Make The Things You Love And Earn Money

MAKE THE THINGS YOU LOVE AND EARN LOTS OF MONEY! Written By Kimberly Of JandK Designs

Table of Contents

1. 7 Key Requirements For Your Perfect home Crafts Money Making Business

2. What Type Of Craft Products Should You Market From Your Home

3. See how others just like you have succeeded 4. Finally, Overcome Every Excuse…….. Start Your perfect Business Now

5. 7 Perfect Action Steps

6. Resources that can help you get a fast start today

7. APPENDIX A: Home Business Detailed Checklist

7 Key Requirements For Your Perfect Home Based Crafts Money Making Business

Why Making Arts And Crafts Fits the Definition to a “T” If you dream of having your own home business, you will now finally discover a legitimate home business that you might even call “perfect”, just like I do. I think it has the best chance of being successful and fulfilling your dreams of the internet lifestyle. Wouldn’t that be refreshing for a change?

Did you know that many home business experts believe there is one business that is as close to perfect as you can get? Did you know that arts and craftworks is that Perfect Home Based Business? If you haven’t already discovered that for yourself, or even if you have already discovered that fact, let me show you some of my own personal requirements for my home business, and why crafting meets all of those requirements better than any business I know. And, later, we’ll talk about how you can get your own home based cottage industry started.

Lots of people just like you hope and dream about starting their own home based business and making money from home. It's all very good if you have those hopes and dreams. If you follow the 7 action steps to success in this E-book you just might turn those dreams into reality.

But, please don't be like many of the dreamers who dream forever, but never start their business. Or, they do start a home business of some kind and then give up too soon, because success doesn't come as fast as they expected. They lose hope, or don't know what to do next. Or, they try every new "opportunity" and never really succeed because they don't focus on any one thing until it works. Together, we can make sure you don’t become one of those who dream but don’t act. More on that later….

There are a lot of so called home based business “opportunities” that promise instant riches, financial freedom, and more. Have you seen some of those promises on the internet or in your email? But, as you probably already know, not all of these opportunities are real opportunities. If you’ve ever tried to make money from home with multi-level marketing or envelope stuffing or any of a hundred other “get rich quick opportunities”, you know what I mean.

Many of these so called “opportunities” will have you spending so much time and effort just to earn a little extra money that you could end up earning less than the minimum wage. You just earned $100 after a month of mind-numbing, time gobbling work.

Whooee! Sometimes there are so many demands on your time and money that the business ends up owning you, instead of you owning the business. Not the kind of thing you want to spend your life on, right?

I know that’s not the kind of opportunity you’re looking for. Don’t waste any more of your precious time and money trying out the “next great opportunity” and then the next, and then one more, until you feel like quitting altogether. Isn’t it time to stop spending money on every new opportunity, and to finally start earning some money?

Well, what’s the solution then? How can you finally discover the one opportunity that is working so well for a lot of people in these tough economic times. That is making the things that you love right from your home or artist workshop and selling them online.

First, a few tips and hints on what the perfect home based business is NOT: It’s NOT envelope stuffing It’s NOT FOREX

It’s NOT selling electronics on Ebay

It’s NOT selling face to face

It’s NOT medical billing or typing

It’s NOT Multi-Level Marketing

It’s NOT a pyramid scheme or chain letters It’s NOT stock investments It’s NOT taking surveys and getting paid

It’s NOT assembling products

It’s NOT Google AdSense Sites It’s NOT as hard as a J.O.B

Ever tried any of these “opportunities”? I bet you have. I have too. Disappointing at best.

Here’s my idea of a great home based business and The 7 Key Requirements:

Each letter in the word “P.E.R.F.E.C.T.” stands for one of the 7 key requirements a successful perfect home based business must meet. Each key is something your home based business opportunity MUST have in order for you to enjoy the success, financial freedom, and lifestyle you desire.

So, the word PERFECT spells out the 7 key requirements for a perfect home based business: P: Profitable

E: Easy

R: Real

F: Fits With Your Desired Lifestyle

E: E-Friendly

C: Competitive

T: Testable At Low Risk

Making Your Favorite Arts And Crafts Projects is a Perfect Home Based Business and Meets Those 7 Key Requirements:

1. Profits are extremely high compared to most other businesses, up to 90% of sales.

2. The business is easy to set up and operate, especially if you choose an information topic you have a passion for that meets the needs of a profitable market. It is not so easy that you don’t have to do any work. But, it is definitely easier than many jobs.

3. It's a real business where you will be providing information of real value to people happy to give you their money in exchange for your products. Not a MLM or envelope stuffing scheme.

4. Once the business is set up and running you can have more time than ever to spend with your family, or for vacations, hobbies, and activities you love.

5. It's a perfect business to make use of the internet as a marketing channel. You can profit heavily with website, blog, and e-mail marketing.

6. You can be competitive with unique information products. Because you put your own special slant on your information, even big companies can't run over you. Your information products will be unique because they will be based on your knowledge, experience, and personality.

7. You don't have to bet the farm or sell your first-born to finance the business. You can run inexpensive tests to see if your ideas will work before you expand to maximize your success. You can start small and build a thriving business with a very low investment.

So, what are you waiting for? Forget about all those other so-called "home business opportunities" that waste your time and money. Get started on your own home based business today using your artistic and creative gifts and talents and make the things that you love from your own home and make some money.

Here’s a checklist for evaluating any home based business and to prove information marketing is the best legitimate home business for you. The checklist has a little more detail with the definition of each of the 7 key requirements. If you need even more detail, I explain everything in Appendix A. Be sure to read Appendix A if you are not quite sure yet about information marketing being the right home business for you.

The Perfect Home Based Business Checklist Profitable: (if it isn’t profitable, why do it?)

High gross profit margin (preferably greater than 65%); net profits of 20% of sales or better

Net profit before taxes of at least $50,000 per year, preferably at least $100,000

(unless your goal is to supplement your income to the tune of $500 to $1,000 per month, but would you turn down $50,000 per year if you didn’t have to work any harder than you did to earn $10,000 per year?)

Low overhead (less than 5% of sales) Low labor content for manufacturing or assembly of the product(s) High average order Low initial investment required (less than $1,000 preferred) Small inventory with rapid turnover, or no inventory required Repeat or backend sales potential Easy (it will take some work, but it should be relatively easy) Something that you are passionate about or love doing A business process that can be automated or systematized Product is easy to pack and ship at low cost, or fulfillment of the order is done digitally Requires less than 20 hours per week after initial set up period Totally doable by by Most people without a lot of training.

Real: (a real business…no envelope stuffing or other bogus schemes) Large identifiable market segment, or smaller specialized niche market that is easily identified and reached High perceived need or want Something people are already buying Fits with your lifestyle desires (what lifestyle do you want to live?)

Something that you love or are passionate about Leverages your creativity (do something once and get paid over and over again for the initial effort). Don’t exchange one hour of your time for one hour’s pay (don’t be a wage slave) Can be operated from anywhere in the world and from home No employees required (but could use independent contractors, or outsource some of the work)

Helps a lot of people (the more people you help, the more money you will make)

Time required to build the business to an acceptable profit potential is not long (less than 6 months desired)

Low initial investment required (less than $1,000 preferred)

Product(s) that you have control of (you are the gate keeper)

Enables you to earn enough money to become financially free

Enables you to have free time because it requires less than 20 hours per week after initial set up period

The business is aligned with how I understand God would want it to be. This is a personal requirement for my business and lifestyle. It means that my business must provide real value, must benefit people, and must be legal, ethical and honest. If you make sure your home based business does this as well, whatever your views about God, you will be miles ahead of all the scams and quick buck artists that are all too common in the internet marketplace today.

E-friendly (can your business capitalize on the internet and e-mail for marketing and product delivery?)

Marketing can be conducted entirely on the internet and through e-mail Products or services can be digitally delivered Fits into a market or market niche where related key words are searched for often on the internet Competitive (can you win your share of the business or be a market leader?)

Have a unique selling proposition (unique or better product or service) and a irresistible offer

Enables you to be a big fish in a small pond (you can control the market) High publicity potential (news worthy, new, novel, popular fad or trend) Rapid, wide distribution can be accomplished Testable at low risk Your business, product, or service idea can be tested quickly and inexpensively to see if it is likely to be successful Roll out can be done on a larger scale in steps

Using ETSY As an Online Marketplace For your Crafts

Online money making options generally require you to have some kind of website, and have some sort of skill in marketing and online business to begin with. However, what if I told you that there was a way to make money online using your existing arts and crafts skills? If you're interested, read on, because we're going to take a look at Etsy, and how you can use your existing arts and crafts skills to gain money online.

What Is Etsy?

Etsy, and other sites like it, is an online portal that allows members of the site to list their original arts and crafts creations on the site, add a price and shipping costs, and advertise them to people around the world. It's a little like eBay, except that everything on it is handmade by the people who use the site.

What Can You Sell On Etsy?

Almost anything that is handmade. People sell everything from full sized oil paintings to hand beaded jewelry, hand knitted baby clothes and handmade candles. From leatherwork to painting, sculpting to sketching, if it's arts and crafts, you can sell it on the site.

How Do You Make Money?

Unlike some sites, Etsy doesn't take a commission off your sale. Instead, they allow users to post their arts and crafts on the site, in their own 'store' for a small fee per posting. You advertise your products, put a price on them and include shipping costs,

and you get exposure to the thousands of people that use the site. It's like an online craft market, with a lot more visitors!

Is It a Good Idea?

If you have a hobby that you already do, and that you'd like to make money online with, then Etsy is a great idea! It can give you a lot more exposure to a lot more people, and could even lead to you being able to pursue your hobby full time, rather than only on weekends and at night!

As you can see, when it comes to making money online, and online business, it's not only the technically gifted and the business minded that can benefit. Everyone, even people who like to work with their hands, can make money online, and either start or expand on an existing money making idea.

10 Great Resources for Selling Your Crafts ONLINE Selling your arts or crafts used to mean going to street fairs, bazaars, festivals, etc. Of course you still can do that, but maybe you do not have many of those opportunities where your live, or your circumstances do not allow you to do that, or you simply want to increase your market reach. In that case, the following online resources can help.

Online Marketplaces 1. eBay - The largest auction site, with a huge customer base. Be aware, though, that the competition can be fierce and that many people are looking for ultra-low prices.

Furthermore, keep a close eye on the various fees eBay charges for listings, upgrades and sales. Go on the eBay discussion boards or buy an book such as "Starting an eBay Business for Dummies" to avoid newbie mistakes.

2. Etsy - An online marketplace limited to handcrafted articles and supplies for these.

Lower fees than eBay, nice, uncluttered interface, but also a lot of competition.

3. RubyLane - An online marketplace offering "independent shops showcasing quality Antiques, Collectibles, Fine Art and Jewelry items from around the world." Charges various fees for listing, maintenance and advertising.

4. ArtbyUs - An auction site offering various media, but focusing on painting.

Discussion Boards 5. Bead and Button: Ideas for marketing your work. The community forum on the beadandbutton.com site is a great resource for beginners. Just reading through past postings will answer many of your questions, and the community is very supportive of newcomers.

6. Reasonable Insanity - Don't be put off by the strange title. These forums at reasonableinsanity.net offer advice about many artistic techniques and media, as well as on selling your creations.

Ezines and Newsletters With Articles and Tips 7. Home Jewelry Business Success Tips - Rena Klingenberg's website home-jewelrybusiness-success-tips.com is an incredible storehouse of advice about selling your handcrafted jewelry.

8. About.com Arts and Crafts Business - The about.com website is huge, and the Arts and Crafts Business section not only contains useful articles, but also a lively discussion forum. Just make sure you have a pop-up ad blocker activated.

9. Craft Business - the craftbusinesshome.com website offers a wide array of tips and articles on making money with your crafts.

10. The Artful Crafter - This website also offers numerous tips on crafting techniques and on marketing your products.

There you have it. These resources should help you get started selling your beautiful creations online.

Action Steps To Help You Get Started

You are about to travel onthe fast road on how to start an Internet business doing your favorite arts and crafts. As we proceed, I want you to note this: Just learning cannot provide you with the experience, the only way you can gain the experience is by getting started. There are many websites that give expert advice on working from home as well as message boards where you can meetup with others who are making a great living online with their own crafts.

You can follow these basic steps to Kick-Start Your Crafting Business: These steps are: 1. You need something to sell 2. You need a website 3. Traffic Generation for your listing pages 4. A Marketing and Action Plan

Now let us deal with these issues one after the other.

1. You need something to sell or promote

It might seem obvious but if you want an internet business you must have something you can sell. Really, for most people having their own products can be the biggest obstacle getting started. You may ask "can I sell any thing? The answer is yes! You can sell any thing on the Internet if you have the ability to create it. Things like e-books, arts and crafts and so on. But the simple thing is to think about what you do on the Internet most of the time - you are always looking for information, right? Possibly information on how to start internet business. I sell information products as well as making handmade beaded jewelry on ETSY.

Now there two best ways you can handle this and that is by developing your very own craft or artwork product or become an affiliate marketer. In fact, I recommend affiliate marketing. Affiliate program provides a perfect way for a beginner to gain perfect marketing experience with minimal cost. This means registering with an online merchant who already has a product, then you are given a personal link to promote and sell the product online and earn sales commission, in some cases 50 - 75% of the product cost.

The choice is yours to make.

2. You need a selling website

Yes, this is very necessary when it comes to the issue of starting internet business because you have to direct prospective buyers to the website in order to make sales. It has to be a very simple selling website with little graphics. The reason is because you are not wining an award with your site but to make money with it. So keep it simple with not too many graphics. When you have too many graphics on your site, the implication is that it slows down the download time of your page and when a visitor comes to your page and finds it so slow to load it turns them off. When you use online marketplaces like ETSY and EBAY, you are given storefronts and listing pages with payment processing for your items so in those cases a website of your own is not needed.

3. Traffic Generation

Traffic generation in affiliate marketing is like the tunnel through which a river flows to its bank; it is a condition you cannot do without when you are starting internet business.

This is because without driving traffic to your site in order to get visitors and covert their visit to sales for your affiliate product the site becomes a ghost zone where no visitor goes and you don't make sales. So it very paramount to generate traffic to your listing pages using PPC or SEO Promotions.

4. Marketing and Action plan This is where one the major works lies. You have to strategize on ways to drive traffic to your web site in order to make sale. You may have a powerful product, the best sales page and an award wining affiliate site but without strategizing on how best to promote your products, it then you have not started. So strategic marketing and a very good action plan can do a lot for you here. Therefore, a very good marketing and action plan is very necessary.

In conclusion, following this sure ways can turn your dreams of starting an internet business into a reality cash empire because it really works.

Saving Money Using Wholesale Supplies

Craft and jewelry makers can save money on supply expenses with wholesale bulk purchases . Whether you run a traditional store, an online store and take orders from home, these items can help reduce costs or increase your profits. The savings can also be passed on to customers, for supply storesdo offer many types of products for crafts.

If you are looking for pewter, you can find any theme you are looking for.

Sports, animals, bugs, holiday, circus, hobby, mythical and professional themes are just a few that can be purchased in bulk, from online stores such as Primitive Earth Beads. This reduced price supplier offers greater discounts, the larger the quantity of the order.

For small amounts, like 1-5, some pieces can be purchased for as little as $1 each. This is much less than products sell for in a craft supply store, where single pieces can cost $4 to $5 each. This online store also offers brass and a variety of metal tones, such as silver, copper and gold. Some pieces are available in porcelain finish, which is very attractive and unusual.

If you are in to making finer jewelry, Treasure Island Jewelry Company offers several pieces in Sterling silver, and Swarovski crystal. This is an excellent resource if you want to offer quality products and maintain a client base that prefers precious gems and metals to wear. Buying the pieces this way will reduce overhead and you merely have to worry about the tools used to make products you sell.

If you want to purchase bulk pieces and supplies at the same time, Jewelry Supply is another online store that has just about anything you would need.

They carry gold and silver chains, pendants and tokens in gold and silver and items in many other attractive materials. Some of the offerings include sterling pieces for $4 to $6 each. The store even has solid, flat rounds that are perfect for engraving. Any jeweler who has engraving tools can sell a round that is purchased for $13, for more than double that price, when a chain is added.

There are many benefits in purchasing wholesale supplies . They help cut costs of supplies for those who make jewelry. They can increase profits for your craft supply business or local crafting shop. The various suppliers offer many choices in precious and non-precious metals, as well as some very unique and elegant pieces that customers will be eager to own.

In time, You will have your own list of wholesale distributors that you can purchase your supplies from. This will save you money on your initial expenses and you can earn more for your items.

Well‌ In closing these are a few of my ideas about how to do the things you love and earn great money from selling them online. This booklet is not the whole volume of knowledge on this subject but just enough to get you started.

Best Wishes and Happy Selling!

Kimberly of JandK Designs