Handmade Success

How to start a soap business is the most common query amongst creative entrepreneurs. If you dig down the reasons, then it is not surprising to know why.

You can start the easy way with melt and pour kits. Plus, once you figure out profit margins in your soap business. Then, it is all about scaling what works and getting deeper into the artisan bath and body business. So, as a home base entrepreneur, you start with soaps. But then you progress to bath bombs, lotions, shampoo, conditioners, and much more. I hope you get the idea. 

If you have a zeal to succeed as a solo business owner, combined with digital marketing skills. Then, there is a lot you can do as a handmade soap business owner.

Read more to know —–> 

How To Start A Soap Business That Earns Profits

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.

Learn How To Make Soap

In case you intend to start a handmade soap making business. Then, you need to know how to make soaps. 

But if you are a small-scale handmade business owner. Then, you have no other option but to take charge of production.

That means you have to know how to make soaps. Since you are reading this article, it shows that you have some idea about soap making.

If you are a complete beginner, you can start with soap making kits. But once you have enough experience with beginner melt and pour techniques. Then, you can move on to the complex process of handling lye with oils. 

Moreover, you can make use of online courses to master the basics of soap making. That will give you the knowledge to experiment with different ingredients.

Prepare A Bath and Body Business Plan Sample

But if you do not have a plan. Then, the chances are that it might get cumbersome to reach your goals. Thus, having a successful artisan soap-making business requires a solid plan.

You can make use of any business plan that you can get your hands on. But if you are a complete newbie trying to convert your hobby to a business. Then, the various generic business plans that you find for free on the internet might confuse you.

Or rather, you can make use of the one that I offer at my shop. It is a simple one that you can fill up in a few hours. It will help you put the ideas and fears stuck in your head on paper.

So, the moment you zero in on the niche of your bath and body business. After that, your next step should be chalking out a plan to visualize your business.

Procure Ingredients and Equipment for Soap Making Business

The next step is to begin making soaps and other bath and body products. The list of materials to buy will depend upon your niche. Though a few ingredients will be the same for all categories of bath and body businesses.

Some of those materials include:

Base Oils – Coconut, Safflower, Mustard

Essential Oils – Rosemary, Sandalwood, Carrot Seed, Tea Tree

Lye – Sodium Hydroxide (for bar soaps); Potassium Hydroxide (for liquid toiletries)

Soap Moulds – Various shapes as per your niche

Additives – colors, fragrances, and added materials as per the type of soap

Melt and Pour Base – this is helpful if you cannot handle lye

You can source the above materials from wholesalers to get the best price. That way you will be able to make the best profits.

But if you are unsure of what niche to start. Then, buying in bulk might not do you any good. That way, you will end up wasting your money on a stock that will go to waste.

In that scenario, buying from online stores like Amazon would be ideal.

Work on a Marketing Plan

After, you have created a soap business plan. Then, you can create a marketing plan with ease.

Depending upon how much budget and time you have allocated in your plan. According to that, you can designate relevant social media channels.

Irrespective of how many marketing channels you land your hands on. Your marketing strategy will be incomplete without search engine marketing and email marketing. 

The combined ROI on both is phenomenal compared to social media and paid advertising. I have been able to scale my handmade business because of SEO and email marketing. When done the correct way, they both help you expand your business without investing a lot of time and money.

If online marketing perplexes you. Then, at least start with a blog for your craft. Then, from there, you can move on to social media like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. 

Scale as Per Your Profit Margin 

Keeping a tab on your earnings is a crucial element of an artisan soap business.

If you are serious about how to start a soap business. Then, apart from earnings, knowing profits is also important. If your sales outnumber your costs, then you are good with your business.

But if you wish to scale up your soap business with different product assortments. Then, you must figure out your profit margins. 

Since profit margin is a percentage. Thus, it will help you measure and compare your products with each other. That way you will have a realistic view of what works in your handmade soap business. You can then take an informed call about scaling or limiting any particular product.

Conclusion

If you consider yourself a creative person. Then, the time is always right to turn your hobby into a full-time career. 

Soap making is a creative hobby that is easy to get into. Moreover, if you consider the price of handmade soaps. Then, you can understand how lucrative it can be to have a successful handmade soap business. 

But you must also consider the fact that not all handmade soap businesses get victorious. Only a few get to become worldwide popular brands, while many never get to break even.

If you do not want to fail as a soap business owner. Then, you must read, understand and make notes of this article. That way you will start the right way and avoid common pitfalls.

 

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Ever thought about products you can make at home and sell? Yes, you can make handmade products and sell them online as well as offline. 

The growth of Etsy compelled Amazon to create Amazon Handmade for handcrafted products. This brings in opportunities for creatives to start home-based ventures. 

If you have a creative bent of mind and looking for financial independence. Then, you can read further to know about turning your skills into a business. 

7 Products You Can Make at Home and Sell 

     1.     Bath and Body Products

I have been successful in selling handmade soaps and other bath and body products. That is why these are my favorite handmade business ideas to start from home. 

If you have the know-how of making high-quality artisan toiletries, then there is a lot you can do. You can start from soaps, and then move on to bath bombs, scrubs, lotions, shampoo, conditioners, etc. 

The list of bath and body products is huge making it a multi-billion dollar industry. That means you can add enough dollars to your account even if you capture the category’s smallest pie.

The handmade beauty products category is super competitive. So, if you are a complete beginner, then, start with a micro niche and stick to it. That way you will grow faster and develop a reputation for your brand.

     2.     Digital Products 

If you have been following my journey, then you would know that these days all my products are digital.

The best part of handmade digital products is that you make them once and sell them forever. Moreover, there is no cost of delivering them to the end-user. That means there are huge savings of time and money. 

I always stress about creating digital products so to earn more returns on efforts. But I agree that it may sound overwhelming to switch to digital if you have never done it before. But it is easy to learn. 

As I write this article, it may surprise you to know that it has only been a year that I sold my first digital product. Within this time I have made hundreds of dollars with my digital planners and printables. That is huge compared to the amount of time and tools involved in creating and delivering them.

So, irrespective of whatever kind of handmade business you run. You can always add digital products to it. Believe me, within a few months of making the change, your bank account will surprise you.

     3.     Handmade Jewelry 

Every girl loves jewelry. No matter how many pieces of jewelry she has, it never seems enough. That is a big enough reason for you to consider it one of the products you can make at home and sell.

In the past, I have created and sold jewelry made out of crochet and paper. In a similar way, you can also figure out a sub-category to come up with your handmade jewelry label.

The best part is that you can even include precious stones and metals to create art pieces. That way your portfolio will have expensive things to make and sell.  

     4.     Woodworking Projects

Woodworking projects are a great way to make money from home. There are several sub-niches under the wood-crafting domain. Thus, you can stick to a few to utilize its monetary benefits.

All you need is a few projects/plans to get started. Instead of spending money upfront, you get a few of them for free.

It is a general perception that dealing with woods is a masculine craft. But considering the facts, many women are also into woodworking and making good bucks.

Thus, with a few hours into learning the nuances of the craft. You can get started with small projects till you grow up to the big ones.

     5.     Candles

If you ever made soaps yourself. Then, you can make candles as well. Both the crafts involve dealing with waxes and essential oils. Thus, they are similar. 

There is a lot of scope in making handcrafted candles. You can play around with various shapes, aromas, and colors. 

There is also a tremendous amount of scope with viral trends and themes.

For instance, handmade candles with Game of Thrones themes and adult humor are a rage.

As long as you figure out the best combination for your waxes and aromas, you can get yourself repeat orders. The best part is that candles are one of the easy things to make and sell for money. 

     6.     Fiber Art Products

When it comes to things to make and sell from home, fiber art tops the list. Knitting, crochet, sewing, macrame, embroidery are a few examples within it. 

I am a big fan of crochet because I have made and sold many of my creations from home. Earrings, bare-feet sandals, and bags are some of my best-selling crochet items. 

Similar items you can make through knitting and macrame as well. 

Sewing and embroidery also offer ample opportunities. You can pick up any as per your skills and then craft a monetization route.

     7.     Paper Crafts

Needless to state that papercrafts are one of the most profitable crafts to sell. The cost of paper is inexpensive as compared to other raw materials. Also, the cost of shipping handmade products made with paper is less vis-a-vis other crafts. 

Paper is a versatile material. It offers various craft options such as quilling, cards, flowers, origami, papier-mache, etc. 

There are several tutorials online to get started for free. You can binge-watch them to figure out what you can create with paper. You can even make handmade paper out of used paper. 

Important Pointers to Sell Handmade Products

As you can notice, there are products you can make at home and sell for profit.

Though it is not as simple as making stuff and waiting to collect money from rabid buyers. Rather, the difficult part is about finding buyers for your handmade creations.

As a creative, you should not let the selling part daunt you. The advancements in technology help you sell both online as well offline.    

Your website, Etsy, and Amazon Handmade work for the online sales. And, your brick-and-mortar store and local handmade craft fairs bring in offline sales.

But for both the channels to work, you must take a note of few pointers as below:

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.

1. You must comply with the local laws regarding handmade products. There is no fun in investing in a business and later on jeopardizing it for some legal issues. If you are dealing with cosmetics and eatables, you should exercise due caution.

2. You should build client data from Day 0 of starting your handmade business. No matter how tiny your enterprise is, you must have direct contact with your customers. Email marketing works the best to attract, engage and retain your existing clients.

3. Apart from selling physical products, you must venture into digital products as well. Digital products add to your bottom line without engaging a steady flow of resources. Please do not think that your craft cannot have a digital version. It is a pleasant surprise that selling patterns and instructions of craft projects is a big market. Creating e-books is another lucrative option for digital products.

Conclusion

There are numerous products you can make at home and sell to earn a living. From simple flowers made of paper to oversized blankets made of wool, the options are plenty.

The ride will be smooth as long as you are willing to put in hard work and put technology to use. 

In case you know someone who is looking for things to make and sell for profit. Then, you can help them by sharing this article.  

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A digital art business is a viable option to leverage the advancements in technology.

In the current scenario, the digitization of art museums and online auctions is a norm.

Thus, the future of becoming a digital artist entrepreneur seems promising.

Of course, as an artist, you can debut on Instagram. But to pivot your art skills to form a stable business, you need some strategy in the picture.

If you are looking forward to making money as a digital artist. Then, please read further to know how to go about doing it.

How To Start A Successful Digital Art Business

What Defines a Digital Art Business?

Art created through digital technology takes the form of digital art. Digital art could be virtual or its elements could transfer to a physical form as well.

A computer is a basic gadget to create digital art. Though with the advancements in technology there are newer gadgets to create art.

Creating digital art to sell digital/physical products makes a digital art business.

What Types of Art Businesses You Can Digitize?

The short answer to the above question is – ALL.

Yes, all kinds of art can have a digital version. But to provide you with a myriad of possibilities, some of them are as listed below:

1. Backgrounds
2. Book covers and templates
3. Calendars
4. Cards
5. Clip art
6. Designs and patterns for embroidery, sewing, crochet, knitting, laser cutting, etc.
7. Fonts
8. Journals and diaries
9. Paper
10. Photography
11. Planners, organizers, and trackers
12. Portraits, drawings, and illustrations
13. Prints
14. Stamps
15. Stickers
16. Templates
17. Vector Art
18. Videos
19. Washi Tapes
20. Zine

 

The above list is from the actual digital art selling on Etsy. So, if you are a newbie on Etsy. Then, you can start your handmade business by picking up one of the categories above.

The above list includes a few examples of niches in the handmade digital art business. You can expand it further to include almost every kind of handmade art and craft.

Furthermore, the above list is ever-evolving. Thus, with time, other forms of digital art will include in it.

How to Monetize Digital Art?

If you have picked up one or a few kinds of digital arts to sell in your handmade craft shop. You can upload your digital artwork on your Etsy store. But the severe competition on the platform limits your selling potential. Also, if your Etsy shop has closed down. Then, you might face a difficult time in making your digital art business a success.

Hence, the next challenge is to figure out a strategy to sell them. 

I have been able to double up my earnings from digital art in 6 months by following the exact process as below:

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.

     1.     Learn How to Create Digital Art

This is a no brainer. But because of this logic, I delayed my plans to start a digital art business.

Though I wish I had known that professional designing skills are not mandatory.

It is great if you are a fabulous multimedia designer. But if like me you also lack designing skills. Then, you can hire designers from Fiverr or Upwork. Also, you can buy design bundles from websites like Creative Market.

But you will see positive results in developing design skills. I confess that I cannot operate sophisticated design softwares like Adobe and CorelDraw. But I can use Canva and Picmonkey to my advantage.

A little search on the internet will help you explore the options to create all kinds of digital art. But if you plan to make Planners and Organizers as I do. Then, you must consider enrolling in Suzi’s course Printables by Number. That course also teaches creating coloring books and nursery art.  Moreover, it also teaches how to come up with funnels to sell digital products.  Hence, it is a course worth investing in. 

I owe this course for teaching me how to create and sell printable planners. That is how my income increased after implementing the strategies in this course.

If you are a pro digital artist. Then, you can skip this step.

     2.     Create a Shop to Start a Digital Art Business

Your designs/ products must have an address where your audience can view and buy.

A digital shop serves that process well.

It houses the products and becomes an accelerator in monetization.

Thus, a digital shop is a must for setting up a digital art business. There are several options for the same. Some of them are as follows:

1. Gumroad – This is what I am using to host my printables. You can use my invitation link to open your account for free.
2. E-junkie – It is an economical option to start a minimal store for 5$/ month.
3. Send Owl – You can upgrade to this option to sell upsells at a low monthly cost.
4. Shopify – It is the most popular e-commerce storefront that increases conversions. It comes with tons of features through integrations with various apps. But it can get expensive if you are a beginner crafter.
5. ThriveCart – I intend to switch to this one since it has tons of options for upsells and order bumps. Also, its one-time payment for a lifetime plan seems impressive.

     3.     Bring Traffic to Your Store

Traffic is the most needed aspect of selling digital art. At times, even the established artists struggle to bring eyeballs to their online stores. Hence, for a newbie, the challenges are prominent.  

So, if you wish to know how to make money as an artist online. Then, you ought to understand how to bring traffic to your digital shop.

This topic needs a separate post. But to summarize the concept, there are three possible ways to generate a stream of traffic. They are:

• SEO Optimized Content
• Social Media
• Advertising

You can dive into one or more of the above as per your levels of understanding of the concepts.

I use all the 3 to bring in new visitors to my store. But amongst all, working on an SEO craft blog brings in the best results.

A well-maintained blog helps sell from any or all of your stores. That way, it can even help you to begin selling digital art on Etsy along with a stand-alone store.

 

Conclusion

If selling digital art is anywhere in your art business plan. Then, it makes sense to explore the options beyond selling clipart on Etsy. 

The field is vast and has several options for monetization.

Operation costs of running a Fine art business increase because of high shipping costs. That is why adding digital products to the portfolio helps in bringing quick wins.

Hence, if you are looking forward to turning your hobby into a business, this article is for you.

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Did you ever stumble upon the concept of email marketing for artists?

If yes. Then, you would know about the various benefits it brings.

If not, then you must read further to know about it.

What is Email Marketing For Artists?

It is the use of emails to engage and sell art to patrons. Most of the time, it involves updating the subscribers about the latest products. Furthermore, it facilitates offering digital art forms to download. Plus, it can also communicate about upcoming events and exhibitions through newsletters.

Email marketing is an effective means for an artist to retain and grow their audience.

Why Artists Should Do Email Marketing

1.     Point of Contact With Audience

Emails work as a direct point of contact with the audience. That means you can start communicating with them the moment they land on your contact list.

Consider your email list like a tribe of like-minded people. That means there is a strong connection with your subscribers. 

This to and fro flow of information is the biggest advantage of email marketing. It enables building strong connections around your handmade business niche. 

You can have personalized conversations with every person on your list. This leads to a strong network that facilitates fulfilling business goals.

2.     Effective and Everlasting Marketing Activity

Every digital marketing guru talks about the high ROI for email marketing. It makes sense to listen to them and learn from their experience. Though until you direct your focus on making email a priority. You will not understand the difference that it brings to your handmade business.

Instagram for artists works well to build a following. But in comparison to social media marketing, the sense of recall is higher with mail. An email subscriber would be more interested in your craft than a social media follower.  Thus, staying in touch with your email list proves fruitful in the long run.

Moreover, email marketing is not subjected to algorithm changes like social media. Therefore, email marketing has fewer changes to adapt to, unlike social media. 

3.     Helps Sell Affiliate Products for Wholesome Earnings

In the initial days of starting an artist journey, it is difficult to sell your artwork. There is a lot that goes into updating the target audience about your craft.

In those times, you can make money as an artist by doing affiliate marketing. 

It makes sense to sell products that complement your artwork. That way you help your audience to have a wholesome experience of your art.

With email marketing, it is easy to sell products to your subscribers on autopilot. The welcome sequences keep introducing products to every new person on your list. This further leads to sales that bring passive revenue to make a living. 

Selling affiliate products is a huge benefit of email marketing for creative makers. 

Some of the examples of affiliate marketing through emails for artists are:

1. If you make handmade soaps, you can sell loofahs and soap making tools.
2. If you make handmade jewelry, you can do an affiliate marketing of jewelry boxes.  
3. Or if you make money through woodworking projects. Then, you can mail your audience about buying chainsaw or other handyman tools. 

How Artists Can Make Use Of Emails For Selling

1.     Offer A Lead Magnet a.k.a Freebie Digital Art

If you receive my newsletters, then chances are that you subscribed to my list via a freebie.

In technical terms, the content that makes a viewer provide their consent to stay in touch is a lead magnet. In the popular culture of digital marketing, Freebie is the term used for the lead magnet.

A freebie is one of the best ways to test an email marketing strategy. There are different ways to figure out freebies for email marketing. But if you are precise about what artwork you will sell. Then, the freebie that acts as a precursor to selling that artwork works the best. Hence, a digital version of art/sculpture works as a good lead magnet.

You must have noticed a lot of free lead magnets for various articles on this website. A visual flow of the email marketing strategy for artists is the freebie for this article. 

2.     Share Your Craft Through Newsletters

The process of creating art interests the readers. Therefore, if you share with them how you go about making your crafts, it enthralls them.

Sending periodic newsletters is a great way to achieve that connection. 

An artist’s work consists of several processes with unique elements. Letting your readers know about them is a great way to include them in your craft.

Being active in communicating with your readers through your work creates strong bonds. Furthermore, these bonds lead your audience to buy your artwork. In a best-case scenario, a few artists are even able to presell their art through email marketing.

3.     Promote Your Exhibitions/ Shows

As of writing this post, the pandemic is on. Thus, in the current scenario craft shows and exhibitions are out of scope.

But the good part is that selling through online art blogs and stores is at an all-time high. Irrespective of whether you are seeking success through art exhibitions or through websites. You always have the option to promote to those who are a part of your email list.

This comes as a major advantage since one e-invite works for a large group of people.

What Are the Best Email Provider for Artists

To put email marketing for artists into action, you need email marketing software.

There are a few options that are free up to a certain number of email subscribers. But those free ones have a limit on full-blown features vis-a-vis the paid ones. 

The best email marketing providers come with an upfront cost. But that cost gets adjusted with the revenue you make due to their advanced features. 

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.

I have used a few of them for this website. My experience is as follows:

1.     Mailchimp

I started email marketing with a Mailchimp account since it is free for up to 2000 subscribers. Their policies do not allow affiliate marketing. Thus, I looked for Mailchimp alternatives for facilitating monetization. 

2.     MailerLite

It is free for the first 1000 subscribers. I could never use them since they did not approve of my website.

3.     Convertkit 

I used their freemium account when they had some promotions. I liked them, but their cost hurts my profit margins. So, I made a switch from them as well.

4.     Aweber

They allow selling affiliates, unlike the competition. But their automation features are basic. Thus, I did not continue beyond their one-month freemium service.

5.     GetResponse

This is my current and most favorite email marketing service provider. Its review deserves a separate post. But in brevity, its distinguishing features are its :

• Automation options
• Ease of facilitating affiliate marketing, and
• Low cost

Conclusion

If as an artist you find yourself struggling with questions such as:

“How Do I Market Myself As An Artist”                        

“How Do I Get My Art Noticed”

Then, investing in email marketing is one of the best solutions.

It not only helps you put your latest creations in front of your audience. But it also helps you make money as an artist.

There are several ways to use email marketing to your advantage. But to do the same, you cannot rely on free email providers. Switching to a robust service with good deliverability helps you automate the process. 

Before you end up wasting resources on other expensive tactics to sell your handmade art. Do try your hands at email marketing to enjoy long term fruitful benefits.

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Did the meager sales on Etsy of your handmade business ideas make you rethink your business plan? 

Or did you start your craft business without planning? No matter what you did before, you can still start afresh to improve your business. 

Knowing what you are selling and knowing who you are selling to brings clarity in business. 

Chances are that you might be going wrong in any of the above factors. You can improve on them to better align your products with your targeted customers. 

If you wish to know more about exploring creative handmade businesses. Then, you can read further —–>

7 Remarkable Handmade Business Ideas That You Need to Know

The popular things to make and sell fall under a few major categories. You can consider these categories as WHY and your craft as HOW to fulfill the needs of the market.  The alphabetical list of those categories are:

Broad Categories of Handmade Products List 

1. Art and Memorabilia
2. Baby Collection
3. Beauty and Grooming
4. Celebration and Party
5. Clothing and Shoes
6. Craft Supplies and Tools
7. Gardening and Outdoors
8. Home, Kitchen, and Living
9. Jewelry and Accessories
10. Pets Collection
11. Prints and Stationery
12. Sports 
13. Toys and Games
14. Vintage
15. Wedding Collection
16. Holiday and Seasonal Events 

The above mentioned categories include most of the handmade business ideas. But if you are looking for specific ones which you can start with minimal investments. Then, you should know about —–>

7 Home Business Ideas With Low Startup Costs

 

1.     Paper Crafts 

Paper is one of the most inexpensive materials to start a craft business. It brings in myriad opportunities to generate art. 

The most popular handmade business to start with paper are as follows: 

• Quilling
• Papier Mache
• Origami
• Lanterns
• Cards
• Recycled Book Art
• Notebooks and Organizers
• Paintings
• Creative Handmade Paper

Also, most of the papercrafts are lightweight. Thus, packaging and shipping paper art is easy and economical.

Most of us know how to play with paper. But it is easy to upgrade skills with experience and the resources available online.

2.     Fiber Art

If you got the knack to deal with a crochet hook or knitting needles. Then, you can start selling crafts made with threads and fiber online.

The tools to create fiber art do not cost much. But you need to have enough finesse to bring beauty to your creations. But the low priced materials do not imply low selling costs for makers. A few Etsy sellers make multiple figures business by selling chunky yarn blankets. Though the best part is that those oversized blankets do not require needles. You can knot them with your bare hands. 

There are various options for fiber art handmade business. A few of the options are:

• Create and Sell Macrame Art
• Embroidered Art Projects
• Crochet Crafts
• Knitting Crafts
• Rugs Making
• Lace Making
• String Art

You can start creating and selling friendship bracelets and hoop earrings anytime.

3.     Small Woodworking Crafts 

Woodworking is one of the most popular hobbies among men worldwide. Though a lot of women also make money woodworking. 

Projects like furniture and musical instruments can get both bulky and complicated. That is why not all wood projects count as business ideas with low investment.  

But there are several ones that you can create for a few dollars but sell for almost 10 times the cost. Most of them involve the use of wood slices. 

You can invest in buying slices in bulk to create several projects.

4.     Recycled Crafts 

This category of crafts involves products made from discarded materials. That makes it obvious that these crafts are low on investment. 

The market exists for recycled crafts from almost every discarded material. Wine barrels, pop tabs, bottles, obsolete gadgets, and even old clothes find use. 

If you are a creative person buzzing with handmade business ideas. Then, you have limitless options to create recycled crafts. Plus, since the cost of raw materials is almost nil. Hence, you will end up with the most successful small business ideas.  

5.     Bath and Body Products

Creating artisan toiletries is one of my favorite handmade business ideas. Handmade soaps, bath bombs, and scrubs are easy to make. A basic bar of soap requires a carrier oil and lye.

But you can create several variations by learning how to balance different oils with lye. 

The beauty of this handmade business is that you can start at home. Then, as your business grows, you can switch to professional premises. But to increase your profit margins, you must stick to a niche. Else your brand will fade away amongst the competition.

6.     Candles

Much like the soaps, candle making is a low investment handmade startup.

There is a huge scope in selling natural hand-poured soy and beeswax candles. Moreover, there are various options to customize with fragrances and swag art.

The tools and equipment are a one-time investment cost. Though the base wax is an ongoing cost. You can reduce the costs by buying the wax, dyes, and wicks in bulk.

7.     Paintings, Sketches, Mandalas

Drawings and paintings are the common universal ways of creating and selling art. There is always a demand for sketches, caricatures, wall art, mandalas, and pop-up art.

Furthermore, customization brings in a lot more revenue if you start getting customers. 

For selling hand-drawn art, colors, time, and skillsets are the most important element. 

The more you engross in your craft, the better will be the results. 

Once you develop yourself as an artist brand. You can jumpstart your creative business that is not expensive on the pocket. 

Conclusion

Today is the best time to put your handmade business ideas to work. There is no dearth of handmade marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon Handmade. Thus, the opportunities for sale and showcasing your work are also many.

If you are clear about what you would like to sell. Then, the next obvious step is to start investing in a craft blog to push sales. Else, you can select a niche and start testing the markets with low investment projects.

The list of 7 projects in this article will help you monetize your creative passion in an informed way.

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Do you own a successful soap making business? Then, do you know what is your soap business profit margin. If not, then, what is it that one thing that makes it a success? 

Does your business bring in enough money to cover your bills? Or it brings way more than that? 

Is it that you get repeat orders from loyal customers? Or your stores run out of products? 

Do you know how much profits you make per bar of soap? Are you happy with the profits or would you want to make more profits in your handmade business? 

If you keep asking these questions. Then, you should read further.

 

How to Make More Profits in a Soap Business

Calculating the soap business profit margin is an important aspect of understanding profits. That is why you should know —–>

How to Calculate the Soap Business Profit Margin

Profit is the difference between revenue and expense. This difference lets you know how much money you made. But it does not help you know how good that profit is. Meaning it does not tell you if you can sustain your business. 

To determine if your handmade business is on the road to success, you need to know the profit margin. 

Profit margin refers to the amount you make per dollar sales. If you sell more than one product. Then, the profit margin indicates how much you make in your entire sales portfolio. 

Hence, it is important to go beyond profit to know your soap business profit margin. The more the profit margin, the more money you have at your disposal. The profit margin helps you know how successful your business will be in the long run. 

The simple calculation for the same is as follows: 

Profit Margin = Revenue – Costs/ Revenue *100 

In the above formula, you should include all your costs. So, it can have the cost of equipment that is a one-time purchase along with the regular materials cost. 

For example, if your costs for a batch of soaps are as follows: 

1. Carrier oils – 200 $ 

2. Essential oils – 100$ 

3. Packaging, Labelling, and Shipping – 100$ 

4. *Utensils – 500$ 

5. Revenue – 1000$ 

Then, we can calculate the Profit Margin as follows: 

[1000 – (200+100+100+500/100)]/1000*100 = 59.50% 

* Since it is a one-time cost, it is divided by 100. It is an assumption that the utensils will last to make 100 batches of soap.

That means for every 1$ spent, you are earning almost 60 cents. Then, by all means, these numbers show a healthy business.

As a handmade business owner, your soap business profit margin should keep increasing. Therefore, it is essential to know —–>

How to Increase Profits in a Soap Business

 

  1.     Reduce the Cost of Soap Making Supplies

This one is the universal rule of business to increase the profit margin. But you have to practice it with caution.

Reducing the cost of supplies can hurt the quality of the final product. Therefore, instead of using cheap supplies, you should buy them in bulk. That way you will be able to reduce the cost of raw materials without compromising the quality.

But to execute this you must know your sales figures. It is important to know your current sales figures so that you can —–>

2.     Increase Your Sales Volume

To increase your sales volume, it is important to know what your current average sales are.

If you know your average sales volume per month. Then, you can identify what factors contribute to it. That way you will be able to do more sales by increasing the factors that increase sales.

For instance, during fall, pumpkin spice soaps could see an upsurge.  Or charcoal soaps may form the bulk of sales every month. Both of these sales trends can give valuable data on customer shopping preferences.

If you can pinpoint trends from your sales data. Then, you can use it to boost your sales. 

3.     Improve Your Soap Distribution Business

Shipping and logistics form a significant cost in the business. That is why it is necessary to keep them low to increase the soap business profit margin.

Because we are living in a pandemic era, in-store purchases are an all-time low. Hence, shipping the products via postal services is the new normal.

Hence, to save costs, the soap business should strive for the cheapest shipping rates. A lot of it depends on where you live and where your customer lives as well as the weight/volume of your soaps. For the same, you can use services like Pirate Ship to bring down your shipping expenses. 

4.     Reduce Your Marketing Expenses

Marketing is the necessary evil that no business can do without. Irrespective of the stage that a business is in, it has to invest in marketing. 

Print/TV/billboard ads are beyond beginner handmade business entrepreneurs. But they can promote craft business with digital marketing which is low in expense. Furthermore, digital alternatives deliver marketing goals despite being cheaper than the traditional ones.

5.     Diversify Into Appropriate Extensions

Once you know what ticks with your customers. Then, it is easy to funnel them into similar products that pique their interests.

Meaning if you know that unicorn-themed soaps sell the best. Then, instead of coming up with a new theme of soaps. You can rather introduce other unicorn based bath and body products. So, the options could be bath bombs, scrubs, or lotions with a unicorn theme.

This way you get to dive deeper into your handmade business niche. This in turn increases your chances to make more sales. Thus, more the chances of better profit margins.

 

How to Make a Good Profit Margin in Soap Manufacturing from the Beginning?

 

  1.     Start With a Solid Business Plan

If your business cannot talk numbers. Then, trust me you will never be confident about its profitability.

Sales and expenses determine how much money you bring to the table.

One of the best ways to have a sustainable creative business is to come with a handmade business plan.

A plan lets you visualize how to achieve financial goals with your handmade products. Though a business plan may seem daunting for the novice creative entrepreneur. But it is fine to determine and track only the basics in the initial stages. 

Average product price, expenses, and time to break even are some of the crucial figures in the plan.

2.     Understand the Niche That You Are Selling To

Every successful handmade business upscales by staying true to its niche. In simple terms, a niche refers to the branding that you have built for your enterprise.

The branding helps the audience understand what your business is all about. If you can communicate to your audience what you do as a business. Then, the next step of expanding becomes much easier.

If you are doubtful about your handmade business niche. Then, sit back and think who would be your ideal customer. From there you will get answers to most of your questions.

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.

 

3.     Build and Serve a Loyal Fan Base

If you have experience in running a business. Then, you would agree with the fact that it is much easier to serve existing clients than to find new ones.

Thus, it is important to stay connected with customers. For the same, newsletters work the best. They are a cost-effective means to update about your new product line and offers.

Moreover, unlike social media, newsletter services are not subjected to algorithm changes. That means there is not a constant learning curve that will keep you away from your business. Rather, with time it will become one of the best marketing channels for your business.

Conclusion

If you intend to start a soap making business. Then, you must grow and nurture it.

Growth requires a sustainable healthy soap business profit margin.

That means an increase in your profit margins should be an ongoing activity.

Selling more soaps and keeping expenses to a minimum ensures good profitability. But apart from that, you should also invest in appropriate marketing channels. That is how all the cumulative efforts bring in holistic gains.

Do you own an artisan soap making business? What do you do to maintain healthy profits?

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