Helpful Hints for the Balancing Act

Last time I was talking about the balancing act between creating and the business and thought I would pass on some further tips.

1. Make sure you keep a record of what each of your materials is composed of. If you are beading, is the item silver plate, sterling silver, etc, what the fiber content of your fabric is, any any other details on the packaging that might be useful to your customers.


2. Note the price and quantity of what you buy for future costing. I had quite a number of items when I was first starting out that I had not idea how much I spent or where I got the materials. I had to do a lot of web searching to find the replacement cost to help cost the items. Generally, I either have a sample book or label the bag the item is stored it.


3. Make a habit of costing what you make. I keep index cards beside me when I am designing so that I can make notes of what I have used and the cost as I go. I then do my final costing in Excel. It will do the math for me and I can store the picture, write the copy and track inventory easily. For my current purposes it is enough. The link below is for Microsoft tutorials for writing simple formulas for Excel. Of course I have chosen Excel 2007 but you can select another version.http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/CR100479681033.aspx


4. Take some time to check out some websites to assist with writing and set up a template of what types of information you want in your product descriptions. I found a number of them that offered great suggestions on how to describe myself and my business. Keep notes with your costing of size, composition, colour, etc to help with the writing.


5. When uploading your photographs, edit them right away so that they are ready to be used when you are ready to add them to the web, and store them on your computer where you can find them. Make sure your pictures are sharp and clear, and your product well positioned in the frame. Pay attention to what your chosen website suggests about photo size. Some websites crop pictures and you may lose part of your product. Take several shots from different angles, different displays, and in different light and keep only the best. I have found Microsoft Office Picture Manager is adequate for adjusting the images for size and colour.


6. Set aside a specific time for doing the business side of the business. Schedule enough time to get the job done and don't worry if it takes longer than you thought. Practice will make things go faster. I keep a list on my desk of the things I would like to do (such as checking out a supplier of a particular material or reading the blogs I subscripe to) and when I hit a brick wall with designing will tackle one of the jobs.

Although not included here, I am more than happy to share the formulas for the costing in Excel. Please let me know if you are interested and I will work up a procedure sheet and post it.

Happy Crafting

CraftyLadyLiz