Handmade Art, Digital Art and Small Business Success.

Making Money With 3d Art

2013-01-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

I have written often here about making money with your handmade crafts and greeting cards. Over the past few years, however lately I have become enamored with the world of digital art, virtual fashion and the seemingly limitless opportunities to create and earn money with these mediums online.

With so many people using online avatars and 3d models of themselves there is a whole new area opening up for people who can design clothing, make up, hair and virtually anything else you can think of that you would use in the real world. I have been exploring this new art form and find it very interesting. I have found loads of information and will begin to share what I learn right here with you on this blog as my skills develop. With something like 2 Billion people online now and growing the virtual world is a massive marketplace and tremendous opportunity for making money with your art.

I have become part of a new website focused on 3d art and although we are in the early stages, you can follow along over there and read lots of articles on the subject that I helped to write as well. Just click the above link labeled 3d art and you will be taken over to the new website I am talking about. It's a great place to determine if the subject matter will interest you and to decide if you want to pursue it further.

Anyway, this is a big shift from my history of handmade art, but I feel that art can express itself in many forms, I am very excited to be a part of this new journey and look forward to sharing all I can right here with you.

Best Wishes,

How Much Can I Charge for my Handmade Crafts?

2012-10-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

You have worked so hard designing and creating your unique handmade crafts and then it comes time to price them and a clear thought process goes out the window. Emotions can get in the way and confuse our logical mind. It is not always as simple as the cost of materials plus your time spent creating equals your break even price, now just add a fair percentage for profit and your done. As Artists we put much more than our time and money into our creations. They are each a small part of us and to some degree like children that we let out into the world. How do I possibly put a price on that?

Well, here are a few strategies you may want to consider for how to price your handmade crafts:

1-Logical Method (boring,but safe).
Figure out the cost of materials (don't forget shipping fees if your supplies were shipped to you). plus your time spent creating (pay yourself well, you are an Artist and a gift to this world). I recommend at least double the current minium wage. If you are a specialist like a precious metals worker then find out the correct wage for your skill. This number is your break even number. Now add what you believe to be a fair profit percentage and you have your price. Here is an example:
Supplies $8.50 + $16.00 an hour = $24.50
$24.50 break even price + 50% profit = $36.75
Price for your craft is $36.75 (for a craft that you spent 1 hour of time on).
Remember that your profit margin and hourly rate are for you to decide, the above is just an example. Keep in mind that a company may mass produce greeting cards at a cost of .35cents and if they charge $3.50 it is a 1000% profit margin for them, yet the customer feels they are paying a fair price.

2- Intuitive method for pricing.
As an Artist I rely a lot on my intuition as I believe many of us do. Why not use that same wonderful gift to help you in pricing? Here is what I sometimes do:
Take some time away from your creation, just a few minutes even, have a cup of tea or do some other activity. Return to the area where your handmade craft is, give it a quick look and say out loud "I will sell this item for...(say the first dollar value that comes to mind, do not engage your logical mind by thinking about it). This is your price. Remeber that many people buy based on emotional reasons like beauty, inspiration and love.

3-Research method for pricing your handmade crafts.
Go to Amazon.com and search for similar items, be sure to be as specific as possible. You want to compare items that are the best match. Make sure you are writing down prices of new products, amazon often lists items that are used. Go to eBay and do the same thing. Google the type of craft you made and see what others are pricing similar ones at. Make a list of several prices and then calculate the average and and that is your price.

4- Ask someone else what they would be willing to pay. Try to find someone who is not too close to you. A store owner where you frequently go is an ideal person.

5- Averages method for pricing.
Complete all 4 of the above methods, add them together and then divide that number by 4 to get your price. For example:
1=$36.75
2=$45.00
3=$42.50
4=$47.00
Total=$171.25 divided by 4 = $42.80

Now matter how you choose to determine the price for your handmade crafts, remember that you as an artist are delivering value to this world in everything that you create. It is the artist that helps us all to see the world in a new way. Please take a moment and give this post a +1 on Google if you feel it deserves one.

Best Wishes,
Bette

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PEP Your Business Up

2012-10-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it.

-- Theodore Roosevelt

I remember when I was asked by a few of my very fist clients about when I would have my Christmas collection ready. I was so new in my business that I had not even thought about it yet. I was just making cards with romantic themes and was still so happy that they were getting a good response.

I then did what I now refer to as PEP. I promised my clients that my Christmas cards would be ready by mid-September. It was already August, I had no supplies or set thoughts for making Christmas cards and time was ticking. Some may call this stress, but I feel it as Positive External Pressure or as I now like to call it, PEP. PEP worked wonders for my motivation, persistence and productivity.

I went on to design what was to become my businesses second best selling category :
Handmade Christmas Cards and I enjoyed a huge boost to my business in so many ways. I gained more knowledge, new suppliers, more customers and had lots of fun too. This has been a great method for expanding my business and I use it whenever I feel like I have hit a plateau or just want to stir the creative energy up. For me it happened naturally, but there is no reason you can't use this method intentionally.

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A few things to keep in mind when using PEP are:

-Make sure that whatever it is you promise, you truly believe that you can do it.
-If for some reason you see that you are not going to be able to get it done before the deadline, do not be afraid to tell the truth about why you are delayed or why it is no longer possible.

Here is another example of a way you can add PEP to your business:

Announce a competition for the best new product idea where the winner will receive the first one you create for free or have it named after them. Set the submission deadline and winner announcement dates. (Never arraigned a customer competition before? Perfect, get busy finding out how to do it.)

Click to Tweet - "PEP worked wonders for my home based business."

Be creative, have fun and PEP up your business today!

Best Wishes,

Bette

P.S. If you feel that you got some value from this blog please take a moment and give us a google + by clicking the G+ button. Thank you.

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A Truly Free Scrapbooking Event. Really.

2012-09-22T03:44:00.000-07:00

I know, it sounds like one of those titles that over promises just to get you to read it, but this is the real deal. Remember my last post about Lain's scrapbooking business soon to break six figures? Well Lain just notified me that she is offering a free, live online event on October 2nd. It's called October's scrapinar and Lain says:

"We are welcoming Jennifer Woodbury, a creative team member for Becky Higgins' Project Life, as she shares "Project Life Step-by-Step." Whether you're a dedicated Project Life participant, a newcomer to the concept, or a complete "I have no idea what you're talking about" neophyte, this f-r-e-e event will whet your appetite for scrapbooking and help you figure out how to fit Project Life in your schedule.

The event is scheduled for October 2, 2012. If you can't join live, as always, they will be having a replay event -- but you MUST pre-register!

If you've been curious about how the True Scrap event works in October,(that's the one I spoke about in the previous blog), then this is a perfect time to check out the webroom risk-free! Join them on Oct. 2 2012 -- and invite a friend!"

Go there now, it really is free! Here is the link:

Click here to view more details

You can also go to my website at Creative Cards 4U and see more information on our scrapbooking page.

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This is an awesome opportunity to learn not only a lot about scrapbooking, but to also pay attention to good methods for developing and driving your own business. It is just another idea that someone is putting into practice to make extra income with their passion for handmade crafts. Go there and take some action of your own. If you missed the link, here it is again:

Click here to view more details

Best Wishes,

Bette

Six Figure Scrapbooking?

2012-09-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

Scrap booking has been joked about by the "make money online" community for a long time. I am here to tell you about Lain, who's scrapbook "hobby" is about to break six figures for her. To me there is a lot of fun in turning your arts, crafts and any other creative abilities into a successful money making business, but I assure you it is no joke. I will include a link to Lain's business at the end of this article, I am proud to affiliate with such a wonderful, creative person.

Lain is a success story, smart and hard working. She was a freelance journalist focusing in the high tech marketing industry, but had a passion for scrap booking inspired by her kids. With the dot com bubble burst in 2000, that work started to become slow. She took her writing skills and coupled with her love of scrapbooking started writing for a scrapbooking magazine. She was doing well again and building a following when suddenly our next economic disaster occurred and the magazine she worked for folded.

Lain then decided to start doing what she did for the scrapbooking magazine, but for herself instead. She had a blog and built a community through sharing ideas and encouragement. She read and took business courses and developed strategies to build her hobby into a business. She came up with an idea that no one else is doing in the scrapbooking world that I know of. It's a live online 2 day interactive classroom with 15 experts sharing ideas,tips and inspiration. You experience a community atmosphere and the feeling of being part of something bigger. It' a wonderful event that gives so much.

Here is the link to her business:

Click here to view more details

With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas on the way this scrapbooking resource will certainly elevate your creative application of all those great family photos you will be taking this season. I highly recommend participation in this event as it will flood your mind with creative ideas for your personal life and for your business development. It's October 19-20th 2012, with a special savings for those who register by September 30th. Hope to see you there!

I want to give a special thanks and credit to Pat Flynn of smartpassiveincome.com as the source for my discovery of Lain and her story. His podcast is well worth listening to if you want honest, transparent information on business development.
Thanks Pat!

Make Money with Handmade Wedding Invitations

2010-03-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

A great way to expand your handmade greeting card business is to offer handmade wedding invitations. According to google trends, handmade cards are trending way up as regular mass produced cards are trending steadily downward. Now is the time to begin marketing your talents towards more lucrative areas. Many people become engaged during the Holiday season from Christmas, New Year's and through Valentine's Day. They often set their date for the following year's Spring/Summer season. Begin speaking with everyone you know and putting the word out about your cards. This gives you ample time to study and learn all the necessary details and to be prepared for your new business. The great part is you will soon be receiving orders for 100-350 cards at a time insted of 1-3 cards. This will dramatically change your business, so plan for temporary hiring and other space expansions to accomodate the manufacturing. This does not have to be a permanent space as you are probably working from home, so don't worry about taking over the den or living room temporarily, it will be well worth it!
All the Best!
Bette

Handmade Greeting Cards, Give to Get

2010-03-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

Oops, I accidentally moved this post to my drafts. It is one of my most popular with over 1,400 views so I wanted to be sure and get it back on the blog again.

When marketing your handmade greeting cards or arts and crafts, remember 'Give to Get'. Giving away your cards is a wonderful way to get exposure and create good will. When we first started our business I met a man who was a fund raising events promoter. It came up in conversation that he was having a private party in a Manhattan hotel for about 15 people. I offered to make his invitations for him at no charge, he was thrilled. Upon receiving the invitations, he was very pleased and he invited me to display as many cards as I liked around the hotel suite for his guest to view during the party. To our pleasure, Kathy Hilton ended up being the receipient of one of our cards and the party led to quite a wonderful response.

Your product is your best advertisement so never think of giving them away as an expense you can't afford. Believe in your Art and your talent and give without the expectation of anything in return . Remeber most mass produced items are discarded relatively quickly, anything handmade usually stays around for quite some time. The products you have given out are likely to be 'out there' working on your behalf for a long time.

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Best Wishes,

Bette

PS Visit my handmade card website right here.

Start your handmade greeting card business now.

2010-02-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

Why should you start your handmade greeting card small business now? One look at Google trends.com under the keyword, 'handmade greeting cards' and you'll see some amazing reasons. As of 2009 there has been a huge spike in the number of online searches for handmade greeting cards. Interestingly the searches for 'greeting cards' has been trending steadily downward, indicating a consumer driven interest in handmade art. We have been online with our handmade greeting cards since 2000 and have subsequently secured a consistent top 10 ranking on google under that search term as well as few others. Now more than ever and I don't know the reason, I can only acknowledge the statistics, people are becoming more interested in this niche. So get yourself going and expose yourArt to the world. You can also utilize google trends.com to investigate your other small business ideas and see where they are heading. Best of Luck!

We recommend that you get started building your own website as soon as possible. Here is a link to a free, powerful website builder that you can use as long as you like.
Free Website Builder - You will love it!

You can visit one of our handmade greeting card websites at http://www.creativecards4u.com/

Small Business Exposure

2010-02-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

Here are some tips for getting your small business more exposure. This is the first post on our new series of Small Business Exposure for your Handmade Greeting Cards or any other product/service.

Almost every town has a local paper and we mean local, not a mainstream publication yet. Get your local town/village paper and find out who the writers are and for what sections. Make contact, you must self-promote. This may seem uncomfortable, but look at the bigger picture of getting your artwork or small business idea exposure. Tell the writer who you are, how long you have lived in town, what you do and why it is a great local story. Send them a card or sample of your small business product. Offer some incentive, free writing/shipping etc. Keep in mind they may turn you down, however maintain and build the relationship. Be sure to make contact again several weeks before any Holiday, it could be the perfect time for your story/business. Relationships are everything, maintain them.

Lots more to come on our small business exposure series. Stay Tuned.

Greeting Card Small Business Tips

2010-02-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

This weeks small business tips for your handmade greeting cards are regarding paper.

When building a small business it is important that your products are as professionally looking as possible. To give your cards a really professional look we recommend that you bring your card stock to your local printer and have all your paper professionally scored. Scoring your cards by hand can look a little sloppy and also unnecessarily waste good paper. We also suggest getting a cutting board to make clean,straight cuts. The detail cuts can always be done with scissors later. Don't worry, your cards will still have that handmade look and feel because all of your artwork is applied by hand. We hope you will appreciate the time saved and the added professionalism these tips will provide for your small business.

As far as what type of paper to use, that all depends on your individual artistic needs and whatever message you are trying to send. Contact as many companies as you can and often times they will send you free samples, which are a great boost to any small business.

You can visit one of our handmade greeting card websites at www.creativecards4u.com
and we recommend that you get started building your own website as soon as possible. Here is a link to a free, powerful website builder that you can use as long as you like.
http://www.vodahost.com/partner/idevaffiliate.php?id=14940

All the Best,

Bette

Small Business, Your Most Important Tool

2010-01-09T04:28:00.000-08:00

The most important tool in creating a successful small business is Relationships.
Your relationship with everyone from your paper suppliers,local printer,business associate,friends and family all contribute enormously to your success.

For example we have found that when you are researching companies to provide your paper needs, the right approach can often get you many free samples to experiment with and often use for a few final products. What a great cost/benefit ratio. You then of course return the favour with future business and personal recommendations for that company. The same goes for your local printer, they will often professionally score all your paper at little or no cost if they believe in the relationship. They also come in handy when you need bulk cutting, your own business cards etc.

The primary rule is to try to under promise and over deliver while always being upfront and sincere about what you are trying to accomplish. We will be posting more tools and tips to help with your success and we wish you all the best.

Beautiful greeting cards are one thing, website ranking is another.

2010-01-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

For years we designed beautiful handmade greeting cards that were a labor of love. Some designs could be done in about an hour and some took as long as 18-20 hours. We started about ten years ago when the internet was still fairly new and developing quickly. We gave little thought to keywords and website ranking as the Art and Creating always took precedent. As a result our cards were beautiful and our sales were almost entirely local,(which is a good place to start).

About two years into the business we turned our attention to keywords, search engine optimization and other not-so artistic, but very important matters. With a few focused changes our business began to rank higher and higher on search results and sales began to come in from all around the world. Local business soon became the minority percentage as we sold cards to England, Israel, Morrocco, India, Lithuania and more. We were truly astonished. We now rank in the top 10 on google for the keywords 'handmade greeting cards' and 'handmade birthday cards' as well as the top 50 for 'handmade wedding invitations'. Go ahead and search those keywords in google and when you see http://www.creativecards4u.comthen you have found one of our very first sites. Word of mouth was a great start, however to really grow and sustain your small business, a website is priceless.

The reason I am sharing this with you is that as a Creative person and you know if you are one, it helps to know the importance of getting started on your website as soon as possible. It can and will open up a whole new world for your Art and lead you to places you may have never dreamed of going. As a result of our success we are currently developing over 15 different websites that will be premiering worldwide very soon.

So while you are perfecting your designs,and we know how that goes,get your site going and the two (your Art and the site ranking) will gel at the right time.
After 10 years of using many different site builders and host we are truly comfortable recommending the following link:
Free Website Builder - You will love it!
It will allow you the artistic freedom you need while offering tons of video tutorials to guide you through every or any step you want help with.

We will be posting our personal tips on building your Art business right here, so check back regulary or follow this blog. All our Best.

Handmade greeting cards and extra income

2010-01-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Starting today I am going to publish articles on how to earn extra income with handmade greeting cards. It's a fun way to earn money doing something you love that helps others to share their appreciation for one another.

If you enjoy creating, you are more than half way there already. A digital camera and a computer and you can eventually gain worlwide exposure for your handmade greeting cards.

One of the most important things you can do towards getting your handmade greeting card projects turned into a business is to get started right away with a website. Don't worry about any technical issues, the website builder we recommended below is loaded with video tutorials that walk you through every aspect of site building and answers all your questions. Here is the link:
Free Website Builder - You will love it!

Getting started now is important because it is one of the factors taken into cosideration by search engines that are going to help your business get a higher ranking. Higher ranking means more exposure. In other words, the longer you are online the better, so don't allow yourself to get in your own way with excuses. There are currently 1.6 billion people using the internet and that number is increasing daily. You have the opportunity to begin reaching out to people you never dreamed of before with your designs, so start today!