Crafters Guide, Resources and TipsPage Directory for Crafters Guide: ~Crafters Resources ~QUALITY BUSINESS CARDS ON A BUDGET ~How to accept credit cards with or without a merchant account ~TAKING YOUR CRAFT TO THE INTERNET AND FINDING A WEB SITE HOST ~Teaching your craft ~HOW TO RUN A INTERNET AUCTION BUSINESS If you are ready to market and sell your crafts or creative talent, here are some resources. A crafters guide to assist you from the start.
Below this article, I will include affordable getting started links such as getting business cards, how to accept credit cards without big set-up fees and monthly fees, finding a web site host, or even how to make additional income teaching your crafts. Personal Article: When I first decided I really did have a good product and the opportunity to prune and grow my own business, I did not know exactly where to begin. Now I understand the importance of "Planning and Research". At the time, I was home with my youngest of three, and as you know with a baby, time is very limited and your energy exhausted. I made many mistakes by rushing the process. I remember having tons of questions and doubt going through my head and no idea where to get the answers. I look back now and can see that I really didn't ask "the right questions". What I am saying is.....sit back, relax, think of what your wanting to accomplish, focus, write down your ideas, your questions, who would your customers most likely be, your resources and anything else you think you need to note at this time. This is why I decided to write a crafters guide! How much time you have to market and sell your items? Where and how you would be most comfortable to sell your items? You will be surprised at how much you can "brainstorm". Good. Keep going. Now you have just brainstormed and begun your "Planning" process. Next is "Research". Research will depend on what your goals are. What you need to know to get your business going, and where you will conduct this business. Craft Fairs, Internet, Store, Festivals, Consignment or Home Parties. MISTAKES: If you are leaning towards selling on the internet, then let me share a couple of my earlier mistakes with you. When I decided to go online with my products, as I said earlier, I totally rushed into it and got roped into a four year contract with a web hosting company. It was confusing, I was confused! I was trying to learn too much and trying to do too may things at once. I lost my focus. I should have spent time researching web hosting companies until I could understand what they could do for me, what I needed, and how much it should cost by comparing many companies. Had I researched, I would have seen that many companies do not have contracts, which is what you want in any case! Don't agree to any contracts! I paid way too much and received way too little. This was about a $4,000 dollar mistake, and not my last! Do not get roped into a website hosting contract-Do not over-pay for web site hosting.
So before you leap into internet land, do your homework!!! Research your options, try to avoid any contracts, be realistic about the services and features you will need to run your business. Planning ahead and creating a business plan that fits your time schedule and lifestyle will keep you from making these types of expensive mistakes. Make sure anyone you deal with has a "live" customer service contact number and address and you can also check with the Better Business Bureau for any negative reports on companies you want to possibly do business with.
Accepting Credit CardsDecide the features that you need such as size and design tools. Do you want a shopping cart and do you want to accept credit cards? In order to accept credit cards as payment from your customers, you need to have a "Merchant Account". That is, you need to establish an account with a company who authorizes and processes credit card transactions. In most cases there is an initial application/set-up fee, and then there is a monthly service fee, a percentage and per transaction fee and a minimum processing fee. It is all broken down for you in the application/contract agreement. Read these terms and conditions carefully! If you think you are not ready for this much commitment, back out and keep searching for a Merchant that is better for you. These contracts can be from two to four years and even if you never process a credit card transaction as payment you still have to pay these monthly charges which can be around $40-$45 a month! It's a big step and not as risky for those opening a "brick" or "actual" store because people will find you and come on in. But, if you are opening a "internet store", it is a different story! Don't let anyone convince you that you need to open a Merchant account right away! It takes months and even a year to start getting enough traffic (visitors) to your site to make any kind of sale. Once you start getting enough people and prospects to your site, then and only then should you consider the cost and commitment of a "merchant account". This is what your host and no one tells you from the start and it can be a costly mistake and using money your new business needs elsewhere to get going! The second part of processing credit cards on the internet is the need for something called "Gateway Access". Gateway access is the name for the technology and systems which can automatically process credit card payments for orders taken on the internet. This will be your choice. What "Gateway Access" does is gives you the "hands-off" process. A merchant in a store uses a "keypad/swipe terminal which makes an impression of a credit card. Gateway access replaces the "swipe terminal" because you will not be handed a credit card. So "gateway access" takes your customers private credit information through "secure" encoding technology and then sends this information to your "merchant account" who then "authorizes and processes" the transaction and puts the money in your bank account. Gateway Access has it's own fee also! You can choose to not have "gateway access" but you will have to "phone in" or "manually key in" your credit card orders to your "merchant" instead. Again, research well and see what your costs and options are. Some Merchant providers may have some restrictions on web-based transactions due to fraud, chargebacks, etc. If you don't understand something, call customer service and ask. If they don't give you good service, you may want to call someone else. I remember getting really bad service from who was "supposed to be one of the biggest and best". I was very happy the day my contract ended with them!!!!! I found that you can be made to feel a little stupid when you don't even know what questions to ask when you are just getting started! Don't let this get you crazy....it will all come together and you will learn as you go. My advice is: "Do not jump in....learn, research until you do have an understanding so you will have a better chance of running your business".
 Learn More About PayPal Business Cards/Print WorkWhen you have reached the decision to sell your handmade crafts, then you begin to plan your "marketing". This will include where, when and how as well as all your printing needs.Business Cards: If you are interested in getting business cards but don't want to order hundreds to start with, then I have provided a link below. I still use this company myself and have been very happy with the service and quality. Continue to Crafters Resouces Please check back soon......This section is basically being updated and added to as I have the time. We will be covering many topics of interest to crafter's, service sellers, and any business in it's infancy or well established and would like to venture into other areas of marketing.
Thanks for visiting! Throughout the Crafters Guides sections, are some extremely helpful publications that I highly recommend. Choose the one that most likely will be beneficial to your individual venture, or...choose many topics to explore the many possibilities and use them all for diversity and greater exposure. We hope you come back and visit us again, so please bookmark our site. HOW TO RUN A INTERNET AUCTION BUSINESSHow to run a Internet Auction Business Selling Your Craft on the InternetIf people cannot find your web site, you will not be successful!
Targeted traffic is the key to net income. Teaching and Sharing Your CraftsCrafter's......Make Money Teaching Your SkillIf you are a crafter or craftsman with a special skill or have knowledge in any area that you are passionate about, then you may want to think about sharing that knowledge with others. For most of us, there is something we do, something we know about that someone else would be interested in learning. Keep reading.... Site Links:
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