We’ve come a long way since the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. Now the world of craft is boundless. Jewellery, pottery, furniture, artwork, textiles, if you’ve got the materials, you can get crafty.
Not to mention a worldwide market to target, so if you’re about to start up in business, you’ve arrived at the right blog.
And if you’re looking for a commercial unit to let in the heart of Dumfries, then it’s a double whammy!
It often begins as a hobby, crafting, but not always. You might have already started a side hustle to make some extra money, and the orders are now flooding in from friends and family or on your socials.
In other words, the operation is groaning to move up a gear – or it soon will be!
Starting a craft business, while exciting, can also come with its own challenges. You need space for creating your product and for storing it.
And that’s where flexible commercial units and secure self-storage come in. At Heathhall Business Centre, we happen to have both, with Dumfries Self Storage part of our thriving business community.
Begin with a business plan
Yes, it’s a pain to have to write, but your business plan will give you a structure and something to refer back to, and it doesn’t have to rival the Magna Carta.
A few pages will do. Some questions you might wish to ask yourself are: Which products will I sell? What is my customer profile? What’s my USP? What is the cost of all my materials? What is my price point? How will I market my craft business?
Pricing is where you might struggle if you’re completely new to commerce. Not wishing to sound obvious, but you must factor in your time, packaging, equipment and insurance and any other overheads that your business could incur.
A business plan can roadmap all of this for you and help you understand when and how you will turn a profit.
What’s your niche?
Once you’re committed, it might feel like a croweded market place and like the whole world went crafty. That’s why having a product that stands out is key. Our attention is naturally arrested by something different.
Maybe you’ll go down the eco-friendly route, craft a highly personalised product, piggyback on some TikTok trend, or seek out locally-sourced materials.
You’re perhaps never going to make a catch-all, so it might be best to focus on something that’s truly niche and build that loyal customer base who’ll keep coming back for more.
Do you need a dedicated workspace?
The kitchen table can only take your ambition so far, and as your craft business grows, so might your need for a dedicated workspace.
Materials and finished products littering your home are not sustainable. A workshop gives you that sense of being a proper, slick professional business and creates a healthier work/life balance because you can separate the two. You can also organise your workflow and get into the creative zone without interruptions and boost productivity.
All of this matters even more if you work with machinery, paints, any equipment or bulky items. You can also take delivery of stuff.
Organise stock and product
You will ideally need to keep stock and product organised so that you fulfil all orders and nothing falls through the cracks.
Raw materials must be protected from damp and dust, while your finished product must be in perfect condition before it’s shipped out. And if it’s seasonal, your product, then it’s likely stored for months before dispatch.
A secure self-storage unit allows you to keep everything organised without cluttering your home or workspace.
Many businesses use storage units to keep display and marketing equipment, craft fair stands and packaging supplies.
Sell through multiple channels
Ask yourself if you might need your own website – you might not necessarily, if you use the likes of Etsy, Folksy or Amazon Handmade.
They all take cuts of course, but you’ll benefit from their marketing reach, whereas starting out on your own and trying to compete with your own website will take a lot of work and costly advertising.
But, taking the long-term view, your own website is worth serious consideration. It will help build your brand awareness, plus the two can co-exist.
Blogging is a great way of getting organic traffic, but it’s a tough and competitive market.
Then there’s the more traditional routes like farmers’ markets, local gift shops and craft fairs.
Build your brand
Good brands have an interesting story behind them. People buy from people, so the human interest angle is just as key as the commercial one.
Choose a memorable business name, design a professional logo and use signature colours, fonts and photography across your website and social media. Consistency is so important so that your customers see at a single glance when they click through from your website to your socials, for example, that it’s you.
This builds trust.
You could always share behind-the-scenes content demonstrating some of your creative process, like in your Instagram stories, for example.
Customers love seeing how products are crafted, the source of your inspiration, and the work that goes into every single piece you produce. Authenticity is a biggie in the world of craft.
Make socials work for you
Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok can all help you attract new customers when used appropriately and often, and you’ll brush up on your photography skills as you go.
With your posts, the general rule of thumb is that you should aim for 80% awareness and 20% selling, so you might, in the main, be posting works in progress, new products, packing orders, customer reviews, studio tours, craft tips and what’s coming up.
Prepare for peak seasons
Craft businesses often experience seasonal spikes when your workshop will be buzzing. Or not.
This is another reason why planning is key. Getting your stock levels up well in advance reduces pressure and stress and keeps your customers happy and coming back for more!
Having access to secure self storage means you can prepare months ahead without your workshop or home becoming overwhelmed with boxes of finished products.
Think beyond today
A successful craft business can grow beyond a lone crafter. You might introduce new product ranges, employ staff, offer workshops or wholesale your products to retailers.
Hopefully the tips we’ve given you here will make future expansion much easier.
Flexible commercial units allow you to scale your business without committing to expensive long-term premises before you’re ready. Likewise, storage units can easily accommodate increasing stock levels as your customer base grows.