This is a really special post for me, something I’ve considered writing a half dozen times. Why didn’t I write about this sooner? I think because I felt unworthy. Writing a post about starting a business implies that you’ve succeeded well enough to feel capable of counseling and guiding others. For the longest time, I definitely did not feel worthy.
But you know what? My guess is most creative people feel that way. I bet YOU feel that way.
Creatives put their heart, mind, and bits of their soul into their work, whether or not that work is intended to sell. It’s the nature of the beast. There is little to compete with the insecurity of a Creative with a piece of their work up on a selling block, even if they put it there.
Not a DIYer? Not crafty? Do you blog? Guess what, you’re a Creative. And you know how it feels. But you don’t have to let the nerves get to you. I’m not going to.
That’s why I’m finally sharing How I Turned Crafting Into an Online Business with you.
Maybe I’m just riding the glorious confidence high I got this week from my Superhero Table making a Buzzfeed list, but who cares! Confidence is key! 😀
Ok, so let’s get into it! How did I start my business?
Well, {to be utterly clichè}, it started with an idea.
“Birthday Blocks started off as an idea spark after my son was born, and several of my friends had also had children. My Facebook news feed was suddenly overwhelmed with pictures of chubby infants, several images that I nicknamed “Milestone Moments.” We’ve all seen them, a kid propped up in a chair with a handmade sign or sticker on their onesie that proclaims to the world they they are 3/6/9 months old and still SO CUTE!”
I had just launched C’mon Get Crafty, so I was on a constant lookout for crafty ideas to fill my new post pages. The blocks themselves I bounced around in my brain for months, often while casually remarking to my husband things like, “I mean, I’ve never seen something like that,” or “Most baby milestone picture props seem to be stickers” or even “I dunno, it’s probably a dumb idea.” (Confidence is a wonderful thing.)
Dumb or not, it stayed with me, so I started experimenting. I tried a few different designs, and had some serious trial and error issues. Over the course of a year or so, I worked on perfecting the look and feel of the blocks. I wanted to make sure I had a quality product.
A few more early designs:
Once I felt happy with my design process, I needed a platform to sell and market them. I really felt that a professional website was key to success. No one would want to spend money on some rink-a-dink website, or feel comfortable sharing their payment information with me.
Set up a quality platform for your business.
When I started this blog, I was on Blogger. That was a great start for learning online ropes, but I quickly made the transition to WordPress once I started learning more about the blogging world and its possibilities. On the advice from some amazing bloggers I’d met, I never bothered with the free-but-limited WordPress.com, and instead optioned to self-host my WordPress blog. In order to self host, you need a hosting service. I went with HostGator on the advice of many seasoned bloggers.
For some of you who are new to the website hosting world (as I once was), here’s a little information on website hosting services offered by HostGator (with some personal opinions thrown in for good measure). First, I love that they have 24/7 live support via chat, phone, and email – a giant help to those of us learning as we go! I do a lot of my working at night after the littles go to bed, so encountering questions after 9-5 means I need this kind of a support team.
Anyone starting out building an online store or site could benefit from easy “click and create” sort of systems. HostGator has that option for you, with one click WordPress installs – no messy downloading and uploading of files. They likewise offer one click and start easy to use website builder – drag and drop tools that make building a site super simple. If you’re more seasoned on the web and know what you are doing, you don’t have to take advantage of this feature, you can customize to your heart’s content, do all your own designing and uploading.
I’ve had such a great experience with HostGator on this blog that I didn’t think twice about where to go when launching my own online shop. Don’t fix what ain’t broke, right??
Select an appropriate website design.
Now, as mentioned above, HostGator offers design services for you when you host with them. This is a fantastic option, and a great way to keep things “tidy”, all in one place. While I love the ease of the services they offer, I did elect to splurge on a website designer for the creation of Birthday Blocks. This is a way to go, but keep in mind, it can get pricey. I was fortunate to work with the brilliant Tifanie at Pretty Simple Websites, and whatever I paid for her was definitely worth every penny. She’s been a godsend from the beginning. She had nothing to go on but a few (admittedly not stellar) photos of my blocks and my basic concept. This was her stunning design:
I certainly love the custom buttons she created for my shopping menu! She’s also designed business cards, Facebook banners, and other graphics for me as well.
Market, market, market!!
Here’s where I definitely could have used some help from the HostGator team. I am not great at marketing or self-promotion. I really didn’t do much of any of it when I launched the site, with the exception of a post on the blog and telling friends and family. So it may not come as much of a surprise to anyone that I didn’t exactly take off like a rocket. I didn’t know more than the basics of SEO, and really nothing at all about marketing (short of making a nuisance of yourself on social media platforms, which I always think backfires.) Talk to the specialists at your hosting company, like HostGator, or consider hiring a service, but know that, like a web designer, those services come at a premium price. A start-up business of any sort doesn’t necessarily have the cash to front. Keep your budget in mind, and get the most bang for your buck.
Do NOT do what I did, because I learned from it, and am here to tell you – you will wait FOREVER for those sales to come in if you leave it to word of mouth. You need SEO, marketing strategies – you need traffic, or no one will see (let alone buy) your products.
Succeed or fail, but only do what you love.
I haven’t become rich since opening my online business. I don’t really expect to become rich, at least not in the immediate future. This isn’t a full-time gig for me. A lot of you may ask, why put forth the effort and expense of keeping it running, if it isn’t a giant profit wagon? Well, I genuinely enjoy what I’m doing. I love designing new blocks for parents, oftentimes at the request of a loved one who is just SO excited to give a truly unique and personal gift. Over time, Birthday Blocks has grown to more than age blocks for babies; I’ve added in monthly stickers, milestone stickers, nursery decor, and my latest creation, Alphabet Learning Blocks.
I have had so much fun coming up with new designs and products. Some have sold like hotcakes, some have never sold. That’s the nature of the beast, I suppose. But I am loving having Birthday Blocks as an outlet for my creativity (and making a little money doing it!)
If you are out there, crafting and wondering, just know that you can start somewhere towards building your dream business doing what you love. There’s a market for so many creative things in this world! Start small, do your research, find a hosting service ( like HostGator) that will help you on the road to small biz glory. If you are currently researching a web host, check out HostGator and all their services and plans.
C’mon Get Crafty readers will receive 30% off by clicking through here!
Just remember, success never happens overnight. (Or, if it does, it likely doesn’t last long.) I’m going on four years of owning my own small business, all based off of a love crafting and creation. I may not be driving a Porsche with the profits, but I am getting a kick out of creating. Besides, you never know what tomorrow (and hard work and perseverance) will bring.
Live. Love. Create.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Have you ever considered starting an online business? Have you started one already?
UPDATE: AS OF 2016, I HAVE CLOSED MY BIRTHDAY BLOCKS SITE/STORE. THANK YOU TO ALL MY PAST CLIENTS AND THOSE WHO’VE INQUIRED SINCE. WHILE I LOVED RUNNING THE STORE, THE DEMANDS OF THE BLOG, THE STORE, AND DAILY LIFE BECAME TOO MUCH COMBINED TO KEEP GOING. 🙂
I love linking up at these parties!
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