Displaying and selling your soap at local craft fair or flea market can be profitable when done right. It can also be a way to tout your online shop face-to-face and offer samples to potential customers. However, there are a list of must-haves you need to bring before setting up shop.
Make sure you have an eye-catching display, signs, and inventory to show off to passersby. If you get potential sales, be sure you have plenty of change for cash transactions and a way to take credit card payments. Also, be sure you have plenty of drinks and snacks so you don’t have to abandon your post when you’re hungry. With this in mind, your trip to the craft fair will fill your heart and possibly your wallet. For more on what to bring to craft fairs, click here:: What to Bring to a Craft Fair
You can clean your skin and have a hint of coffee scent by making your soap at home. Using cold process soap, espresso coffee, and vanilla oil you can have a lovely bold, invigorating scent on your skin and on the skin of your soap shop customers. Get the full recipe here:: Handmilled Coffee & Bourbon Vanilla Homemade Soap Recipe
After talking up and giving samples of your homemade soap, you found a shop owner who wants to meet with you and sell your wares. This is an exciting time and you should feel good about this accomplishment. However, there are some things to consider when having a shop sell your soap.
Well, first don’t confuse “consignment” with “wholesale.” The shop is selling your stuff, not buying it in bulk then selling it for their profit. Be prepared for the shop to received 40-60% of the sale price as a commission. If this bugs you or nothing sells, most agreements will allow you to remove your items from the shop hassle-free. For more details about consignment agreements for crafts, click here:: The Ins and Outs of Consignment
With some rice bran oil, castor oil, and illipe butter, you can make quality beer soap with light scent or a scent of your choice. This manly soap allows for a good clean and moisturizes skin for guys who don’t want to smell like a fruit salad after a shower. This cold-process soap makes a fine addition for any craft soap shop. For a full recipe, click here:: DIY Homemade Chamomile & Neroli Beer Soap Recipe
Sometimes life is a chase against time. Many distractions and needs get in the way of making time for your craft shop. What can you do help manage your time more effectively?
It’s important to stand back and look at what your needs are. Make a solid to-do list with realistic goals. The list turns into consistent reminder will help motivate you and organize both your time and your needs. For more on time management, click here:: 3 Easy Steps for Managing Time and Reaching Your Goals
Cold sores are no fun, especially during the wintertime. However, you can make your own therapeutic lip balm with anti-viral neem oil and tea tree oil that can treat and eliminate cold sores before they break out. Get the full recipe here:: DIY Natural Homemade Cold Sore Therapy Lip Balm Recipe
Making a living by running your own online craft shop is a great and valid dream, however there are financial pitfalls one has to avoid. Many crafters don’t see much growth in profit nor in their store’s success, feeling stuck. Worse, many craft shop owners lose money when selling crafts. How can you make your finances work in your favor?
First, analyze your profit margins. Make sure that you are getting what you deserve for the work you are doing by making your prices “reasonable,” not “cheap.” Next, keep a budget of your expenses and put money aside for supplies, postage, and stuff like retirement plans. Lastly, let any extra money you have leftover reinvest in your business by expanding your website or experimenting with new craft items. For a full article on finances for craft shops, click here:: Four Lessons for Financial Success
Cold winters can dry out skin, especially on the feet. However, you can make a moisturizing foot scrub out of shea and cocoa butter along with pumice and walnut shell powder at home! Makes for a great way to give life to the feet of you and your soap shop customers. Get the full recipe here:: DIY Natural Homemade Foot Scrub Recipe
People love your soap. Friends ask for it, their friends are willing to buy from it, and it gets overall good reviews. So why aren’t you getting any online sales from your soap shop? It could be because your soap isn’t very searchable on Google.
In order to make your soap more searchable, think of key terms and phrases that could apply to your soap. Include some of the ingredients as well. Take those key terms and then apply them to your soap’s listing and description. Over refinement and time, you should be able to find the best keywords that’ll make your soap one of the first things your potential customer sees. For more on this topic and more detailed suggestions, click here:: How to Get Found in Search
With some scrap fabric, sewing gear, and some uncooked rice, you can create some nice hand warmers to keep your fingers from freezing this winter. It makes a fine last minute gift for you winter birthday friends or as a side item for your online craft shop. Get a full tutorial here:: Half Square Triangle Hand Warmers