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The 12 Secrets to Starting a Home-Based Craft Business 

Secret #2
REALLY FOCUS

By Karen Booy, as excerpted from 
Crafting the American Dream and the CRAFTLINK Newsletter.

This may be the most powerful secret of all. I really wanted to save it until last, but I just couldn’t. Since it is the most important secret of all my crafting secrets it makes sense that it forms the very foundation of your business.

Why is it the most important secret of all?

Crafters tend to be "jack of all trades and master of none." In order to be successful in the '90s one must specialize. Rather than spreading our talents thinly over many different mediums we need to gather together our time, talent and resources and FOCUS. Spend some time thinking about what you love to do. What are your friends always complimenting you on?

Don't try to be all things to all people. Don’t try to make something for everyone. Your craft table will look like a garage sale, a little of this, a little of that -- no rhyme or reason to your products and display. Instead specialize. Narrow your focus, concentrate your abilities in a very narrow field. If sewing is your business, specialize -- do weddings, or tailored business clothing, or design a line of sleepwear for preemies. Don’t "do it all" -- specialize. Become the best. Stand out from the rest.

When you specialize a wonderful thing happens -- life gets easier. Instead of trying to please EVERYONE you get to please YOURSELF. By narrowing your business it makes it easier to identify your potential customer, since you are no longer selling to everyone. You decide who your customer is, where they shop, and what they read. This helps you decide what crafts shows to go into, what stores to sell to and which magazines or newspapers to advertise your products in.

By focusing your business, you concentrate your resources, within a very short time you can and will become an expert in your field. Focus helps your business become a laser beam. Compare the power of a laser to that of a flashlight! I think you get the point.

Think about the style of your business, will it be Victorian, Country, Hi-Tech, Funky, Cute? Incorporate that feeling into your business. Remember, Focus = Foundation.

Once you have decided which direction you are headed in you business, each and every decision will be based on you business image and keeping within and sustaining that image. If you decide that you are going to make and sell Victorian clothing then every decision affecting you business will always support that style.

When you decide on naming your business it will sound Victorian, when your choose the color and style of the fonts for your business card, it will look Victorian. At a Craft Fair or Trade Show your booth design will entice people who love the look of Victorian because even from a distance, your customer will already have an idea of what you sell and whether or not they are interested. Get the point? See how much easier life is when you FOCUS? I don’t want to beat the point to death but if you just get this one SECRET it can mean the difference between making a little bit of money and making a whole lot!

SO FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!

Other Seminars currently online:

The 12 Secrets to Starting a Home-based Craft Business Part I

More information on Crafting the American Dream

Back to CRAFTLINK Taking Care of Business

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