Sewing Business Blog

Countdown To Christmas

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The Christmas Season has officially started at all the brick and mortar stores.  I’ve been seeing Christmas stuff in Walmart and some places already, but normally the first of November the Halloween decorations come down and Christmas decorations, sales incentives and banners come out in full force.

Well, the question of the day is — why aren’t we, the work at home people, doing the same thing?????

Actually, I’ve been doing this for several years.  I put up one of those small (they’re about 36″ tall) fiber optic Christmas trees in the corner of my customer waiting area and have a fairly long flowing “tree skirt” coming down from the tree to the floor.  I then wrap a few empty boxes in Christmas gift wrapping to put under the tree.

Next comes the “sales promotion ideas”.   We’ve already talked about having a corner set aside for baby gift items, like Portable Diaper Changing Stations, Animal Pals Back Packs, etc.   Well, you can use some of those same items for children, and add in a few additional items like a Holiday Kissing Ring, Golf Club Mittens for a man’s gift or little microwave mittens as an idea for a “hostess” gift for the parties your customers will be attending.

I have a price tag attached to every gift idea in the customer area – large enough that it draws the customers’ attention so they know that these items are for sale.  You will be helping your customers in a big way by having a wide variety of gift ideas they can be thinking about while they are waiting to see you.

As an extra note – I’ve found that whatever gift ideas I have in the customer waiting area, I need to be sure to have the one they can see, PLUS at least two extras.  If the only one you have is in the waiting area and a customer wants to buy it – you have only two choices — sell that one and you won’t have one for the next customer to see, OR just take the order for the item and say that you’ll let them know when it’s ready for them.  My idea is that if you do the second (take the order and say you’ll let them know when it’s ready), you’re taking a big chance that they may change their mind and you’ve lost the sale.  What you want is the sale TODAY and the money in your cash register!

If you’ve never done this before, I’d suggest that you get a small tree and get started on the Holiday Gift area immediately – this could mean an additional several hundred dollars in your pocket that you would not have had if you simply decorate with a little ribbon and a few bows.

Let us know how your Christmas gift area works for you, and what all gifts you’ve made available to the customers.  We’d love to hear about the extra dollars that you’ve made!

Adding Profit To Your Sewing And Crafts

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Many times it is difficult to determine the actual costs involved in making craft or sewing items.  For example, if you’re using your scraps to make aprons, beach bags, purses or toys, how would you figure the cost of the item, and therefore how much to charge for the completed item.

An easy way to “estimate” the cost of fabric used would be to determine how much total fabric is used for the project.  If you’re using left over print fabric, scraps of solid colors of fabric, and add larger pieces of muslin or interfacing material, a general rule would be to perhaps figure you’ve used a total of 1/2 a yard or 1 yard combined of all the pieces – whatever you figure you have used.  Then for a cost of the fabrics I’d use an average of what most of the fabrics would have cost me at the fabric store — perhaps $4.75 per yard, give or take, depending on what types of fabric you’re using.  You can get a good estimate of costs per project, but don’t forget your time that’s been spent because that is also part of the total cost.

Some good hints that I’ve seen on insuring that your sewing items or craft projects will be the type that people will want to buy are as follows:

** Use good materials.  Never use those “end pieces” that perhaps have little snags or holes in them and try to hide the imperfections in the seams.

** Wash your hands frequently to keep your products fresh and clean.

** Learn to make your products easily, quickly AND skillfully.  If you can get skillful enough to make an item in half an hour instead of taking an hour that it previously took, you can readily see that you can double your production and therefore double up on the profits.

** Your products must be practical as well as attractive.

** Your product must bear the stamp of your personality to be distinctive.  Don’t depend on someone else’s ideas – use your own initiative.

** Be professional — on the phone, at the craft shows and in your own home if customers come into your home for service and purchases.

If you have additional ways that you use to figure your cost of sewing or craft items, please pass them along to us and we’ll get them posted for our readers.    How to price sewing and craft items is always one of the biggest questions we hear, so anything you can pass along to help our readers would be appreciated.

If you’re wanting to find additional craft items to make, check out the many craft patterns at SewWithSarah.com.

4 Reasons to Sell Your Crafts on Etsy

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Craft fairs are a wonderful way to both market and sell your crafts—but some people simply do not have the time or the money to put up a booth at such fairs. More and more entrepreneurs are beginning to sell their items online. One website very popular among small businesses and hobbyists is Etsy.com.

Here are some reasons why, like other crafters, you too might want to sell your items on Etsy:

1) Etsy is a marketplace for all things handmade.

Unlike other online marketplaces, you won’t find mobile phones, DVDs or various retail items for sale on this website. Etsy.com is a website specifically for both buyers and sellers of handmade items, vintage items, and all sorts of craft supplies.

2) You are catering to your target market.

There’s no guarantee that you’ll make a sale on Etsy—but you can at least be assured that people who browse Etsy love crafts and all things handmade and vintage just as much as you do.

3) Buying and selling on Etsy is easy.

It only takes a few minutes to set up your Etsy shop. You can even choose to customize your online store with your profile and a banner image. Uploading your product descriptions and images are easy and will not take up a lot of time.

4) You are joining a community.

By choosing to sell your items on Etsy, you are not creating just another account, but are joining a community, as well. You can ask for feedback or suggestions from other knowledgeable sellers on the Etsy forums, or even collaborate with other people on Etsy whose style or products complement your style or items.

Similarly, purchasing items on Etsy is also easy. Prices of items appear in the buyer’s local currency, making shopping convenient, fun and quick. Thousands of people shop on Etsy on a daily basis because it is the go-to online marketplace for all things handmade. If you want to start selling your crafts on the Internet, Etsy is truly the best place to start.

The above information is an excerpt from our book “How To Sell Your Handmade Items” – this book is full of information on HOW and WHERE to sell your handmade items!  We have some wonderful places to sell your products that I’ll bet you’ve NEVER heard of — and they are some great places to sell!

8 Tips For Your First Craft Show

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Have you just signed up for your first craft show? Preparing for your craft business’ public debut may be exciting, but it can also be extremely unnerving. Here are some tips to help you get ready for the show:

1) Experiment with different setups.

Your booth display can greatly affect your sales, so put a lot of thought into how your booth will actually look. Find out the dimensions of your designated space ahead of time so that you can play around with different booth arrangements. It helps to take pictures of your different setups so you can see what works and what doesn’t.

2) Be flexible.

While you should definitely have a specific booth layout in mind ahead of time, you should also definitely have a backup plan (or two). You may have to deal with unexpected layout issues and requirements on the fly.

3) Stock up on inventory.

It may be difficult to determine just how much inventory to prepare for a craft show, but it’s always better to be overstocked. Don’t join a craft show only to take custom orders when your limited stocks run out. Give shoppers a lot to look at and a lot to buy!

4) Put some thought into your prices.

Pricing is always a little tricky, but it helps to have a wide price range of products available. By offering items in various price points, you’ll have a little something for everyone.

5) Don’t just sit there.

Don’t just sit behind your table and stare at the people passing by. Make customers feel welcome in your space by getting out there and talking to them! Tell these shoppers about your beautiful items and let them know why they’re worth purchasing.

6) Hand out business cards!

Many shoppers will show interest in your items, but will probably not make any purchases. Handing out business cards will make it easier for them to order your items at a later date or occasion.

7) Take advantage of the opportunities.

Your primary reason for joining a craft show may be to make a lot of sales—but selling your products shouldn’t be your sole motivation. Put effort into marketing your products, too. Take the opportunity to network with both vendors and customers, hand out business cards, and get people to sign up for your mailing list.

8 ) Befriend your neighbors.

You’re bound to come across some of the same vendors at future craft shows. Make friends with your fellow vendors and you may be able to learn from each other’s stories and suggestions. It also helps if you need a friendly face to watch over your booth while you go for a restroom break.

Hopefully, these tips help you out at your first craft show. The most important tip of all, of course, is to have fun!