As a handmade maker it can be a leap to go from doing what you love as a hobby to growing your passion into a successful business.  There’s many challenges along the way but there’s also an up side!

I want to talk a bit about some of the challenges you may face and how it can affect you and your mindset, and your ability to grow your creative passion into a business.

Here are some of the challenges you may face on your journey.  (It’s always good to know what they might be so you can be prepared!)

Doubting your ability as a maker

This imposter syndrome is really common in pretty much every maker out there whether they’re hugely successful or just starting out. And even more when you’re just starting out. Trust that this is just part of the journey, you can not be an imposter in your own life and talents so it’s really important not to think too deeply on this.  You’ll be learning and developing your skills every day, from your creative skills to your business skills, and however far you take your handmade business this learning won’t stop.  Trust me you’ll always be pushing yourself to the next thing - curious about a new technique or way of working.   Everyone starts at the beginning and your grow from here and I think when you love what you do and you’re passionate about what you create doubt can set it.  

Surround yourself with a people who will encourage and support you - whether this is family, mentors,  or a community of other makers.  Having a people who can encourage you to keep moving forward is really important.  Seek out support and knowledge when you need it and invest in your growth as a maker and as a business owner.  

Working alone

Working alone can be also be challenging and as much as you love getting stuck in to a new piece of work it can get a bit lonely working for yourself.  It’s not sure the making that you’ll be doing as you move from craft hobby to craft business, you’ll now be doing everything. Yep as a business owner you’ll be doing everything from the design and production of your work, to the the branding, the marketing, and all the admin associated with running a business, and it can become overwhelming learning lots of new skills and having your time pulled in so many directions. 

So mix it up - schedule time to go out for walks to change your environment.  Join a group where you meet in person or virtually to catch up and talk about your work and throw ideas around so you can get feedback on your thoughts. Attend craft markets or shows to connect with your customers and meet fellow makers.  As your business grows you won’t need to do all the shows and markets you’ll be able to choose the good ones and the ones that bring you the most joy. 

Growing your reach to new customers

Without the ability and knowledge to grow your audience of customers you’ll always be selling at every craft fair and market you can do to make a viable business. You’ll be spending your weekends busy at these events away from your family and possibly missing out on other activities that friends are taking part in. This is a big one that I think never changes, it’s the marketing that’s often left to the last, but it’s also one of the most important parts of your business. You’ll need to embrace the business side of your craft, new technologies and strategies to help market and sell your work, as your business grows you’ll be spending more time working on your business then in your business actually making the work.  As creatives there’s a notion that marketing is not for us, - however if you can think of it as simply showing your work and letting people know about your pieces and what you do it can become more enjoyable and soon you’ll be trying new ways of marketing and get encouragement and validation of your efforts from new customers.  

Keeping on top of your finances and actually making a profit. 

So this probably seems pretty obvious that  you want to be making a profit with your craft.  After all that's why you decided to start selling your work and make a business from your craft.  It’s really important to keep an eye on your finances or you’ll be stopping before you’ve really got going.  Materials and supplies can be costly and soon add up if you don’t get a handle on them. As makers it’s tempting just to price a piece as what we think someone would pay regardless of taking into account our time and material costs so having a spreadsheet of costs using a pricing formula that is both good for your business and you as the maker and also attractive to potential customers. There’s many pricing formulas for handmade work and it can vary for different disciplines and if you’re doing bespoke work so see what works best you in your handmade field.
Set aside time each week if you can or at least once a month to go through your finances.  You may not make a profit for a while when you’re first starting out but if you can start the right way and create financial habits for your business you’ll be in good stead as your business grows.  

As you’re business grows you may want to invest in new production equipment, tools, and training so building up your finances in the early days can really help with this.  

In my experience having three bank accounts is great place to start - I’m not a financial expert in any way, so do seek financial advice if you have questions about setting up and managing your finances, but this set up works well for me and gives you the right amount of motivation to build your business. The idea is taken from the book ‘Profit First’ by Mike Michalowicz and is well worth a read.   

1) A business account so your business expenses, and incomes, don’t mix with your personal account.

2) A business savings account, and

3) a profit and tax account.

This way each month you can portion up any profit you’ve made in your business and distribute it between the accounts. A portion will be reinvested into your business and remain in your business account, a portion will go into your business savings account - I use this account to draw a monthly salary - some months you’ll be putting more into this account than others but I like to  keep what I pay myself out of this pot the same each month so it’ll grow and be there for when I have quieter months.  A separate portion of any profit from the month then goes into the profit and tax account. These are the proportions I use in my business:

• Operating expenses to stay in my business account - 40% 

• Business savings account - 45%

• Profit & Tax account - 15%

Over time you’ll want to start putting more into your profit and tax account so you ensure you have enough to cover your tax bill at the end of the year.  

These are just a few of the challenges that you’ll face as a handmade craft entrepreneur and there'll be many more along the way, but there’s also many benefits! 

If you approach each of these challenges with your eyes open and view them as opportunities, you’ll actually start enjoying being challenged in these ways.  As your craft business grows so does your personal growth and I think that’s one of the greatest things about having your own handmade business, your own growth in confidence, knowledge and skills. You’ll meet new like minded people, you’ll become more confident in your craft and your business skills in everything from marketing to styling and branding your business.  You’ll be able to work the hours you want and made a future out of your skills and passions.

Final words…

The world is truly there for you to embrace.  Time is precious and fleeting - spending it with those you love and doing the things you love, sharing your joy, your passions and enthusiasm in your life is so important. Don’t look back and regret not starting sooner.