When life gets crazy it’s easy to fall behind on projects that are important to us. I’m going through this right now. I have just a couple months to decide if I want to get out of the Army, and without a job lined up it makes my decision extremely difficult. I’m having troubles finding a job in my career field, but on top of that it isn’t what I truly want to do. What I want to do is share my love for the art of crochet, help other makers, and make beautiful products.
I don’t want to just say “I want to crochet for a living”, because even if I attend every craft show in the area it will still not be enough to cover all of my family’s living expenses. There is so much more that goes in to running a true crochet business than just selling finished products. In this post, I’m going to go over all of the different ways I’m trying to make a living off of my love for crochet.
I’m Still Making Products to Sell
The money I make at craft shows and through commissions might not be enough to pay the bills, but it is something. I still love to make fun and cute products, and I love seeing the reactions on people’s faces when they walk past my booth. I will never stop attending local events; it’s just part of who I am and what I love to do.
I’m Working On My Blog
Yes, this blog right here. If you’ve been following my blog since the very beginning, you may have noticed that my content is starting to shift slightly. I’m starting to add different kinds of content that would appeal to “my people”. I have a dream for my blog, and that dream is to help makers of all levels grow and find great new patterns and products to try. There are several ways I plan to do this:
- I’m beginning to experiment with writing my own patters. For now the patterns I’m working on are perfect for beginning crocheters to learn new stitches and techniques.
- I’m doing pattern reviews. This not only gives crocheters of all levels new patterns to try out, but it also gives some exposure to the designer, which is another way that I love to help fellow makers.
- I’m providing numbers. By showing the world how much money I make at my shows and through other crochet-related avenues, it gives those interested in making more money the opportunity to learn from my mistakes. They may also learn some new things to try for themselves if it worked out from me. Transparency is important to me, and I don’t like the idea of keeping my successes a secret.
- I’m still giving updates on my life. I still want my blog to be a personal representation of myself, so I’m still doing updates about my life (much like this post!).
I’m Working on Social Media
Social media can be tricky. You want to be fun, but not too pushy about your products. That being said, I’m really trying to focus on making my social media more personal, and less “salesman” like. For Facebook I’ve created an album for all of my items that are for sale along with their prices. I’m also posting funny memes and images I find to keep things entertaining. On Instagram, I’m trying to take more interesting photos.
I’m Attempting E-Commerce
I’ve never really had much luck on Etsy or Facebook Marketplace, though I have made some sales here and there. Now that Etsy has some new advertising controversy, I’m not sure I want my shop to grow on there anyway. Because of all of this I’m starting to do some research about different ways to sell my items online for when I don’t have craft shows. I’ve joined Facebook groups, but still haven’t had much luck.
I’m Dropping Side Hustles That Aren’t As Important to Me
So much of my time has been spent on doing various side hustles to earn an income. Now that I’m putting all of my energy into my crochet business, I’ve begun putting aside my other “jobs”. I plan to continue to use my resin skills to make different crochet-related products, and I’m still selling on Poshmark to help pay for different fees that come along with new websites, trainings, and products. Instead of focusing on my reselling Instagram and Youtube accounts, I’m starting to put more effort into my crochet-related Youtube and Instagram.
I’m getting More Organized
My husband might not agree with this statement just yet, as getting organized is a work in progress. Part of getting organized means decluttering your life of unwanted and unneeded things. For me this includes things that I had planned to sell on eBay or in my booth at the antique mall (which I no longer have). Right now I have all of this stuff up for an auction through my mom’s business, and almost everything has a bid on it. That means that soon my home will be free of all of that clutter and I can begin focusing on the next area.
I’m also getting more organized by staying faithful to my planner. By keeping up with appointments and goal deadlines, it makes being productive so much easier.
I’m Open to Custom Orders
While I am trying to stick to my niche, if I have the time I will almost never turn down a custom request. I’m trying not to undersell myself when it comes to pricing my items as well. I am no longer telling my friends that they can just pay me whatever they want for the items I make for them. Instead, I’m making sure that I charge an amount that I am happy with.
Yes, I have been quite busy. But by taking all of this one step at a time, I am already seeing a huge difference in my crochet business!
