Keep It Local

How to make your hobby a career By DawnKlingensmith Special to the Marin IJ CTWFeatures I ntheeveningsafterwork,Minniemakespincushions shaped like Victorian tea hats. Friends and family tell her, "You could sell these!" Minnie demurs. But then things get tougher at work. She has already taken a pay cut, and more layoffs are expected. Could she supplement her income by selling pincushions on the side? Could she maybe even quit her job and sew pincushions full time? Minnie is not real. But she represents countless amateur artisans who are thinking of turning their hobby into a career. More than 5 million Americans make artisan crafts, but just 30,000 to 50,000 of them count on sales as their main income, according to a Craft Organization Development Association report. Therefore, crafters might be wise to test the waters before diving in. "Slow and steady is the way to go. Don't quit your day job without understanding your competition and target market," says Kelly Rand, author of "Handmade to Sell" (Potter Craft, 2012). Going to craft fairs and online sites like eBay and Etsy to compare products and pricing is a start. Aspiring sellers need this type of benchmarking to write a plan describing the business and its products, the market it will serve and its competitive advantage or unique selling proposition. A business plan also states how much capital is needed to start and expand the business and includes projected earnings. Daunted by all that number crunching, creative types often launch into business without a written plan. "They would rather be doing creative work, but a business plan is important if you're going to run a healthy, profitable business," says Jennifer Lee, author of "The Right-Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success" (New World Library, 2011). When part-time crafters with day jobs can scarcely keep up with demand, and when they have sufficient funding to take the business to the next level, it may be time to take the plunge into full-time crafting. "The tipping point occurs when all you do after work is create, create, create, and you spend all your time on weekends at fairs and then go back to work exhausted on Monday," says Rand, adding that full-time crafters can eventually diversify by teaching classes and selling patterns and instructional videos. Rand devotes much of her book to the practicalities of business formation, including tax and legal requirements, securing health care and setting up retirement savings. Because the marketplace for handmade goods is so saturated, it's important that products and the people who make them have a good story behind them, Rand says. n ©CTWFeatures Craftybusiness Thanks to an online marketplace, it's easier than ever to make a career out of arts and crafts. Here's how to make the leap from part-time hobby to a full-fledged craft business. MILL VALLEY • 201 FLAMINGO RD. | FAIRFAX • 720 CENTER BLVD. | GENATURAL.COM FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS, GOOD EARTH NATURAL FOODS HAS BEEN COMMITTED TO OFFERING OUR COMMUNITY THE HIGHEST QUALITY ORGANIC FOOD WE CAN FIND. WE BELIEVE THAT ORGANIC FOODS OFFER US THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO HEAL OUR BODIES AND THE EARTH, WHICH IS WHY WE WORK DILIGENTLY TO PROVIDE THE LARGEST SELECTION OF ORGANICS IN MARIN COUNTY. BOTH OF OUR STORES FEATURE ORGANIC PREPARED FOODS, JUICES AND SMOOTHIES MADE FROM SCRATCH IN OUR GOOD EARTH KITCHEN, AS WELL AS 100% ORGANIC PRODUCE, ORGANIC BULK FOODS, RESPONSIBLY RAISED MEATS, SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD, ARTISAN CHEESES AND ECO-FRIENDLY HOUSEWARES. GOODEARTH NATURAL FOODS G O O D E A RT H N AT U R A L F O O D S O rg a n i c to t h e Co r e s i n c e 1969 12 September 9, 2018 Keep It Local A Marketing Supplement of the Marin Independent Journal | marinij.com

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