How to Start a Beading Home Business
If you make beaded jewelry as a hobby or just make gifts for family and friends, you might consider expanding your beading work into a full-fledged home business. Website Beading Design Jewelry suggests that there are many markets for handmade jewelry, and that if your product can offer quality and originality, a home business could be a very successful endeavor for you. Starting any business can be a complicated process with many considerations, but some planning and preparation can go a long way.
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Things You'll Need
- Beaded jewelry products
- Financial information
- Business cards
- Display
- Advertising material
Instructions
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Starting a Beading Home Business
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1
Perfect your product. Before attempting to sell you product to others, work on your designs until you are satisfied that people will want to buy them from you. Make sure your products are well designed, attractive, high quality and unique.
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Decide on a name for your business. You may consider names that contain your own name as the beading designer or ones that describe what you do. For a less literal name, think of words that describe your work or the feelings you want your work to evoke in your customers. You may also consider words in different languages.
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3
Open a business checking account under your new business name. The easiest way to do this is by structuring the account as a sole proprietorship, which does not require complicated business documents like a partnership or corporation would. Your account will be in your own name, but will have "doing business as" your business name. Checks and other account materials may be printed using your business name alone. Be sure to take any relevant financial information to the bank when you go to open the account.
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4
Have business cards made bearing your name, contact information and potentially pictures of your beadwork. No matter how you go about conducting your business, business cards will allow you to promote your work wherever you go.
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5
Decide how you will sell. There are many outlets for selling your beaded jewelry, including outdoor markets, retail, consignment and online. Outdoor craft markets allow you to sell directly to customers at low prices, but often require materials like a tent and tables. You can market your beads to retail boutiques at wholesale, or offer a consignment program in which you will be paid by the store as items sell. Additionally, websites such as Etsy.com provide easy online outlets for handmade items such as beaded jewelry.
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6
Design displays for your business according to how you will sell. If you have chosen to sell at outdoor markets or craft shows, you will need to design and build or purchase the displays you will use in selling your beaded jewelry. Think about making things as visible and attractive as possible to display your work to its best advantage. Retail stores you sell to may have their own displays, but you may want to offer to provide display materials.
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Promote your business. If you are taking part in craft shows or selling through retail establishments, the advertising will be done for you. However, selling online will be most effective if you promote your website. Contact people you know who are bloggers and ask them to link to your site, and consider paid advertising spots on search engines or other websites. Take pictures of your work for such advertisements.
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Tips & Warnings
To grow your beading business, combine methods of selling so that you have multiple outlets for your work.
Always speak with a tax professional regarding the tax implications of opening a business.
