Starting a Handmade Goodies Business

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Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Starting a Handmade Goodies Business

Starting a handmade goodies business isn't as simple as baking your family's favorite treats and shipping them out. The recipe for success takes a lot of research and time spent out of the kitchen first.

Begin by checking your local laws for starting a prepared food establishment. Even if you run the business from home, permits and licenses may be required in order to be legally recognized. Your local court house or jurisdiction's official government website should have the information and paperwork that you need.

Research local safety laws about food preparation for public consumption. Go above and beyond these requirements to ensure that you have healthy and happy customers that will order from you frequently.

Try to network with restaurants, cafes and other eateries in your neighborhood. Ask about where they currently get their baked goods from and see if you can beat that price. Bring samples with you for managers and owners to taste the difference between handmade goods and processed and prepackaged ones.

Even if there are no opportunities in your community to partner with local diners in your community, it doesn't mean you cannot set up shop in it. Call your local newspaper about doing a press release, or having your treat company featured. Learn more about starting a handmade goodies business through the resource links found on this Business.com page.

Sell your handmade goodies to the world

I love to the idea of handmade things. Anything that is not mass produce and one of a kind. I used to sell my handmade items on ebay.com which ranged from greeting cards, organic soaps, jewelries and photographs. But at the end the overhead was too much for me to handle.

An ebay listing
- 35 cents to list an item
- 3.5% commission fee after the item is sold
- listing is up for 7 days and maximum of 10 days if you pay a bit more
- for photo you get one upload for free and the more photos the more money
- more options more money
- set up a bid or use buy it now
- if you set up a shop the monthly fees adds up pretty quickly

One day awhile surfing the web I found something that I was looking for ... etsy.com.

An etsy listing

- set up a storefront for free
- 10 cents listing per goodies and they stay up for 6 months
- 4 photos of your product to upload for free
- 3.5% commission fee per goodies sold

After setting up my shop for less than a month I sold 2 items for the price I want. And since it is a niche market cause people who browse the shop are looking for the unique handmade touch of everything. It is a great way for a small handmade goodies business to start.

If you are just starting out with selling your unique creation you definitely should check out etsy.com.

DIY passion is the key

Anything about handmade is the passion and the love that you put into every little thing you make. You start out with making things for your friends and families. And why not for the world to enjoy your crafty creations.
Try: If you need some resources check out the diynetwork.com. They have sections for crafts and hobbies. Also hgtv.com.
Use your local craft stores as resources too such as Michael's and Joann's.

Join crafty groups.

I would recommend to join some local craft groups or any groups that shares your interest. It is the best way to get critiques of your work and to improve on them.
Try: I like flickr.com to showcase creations because you can sign up to be in groups and get critiques of your work. A great online group is getcrafty.com. Every creative needs a journal so sign up for a blog at blogg er.com and start typing inspiration, ideas and showcasing your work to others.

Get raw materials.

As a crafter you should have stocks of raw materials to work with such as paperstocks, beads, yarns etc. Best way is to buy in bulk among your crafter friends. You will have more to work with and you spend less money and space for storage.
Try: Buy from the manufacture if you can get wholesale price. For retail stores, I like dickblick.com or misterart.com for general art supplies, michaels.com for scrapbooking and paper supplies, and joann.com for fabrics. Also do not forget to check out your local flea markets, swap meets and craft fairs.

start with something you really love to do then expand to other things
know your niche market you are trying to reach will help you price your goodies accordingly
do not be discourage if something doesn't go well the first time
if you need help don't be afraid to ask for it
most of all have fun with it