Tightrope: Tips for a successful craft business

• You need to connect in person and online
• Get an accountant or lawyer if you have to
• Craft sales require marketing, too

In this tight job market people are looking for ways to use their creativity to make a living. The large number of e-mails that I received as a result of last week's column was a testament to that.

Many readers wanted to know more about the handmade market niche. So, this week I called a couple of people who could shine more light on this growing industry.

In 2007 Carrie Nardini had trouble finding an outlet to sell her handmade jewelry. Rather than give up on her venture, she and friend Nina Marie Barbuto decided to create a marketplace for folks who wanted to make a living selling handmade crafts. The result was the birth of I Made It! Market, an indie crafts marketplace for those "nomads" who sell at crafts fairs and from home.

Carrie figured if she was having trouble finding a marketplace for her product, other crafts people were probably having the same trouble.

Although Nina has gone on to explore the non-profit sector, Carrie spends her time developing crafts fairs for her vendors, and otherwise building the I Made It! brand. In addition to creating an environment that allows crafters to display and sell their work, Carrie often holds workshops and events that help vendors toward success.

She says, "I work hard at developing a sense of community with my vendors. I want them to know that they are not alone in their quest to develop a successful business. Over the past five years I have had a number of vendors that have been able to leave their day jobs and make a living from their creative crafts."

Carrie shared several tips crafters should keep in mind:

-- Your non-verbal communication can sometimes speak louder than what you say. Crafters make a mistake by talking on their cell phone or reading text messages or magazines when potential buyers come by their display tables. Buyers at craft fairs enjoy one-on-one contact with artists and artisans. That's one of the neat things about craft fairs.

-- Use your creative energy to design an attractive and inviting display table. Carrie suggests hitting the Internet to see how others have set up their nomadic stores. Among helpful websites, she says, is flickr.com/photos/imadeitpgh.

-- Marketing is at the top of the list for achieving success in the handmade business. Carrie says an online presence is paramount to make a living. So set up a website, create a blog, connect to social media. Connect, connect, connect and work your connections. Let your network know where you will be and when. Send them special updates and newsletters and information on possible sales connected with your work.

-- Get a nice banner with your name and logo on it so you are easy to find at a craft fair. And one of the most important things a crafter can do to build his or her business network is to have a sign-up sheet on the display table. The signup sheet with contact information can be an important gateway to building your network. And make a point to connect to the folks who sign the sheet. These are potential customers.

Many people make a point to follow craft fairs every weekend. Some even take trips out of town for shows. So it's important to keep your network up to date.

Carrie suggested several helpful websites for crafters. Among them: indiefoundry.com is a support site for the small creative business owner. wepropelle.com is a site geared toward supporting women in small businesses, and of course her own website imadeitmarket.com.

I also spoke with Kari Chapin, author of The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and On-line. She agrees with Carrie Nardini that an online presence is extremely important.

She also says it's important to set up your business like any other well established business: Talk with an accountant, lawyer, and business consultant. Understand what it costs for you to do business so you can be certain to make a profit. Talking with an accountant can help. And, talk with a lawyer to clear up any legal issues that pertain to your business.

As I said in last week's column, time and talent are the most important investments in developing the creative handmade small business.

In coming columns we'll take a look at how some of the online resources that support the handmade market business can be your ticket to making a living.

Gladys Edmunds' Entrepreneurial Tightrope column appears Wednesdays. As a single, teen-age mom, Gladys made money doing laundry, cooking dinners for taxi drivers and selling fire extinguishers and Bibles door-to-door. Today, Edmunds, founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh, is a private coach/consultant in business development and author ofThere's No Business Like Your Own Business, published by Viking. See an index of Edmunds' columns. Her website is www.gladysedmunds.com. You can e-mail her at gladys@gladysedmunds.com.