So many mothers are confronted with the dilemma of choosing between staying home to care for their children and going back to work. I faced this myself managed to spend most of my daughters first two years at home, before returning to work part time.
What I didn’t know back then was that many work at home moms (WAHMs) were starting entrepreneurial websites centered around their craft interests. Even if I had known, I probably would have written it off as something I was unqualified for. I have since learned that it is not so difficult after all, as long as you’re willing to work hard.
There are an amazing number of resources available today, many of which are free to help those new to online entrepreneurialship. And crafters are putting them to use at record numbers, starting craft websites to sell their crafts or their knowledge of crafts.
In general there are two ways you can build an online craft business. One is to sell products (presumably your own crafts, but really you could sell anything), and the other is to provide and informational site and generate income by advertising.
Which choice is right for you depends on whether you are a serious craft producer or someone who likes to try a little bit of everything. If you do create a lot of crafts, you have probably found that there are not enough birthdays, holidays and graduations to unload them all. If this is the case for you then a website selling your crafts might be just the ticket.
If, however, you are a dabbler, like me, then you enjoy learning new things all the time and move on from one project to another. If this is the case for you, then a website centered around your knowledge of crafts might be a better choice. Now, instead of selling your crafts, you earn an income off your craft website from either pay per click ads (usually from Google) or affiliate advertising (commission type).
So what is the secret to having a successful online craft business? In a word: Content. It is not enough to simply put up a single page craft website and expect any kind of real success. You have to provide loads of good craft information for your viewers. This is true for either of the online craft businesses described above.
Beyond that, you need to find a good web host and web building software and develop a niche that will become your target market. If you can find a host that can help will all of these tools, that is ideal, but certainly all the information you need to get started can be found with careful searches.
Watch out for scammers. If you come across single page websites promising get rich quick software, back away as fast as you can. There is no short cut around the work it takes to create a successful online craft business. You have a lot of research and writing to do, but it is certainly worth the effort to be able to spend time with your children and work from the comfort of your own home and on your own schedule.
What I didn’t know back then was that many work at home moms (WAHMs) were starting entrepreneurial websites centered around their craft interests. Even if I had known, I probably would have written it off as something I was unqualified for. I have since learned that it is not so difficult after all, as long as you’re willing to work hard.
There are an amazing number of resources available today, many of which are free to help those new to online entrepreneurialship. And crafters are putting them to use at record numbers, starting craft websites to sell their crafts or their knowledge of crafts.
In general there are two ways you can build an online craft business. One is to sell products (presumably your own crafts, but really you could sell anything), and the other is to provide and informational site and generate income by advertising.
Which choice is right for you depends on whether you are a serious craft producer or someone who likes to try a little bit of everything. If you do create a lot of crafts, you have probably found that there are not enough birthdays, holidays and graduations to unload them all. If this is the case for you then a website selling your crafts might be just the ticket.
If, however, you are a dabbler, like me, then you enjoy learning new things all the time and move on from one project to another. If this is the case for you, then a website centered around your knowledge of crafts might be a better choice. Now, instead of selling your crafts, you earn an income off your craft website from either pay per click ads (usually from Google) or affiliate advertising (commission type).
So what is the secret to having a successful online craft business? In a word: Content. It is not enough to simply put up a single page craft website and expect any kind of real success. You have to provide loads of good craft information for your viewers. This is true for either of the online craft businesses described above.
Beyond that, you need to find a good web host and web building software and develop a niche that will become your target market. If you can find a host that can help will all of these tools, that is ideal, but certainly all the information you need to get started can be found with careful searches.
Watch out for scammers. If you come across single page websites promising get rich quick software, back away as fast as you can. There is no short cut around the work it takes to create a successful online craft business. You have a lot of research and writing to do, but it is certainly worth the effort to be able to spend time with your children and work from the comfort of your own home and on your own schedule.
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