Archive for the Category »5 Tips About «

24
Jul
Art and Craft Business Tips for Entrepreneurs
Admin

Here are 5 really great tips about being crafty and an entrepreneur at the same time!

Art & Craft Business Tips for Entrepreneurs

Author: Alan Roberta

Today craft supplies are the heart of any arts and crafts business. Without supplies and good suppliers, your business will be in jeopardy. Search the right supplies at the right price and your business will have a much better chance of grow successfully.

Starting and running a craft business can sometimes be as confusing as it is rewarding. Here are 5 things to know before starting your venture into the world of professional crafting.

1. Shop Around

Always comparison-shop for supplies. Prices can vary greatly from vendor to vendor. Once you find a low-cost supplier, don’t stop there! Over time, prices do change. It’s a good idea to keep an eye out for another distributor.

2. Buy at Wholesale Cost

Many suppliers offer discounts to qualified buyers. Qualifications differ, but usually a Retail Tax ID number will suffice. Call your local courthouse to find out whom to contact to obtain a retail tax permit in your area. (If you are selling crafts, you should already have one.) Once you have your tax identification, ask individual suppliers if they offer wholesale discounts and how to qualify.

3. Buy in Quantity

Often, buying supplies in bulk can save money. When comparison-shopping for materials, ask each vendor if quantity discounts apply and if so, what the percentages off will be.

4. Use Recycled Materials

Be creative with your raw materials! You may be able to save quite a bit by using recycled wood, textiles, plastic, metal and anything else you may use. Of course all of your supplies cannot be obtained through recycled materials, but you might be surprised at where you can cut costs if you give it some thought.

5. Shop at Discount Stores

Many large chains offer comparable prices on certain upon art and craft supplies. If you intend to resell the finished product that you make and have a Tax ID number, you can avoid paying sales tax. Ask the store manager for details on tax exemption status.

Marketing is the another key ingredient to any successful business! You must have ways to get the word out about your products. Whether you will be attending craft shows, placing mail order ads, or selling your crafts online.

Selling crafts online involves more than simply publishing a Web site. Successful online marketing requires time, dedication and a basic understanding of marketing in general. Your online craft shop is merely an extension of your real-world business and all forms of marketing should compliment each other to work efficiently and effectively.

This article is not only intended to give crafts people ideas on how to market an arts and crafts supply wholesale Web site, but also to help crafters become aware of the importance of real-world marketing of a cyber-world storefront.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-articles/art-craft-business-tips-for-entrepreneurs-359203.html

About the Author:

Johnson Hardy is famous researcher of wholesale art supply craft. He publishes book upon custom craft industries.

 Leave me a comment if you enjoyed this article.

Return to moms-work-online home page.

Category: 5 Tips About, Business Skills  Tags: ,  One Comment
21
Jul
5 Tips About Working Moms and Stress
Admin

It’s easy to work all the time when you are working at home. 

5 Tips About Working Moms and Stress

More and more mothers are returning to the workforce when their kids come of school age.  Some moms never stopped working and have had to learn to juggle home and career.  Here are some tips to help working moms to lighten the stress load.

Working moms are those mothers that work outside the home and inside the home.  While working moms outside the home may work more hours than the moms that work inside the home, the home-working moms must divide their time between care for the children and their clients.  For both, these two worlds provide pressures that can lead to a stressful life.

Working moms have the social interaction that comes with a job in the workplace.  They talk with other adults and get away from home for a few hours a day.  While work does offer the adult interaction they need, it also introduces a new stress-or into the mix. 

Work-at-home moms are struggling to find their identity at the same time that they are raising the kids.  The spouse still works outside of the home which means that most of the household needs are met by mom as she juggles her business.  The new business, while bringing fulfillment, can be another source of stress.

For both types of moms, one tip for stress relief is to exercise.  Exercise prepares the body for anything, including attacks from stress.  Mornings are usually best for moms because they can get their physical activity out of the way.  Mom can also exercise with their kids.  Put the baby in a stroller and walk or jog around the neighborhood.  Play games with the kids to work up a sweat.

Enlist the help of other family members.  Spouses and older kids are not mind readers.  If you want help with the chores, ask for it.  Give the kids a list of chores to do.  Make a chart and tape it to the refrigerator if you need to.  Ask your spouse to watch the kids for a few hours when he gets home so that you can have time to yourself. 

Hire out for certain jobs.  Have a maid service come in and clean for you.  It may only be once or twice a month, but any time at all is a big weight off your shoulders.  Hire a neighborhood kid to cut the lawn. 

On the days when your business workload is heaviest, why not use a mom’s helper.  She will occupy the kids while you conduct meetings, run errands, and do other business related things.  The person you hire should be someone you trust who is good with kids.

Leave work at work or in the home office.  Whatever pressures you have with clients or coworkers, decide to deal with it during work hours.  Dragging this baggage into your home life does nothing good for you or your family.  Worrying all night when the problem will still exist the next day is futile.

Return to work on a part-time basis.  Working full time may be stressing you too much.  The financial side may take a slight hit, but you will make up for it with peace of mind.  Talk to your spouse and share your concerns before making a decision together.

Working moms have added stress from their jobs, whether they work at home or in a work environment.  Easing that stress is crucial to keeping the family life in harmony.

Leave me a message if you enjoyed this post!

Return to moms-work-online home page.

Category: 5 Tips About, Home Business and Family, Work Life Balance  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment
11
Jul
Work at Home Online – 5 Tips for the New Etsy Seller
Admin

The first year being a new Etsy seller can be fun, frustrating and confusing. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while you start to work at home online.

1 – Limit the amount of time you spend on the forums.

You need to focus your attention on creating new products for your store. If you are on the forum looking for tips, be sure to have a notebook with you and actually write down what you plan on trying. Also, if you are on the forum to promote your business, just spend a limited amount of time. Be considerate, give advice and share your knowledge. Don’t just look at what your going to get out of a conversation.

2 – Consider selling on both Ebay and Etsy.

Look for offline places to sell your products as well. The point of this is that it relaxes your brain a bit. You aren’t all stressed out about making the Etsy store work. Less stress = more creativity and nicer communications with others.

3 – Consider making a few purchases from other Etsy sellers to gain some positive feedback.

This is a great tip if you are new to Etsy and have little or no feedback, but it’s a good idea as a veteran seller too. Many buyers are wary of buying from brand-new sellers especially if they do not have feedback.

4 – Offer free shipping with your products. 

It can make a difference on how fast some items will sell. Be sure to accommodate the shipping in your listing price. Remember, you will also pay a little more in fees with the shipping included so may want to consider adjusting for that too. Consider writing ”free shipping” in your title.

5 – Use Tags because this is how potential customers will find you. Most will do a search on Etsy. Use all the tag spots available.

If you want to sell different things in your shop, then go right ahead! I like that type of store myself. It seems like a fun boutique. I get to dig around and see what I can find.

What tips do you have for the new Etsy seller?

Enjoy this post? Leave a comment. Subscribe with your email to read what’s next.

Return to moms-work-online home page.

Category: 5 Tips About, Business Skills, Networking Online  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment
09
Jul
Online Store – How to take pictures of your product for your online store
Admin

If you have an online store, one of  your top questions will undoubtedly be centered around how to take pictures of your product.

Who takes pictures of your products if you have them listed online? Do you pay a professional to do this or just post pictures you have taken at home even if you are not a professional? 

Many people hate their own pictures of their product.  But, we know it could cost a lot of money to have professional ones done.

How often does the picture sell the product?  Do quality pictures make that much of a difference?

5 Tips About How to Take Pictures of Your Product

1) Set up an area with a natural or light background. Keep it uncluttered and simple to focus on the product.

2) Learn how to fix and doctor up your pictures in Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Elements (You can download a free trial version from the Adobe website)

3) Learn how to cut out your background and just show your product

4) Try taking some outdoor pictures on a nice day!

5) Have someone else take the pictures for you. Your spouse, your sister, your mom.

Bonus Tip 6) Just practice taking a lot of pictures. Do it in some downtime when you are not rushed to be posting new products for sale in your online store.

Bonus Tip 7) Pull out your manual for your camera. Re-read it (or read it for the first time). Maybe you change some settings that will increase the picture quality.

Bonus Tip 8) I haven’t tried this myself because I use Adobe Elements. If you use Windows XP, 2000 or Vista, you might want to try out paint.net. It is free photo editing software similar to Photoshop. It doesn’t have all of the capabilities of Photoshop, but it’s pretty good considering it’s free. You can find it at www.getpaint.net/

Learning how to take pictures of your product will improve the look of your online store. Do you have any picture taking tips?

Enjoy this post? Leave a comment and sign up to read more.

Return to moms-work-online home page.

Category: 5 Tips About, Business Skills  Tags:  Leave a Comment
28
Jun
Successful Websites – 5 Ways to Keep Visitors Coming Back
Admin

A lot of successful websites depend on returning visitors to account for a major part of their traffic. Returning visitors are easier to convert into paying customers because the more often they return to a site, the more trust they have in that site. The credibility issue just melts away. Hence, keep  visitors coming back to your site with the following methods:

1) Start a forum, chat room or shout box

When you start a forum, chat room or shoutbox, you are providing your visitors a place to voice their opinions and interact with their peers — all of them are visitors of your site. As conversations build up, a sense of community will also follow and your visitors will come back to your site almost religiously every day.

2) Start a web log (blog)

Keep an online journal, or more commonly known as a blog, on your site and keep it updated with latest news about yourself. Human beings are curious creatures and they will keep their eyes glued to the monitor if you post fresh news frequently. You will also build up your credibility as you are proving to them that there is also a real life person behind the website.

3) Carry out polls or surveys

Polls and surveys are other forms of interaction that you should definitely consider adding to your site. They provide a quick way for visitors to voice their opinions and to get involved in your website. Be sure to publish polls or surveys that are strongly relevant to the target market of your website to keep them interested to find out about the results.

4) Hold puzzles, quizzes and games

Just imagine how many office workers procrastinate at work every day, and you will be able to gauge how many people will keep visiting your site if you provide a very interesting or addicting way of entertainment. You can also hold competitions to award the high score winner to keep people trying continuously to earn the prize. This is a really fun way to build a successful website.

5) Update frequently with fresh content

Update your site frequently with fresh content so that every time your visitors come back, they will have something to read on your site. This is the most widely known and most effective method of attracting returning visitors, but this is also the least carried out one because of the laziness of webmasters. No one will want to browse a site that looks the same over ten years, so keep your site updated with fresh bites!

What are your favorite ways to keep visitors coming back to your website?

Enjoy this post? Leave a comment for me and subscribe to my RSS feed. I’ve got more great stuff coming.

Return to moms-work-online home page.

Category: 5 Tips About, How to Build A Website, Networking Online  Tags:  Leave a Comment
25
Jun
Get Paid to Write Articles
Admin

Have you ever wondered if you could get paid to write articles?

It’s easy to understand why it is an attractive home business idea for moms. There are very few start-up costs. You can work on your writing almost anywhere. It’s easy to write anytime of day. These are very important benefits because moms are often lacking in either time or money (or maybe both!).

Get Paid to Write Articles – 5 Tips

1) Access to a computer is necessary to get paid to write articles. You’ll use the Internet to do research. You can also search online to find freelance jobs. more…

Category: 5 Tips About, Writing For Pay  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment
23
Jun
Work at Home – 5 Tips About Writing a Book
Admin

Writing a book (and then many subsequent books) is a common work at home goal for many moms.

Many people have the dream of writing a book but few know how to approach this seemingly overwhelming task. There are some ways that you can organize your thoughts into a cohesive collection that is suitable for print. Once you follow some simple steps on how to write a book, you are well on your way to reaching your goal.

While many of us see the task of learning how to write a book as overwhelming, you might be surprised by how easy it really is. This is especially true if you are able to keep yourself organized and focused on your writing plan. There are some initial considerations that need some attention before looking into techniques. more…

Category: 5 Tips About, Home Business Ideas, Writing For Pay  Tags: ,  One Comment
« Previous Entries