How To Profit From Craft Shows

So, what does it take to start profiting from selling
your crafts at craft shows? Following are the first four steps I would
take to getting your small business off the ground:

1.) Choose
the right craft – This part is easier said than done. If you have to
make a craft for $10 each, and you can only sell it for $12 at a craft
show, you probably aren’t going to be happy with the overall profit at
the end of the day. It is important for you to choose a craft that has
a low start up cost and a higher sale price – this is basic business
101. Something that only costs you $3 to make and you can sell for $10
is going to give your bottom line a huge boost.

2.) Set your
price right – This is just as crucial as choosing the right craft. In
order to set your price right, you need to know EXACTLY how much the
craft costs you to make. This includes all of the costs associated with
making and selling the craft: transportation to and from craft shows,
driving to get the supplies, the supply costs and even a little bit of
a labor cost, too. Once you have your costs fixed, then you can set the
retail price, and provide yourself a decent return on the investment.
You probably don’t need to make a fortune of your crafts, but it would
be nice to see a healthy profit at the end of the day.

3.) Lower
supply costs – Do whatever you can to keep the supply costs as low as
possible. This is where you are going to incur the most expense when
making your crafts. If you think about it, if you can drop the cost of
making your craft by $1, just by making smarter supply choices, each
time you sell a craft, that dollar now goes into your pocket.

4.)
Choose your craft shows wisely – If you have to pay $500 for a weekend
craft show, keep in mind you need to include that in the overall ‘cost’
of your craft. If only 1,000 people come through the doors of that
craft show, you likely aren’t going to make enough money to recover the
cost of the show. That might be an extreme example, however it
illustrates the point. Take some time to choose the event that is going
to get you the most bang for your buck. It will likely take some time
to weed out the craft shows that aren’t working for you, but before
long you will only be going to the shows where you know there is a
strong demand for your craft.

Those are just four things to think
about to start profiting from craft shows. The right craft at the right
price at the right craft show – with low supply costs – is going to
help you bring home a heftier pay day at the end of the weekend. Good
luck!

Copyright 2006 Natalie Goyette

Natalie
Goyette shows you how to make your craft show business profitable in
her best selling ebook: Craft Show Success Secrets. Visit her site =>http://www.craftshowsuccess.com