Hobby To Professional a Series of Tips

There may come a time in your crafting journey that you want to take things up a notch and maybe consider selling your work for the time you put into it. Careful creative crafter....this could ruin the passion for what you love..but it does not have to.

I'll share a series of tips to guide you and double check to see if you're 'there' yet. Shall we?

1) Getting in to Local Shops - To go for...or not
--> A great way to get exposure for your goods. Here's a great way to get into the door. Give them a call early on a Thursday morning. Introduce yourself and politely ask who you could talk to about becoming a vendor for their shop. Usually they'll happily give you a name, or if you're in luck they may be there in the shop.

 * if they agree to see your work, understand that they may want to try you out through a consignment agreement. Make sure it's fair for you and them. 40/60 is not uncommon split for you and the retail shop.

* if they buy outright, be sure to price each piece so that you're paid fairly and so they can realize a profit too. I like to break down the price into 3's. For instance if you price your handbags at : $60, $20 should cover your time, labor, materials and overhead, while you sell to them for $40 so they can realize a profit of $20 if they sell your handbag at $60.

* make sure your goods will be seen in a clean open spot...no sense of sticking them way in the dark corner where they'll never be seen.

* make sure to follow up in a couple of weeks to see how things are going..or to restock(woo hoo sales baby)

This route can be perfect if you get a great fit with a good retailer. They could possibly keep you busy and help you grow your client list.