Remember how the craft room used to look? Since I took Friday off along with Kimba and what seems like half the interneters I used the time to clean the craft room. And think.
Nesting Place was a business long before it was a blog. I started off selling tassels and garlands and baby items over 5 years ago. I never really had a business plan or a goal but I knew I was having fun and I wasn’t loosing money.
Last year Nesting Place had over 500 sales on etsy and more in local shops and craft shows and raked in about $20,000. Wow!
Wait, you have to subtract supplies and shipping charges and fees and junk like that. And all the stuff I’ve paid for but haven’t used yet. I think right now I have over 300 toppers and over 150 yards of fringe. The profit was less than 50%. Nesting Place made about $9,500 in tasseling sales last year. And The Nester worked her tail off. Hence the question that every crafter asks them self. Some on a daily basis:
Is it worth it?
Each person has to decide for herself if it’s truly worth the time to do the craft. But, I can share with you what has worked for me and how I’ve been able to keep doing what I love. But maybe I’ll quit tomorrow. Or maybe I won’t…
1. Debt Free Crafting
Every cent used for Nesting Place has been cold hard cash. Staying true to not going into debt for my business forced me to evaluate every purchase. I’m not implying that that a person wouldn’t evaluate every purchase when charging something but we feel the pain of spending so much more when we fork over a $20 bill as opposed to a credit card that yes, I am implying that every purchase that is charged might not be evaluated to the fullest. I had to start small and build on past sales putting the money back into the business for the next show. It seemed like every purchase was a risk but since I started small it was always a risk we could afford to take. And still is. I only buy supplies after selling merchandise.
2. You Gotta Love It
I {big puffy heart} tassels. I think they are darling. I think they are adorable. I think they are the most enchanting, precious, captivating items that you will never need. And I wish I could keep every one I’ve ever sold. I love them dearly. They each have their own personality and I could have one on every lamp, armoire, cabinet, knob, hook and maybe one on the hood ornament of my car. Do you think that’s taking it too far?
But it’s not enough to love the finished product. You have to love the process. For me, I’m addicted to beautiful fringe. Bullion, brush, chenille, pom pom, ribbon, feather, tassely–I love it all! I like finding good deals on the supplies and I love putting ribbons and fringe and toppers together in different ways to create something spectacular. I could make tassels for hours on end. If I’m not in the mood I just don’t go up in the craft room but for the most part, the only thing I need for motivation is a cute topper and 12 inches of plush fringe.
Making something you completely enjoy is sometimes the biggest and only payoff when you have a craft. I would be very careful before I launched into a craft that I didn’t fully love.
3. A Supportive Spouse
Lucky for me my husband has an adventurous spirit. He’s the most encouraging person I know. I think I would have quit years ago if it weren’t for him making sure I knew that I should do what I love. I hope I can return the favor one day. I’m thinking if he was the one making tassels and having a tornado style craft room I’d tell him to burn it all.
Not to mention the fact that when you make something and sell it, it has a way of taking over the entire house. If the people you share your house with are fed up with your crafting ways, it’s that much harder to make it work.
4. A Dedicated Space
A craft room is fantastic if you can spare the space. This is the first time I’ve had a room all to myself. The most important part of the room? The door. You can close it and pretend like the room doesn’t exist. That is what you are after with your craft space. No matter where your craft space is–be it a corner, a basket or a room, I find it important to be able to pack it away or shut the door or cover it up and forget about it every now and then.
I also had to learn to allow the room to be a creative mess. I sit on the floor surrounded by all my junk. That’s how I create and I make no apologies for it.
5. Know Thyself
Everyone has their own definition of success. Everyone has different goals. Each of us enjoys a different type of work and finds beauty in different things. Aren’t you glad?
Some things that I’ve discovered about myself:
- I hate shipping. I hate the packing and the taping and the making sure I have all the right supplies for shipping. It’s not fun and I don’t like it. {if you haven’t gotten your package yet, I’m shipping out today–if you’re lucky}
- I don’t like to make lots of the same item. I don’t even like to make two of the same item. There are some crafts that would not suit me because of my non liking of repeating the same thing.
- I want to be in charge of what I make. I want to make it when I want to make it. Apparently I am demanding. Custom orders and me don’t mix.
- I am super picky. Currently I have a box of over 51 tassels that I have deemed not good enough to list.
There are also some positive things about me:
- If I like something I can work on it for hours, HOURS on end I tell you.
- I can create beautiful tassels fast.
- I am creative and love to find new and better ways to make cute junk.
- I’m not a pushy saleswoman. When I’m at a show I’m not actively trying to sell–I’ve actually told people not to by stuff {when they say, “my husband’s gonna kill me for this”} I enjoy the show and the people and somehow, it works for me.
Knowing what motivates you and what your strengths and weaknesses are will help you decide how to market your wares and the types of services you can offer. Don’t be afraid to adjust and tweak what you are doing over time.
So, it is worth it? I’m still trying to figure that one out. Some days it’s so rewarding to make something and have someone be willing to purchase it. Some times it feels like a big fat waste of my time. But I do think it’s worth thinking about. If you have a craft make sure you set aside a time to evaluate what you do, why you do it, how much you are actually profiting, how much time you are spending, what the true costs are and if you are enjoying it. Now go to my etsy shop and buy up all the cute, needless junk I’ve made.
