Advice for a crafter

I received an email from a reader named Denise as follows:

Hi Patrice:

Unfortunately I am home from work with the flu which means a day of wages lost. I will keep my story as brief as possible.

As a stay-at-home mom and only a high school graduate, it suited me fine. Living high on the hog (and very grateful) with my husband of 24 years and four children ended abruptly when my husband died of a massive heart attach at 48 yrs. young. That was six years ago.

I am in the work force now, which is fine, but I love being home and crafting what ever pops in my head. I believe I can make a living once I find my niche.

Where do you begin?

I definitely won't quit my day job at this point. Any advice?

Thank you,
Denise
____________________________________________

I sent Denise a copy of my ebook The Home Craft Business and asked permission to post her email on this blog in order to garner additional reader input. I figure, many heads are better than one.

Thoughts off the top of my head: Not quitting her day job is an excellent idea. It would be foolish (especially in this economy) to quit her only source of income until such time as a different income can replace it. As for finding her niche, and without knowing what kind of crafting she does, I would advise her to concentrate on which crafts seem most marketable. After all, the concept of starting a home craft business is to be able to sell your products in order to make a living, so making things that no one wants to purchase is counter-productive.

So, dear readers, what other advice do you have for Denise? Be generous with your assistance and let's give her a hand.

On the radio again!

Yes, once again I'm putting my head in the noose and going on the radio this afternoon (Sunday June 6) at 4 pm Pacific time. Specifically I'll be on Blog Talk Radio (here's the link). Paul Wald of SaltCreekLife.com will interview me as he did before, and the topics of discussion will include craft businesses and self-sufficiency.

If you can tune in, welcome!

Table of Contents for my ebook

Some readers are curious about the content of the ebook. Here's what's inside:

Introduction
How We Got Started
Lesson 1: Spousal Support
Lesson 2: Frugal Living, The Means to an End
Lesson 3: Time Management
Lesson 4: Blame the Boss
Lesson 5: When Nobody Wants Your Product
Lesson 6: No-magic Marketing
Lesson 7: It Takes Time
Lesson 8: How NOT to Finance Your Business
Lesson 9: Don’t Quit Your Day Job
Lesson 10: Love What You Do
Lesson 11: Pricing Your Products
Lesson 12: Quality vs. Efficiency
Lesson 13: Wholesale vs. Retail
Lesson 14: Selling Wholesale
Lesson 15: Custom Work
Lesson 16: To Consign or Not to Consign
Lesson 17: Professionalism
Lesson 18: Billing
Lesson 19: Financial Transactions
Lesson 20: The Psychology of Sales
Lesson 21: The Tax Man Cometh
Lesson 22: Crafting in a Bad Economy
Lesson 23: Random Concluding Thoughts

Wow! Look at this!

My new book is front-page news on LivingOnADime.com. What a thrill!

I have a book available!

Hey guess what - my ebook "The Home Craft Business: How to Make it Survive and Thrive" is now available!


Here's a description. This ebook came about thanks to the encouragement of the awesome Tawra Kellam, co-founder of LivingOnADime.com...a website well worth perusing.