Making & Marketing a Successful Art & Craft Business

A revised and updated edition of Craft a Creative Business, this is a must-read guide for anyone wanting to turn their hobby, craft or art skills into a successful business.Fiona Pullen, owner of The Sewing Directory, covers every aspect of setting up a small creative business clearly and simply; giving advice on the importance of identifying markets, focusing on a USP (unique selling point), assessing the competition, making sure the price is right and setting goals. Also included are sections on product photography and videography, branding and legal matters. Particular emphasis is placed on online selling, with detailed information on markets, blogging, using social media and the importance of analytics and SEO (search engine optimisation). Information on offline selling is included too, with notes on selling at craft fairs, trade fairs and markets, selling through retail outlets, running courses and workshops, and featuring work in the media. Every chapter is supported by practical activities to help you apply the lessons to your business, along with insights and advice from dozens of successful business professionals including Debbie Shore, Torie Jayne and Laura Strutt. 

To a run a successful business you have to be, or make yourself, good at all the administrative tasks that come with that particular territory. Most books on running art and craft businesses tend to concentrate on the business and forget the art. This one, however, is immediately user-friendly. Everything comes in bite-size chunks that you can absorb easily, headings are easy to follow and there are even illustrations that make reading fun. You could almost believe admin can be an art!, Making & Marketing a Successful Art & Craft Business by Fiona Pullen is a comprehensive guide to help you in your quest to establish a business around your passion. Written from first hand experience, Pullen starts by taking the reader through the pros and cons of self employment and getting started, from market research, creating a business plan, setting goals and everything in between. Then the book covers the nitty gritty of legal matters, including coverage of necessities like taxes and accounts. This section was particularly well done, very clear and straightforward. The chapter covering the myriad ways of presenting your business and creating a brand offers invaluable advice and is accompanied by lovely photographs. The world of social media and it’s use to your business is particularly topical and has been almost totally revised since the last edition, providing up to date advice on this fast changing area. The business of selling your product online and offline conclude the book with lots of good tips and ideas about where to sell your wares and exactly how to do it, like how to get your product into stores. Every aspect of starting and running your own craft business has been thought of and addressed in this book. This is a must read for those starting up!, Not sure on how to turn your hobby into a career? Fiona Pullen holds your hand as you navigate every aspect of setting up a small creative business. The book is divided into chapters that deal practically with self employment, legal matters, branding and marketing, social media, selling online and in the the real world, as well as running workshops and networking, Each chapter is supported by practical exercises to help you apply the lesson to your business, along with insights and advice from dozens of successful business professionals making this a must-read guide for anyone thinking of setting up their own business., Required reading for anyone wishing to turn their hobby into a business, Fiona Pullen's updated and revised Making & Marketing a Successful Art & Craft Business is a must. Fiona explores every aspect of setting up a creative business with advice on identifying markets, setting the correct prices and goals, as well as how to photograph your work to best advantage. There is also plenty of useful information on branding, legal matters, online selling, craft fairs, and featuring work in the media. Each section is accompanied by practical activities to help you apply the lessons to your own business. , There’s been a fairly steady stream of books on this subject over the years but, up to now, they’ve usually been written by or for (or both) the business professional. This one differs in the first instance by having as its author someone who is active in the field she writes about. The second, and even more important, aspect is that this is aimed at those who are primarily creators rather than entrepreneurs. The presentation is bright, pithy and written in everyday language. There are no lengthy treatises on legal and commercial practice – although this is all covered. Rather, short paragraphs and breakout boxes sit alongside simple to-do lists. Although this is a complex subject, learning about it doesn’t need to be intimidating. If you were thinking of putting a toe in the water but were put off by the immense list of what you need to know and do, this is immediately reassuring the moment you open the pages. Running a business isn’t a simple exercise, although you don’t have to start with a chain of shops and a host of staff. Maybe you just want to sell your own work from your home. Do that and a lot of the difficulties go away. You can deal with the problems of success when you have them. You do need, however, to know how to price, present and market your work and Fiona has plenty of advice that will help you avoid the pitfalls that entrap many a newcomer. Early failures can easily put you off, as well as being expensive, but follow the simple guides and you should be rewarded from the outset. There is necessarily a lot of detail here and this is, at 256 pages, not a slim volume. However, the layout makes it easy to locate the sections you need. Following Fiona’s excellent advice is not difficult and can even be a pleasure.

Fiona Pullen is the founder of popular sewing website, The Sewing Directory, which allows stitchers to find their local sewing shop, sewing school or sewing groups plus free projects and tutorials. Launched in 2010, the site rapidly grew to be one of the UK’s top sewing websites, attracting 1,000,000 visitors a year and with a social media following of over 80,000. You can find The Sewing Directory at: www.thesewingdirectory.co.uk  As a law graduate, Fiona keenly researched all aspects of running a business to ensure the success of The Sewing Directory. She has shared her knowledge in countless magazine features and seminars.Fiona lives in picturesque Devon, UK, with her husband and son. When not working or writing, she enjoys bag making, quilting and embroidery; and is an avid reader.