How to Start Up an Online Cloth Diaper Business
New moms looking to save money and minimize waste often turn to cloth diapers. Consider this: the average baby will go through thousands of disposable diapers in the first few years of life. By the time a child is potty trained, Mom may have spent thousands in diaper care. By comparison, moms can invest in a total cloth diapering system for a few hundred bucks. If you're a cloth diaper enthusiast and familiar with a sewing machine, why not start your own home-based, online business?
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Instructions
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Write up a mini business plan. Since you won't need much to get your business off of the ground, a short plan should be sufficient. In it, detail anticipated costs for fabric, a sewing machine, supplies, advertising, website and liability insurance. You'll also need to learn your tax obligation as a self-employed person. For example, you may be subject to quarterly self-employment taxes. Avoid the expense of an accountant by learning how to track and manage your inventory and sales for tax purposes.
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Research and purchase your fabrics. Cloth diapers can be made from birdseye fabric, hemp, hemp French terry, bamboo, cotton fleece, flannel, merino, polyester, polyurethane laminate (PUL), terry, knit terry, wool, Sherpa, suede cloth, microfleece and velour. Some fabrics are better suited for inserts or overnight diapers. PUL is great for making waterproof covers. You'll also need to select a fastener for your diapers--such as snaps, hook and loop fasteners or buttons--and purchase a sewing machine.
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Create your diapers. In addition to the cloth diaper, you'll need to make inserts for extra absorbency, water-resistant covers that won't leak, wipes, pull-on covers and super-absorbent diapers for nighttime use. You may choose to create prefolds, which are basic, rectangular pieces of cloth that must be folded and require a cover; contour or fitted diapers, which are preshaped and come with a fastener, but require a cover; or all-in-one diapers that come attached to the cover. Prefolds are significantly cheaper than all-in-one diapers.
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Find free cloth diaper patterns online. Tweak the specifications to create your own signature design.
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Create a notable name for your business and then purchase your domain name. Select a web host for your cloth diaper store. Look for one that provides 24-hour customer support and helpful video tutorials on setting up your store, importing images, creating coupons and newsletters, and setting up your business email account. At a minimum, you'll need to learn basic hypertext markup language, known as HTML, in order to design your site to your preferences. While templates may provide most or all of the design, if you want to customize your site, HTML knowledge is necessary. See Resources for a list of top-rated web-hosting companies.
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Select a shopping cart that will allow you to accept payment. Integrate with PayPal or Google Checkout, or purchase a merchant account.
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Populate your site with pictures of your products, as well as information about the fabric used, sizes available, a measurement chart, care instructions and price. Set up your site so that when a customer clicks on a product, she can see other recommended products that would complement the item they are interested in. Detail the numerous benefits of cloth diapers and different cloth-diaper systems and fabrics.
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Tips & Warnings
Create labels or fliers that detail how to care for your cloth diapers. Include these with each purchase.
Write helpful articles about cloth diapers or breastfeeding and publish them on mom-friendly sites. Include a link back to your site.
Sell your cloth diapers on Etsy and eBay.
Get the most out of your fabric and any leftover scraps by making bibs, onesies, nursing pads, slings, socks and hats.
Ensure that your e-mail account is set up so that you will be notified the moment someone makes a purchase. Be sure to ship your diapers out in the time stated on your site. Ship online via USPS or Paypal to get a discounted shipping rate, or contact UPS or FedEx for a quote. Generally, the post office is cheaper.
