Are you handy with a paintbrush, or perhaps you’re a real wordsmith? Can you crochet tiny baby clothes or digitally design logos that make people swoon? If you have a talent, there is likely to be a market of people who are willing to buy it. Perhaps you’ve made a cake so good and ornate that everyone who tried a piece told you that you should make it a business. Well, here is how you can turn your talent into a side hustle.
Set your prices
This is one of the hardest steps as you want to ensure you are making a profit and covering your costs, but at the same time, ensuring that you are not pricing yourself out of the market. It can be hard to decide what your time is worth, and until people start to take a chance and buy your products, you won’t have many positive reviews. Once you decide on your preliminary prices, download software from Freshbooks to keep track of your invoices. You can even use the same system to get paid using stripe accounting integrations. That way, your customers can safely and easily pay you, and you can keep track of your profits.
Decide on your offerings
You want to decide exactly what it is that you’re going to sell. For example, will you accept custom pieces, or will you create set items that people can buy? Think about what you enjoy creating and what you feel would be best sellers; remember that you can always add things to your business as you go. It never hurts to do a little bit of market research – whether that is just asking friends and family what they think people would be interested in or doing a little survey to share online to find out opinions.
Market yourself
Shouting about yourself can be tricky, but no one can buy your products if they don’t know they exist. You don’t have to spend anything on marketing, just create some simple graphics in Canva and share on social media. Ask your friends and family to spread the word too. When you start making some money, you could invest in some sponsored posts or utilise Google Adwords to increase your reach. You might want to set up social media accounts for your new business to look more professional too.
Keep track
It’s important that you keep track of all your orders to ensure that your customers are happy. You might find it easier to do this digitally or to have a specific notebook where you write all the order details down carefully. You’ll find your own system that works.
Being able to make a living from something you love to do is a real privilege and something so special, although it can be stressful, so it’s important not to put too much pressure on yourself and avoid losing the passion you have for your craft.
Additional resources:
- Up your side hustle’s appeal with ready-made and custom framed samples
- Strong leadership and your small business
- How effective framing instantly doubles your odds of success