

This is the biggest difference between Etsy vs own website. As a seller on Etsy, you got little to no control over finding what fuels your shop.

Your e-store has analytics to know what search terms got you visitors. Or which location brings you the maximum customers.

On Etsy, it is difficult to get consumer data. The biggest hurdle is in getting the emails of customers. It hinders email marketing strategy that is a must to scale the business.

You can try putting QR codes on your Etsy cover picture. Or try to offer newsletter subscriptions by bartering a discount code in orders. But these tactics have a poor success rate. It might also attract a ban from Etsy if they update the rules in the future.  

7. Slow, But Solid Growth

The same efforts on Etsy and an e-commerce store will bring different outcomes.

Years of a successful stint on Etsy do not guarantee further success. There are several instances where Etsy shut the shops of sellers. Sometimes the reasons were not even disclosed to the sellers by the platform.

Such situations make you realize that owning a store is your biggest asset. It may take a few years to scale. But the growth will be solid with an unshakeable foundation.

8. Rules At The Whim Of Etsy

Etsy’s rules and policies have undergone several changes over the years. The most prominent ones are regarding shipping. 

Etsy states that they focus on sellers offering free shipping on products worth over $35. It is one of the recent changes that can hamper the margins of sellers.

Though some changes work in their favor. One of those is regarding the no-return policy on digital sales.

Thus, the mammoth platform works both in the favor of sellers and buyers. But in the end, these are policies that you as a seller has got no control over. As a seller, you got to learn to live with the Etsy pros and cons.

With your self-hosted store, you design the rules. So, you set the return, shipping, or sales policies. The freedom to operate the business your way sets marked differences.

9. The Url Says It All. No Recall Value With Etsy

This one is my favorite argument for all Etsy fanatics. Try asking any Etsy shopper to ask where did they make their latest purchase from? Without even skipping a breath, they will reply “Etsy” with excitement.

That is the foundation difference between Etsy vs own website. Your website-cum-store brings in branding and recall value which Etsy can never provide.

So, if you want to build a mind share in your customers. Then, think about moving from Etsy to own site.

Conclusion

Do you keep a track of your sales on Etsy? Does your profit make you question is selling on Etsy worth it? 

If such doubts keep recurring. Then, you must look out for options that let you put eggs in different baskets. Selling on Shopify is one of those alternatives. It is unlike free selling platforms. But spending on it is an investment that brings fruit with consistent efforts. 

Do let me know if you know of other differences between Etsy vs own website. I will add it to this list and give you the credits.

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Candle making business is one of the most popular handmade business ideas. If creativity is your forte and you love the idea of solopreneurship. Then, making hand-poured candles is for you.

You can read further to know more about the business of handmade candles.

How To Start A Candle Making Business

Is Candle Making Profitable?

Suppose your selling price is more than your expenses.  Then, for sure your candle making business will be a successful one. The expenses also include the cost of marketing, shipping, and making costs. The raw material costs are a small portion of the entire cost.

Though it is easier said than done. When you are starting a candle business, you would get overwhelmed by the entire ordeal. But if you follow a candle making business plan. Then, the entire process will streamline and will seem easier to follow.

How To Start A Candle Making Business

1. Invest In Candle Making Courses 

To sell candles, you must be able to create them. You can learn through the process of trial and error at your home. Though, you would require a professional course to master creative candle making.

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase any of the products mentioned in this article through routing via the links in this post. Then, I may end up receiving a certain monetary percentage from the sale. Though the one who purchases through the link does not end up paying anything extra apart from the mentioned MRP on the product. Full disclosures on the Affiliate Page.

A professional candle maker would guide you with various candle properties like :

• How to make candles last long
• How to add natural fragrances
• How to create candles that do not add to pollution
• How to create candles with creative shapes
• How to make personalized candles

2. Identify Who Buys Hand-Poured Candles

Understand this as knowing your customers. So, if you know what kind of handmade candles your customers prefer. Then, it is easier for you to create the ones that will propel your candle making business.

For instance, some people would prefer simple candles with witty humorous quotes. Though some would like the ones with exotic shapes.

So, if you know about your target market. Then, it gets easier to excel in your candle business niche.

3. Select A Suitable Name For Your Candle Business

An appropriate name for a business plays a vital role in brand pull. Therefore, pick up one that best suits your business image. 

If you cannot think of one. Then, try to play with your name in a quirky manner. Coco Chanel and Versace are examples of brand names made out of individuals. 

The best tactic would be to create a short and memorable word with your initials. Of course, you must check if there is no copyright issue with the name. That will save you legal troubles later on when your business becomes successful.

4. Look For The Best Candle Making Supplies

Wax is the raw material for making candles. So, you would need it in bulk to create all sorts of candles.

Most handmade candles are of beeswax or soy wax. The other elements of candle making supplies list include wicks, dyes, and moulds. 

Once made, you would then need labels and packaging supplies for shipping. 

Hence, it would be wise to look for wholesale candle making supplies.

5. Price Them Right

Much like the niche, the price of your candles matters. Every niche within a category can have different price points. 

As per your business goals, you will have to set your price. Struggles associated with pricing will ease if you price as per your niche.

While starting out, price similar to your direct competitor. From there you can go higher or lower with experience up your sleeve.

How much money you make selling candles should align with your pricing strategy.  

6. Dress Them Well

It is rare for first impressions to go out of memory.

So is true for candles as well. It is rare for anyone to use an unpleasant-looking candle. Hence, it is the good-looking and smelling candles that run the show.

Along with creating fabulous candles, you should also package them well.

Branded packaging/labeling helps in the marketing strategy for the candle business.

So, if your candles are high in aroma. Then, the packaging must keep the scents intact.

7. Identify The Best Places To Sell Candles

Craft shows and handmade fairs are the best starting points to test your candles.

Depending on the feedback, you can decide on expanding/ limiting your product line.

In the current times, the best way forward would be to start your online store. Though, you can also invest in small kiosks to facilitate visual sensation.

8. Comply With Regulations

Since candles create fumes, your business would require pollution certifications. The laws would differ depending upon the country where you operate/ sell.

So, you must get the mandatory certifications sorted out before you become big.

9. Start Marketing And Never Stop

Marketing is a marathon that never ends. Over the years marketing has become synonymous with digital marketing. 

Therefore, the sooner you learn how to promote your crafted candles, the better it is.

Organic marketing with content and SEO is the best way forward. But for a boost, you can also try performance marketing.

10. Stick To A Simple Handmade Candle Business Plan

Planning is an important part of the business. It is all the more important to stick to a strategic plan when you are starting out.

Several steps and sub-steps complicate the business plans. That is one of the reasons why small handmade business owners shy away from using one.

To tackle the challenge, you can start with a small 2-page business plan.

It should collect basic data like supplies/product/customer management. Calculating the number of hours spent and the break-even point will be a bonus.

This basic information will track your progress. Plus, it will also help analyze your business with real data.

11. Make Learning A Routine 

Not only for business, but learning should also be a routine for life.

To grow your candle making business, you will need expansion plans. That means exploring new markets along with product innovation.

For instance, you can bundle candle holders with candles and sell them as an upsell. Subscribing to business bulletins will help you with such golden nuggets.

So, keeping a holistic intent of your category and small businesses will help.

Conclusion

Starting a business from home seems scary. But it gets easier when you take small but consistent steps.
This article lists a few of the basic steps that will help to start a candle business. Do share it with someone who is looking for candle business tips.

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Ever thought about earning by turning your home into an Airbnb? If you have gone beyond the phase of letting in people through Couchsurfing. Then, you can try to make some extra bucks from your home through Airbnb.

You can read further to understand how to start an Airbnb business.

What Does It Mean By Turning Your Home Into An Airbnb?

Airbnb is the brand name that has become a generic term for renting homes worldwide.

So, turning your home into an Airbnb means letting it out for people to stay. The stays could be both long-term and short-term. 

5 Steps To Turning Your Home Into An Airbnb

1. Have Access To A Property

It is obvious to have a property to let out for others to stay in. You can have a property in your or a relative’s name to rent out. Else, you can also Airbnb a rented or leased property. 

My Airbnbs are also on leased property. As long as you have legal access to a property, you can have it listed on Airbnb.

The property could be a tree house, a campervan, or an igloo. It is not necessary to have a traditional apartment. The Airbnb listings vary from castles to houseboats, ryokans, and riads.

2. Make The Property Worthy Of Listing On Airbnb

A place should look appealing to stay in. The property should have attractive amenities worth someone paying for it.

Airbnb lists many amenities and accessibility features to list properties on its platform.

You can mention the amenities that you provide in your listing. That will clarify what you offer/do not offer. That will spare a lot of chaos in later stages.

3. Take Drool-Worthy Pictures

The transactions on Airbnb happen through their app and website. That means the customer does not get to see the place in person at the time of booking. 

So, to facilitate the sale, you must provide clear and realistic images of your property. 

My experience of running an Airbnb suggests hiring professional photographers to click pictures. The platform also lets you connect with photographers around your listing area. So, you can use Airbnb’s ecosystem to increase your listing’s reach. 

4. Set Reasonable Pricing

Pricing is an essential element for a guest to select a rental place. That is why it is perplexing for a host to come up with the ideal pricing. 

An Airbnb property is not an established hotel. Thus, it becomes difficult for a complete newbie to set up a rental for their property.

The good news is that the inbuilt pricing feature of the Airbnb app comes to the rescue. 

When you upload the pictures, tick the available amenities on the hosting app. Then, the app itself comes up with ideal pricing. 

From then on, you can select the “Smart Pricing” feature to let the app decide the apt valuation. 

The pricing feature fluctuates as per the competition and seasonality. Thus, Smart Pricing removes the guessing game from the equation. The subsequent bookings and reviews also play a role in pricing a property.

5. Deliver Excellent Customer Service

This is obvious since a lack of service to customers will jeopardize the Airbnb business. 

Customer service is a broad term that has a different connotation for everyone. 

I have had almost a year of handling five individual Airbnb units. From my end, the service to the guests has been consistent and the best.

Though every guest received it in different ways. I am fortunate that almost 90% of them found my offerings satisfactory. The rest found flaws in my offerings. That was irrespective of the additional efforts made from my end to provide what they asked.

Now I have made peace with the fact that not all guests are the same. Nor am I capable of making every guest happy.

But what I can do is – provide the best of services from my end.

That is why I provide the amenities listed below to make the stay comfortable. The list is not comprehensive but a general Airbnb amenities list.

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase any of the products mentioned in this article through routing via the links in this post. Then, I may end up receiving a certain monetary percentage from the sale. Though the one who purchases through the link does not end up paying anything extra apart from the mentioned MRP on the product. Full disclosures on the Affiliate Page.

• High-Speed Wifi
• Basic Kitchen Utensils
• Electric Oil Heater
• Portable Fan
• Hair Dryer
• Blue Tooth Speaker

I also provide free early check-ins and zero cancellations before 24 hours of arrival. 

Tips For Renting Your Home On Airbnb

The biggest challenge in turning your home into an Airbnb is to handle the dilemmas. Most of us think that the services and amenities have to be at par with the established hotels.

That notion is untrue in its entirety. As a business, Airbnb expects you to provide services with consistency.

So, if you mention that you provide a “fireplace”. Then, the guests should be able to use it when they book with you. Likewise, if you mention that electricity is not available at certain hours. Then, the guests have to adjust to that challenge while they stay with you.

As of writing this article, I can come up with a few tips that have helped me to run a smooth Airbnb business. You can read about them below:

1. Do You Need Permission To Run An Airbnb?

Many society laws and apartment rules do not permit short-term rentals. That could be a deterrent to running an Airbnb business.

I know friends who had to shut down their Airbnb business for these reasons. Hence, it would be wise to pre-confirm the rules before turning your home into an Airbnb.

Even my society and the landlord have laid out rules regarding Airbnb rentals. As per them, I am allowed to let in people as long as they are Indian nationals. Hence, I have to let go of bookings from non-Indians.

Moreover, every state in a country has its rules regarding short-term rentals. You should check with your respective government bodies to know about those.   

2. How To Start An Airbnb With No Money?

You can let a portion of your house operate as an Airbnb. In that case, it would mean turning your home into an Airbnb at zero costs.

That is possible if your place is enough for a guest to pay without you spending any money on extra amenities. In high tourism traffic areas, such a scenario is possible.

Else, you would need to bear the Airbnb startup cost to furnish a place to compete with the competition.

3. Should I Airbnb My House Or Rent?

I struggled with this dilemma for months before I decided to Airbnb my place.

The decision is yours to make as per your goals and lifestyle. My life involves a lot of travel, and my Airbnb is in a tourist location. Thus, long-term rentals do not make sense. That is why I opted for Airbnb short-term rentals. 

So, I stay at my Airbnb location during the peak season. The rest of the seasons do not gather many bookings. So, Airbnb works best for me.

In terms of earnings, it works out almost the same since long-term rentals are cheaper than short term. So, short-term Airbnb bookings match up the long-term ones with their high pricing.

So, take a call as per your preferences. 

4. How To Do Airbnb Without Owning Property?

As mentioned before, you need legal access to a property to run an Airbnb business. So, that can happen even without owning a property. 

Leasing would be the best way to run an Airbnb business since it saves capital costs. Else you could also rent and sublet a property. 

One of my friends manages Airbnb(s) without leasing/renting/owning any property. She earns a part of Airbnb arbitrage by handling the guest bookings for the actual Airbnb owners. It is another way to make money from the Airbnb business.

5. Can You Airbnb Your House While On Vacation?

Of course, you can Airbnb your house while you are away on holiday. I do it all the time as I spend more than six months each year away from my home. 

Before letting guests into your home, you should manage your assets. You can build a safe or keep locked premises for your expensive valuables.

Also, make it mandatory for the guests to adhere to the house rules before booking.

Conclusion

Airbnb seems like a lucrative business. It is cool to let out your space to earn some bucks. The best part is the minimal expenses on marketing as their app does it for you.

Apart from marketing your property, it also manages and brings systems in place. If you get the nuances of hospitality, then it is profitable to run an Airbnb business from your home.

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