The #1 Secret to Starting a Successful Online Craft Business
You’re ready.
You’re ready to be seen as a serious artist and start a successful online craft business.
You’re ready to have the freedom to work for yourself, the flexibility of working from home, to be your own boss.
You want to quit your part time (or full time!) job. You want some disposable income to travel or donate.
You want to make your own schedule and spend more time with your family and friends.
But most of all, you want to make a living doing something you love, and to inspire others to create beautiful things.
Sound too good to be true?
Well, it’s not. And with some passion, patience, and persistance (you’ll need all 3), you can also make this your reality.
Starting an online craft business and selling online for the first time is an exhilarating experience. You’re making things by hand and sharing them with the world.
You’re putting yourself out there in a new way that is borderline terrifying yet fulfilling, but you don’t even care because you know in your gut, that this is what you were meant to do.
Today I want to share the #1 thing that finally allowed me to be successful in my online craft business after years and years of trying everything I could think of.
This article is for artists and crafters who:
wake up every day, wishing they could just spend the day working on their craft instead of going to their day job
long for meaningful work where they can create and inspire others daily
want to make a part time or full time living from their craft
are ready to go all in on their passion, and are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed
want to do more than just sell their crafts online, they want to teach their process or provide custom services, plan a retreat, create a community, collab with other artists, take commissions, or even create digital products related to their craft
understand that social media is not a sustainable way to sell their art and don’t want to build their dream business on a risky changing algorithm
This article is not for artists and crafters who:
are happy posting their crafts strictly on Etsy and social media
are not willing to be patient and put in the work of building a sustainable business foundation
are just looking to sell any craft that will make them some quick cash from their art
aren’t interested in building a website or a relationship with their audience
If you want to make a few bucks on Etsy for some side cash and could care less about growing a sustainable business to eventually replace your part time or full time job, then this post is not for you.
(If this is you, I’d head over to Etsy and dive into their Seller’s Handbook).
Now that you know you’re in the right place (or not!), let me quickly introduce myself, so you know who you’re talking to and so you know that I’m not full of it.
My name is Danielle. I’m a lifelong creative and the owner of a handmade textile design company called The Recoverie, which I started in 2010 as a way of getting my art out into the world.
I am not only in the unique position of having tried a million different tactics to grow my handmade business throughout the years, but also that I’ve crossed over from the handmade crafting world into the digital marketing world and learned firsthand what it takes to build a successful craft business online.
I’ve learned from copywriters, ad experts, course creators, launch experts, email marketers, social media experts, just as a start.
I have soaked up an insane amount of information in the past 10 years and I love to teach others how they can use this info to grow their craft businesses.
I know that from being surrounded by artists and makers of all types for the last decade or so, plus now working with them, that marketing and selling does not come easily to most creatives. It’s just not our personality.
So many artists and crafters start from and with nothing. They just have a passion for creating and like making things for themselves and their close friends and family.
Many feel guilty or uncomfortable when they decide to start selling their crafts online because they are literally 100% happy to just make stuff for themselves...but now they also need to pay their bills or they feel like they need to get their work out to the masses for personal fulfillment.
This of course also comes with a healthy dose of imposter syndrome, aka thoughts like:
“is my art even good enough to sell?”
“I have no idea how to market my crafts online”
“will anyone even pay for this?”
“I have so many ideas, I feel scatterbrained. How will I ever pick a niche?”
...etc.
On top of this you’re probably working as a solopreneur and you have no one to bounce your ideas off of. You’d love a community to connect with to make this path feel less lonely.
So if you’re wondering if I know how you feel as you prepare to start selling your work online and to get it out into the world…
I know exactly how you feel.
And I’m here to help. So let’s get into it.
You’re probably wondering when I’m going to get to the freakin point, when you’re going to hear about this big ‘secret’ that will lead your craft business to incredible online success.
You’re probably thinking that I’m going to be all cryptic and say that the secret is “wanting it bad enough” or something.
Nope.
I’m a no fluff kinda girl so here it is, plain and simple:
The #1 secret to starting a successful online craft business is to build a raving online following.
That’s it.
If you’re looking to grow a sustainable online craft business and eventually quit your part time or full time day job, then this needs to be your ultimate goal.
Why do I need a following?
In a word? Relationships.
When you’re selling art online, people need to trust you. That’s all there is to it. If people don’t trust you, or your website, they sure as hell aren’t going to trust your product, and that’s bad news for you.
By building a relationship with your followers, you are building an army of superfans that will become your best customers, your sounding board for new ideas, and your unofficial referral partners.
In fact, if you built up a following like this, you could even totally change direction in your craft business tomorrow, and they would (most of them) still continue to follow you and support you.
Why is this? Because you’ve gotten them to know, like, and trust you. They’re your loyal online besties and they want to know what you’re up to, see what other cool crafty things you’re going to make, and continue to learn from you and your journey.
How do I know this? Well, because I did it :)
What’s the difference between selling on a marketplace platform like Etsy, versus building a website and creating my own traffic? That seems like a lot of extra work.
This is the main difference between artists that want their business to be their life’s work and build a solid foundation from the ground up, vs the artists who want to make some easy side cash.
This is the main difference between artists who want to look professional, establish themselves as an expert in their field, provide services, sell courses or digital products, create inspiring content, and build a thriving online community that supports them and their work...vs artists who just want to sell $15 bracelets and be done with it.
Just because you love crafting and you want to sell some stuff online doesn’t mean you need to go all in and build a business.
That’s ok. You’re a hobby artist and you should enjoy it! You don’t need a website for that unless that sounds fun to you.
But right now I’m talking to the other artists.
If you’re reading this, and you’ve gotten this far, I’m guessing that you’re ready to put on your CEO hat and get started building your online business.
But maybe you’re not sure where to start.
There’s an insane amount of information out there and I know it can be overwhelming. Even in just the past 3 years or so, I feel like the online marketplace has exploded with new artists selling their work online, making it feel almost impossible to stand out.
I have some good news though. Listen carefully…
Most creatives have no idea wtf they’re doing.
Yep. Even if they have a beautiful website, a huge IG following and insane photos and products. Even then.
Just because you look good online doesn’t mean you’re profitable.
And that’s great news for you! Because if you’re one of the rare few who know how to set up a solid foundation and build traffic to your site and products, you’re going to majorly stand out in the marketplace by default.
(Hooray!)
So how do I start growing my following? This seems hard.
Well, I’m not going to lie, it’s not easy. But that’s why you really have to be committed to the process and be willing to put in the upfront work so your craft business runs like a well oiled machine down the line.
The good news is, it gets easier as you grow.
I was told that my first 1000 subscribers would be the hardest to get, and I found it to be true.
Once I hit that mark, things sped up drastically and my following is growing faster than ever now (with no big changes to my website or otherwise).
Imagine if you could set up an online craft empire that would:
- bring in your ideal customers on autopilot
- sell your work for you while you sleep, or you’re out to dinner
- bring in potential clients and custom inquiries on the regular
- and require nothing more than occasional tweaks and content creation to keep growing.
That’s what’s possible with this setup.
Below is the exact framework I use in my own craft business to bring in customers, clients, and creative gigs on autopilot. I’m sharing this so that you can see what you’ll need to replicate my process and find success for yourself.
Grab a paper and pen and let’s go.
The C.R.A.F.T. Framework:
C: Content
Content refers to anything you create to share with your followers. This could be a blog post, email, IG post, tutorial, resource list, photos, videos, anything really.
R: Revenue
Any income you make via product sales, commissions, etc.
A: A Website (I’m pushing it, I know.)
This is your empire. The one place where you have full control. Everything you do will link back to this home base which will make it easy for your customers to find and contact you, as well as shop your products. It also establishes you as an expert and displays a professional image.
F: Followers
Email subscribers specifically. Email subscribers will be the main base of your following and for good reason. People who subscribe to your email list are much more likely to purchase from you than social media followers, hands down. Don’t believe me? Go read the studies.
T: Traffic
Traffic, the holy grail to online business. You can have the perfect product, the perfect message, the perfect solution to their problem. If you don’t have traffic, you’re dead. Traffic refers to anyone who is visiting your website for any reason.
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Ok, so by now you know you need a website, a following (aka email subscribers), and some killer content to start growing your craft empire.
Before you start growing your following, you’re going to need to set up the basics.
There’s so much to do! What should you do first??
If you’re starting from scratch, the hardest thing is to know where to focus your energy first.
In my opinion, as long as you are moving forward a little bit every day (or as often as you can) you are winning. The order isn’t as important as your consistent forward movement.
Don’t overwhelm yourself, just pick a task that makes sense and get it done. This is where a lot of newbies hit major overwhelm, but it doesn’t need to be that way.
Here’s a general list of some of the things you’ll need to do if you’re just starting your online craft business:
Pick your niche
Pick your business name/DBA (Doing Business As) and register it with your state
Secure any permits or license you might need for selling (Seller’s permit, etc)
Decide on your product/s
Decide on your materials to make your products
Secure your social media handles and website domain name
Decide what kind of content you want to create for your followers other than just physical products
Set up a business bank account
Set up a business email address
Figure out where and when you’re going to work on your business
Decide how and where you’re going to sell your products
Decide on pricing for your products
Build your website/blog/online shop
Set up your email newsletter
Set up bookkeeping or your tax system
Set up a calendar with tasks (however small) so you can record your progress and feel good about it! (I highly recommend Asana, it’s free)
That’s a lot of things, I know. Take a breath…then take a screenshot or bookmark this page.
Building an online craft business from the ground up is not easy, but if you’re determined, it will be the best decision you ever make.
Here are 4 really big, but important tasks where I find artists get stuck. Keep reading to learn how to simplify these 4 important tasks.
Task 1: Pick your Craft Business Niche
If you have a lot of scattered ideas on what you want to make or sell (most artists do) you’re also going to need to organize your thoughts and pick a niche for your craft business.
It’s very important to narrow down your ideas and pick a specific niche. Especially if you’re just starting out. This narrowing of your niche is THE thing that will help you stand out in the market.
If you’re an artist that’s trying to appeal to everyone by making and selling everything, you are going to blend in and you’re not going to be very successful. That’s all there is to it.
Spend some time on this step, it’s really important. Consider all your niche options and the products you could sell with each, and what you think you would enjoy the most.
And above all, get specific.
“Watercolor painting” is not a specific niche. Are you selling watercolor paintings of pets for couples? Large scale abstract watercolor paintings for interior design?
Get specific. This is how you stand out. By attempting to try and appeal to everyone, you’ll appeal to no one.
Task 2: Build Your Craft Business Website
Once you’ve dialed in your niche, everything will get a lot more fun and clear. Now you need a simple website.
If you’re just starting your online craft business, here’s what I’d do first:
1. You’ll need a domain name (yourwebsite.com) which is an inexpensive investment, but you’ll want to do some major research before committing to a name. You can always re-brand down the line of course, but it can be a hassle.
If you don’t yet have a name for your craft business yet, start with a brain dump of every name you even remotely like, then slowly eliminate them one by one until you find the perfect name.
Make sure to Google it to make sure no one else has that domain, and to find out what else comes up when you search it.
2. Set up a Squarespace or Shopify (these 2 platforms are specifically built for content creators and small businesses with products, you can’t go wrong).
DO: Get up some basic info, share a little bit about your life and why you create, include clear beautiful photos and make sure you have a blog and easy to find contact info on your site.
Keep it simple. Confused visitors will leave if they can’t find what they want as easily as possible.
DON’T: Get stuck on this step. This is the NUMBER ONE mistake I see with craft artists selling online.
Websites are important, yes, but don’t spend every waking moment nitpicking over your font size and site colors. You can always come back and make it pretty later. Remember, just because you look good online doesn’t mean you’re profitable.
Now that you have your homebase set up, you’ll need to start building your following:
Task 3: Set Up Your Craft Business Email Newsletter:
This is how you’ll start building your following. Every subscriber you get will be part of your craft business fan club and you should appreciate each and every one!
Here is a list of email service providers you can check out and compare. I recommend Convertkit although many artists start with Mailchimp just because they’ve heard of them (I find it clunky and outdated).
...there’s a million more
Do your research, do all the trials and see what you like because it’s better to start with the provider you want to keep using so you don’t have to switch later!
Convertkit is actually free and you can use almost all the features (minus automation) up until you hit 1000 subscribers. Which is standard with most providers.
Once you get the tech setup, it’s time to invite people. Decide what the focus of your content will be (read Task 4 for this) and invite your family and friends to start.
Don’t get discouraged if people aren’t interested right off the bat. Your people are definitely out there but you have to learn to speak to them and attract them to your website.
It’s better to have a smaller number of ideal potential customers on your list than to have a huge list of people who could care less about what you do. Quality over quantity.
Stay positive and consistently invite people to follow your work via newsletter.
Task 4: Pick Your Content Topics
You may think you’re just selling a product, but it’s important to learn how to attract the right people and customers to your website, and you can do this with your content.
This is often the most overlooked aspect of starting an online craft business.
Content includes your email newsletter, your blog, any videos, images, social media posts, etc, that you create for your followers. You can use your content to build your brand, attract customers, and subtly sell your crafts.
For a detailed overview of how to figure out what kind of content you need to be creating for your email newsletter (and blog!) make sure to watch my video breakdown below.
How do I know what kind of content to create?
The most important thing to always remember is:
You attract what you put out.
What do I mean by that? Well, if you’re posting craft tutorials on how to bead modern friendship bracelets, you’re going to attract people who are interested in making beaded friendship bracelets.
If you’re selling acrylic paintings in your shop, they’re not going to buy them because they didn’t come to your site for paintings, they came for bracelets. And you aren’t selling any. (Big mistake!)
You need to ALIGN your content with the products that you’re selling.
Don’t just start randomly creating content. Figure out the type of person you want to attract to your site. Do some research and figure out what they want or what they need help with, then craft your content around that exactly.
To learn how to use your content to sell your crafts on your website, watch the video below.
This is the basis of what I built my online business on and it works. Yet most people won’t put in the work to get to this point and will never see extraordinary results.
Once you have those 4 tasks complete, you can really start focusing on building your following.
Here are some methods to start bringing in your super fans asap!
Create a freebie or a discount in exchange for their email address. This freebie is called a ‘lead magnet’.
Plan a collaboration with other artists where you’re sharing value and getting exposure to their followers too.
Do a blog post or a podcast interview for another creative in a similar field. This gets your name in front of new people.
Share your free offer anywhere you can think of. Get creative with it.
Do a giveaway, collect email addresses to enter the contest, and encourage people to invite their friends to enter too.
Remember that you want quality over quantity. There’s no point in having an email list full of people that don’t care about you or your art.
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In conclusion, starting an online craft business is a big endeavor, but if you’re passionate about what you do, sharing it with others, and you’re determined to succeed, you will.
Growing an engaged online following is the best thing you can do to grow your income and expand your business. Start your email newsletter and invite people every chance you get to follow you.
Ask them for feedback and what kind of new products they want to see from you. Use them as a sounding board.
As you grow, there are tons of other things you need to keep in mind as well, especially when you’re just getting started.
Here’s just a few other important things to consider as a new craft business owner:
Take risks! Every time I went out of my comfort zone, I learned so much and amazing things came of it. Push yourself.
Your business will evolve, and so will you. Be open to change and listen to your gut. If it feels wrong, don’t be afraid to try something else instead.
Listen to your audience and ask them what they want from you. If you are guessing what they want, or ignoring what they want you will lose. Every. Time.
Always continue to learn. Invest in coaches and books that can help you grow and improve your skills.
Don’t be afraid of failing. It’s going to happen, so embrace it. The people who succeed are the people that fail, then get back up and fail again until they finally succeed.
Bottom line. Make a to do list, get organized, do one thing at a time and celebrate every task you complete. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and soon enough you’ll be running your own successful online craft business too. :)
If you found this helpful and you’re interested in learning more about how to build a successful online craft business from the ground up, click the link below to take the next step by watching my free workshop!
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