Most people find the prospect of selling crafts online very exciting. And rightfully so. The Internet is rife with opportunities and ways to sell your stuff.
There are many different methods of reaching eager customers all over the world. You can use ‘ready to sell’ third-party platforms that me selling online extremely simple, all you can start your own blog, e-commerce stores, jus a wide variety of social media tools to reach people all across the globe and perform many most exciting tasks to sell online successfully.
However, a bit of a reality check is needed before taking the plunge. As exciting as it may seem, selling online takes a particular blend of mind and the work to go along with it. You should definitely read the “10 qualities of online entrepreneurs” to get an insight into the mindset of successful online sellers.
If you find yourself in agreement and can identify the same traits in yourself, you are probably ready to be an online seller.
Ask yourself the following to decide if selling online is the right decision for you.
- Will you enjoy making your art and craft as a job? You will want to be organised and disciplined if you want to be successful as an online crafts person.
- Is your craft popular with people? Can you perform adequate market research to check on this aspect of your work?
- Will you be able to change and modify your craft to make it better if required?
- Do you have the time to devote for developing your business?
- Do you also have the money to start and sustain the business and support yourself in the time that the business starts making a profit?
- Do you have the space, tools and equipment to start the business? Do you have the money to invest if you don’t?
- Have you discovered your competition? How are you going to design and grace your product to be competitive?
- Are you ready to do the leg work to get the required licenses and permits, and to tackle issues like taxes, insurance and copyright?
- Are you willing to learn extra skills needed to run a business?
We would like to expand on the last point mentioned. As someone who is first starting out with an online business for the first time, you will need to perform a lot of duties yourself. Apart from making the craft, you are also responsible for taking the pictures, writing product descriptions, listing the product online, writing emails, shipping the product, handling pre and post sale customer care, taking care of accounts etc.
All of the above it true unless you are starting out with a big investment where you can afford to hire people right from the start.
What this means is, in addition to everything else you have to rely on your own skills a lot. So ask yourself the following.
- Are you able to get super organised so that you can wear many hats when it comes to running things at your business front?
- Can you write well for blogs, emails and product descriptions?
- Are you comfortable with using the computer, internet and social media platforms to reach a wide range of customers?
- Are you comfortable with handling accounts and keeping control of your business expense?
- Are you ready to constantly improve and get better at what you are doing, so that your business stays fresh and sustains for a long time to come?
- Are you motivated and inspired to stay productive, creative and focussed to deliver the best results always?
Selling online successfully takes a serious commitment on your part. But the definition of success also differs from one person to another. To some personal gratification means more than the money making aspect of the work.
But a business needs to make money to sustain itself. And profit making is the primary parameter for measuring the success of a business. It is a sign that your craft is loved and popular with people. In that sense, business profit is not only about money but about personal satisfaction as well.
Therefore, be ready to make a commitment to your online business and nurture it with hard work and inspiration till you make a success out of it. Your kind of success.
