Craft Home Business Success Stories
Real
life craft home business success stories for
inspiration and
motivation!
Click here to share YOUR success story!
Jim
Nelson started by
selling hand-made juggling balls (knitted at home by his 90 year-old
mother!). Now he sources products internationally, selling to customers
in every state and on every continent. Read
Jim's story here.
People love to
collect things, everything from butterflies to biplanes! And what
better way to do it, what better place to meet, than online... EBay, to
be specific! Meet the real life "Doll Lady" and her husband Merle, who
have taken their knowledge of dolls, and have turned it into a thriving
business. Merle and Pam use the Net to the fullest, building up their
own auction business, using their website to generate a huge base of
prospective clients that they "own." Now, here's the key. Sure, they
can funnel visitors to eBay auctions for some of their hottest, most
collectible dolls. They can also sell direct to established customers,
generate substantial advertising income, and earn income in so many
other ways. In other words, eBay is merely one of many ways that their
business generates revenues. Read
Pam and Merle's Story.
Bernadette
says her story started 23 years ago: When I gave birth to my daugther,
I wanted so much to give her the best, but it was not on the cards, we
had to live within our means. So when she broke a doll, what was I
supposed to do? Throw it away and break her heart, or figure out how to
fix it? Believe it or not, I got good at it as I taught myself how to
repair them! Now she needed clothes for them - I didn't know how to
sew, and the clothes for them were out of budget, so I taught myself
how. I couldn't afford to buy fabric, so I recycled old clothes. She
had the BEST looking dolls in Delaware! Understand I did not have a
sewing machine, a needle and thread will do... All the outfits were
hand stitched! Today, I don't have to do that, but I still love hand
sewing my doll clothes. I love that personal touch and detail. I try to
give my babies that tender loving care. So when I tell people, if you
believe in yourself you can do anything, hard work and endurance is the
way it has to be, please don't get discouraged when you are not getting
any sales. Take this time to regroup and plan. Look at it as your down
time. Remember, nothing good comes easy! You can take a look at
Bernadette's work at her website, Small
Treasure Custom Crafts.
Carol
Leather shares her story: I have run my own business from
home for the past 11 years. X-Calibre started when a number of UK
needlework magazines began commissioning me for designs after I sent
them some samples. After working on a freelance basis for 3 years I
branched out into manufacturing kits of my designs. I began by selling
them at local craft fairs and lace days, moving onto the larger
needlework exhibitions. I set up www.x-calibredesigns.co.uk back in
1999 although I didn't know much about website design. The site has
slowly grown in popularity and the order level is increasing all the
time. Increasingly I have been asked to teach various forms of
embroidery at the large shows, for local needlework shops and even to
private groups of stitching enthusiasts. I really love teaching and
enjoy it when someone "gets it" and you can see the penny drop.
Recently I have taken the teaching idea further and set up a new
website www.needlework-tips-and-techniques.com
to share my love of needlework techniques and to offer free designs to
new stitchers so they can try a technique before spending too much. The
future looks set to be bright!
Louise
Longworth is a work at home mother who sells her handmade
jewelry at home parties. "I tried all sorts of things to be able to
work from home, in order to be with my children. Each step along the
way taught me something new, and eventually led me to where I am now -
but a real turning point came when I was invited to a greeting card
party at a friend's house. The girl was an agent for a UK greeting card
company, but I realized that I could sell my own stuff this way! After
lots of research and a bit of encouragement from some good friends, I
launched my own craft home party business. Initially I sold handmade
greeting cards, but later I got addicted to jewelry making and that
soon took over. To start with, the biggest challenge was getting repeat
bookings, but I was making a (admittedly small) profit right from the
beginning. By experimenting and persevering I eventually found a
successful system that worked for me, and am now happily earning a
decent income from my jewelry business." Louise has since published a
website to help other crafters sell their crafts at home
parties: ww.Craft-Selling-Parties.com
Ahna
says: I'm a success story! I've always loved paper craft and can
remember selling handmade bookmarks door-to-door in my neighborhood as
a kid. As an adult, I've continued with the craft (and others) and
decided earlier this year to launch a web presence at etsy. I had no
idea the positive response I would find there. Now, about 8 months
later, I have an established business at etsy and sell cards and other
paper items directly to those who most enjoy them. Other sellers have
requested custom work related to their shops, which is very flattering.
I've been approached by a handful of brick and mortar shop owners who
now carry my goods in their shops around the country. My initial
customers have returned time and again, which is the greatest
compliment I can imagine. You can find Ahna's products at Lucky
Duck Designs, and she has also started a blog.
Chloe
shares this story: I'm a qualified tennis coach but I love anything
sparkly, and have been covering phones, etc. with swarovski crystals
for years for my own use. When my sister started her business
(www.abctheemers.com) and decided to perform The Wizard of Oz, she
needed some ruby shoes. We looked everywhere (and I mean everywhere!)
and even managed to buy a few pairs from the internet, but they were
either awful or just didn't fit properly! All of the shoes we found
were in the US and our UK sizes didn't seem to convert very
successfully. In the end, out of sheer desperation, she asked me to
create a pair of Dorothy shoes for her. We went to the local craft shop
and bought the sequins, glue, felt and jewels and I was off. The first
pair were okay but not brilliant. The next pair were fantastic and were
an instant success! My sister loved them, the children loved them, the
parents loved them! I had many requests for shoes so I started a
website and the customers who have bought them since have loved them.
However, the sizing conversions were always going to be a problem, so
now I sell the instructions on the site and everyone is happy. You can
take a look at my shoes at my site, Make Believe Land.
Jewelry
By Shabocon is the result of a lifetime of being a
"crafty" person and
an addiction to anything "sparkly." I was fortunate to find several
generous teachers and mentors who have continued to guide my journey in
jewelry making. I began with wire-sculpture, found out I loved working
with fire and hammers and went into metalwork, was introduced to
lapidary and am now refining my skills at faceting gemstones. Jewelry
By Shabocon began by selling on ebay and other online auction sites. I
then took a deep breath and faced the public at a local craft show - I
loved it! I encourage any craftperson to take the first scary step of
offering your work to people in person at some type of show. The
feedback is an eye opener and is something you just cannot get in
cyberspace. There is nothing quite like interacting with your
customers. I now do approximately a half-dozen shows a year and have
several stores and galleries that carry my jewelry. I have an internet
presence at www.jewelry-design-gemstone.com.
My website has
become a wonderful way of keeping in touch with my clients I've met at
shows, and as a way for galleries and stores to contact me.
Share Your Success Story!
Do you have a success story of your own to share? Whether you've had a small success or a huge one, we'd love to hear it!
Did you do exceptionally well at a craft fair or market? Get a huge order for one of your products? Stumble upon success accidentally?
Tell us all about it, using this form which will build your very own web page on Craft Business Home.com, where our readers can also comment on your success!
What Other Visitors Have Said
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Josie Tecson - Hard work pays off, in Hollywood!
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Hello everyone,
Saw this article about a young Canadian jewellery designer who went from working out of her home to styling celebrities like Beyonce,...