Starting small side business - advice?

[PhillyGirl23]

I have a lot of creative energy - I like to paint, scrapbook, redecorate, etc - and my current job doesn't give me a lot of opportunity to use those skills. Hence, I am starting my own little side business venture. Partially to pay off some of my incredible loan debt and partially to satisfy this creative need.

I will be selling personalized, made-to-order scrapbook pages (12x12) that come in shadow box frames. I have made them countless times as gifts and they have always received positive feedback. I am in the process of (hopefully) getting a website created. But in the mean time, do any of you have advice as to ways to get started spreading the word, etc? I don't really want to do craft fairs due to time constraints, so I was hoping to rely on word of mouth and creative marketing tactics. Has anyone tried to start a little side thing on their own? I'd appreciate any advice as I tread on uncharted territory. :)

[TranquilSkye]

What a great idea, I wish you all the best with it. Who knows, maybe it will become a full time gig for you. So here are some thoughts.

If you want to make your own simple free or low cost website I would reccommend Bravenet (http://www.bravenet.com/) I have used them myself and it only took me about two weeks to create all the pages I wanted and organize everything in a nice professional manner. Of course had I been able to sit on the computer for several hours on end I could have gotten the whole thing ready in a day lol.

Now for advertising take advantage of every free source you can find. Popular websites in your area, local papers, etc. Since this is a side business you don't want to spend too much on advertising and have it a) not bring you any business or b) bring you more business then you can handle in a timely manner. You might also want to make a small brochure that you can give to friends, family, and anyone else who seems interested.

Also try networking with others in your area that offer similar products and services. Think of all those people selling avon, tupperware, and party lite candles. They can host combo parties and pass out each others brochures. Think about who you know. Do you go to a hair stylist every week? Get your nails done every other week by the same person? Talk to them about your business and ask if they would be willing to offer your brochures to their clients and in return you can take their cards and pass them out. Ask your friends and family to help you get the word out too, that's what they're there for.

I'll let you know if I have any other ideas :D

[Jman06]

If it is an online business you should do click and pay advertising on google. Or start a ebay business.

[HereComes30]

congrats on taking the step!

But in the mean time, do any of you have advice as to ways to get started spreading the word, etc?

I would DEFINITELY recommend getting a website up as soon as you can. It gives people something to go look at and a reference point for marketing. you can probably find a web or graphic design student in your area that would do one for free or minimal cost in order to gain experience in their portfolio. Just call the career service office of a local college and tell them you need an unpaid intern. Just make sure that the intern knows what you want and creates something that can be changed and updated by someone else later.

I would also put up a Myspace account and use sites like Craig's List. Myspace would allow you to connect with friends of friends of friends.

Another quick tip...as you get out on the web make sure that you only take on the amount of work you can handle. I have seen some companies start selling things on ebay, their own websites, etc and their business explodes! Which is good if they have a business where they can just hire more people and scale up to meet demand...but in a creative field where only you have the skill, only take the orders that you can meet in a short period of time...quick way to piss off customers and earn bad word of mouth is not delivering on a promise.

Finally I would recommend getting business cards and ALWAYS carry them with you. Pass them out like free candy at Halloween. You can get really nice free cards (you just pay for the shipping) at vistaprint.com

[Illuminous]

start with ebay or etsy to begin selling your wares and to hold you over until you get your site up and running.

I use 1&1 for my hosting and I love it. I put my site on every serach engine, yahoo, ask, google, and such and then started spreading the word. Post on crafting forums, there's a lot of people who own small biz's like yours on places like craftster.org It's also helpful to have people who are in your shoes ot bounce ideas off of. Just dont rip anybodys site off. I used to have a site and i had to redesign it b/c it looked WAY too close to someone else's.

[PhillyGirl23]

congrats on taking the step!

Finally I would recommend getting business cards and ALWAYS carry them with you. Pass them out like free candy at Halloween. You can get really nice free cards (you just pay for the shipping) at vistaprint.com


Thanks for this word of advice. I will definitely check out vistaprint.com. I also am planning on making postcards announcing my business and sending them out to family, friends, coworkers, etc. That way, I can drive some extra traffic to the website.

[PhillyGirl23]

[QUOTE=Illuminous]start with ebay or etsy to begin selling your wares and to hold you over until you get your site up and running.

Great suggestion on using etsy. Have you ever used it to sell crafts before? I think it is a great site, but I'm wondering how to post it, given I create personalized frames. If you have an idea, let me know. Thanks!