You can start by selling your products at craft fairs or shows. This will give you a broader outlook and an insight whether your passion is good enough to set up a successful commercial business. When you participate in such events, you meet new customers, who help advertise your business and then you may assess your viability of initiating an independent venture.
The best part of starting off by showcasing your expertise is that it involves little cost and no overhead. The benefit of such shows is that you don't have to invest a lot of money, and you don't have to share your profits with the store or gallery owner. Word of mouth publicity is the best way to publicize your creations.
If you have the patience and dare to pursue your passion into a business, then there are 5 basic tips to success.
• About Your Work - Is your work ready to be exhibited and is it good enough for people to want to buy? Before thinking of starting a business, assess your quality impartially by attending shows and comparing your work with that of others.
• Venue - Before selecting a venue, always consult other artists. An indoor venue is perfect for paintings, but an outdoor craft fair may be fine for your jewelry business.
• Homework - Always conduct prior research because before starting a business you must understand your customers and their specific preferences. Find out about the people who attend such shows and what kind of turnout is expected. It takes plenty of insight to gauge and identify future customers. Depending upon the venue of the exhibition, enquire about the licenses required.
• Costs - While establishing your reputation and building a customer base, you should keep all your expenses under control. You should start off by borrowing or renting from another artist, instead of investing on your own. You can also share a stall. It is not a wise decision to invest your money before you know whether your hobby can be a good business venture or not.
• Customers - Reach out to your customers. Willingness to answer the customer's questions and maintaining a smile on your face always can take you a long way and earn your business new clients. Always be ready to talk to people and permit them to handle your merchandise and also check your work quality. Shows provide you with a major customer database, which you can use later. You can collect the mailing addresses and then send the customers invitations for your next shows.
You should never be disappointed if your first show does result in high profits. You should be satisfied meeting a lot of people and generating an interest among them about your work. This is the first step towards building a clientele for your business venture.