TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AS A BUSINESSonlc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Traditional-Knowledge...Traditional Knowledge and Skills as a Business pg. 5 ©Ontario Native Literacy

Traditional Knowledge and Skills as a Business

©Ontario Native Literacy Coalition 2016

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

AND

SKILLS AS A BUSINESS

Ontario Native Literacy Coalition

2016





TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction .......................................................................................................................... pg. 2

Lesson 1 - Where to Start: Niches and Trends ..................................................................... pg. 4

Lesson 2 – Uniqueness of My Business ............................................................................... pg. 16

Lesson 3 – Choosing Your Location ..................................................................................... pg. 26

Lesson 4 – Your Work Space Design and Buying in Bulk .................................................... pg. 36

Lesson 5 – Marketing/Promoting in the Arts ......................................................................... pg. 48

Lesson 6 – Protecting Your Artistic Work ............................................................................. pg. 60

Lesson 7 – But I Hate Sales!................................................................................................. pg. 74

Lesson 8 – Where to Sell? Wholesale, Consignment and Galleries .................................... pg. 86

Lesson 9 – Online Selling, Craft Parties, and Your Own Retail Store .................................. pg. 96

Lesson 10 – Craft Shows: Part 1 .......................................................................................... pg. 108

Lesson 11 – Craft Shows: Part 2 .......................................................................................... pg. 120

Lesson 12 – Teaching Your Traditional Skills ....................................................................... pg. 134

Targeted Learner Program Resources ................................................................................. pg. 148

Sample Template for a Targeted Learner Program .............................................................. pg. 150

Materials Lis for Program ...................................................................................................... pg. 1151

Certificate .............................................................................................................................. pg. 152

Sample of Certificate ............................................................................................................. pg. 153


pg. 1 ©Ontario Native Literacy Coalition 2016




Introduction

Welcome to Traditional Knowledge and Skills as a Business course booklet. This course came about by

accident when ONLC was exploring possible Native Apprentice programs. Did you know there is a

voluntary apprentice program entitled, Native Clothing and Crafts Artisan (National Occupational Code #

5244 )? This preparatory course is meant to be a beginning program to further the Native LBS student’s

interest in business development and also acknowledge the importance of the Traditional Knowledge and

Skills that Native peoples can offer as a form of cultural mediation to all Canadian society.

Deciding to turn one’s passion from traditional knowledge and skills which may be hobbies, arts and

crafts into a money making business can be overwhelming-- where to start? This course is designed to

help the student learn the basics and teach them how to avoid the pitfalls that many people have

encountered and help to decide whether to pursue small business as a profession.

This course includes 12 lessons. Each lesson is divided into five parts followed by one small assignment

and one quiz to assist with the student’s understanding of the material. The lessons include areas in

which the potential business owner will discover how to find your niche in the market, how to determine

which venues will be best for your product, and what the student will need to represent themselves in a

professional manner. The student will also learn how to price their work; learn some of the secrets to

marketing, how to set long- and short-term goals, and how to stay artistically inspired while running their

own business.

http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2011/QuickSearch.aspx?val65=5244

http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2011/QuickSearch.aspx?val65=5244





Lesson 1

WHERE TO START: NICHES AND TRENDS

Part 1

Introduction

There really are an unlimited number of ways to sell one’s work. And there's a high demand for products

that have a personal touch. In today's society, we have an incredible amount of technological

advantages—but all the telecommuting, e-mailing, and Internet access can limit physical contact with

other people. Yet the human psyche vitally craves this contact.

This is where the artisan come in. The Native artisan brings their traditional knowledge and skills that

touch others through their handmade works. And the best part is that as a traditional Native artisan, one

is giving to others by doing what they love and sharing part of their heritage!

In this first lesson, the student will explore something that most businesspeople stumble onto only after

years of struggle: determining how to know what will sell and how to find one’s niche within that market.

Part 2

Finding One’s Niche

To be successful with an arts and crafts business, one needs to find one’s niche both for the business

and for one’s self as a craftsperson. In business terms, a niche is a special area of demand for a product

or service. In personal terms, it's a situation or activity especially suited to one’s interests, abilities, or

nature. So basically, the student needs to find a particular interest or an ability for making something, and

the student also have to find out if there’s a special area of demand for the craft.

Before making a final decision about what their niche will be, the artisan will need to consider some key

questions:

1. What do you enjoy making? (From this point on, it will be referred to as your craft.) Your craft should be based solely on what you like making, touching, and being surrounded by. Is it leather tooling, beading, or do you like making traditional clothing, moccasins, carvings, corn husk dolls, pottery or jewelry, painting or basket? What medium do you like—clay, beads, fabric, leather, wood or soapstone? Finding the answers to these questions is where you start.

No matter what you decide, you want to choose a craft that you'll love making over and over again.

You should decide on something that's challenging enough to keep your interest but easy enough to

produce in a reasonable amount of time.

Do you know how to make this craft well? The one thing you cannot compromise on is quality of

craftsmanship. No secrets of success can sell a product of inferior quality.

2. What will your first product be? One of the biggest mistakes many first-time craftspeople make is starting out with too many products. They get overwhelmed with too many things to make and having their energy and focus going in too many different directions.



Once you've worked through these questions—

and this can take a little while—you'll have the

foundation for creating your own craft business.

However, this isn't the only time you'll need to

think about your niche. This process can continue

well after you're in business. Here's an example to

show you what is meant.

Susan had been working as a clerk for several

years. Unsatisfied with the daily grind, she

decided to pursue something she had enjoyed as

a hobby for most of her life—leatherwork. She'd

made several items for family and friends and

always felt a surge of satisfaction whenever she

saw someone using one of her gifts.

Before she began, though, Susan needed to find a niche within the broad category of leatherwork. She

thought about all the items she'd ever made (moccasins, beaded picture frames, handbags, gloves, and

beaded cell phone cases). Next, she decided on one particular item that she enjoys making over and over

again—beaded cellphone cases. Then she did a little research to find out if there's a market for leather

beaded cell phone cases. Her research turned up positive results, and she found a niche in this business

market for personalized, beaded leather cell phone cases.

Although she dabbled with it over the years, she wanted to hone her skills, particularly for beading the

leather. So she found a mentor in her community known for beading on leatherwork and learned from her

in the evenings.

After two years, Susan has been steadily gaining clientele and building her business. As she's interacted

with her customers, she's discovered that they're tired of always digging around in their purses looking for

their cell phones. They wish someone would make a cell phone case that would attach to a purse.

Aha! This would be a great time for Susan to take advantage of a new niche in her market! After

considering the market demand for cell phone cases that clip onto purses, Susan decided to add this new

feature to some of her products. Her sales have increased substantially, and she's now settled into her

new market niche.

I hope you now see how finding your niche can help you make and continue to build a successful

business. Before you move on to Part 3, take some time to answer these three questions and see if you

can find your niche within your chosen craft.

1. What do you enjoy making? 2. Do you know how to make it well?

3. What will your first product be?

Then, when you're ready, look at how you can determine if your product will sell.

Tip Could you benefit from learning a little more before you take your product to market? If you feel you need to improve your skills, consider further training. Here are some ideas for where to start looking:

o Seek out a mentor (an expert in your community)

o Your local craft store o Teach yourself new techniques

through books or courses on the Internet



Part 3

Determining What Will Sell

Okay, so you've found your niche and you're ready to get going. What's next? Now you need to learn how

to spot retail trends while they're gaining momentum.

This sounds simple. But spotting trends can be tricky. So let's look at some

different retail trend-spotting resources you can use that can help you keep your crafts moving in the

direction the market is going.

Trade Magazines

Dozens of magazines out there focus on the kind of information you'll need. If you're not familiar with

these, here are a couple of titles for you to look into: Say Magazine, Cowboys and Indians, The Silver

Moccasin

The following resources give you access to native arts and crafts information and trends or can help. The

website is http://canadacouncil.ca/aboriginal-arts-office . Here is an example of a retail trend reported in

a craft magazine. After one of the major national wholesale craft shows, the event's promoters reported

that home decor sales were 30% higher than the previous year. That meant there was a trend among

retailers to order more home decor products. So, since the show was held in January and the retail trend

was reported in February, you would be ready to modify your craft and apply it to your business.

One particularly useful resource is to attend a large pow wow with many vendors. The Gathering of

Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque, NM is one of the largest Pow Wow’s in North America if not the

largest. It has thousands of vendors selling their crafts and merchandise. Look at the colors, talk to the

vendors ask what their bestselling item is. In the United States there is annual colour trending reports.

Colour forecasting is when professional colour specialists predict what colours the public will be

attracted to in the coming year. This helps manufacturers know what colours to make their products. This

special coloir forecasting is often released in January. If you're curious about where anyone would get this

kind of information, just google Colour forecasting and the year i.e. colour forecasting 2016.

Keep This in Mind

Retail is a very broad term that refers to selling products to the public. These products can range

from earrings to automobiles, from clothing to furniture. This course will use retail in two ways (1) to

describe the action of the marketplace (the selling of a product), and (2) to look at whether to sell

directly to the public (retail) or to sell to retailers (wholesale).

For spotting trends, we'll use the first definition: looking at the action of the marketplace and

determining what's actually being sold.

Spot retail trends while they are gaining momentum

http://canadacouncil.ca/aboriginal-arts-office



Trade Organizations

By far, the biggest mover and shaker in the world of trendsetting is the Colour Marketing Group (CMG).

This is an international nonprofit organization made up of over 1,500 color designers. Each year the

members of this group gather and produce a color forecast that the manufacturing industry follows.

You may want to consider looking at this group’s forecast findings to know latest colour trends one to

three years from now. (The website link is found in this lesson’s resource section.)

Although experts can predict colours, most of the time the craft’s person can't predict retail trends.

Instead, trend-watchers report them as they occur. And wholesale craft show promoters can help you find

the up-to-the-minute information you'll need to keep your craft current.

Wholesale Craft Show Promoters

A third way to learn about retail trends ahead of the curve is to contact the major wholesale craft show

promoters for their reports on buying trends after each show. Promoters are the people who organize

shows and rent exhibit spaces to crafters like you (if you decide to wholesale your product). They are a

valuable resource for any craft businessperson because they usually get lots of helpful information from

their participants.

Here's how this information-gathering process works. After a show is over, wholesalers who bought space

in the show report what their sales were to the promoters. The promoters then compile this information,

which tells them what items sold well at the show. For example, in the past three shows, beaded jewelry

may have sold well, but the top seller in the last two shows has been home decor.

How can this information help you? It can guide what you'll design for your next product line or help you

decide on what changes to make to your current craft. You may also use it in the future to determine

whether it's worth your time and money to participate in that promoter's shows if they're a long way from

your home base.

When you contact wholesale craft show promoters, ask if they have a written report on the buying trends

from their last three shows. If they don't, see if they can spare a minute to tell you what type of craft

medium, category, or specific product sold the most. On the off chance that they don't collect that

information from their exhibitors, something else they should be able to tell you is how many exhibit

spaces they rented out and what type of crafter rented them. From that information you can deduce

what's selling.

For example, let's say pottery artists rented 30 of 100 exhibit spaces at the show before last, rented 40

spaces the next show, and then rented 48 most recently. From this information you can safely conclude

that there's a trend in buying handmade pottery items.

When you speak to promoters, there's no special lingo you need to know. Just clearly explain that you're

trying to determine current buying trends at shows. Be aware of their time—keep your calls short, make

your questions to the point, and always thank them for their time and information. A little courtesy goes a

long way.



To help get you started, the resource section has a couple of Web sites that list wholesale craft show

promoters and their contact information. Just check out the resource section once you finish reading this

lesson.

Other Resources

There are many different avenues for finding out about retail trends. Some of these are more localized

resources that will help you keep your finger on the pulse of what's happening in your local markets.

However, several also keep pace with national trends.

Newspaper articles on lifestyle: Keep an eye out for articles on national and local lifestyle trends in your local newspapers, and then make a list of the accessories people need to accommodate their lifestyle change.

Home construction: Check out the types of homes being built in your area. Are they contemporary, traditional, colonial, or log? New construction can also tell you what types of customers are being drawn to your area: retirees, couples with young children, business executives, and so on. If your business comes from your local community, you'd be wise to explore these trends.

Decorating and fashion magazines: Once people build their homes, they have to fill them! Decorating magazines will show you the latest national trends in color and design for interiors. For something with more focus on local flavors, check out the displays at nearby furniture stores. Fashion magazines will show you styles and colors of the accessories your customers will soon want. These magazines can also give insight about the most talked-about television shows, which are also great predictors of trends. You may like to use them to find out about everything from furniture to jewelry.

Deciding Which Trends to Follow

To determine what national trends will mean to your business, you must filter them through a local lens.

Here is a textbook example of how a national trend just won't translate to some local areas such as rural

northern Ontario.

Nationally, the hottest trend in interior decor was a sleek modern look. While some clients thought the

style was attractive, none of them wanted to use it in their homes or offices. Not one! Later that year, two

retail stores that specialized in sleek modern products closed within six months of opening. So remember,

if you cater to a local market, you must do your research and determine whether following a national trend

will benefit you.

Also, don't let your personal like or dislike of a trend dictate your decision! Even if you don't like the trend

of pairing turquoise and brown, that doesn't mean that your customers won't. Overcoming your own

prejudices can be a challenge, but if the customers want it, then it's important for you to take your cue

from them.

Now, can you always adapt your product to follow the most recent trend? No, not always. If the newest

retail trend is mosaic outdoor furniture and custom-built barbecue grills and you make quilts, there's not a

lot you can do to take advantage of this trend.

However, you should still keep your eyes open for what's coming next, because it could be a trend you

could profit from.

Nobody knows exactly how long a trend will last. Do your research, see what's already being marketed in

your craft medium, and come up with a unique product that expands your business while maintaining your



identity. If you can adapt your craft quickly and get it out there, this will keep you and your business on

the right path!

As you study national trends, ask yourself this very important question: Is your target market national or

local? Be realistic here. Don't bite off more than you can chew! If there's even a chance that you can't

fulfill the number of orders you would receive nationally, then play it smart and aim for the local market.

Concentrate on seeing if and how you can apply those national trends to what you do. And grow your

business wisely and steadily.

So, you now have a pretty good understanding of where you can go to spot and learn about trends. You

have many ways to go about getting and utilizing this information, but one fact remains the same: No

matter what resource you use, it's your job to learn about the trends that affect your craft. The sooner

you're able to locate them, the more meaningful they'll be to you and your craft.

Next, let's discuss people you'll want to listen to and people whose feedback may not be so beneficial.

Part 4

Who to Listen—and Not Listen—To

As you grow your business, you'll want to pay close attention to one of your best sources for researching

market demand. What would this be? Well, they may just walk through your door, visit your Web site, or

approach you at a fair. That's right—this source is your customers.

When you first start out, you simply don't have a lot of information to go on. You have what you love to do

and a hope that others will like it too. But as you develop your business, be sure to make an effort to get

to know your customers. They are a wealth of information.

Talk to them, not only at craft fairs or your retail location, but everywhere you

meet them. Remember, everyone is a prospective customer or knows someone

who will be. Get to know all about them, in particular their habits and

preferences. These will help you understand their needs and desires and how

you can fulfill those with changes to your product or additions to your product

line.

Remember Susan's idea for a beaded cellphone case that attached to handbags? That's an excellent

example of how a customer can become a resource for more than just income. Think of all the new

product ideas or improvements to an existing product that can come from your customers. Don't pass up

this resource!

Now, there's also a group of people you may not want to listen to. Most people can't wait to share their

excitement and enthusiasm for a new venture with family and friends. But this is when doubt might start

creeping in. As well-meaning as they may be, they might begin to make the new entrepreneur question

themselves and their dreams.

Several successful artists, authors, and craftspeople offer this advice, when you're in the early stages of

planning your new craft business, don't ask the advice of your family or friends unless you are 100% sure

it will be positive and valuable. It is really the number one killer of dreams before they even begin to come

true.



Some people are lucky to have family and friends who are always supportive of their dreams. But many

aren't. Nothing can squelch your enthusiasm and belief in your product like indifference and skepticism

coming from people you care about.

If you're sure these people will support you completely and feel the overwhelming urge to share, go

ahead. But if things don't work out like you expected and your plans are met with skepticism, remember

two things. First, unless they are successful crafts persons or marketing strategists with knowledge of

your craft, they know less about this business than you do. And second, the business world is full of

success stories of people who had experienced numerous past failures and whose now lucrative

business sounded like a silly idea to family and friends in the beginning.

While no one can predict success or failure, one thing is always certain: You will never know unless you

try. The time will come when your family and friends will be eager to support your business by spreading

the word to everyone they know—and possibly making a few purchases themselves!

Part 5

Summary

Are you excited about your desire to start an arts and crafts business? Diving headfirst into any business

before learning at least a little bit about how it works is unwise. This course is the first step toward an

understanding of what it takes to become a new native entrepreneur.

Take some time to determine your niche in the marketplace. Know for sure what gives you joy to make

and be around all the time. And if you need to learn more about your chosen craft, make plans to do that.

It's the quality of your work that will carry you through.

Also, stay on top of trends using the tools you've discovered in this lesson. And be flexible enough to

make changes in your product line to explore new trends.

As you digest the information you've learned so far, start looking for trends that are around you right now.

Check out the fashions and colours on billboards, magazine covers, and television shows. You'll start

seeing them in a whole new light!

This lesson has covered a lot and puts your new knowledge into practice. It is strongly encourage to

share information with each other in a discussion with classmates. One of the differences between the

craft business and other businesses is that you gain more by sharing than holding back.

The Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." You

have taken that first step, there's so much more to share with you.

In the next lesson, you will explore how to create your business identity. A lot more goes into naming a

business than most people realize. So spend some time on this vital area, as well as learning about logos

too.



Next Steps You’ll want to take the following steps, in any particular order you like:

Take the quiz. Reinforce what you learned in the lesson by testing yourself with a short five-question

quiz.

Do the assignment. Want some hands-on practice applying what you’ve just learned? Then roll up

your sleeves and dig into the assignment!

Browse resources for further learning. Included is a list of recommendations for books so you can

continue learning more about this topic.

FYI’s:

Q: Can I really make a living doing this? A: Absolutely! Lots of factors go into how much money you can make, but the largest factor is how big you want to grow your business. There are people who just want a small craft business to bring in extra spending money each month, as well as people with large businesses and many employees who have made six-figure incomes. Also, your level of craftsmanship, how well you determine and apply trends in your craft, and how much time you want to put into the business end of your craft business play a big role in determining the amount of money you can make. Your income will likely be modest as a one-person business and grow in proportion to your ability to manufacture, market, and distribute your craft. There really is no limit outside of the limits you impose on your growth. But remember, there's a lot to be said for being a sole artisan whose days are filled with doing the work you love as opposed to being a business executive who longs for the good old days when there was time to devote to the craft end of the business. Q: The term starving artist—is there some truth to that phrase? A: No. It's a myth, and it's about as valid as the term starving businessperson. You create your level of success by acting on sound business principles, no matter what your occupation is. Q: Isn't limiting myself to one product also limiting possible sales? A: Think of it this way: You're not starting out with one product but with one category of product. Using the example from this lesson about eyeglass cases, there are infinite designs and colors of beaded cellphone cases. And we saw how you could adapt that product to fit market need by adding an attachable element to it and then adding purses to your product line. The important thing is to start small and grow in the right direction with products you know will sell. This will limit your risk.



Lesson 1 - Assignment

Please complete the following:

1. What is your craft?

2. How long have you been doing it?

3. Have you worked in other craft media?

4. Where are you in your craft business—starting up or taking this course as a refresher?

5. How did you first get interested in arts and crafts?



Lesson 1 - Quiz

Use the quizzes to test your knowledge of the lesson.

1. What’s the first thing you should do after deciding to go into the arts and crafts business?

Find out what sells.

Go to your local craft store and buy the materials you’ll need.

Find your niche.

Spread the word to everyone you know.

2. What’s a good strategy for making your product successful in the marketplace?

Get it in as many outlets as possible nationwide.

Spend more money on advertising.

Determine new market trends, and if possible, adapt your product quickly.

Do whatever it takes to get more of your new products into the marketplace.

3. What does the Colour Marketing Group (CMG) do?

It sells colour pigments to manufacturers.

It predicts home décor trends.

It promotes the hiring of colour specialists by large manufacturers.

It predicts what colours will appeal to the public one to three years from now.

4. After you’ve started your new business, what do you need to do to keep it growing?

Listen to your customers.

Find a new niche.

Get adequate training in your craft.

Pursue an M.B.A.

5. What change in your product line can you try if the newest retail trends just don't apply well to your craft?

Start a new trend by advertising your product.

Change or add a new colour to your product line based on the colour-trending forecast.

Apply the trend anyway, just in case.

Drop your current product and create a new one based on the new trend.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. Find your niche 2. Determine new market trends, and if possible adapt your

products quickly 3. It predicts what colours will appeal to the public one to three years from now. 4.

Listen to your customers 5. Change or add a new colour based on the colour-trending forecast





Lesson 2 UNIQUENESS OF MY BUSINESS

Part 1

Introduction

So far this course has looked at what it will mean to start an arts and crafts business. The process is a

journey with many things to consider before you begin, and the first is to establish what makes your

business unique and different from all others. After all, what's more identifiable than your name? There is

an old adage that says, “it’s all in a name”. This lesson is going to explore the process of finding your

name and staking claim to it. A lot more goes into this than you might think.

This chapter will look at options for creating and registering a logo for your business that only your

business and no one else can use! Further discussion of what characteristics are important to a good

logo design, because this knowledge will assist the new business owner to design a logo or work with a

professional designer.

The beginning will discuss the steps you'll need to take to get your business name, which is essential in

forming your business identity.

Part 2

What’s in a Name?

There is an old adage—it's all in a name! Your business name must consider balancing two key ideas. It

must be descriptive enough to leave a clear, lasting impression in the public's mind as to what your

product is, as well as what makes it better than your competitors' product. And it needs to be general

enough to leave room to grow your product line, should this happen.

Here are a few suggestions for selecting a name for the new business:

It should be easy to spell and pronounce. After all this is the name your potential customers will use when speaking of your products and if the business is put on the internet; the name used to search.

It should be memorable. If customers can easily recall your business name, then they can easily recommend you to their friends and family.

The name should conveys what your business is about and how it stands out from your competitors. For example, instead of a name like Paul's Crafts, which is rather vague, we could change it to Paul's Cornhusk Crafts.

You should avoid choosing too-limited a name. Do not name according to a specific product or location unless the business is meant to be limited (no plans for national sales). If you plan on expanding and growing use words that excite the customer about the quality of your craft. For example, while the name Saugeen Beading may win you customers in that region, you'd appeal to more people with a name like Masters Native Beading Company. To make this name even more encompassing, you could drop the beading and use Masters Native Handcrafters Company. That way, if you expand your line beyond just beading to include moccasins or clothing too, you're still covered.



Brainstorming name options is the beginning of the process. Consider options—plural. It is a good idea to

have a few backups just in case. The chances someone else may have a company that uses your name

because it's their family name too happens more often than you may think.

Once you have several name choices, you will need to make sure that nobody else is using that name.

You can get into a lot of expensive trouble if you don't, as Mike learned the hard way.

After nearly a decade of internships with master Native drum makers, and studying and refining his craft,

Mike was ready to start his own line of handcrafted traditional Native musical instruments. He decided to

call his business Mike’s Music. To turn his dream into a reality, Mike worked extra hours in his present job

and decided to start his company online before opening a brick and mortar storefront. Next, he paid a

Web site designer to create his site and ordered labels, packaging materials, business cards, and

hangtags. With all of this in place, he eagerly opened for business.

Then one day a notice came from an attorney for another company called Mike’s Music, headquartered in

Toronto, ON. They would file a lawsuit unless he did not immediately take down his Web site, cease sales

of Mike’s Music drums and any other product with a similar name, and stop using the name Mike’s Music

in any way.

Mike took the letter to an attorney, who told him that Mike’s Music (Toronto) indeed held a federal

trademark that gave the company full rights to that business name. While they both sell musical

instruments and not really similar products, the name could most certainly cause confusion in the

marketplace. He informed him that he was guilty of willful infringement, and if taken to court, he would

receive a large fine.

Mike’s only option was to comply with the letter. He lost all of his investment in product, advertising,

printed material, Web site costs, as well as time spent building his business. The cost of reprinting the

materials and redoing the Web site meant that he would need to start saving all over again before he

could reopen his business. Plus, any customers he had weren't likely to wait around, so not only did he

lose his business identity, he also lost many of his customers.

To avoid this very costly situation from happening to your business, you need to identify an unused name

for your business and then register it. Part 3 will look at this.

Part 3

Search and Registration

After you come up with your top name choices, it's time to conduct a search. There are a number of ways

to conduct a search. Here are six different ways to conducting a thorough name search and the cost is

free as you are doing the search yourself.

Steps 1-2: Unregistered Business Name Searches

Step 1: The first step is to do an unregistered name check on the Internet by using several of the main

search engines, such as Google or Yahoo! Just type in your list of names with a product description, and

see what comes up. If there's no match, type in the business name without the product description. If no

information comes up, then you're ready to go to the next step.



Step 2: Again using the Internet, conduct a URL search by typing the name of your business (or any

variations you can think of) into the search field at http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp. Let's

look at how this process would work.

Starting the "WHOIS" searches

When you go to this site, you'll find two forms in which you'll enter the domain name you'd like to have.

Then you click the appropriate search buttons, and this site will then search to see if the name is already

taken. If it is, it will give you information about the company that has it.

If your desired name is taken, the screen will look like this:

When your name is already taken

Notice the Certified Offer Service listed just below the thumbnail picture of the site that has already

acquired your desired domain name. This service will contact the owner of the domain name to see if

they're interested in selling the name. And it will make offers on your behalf if you decide to enter into a

bargaining process.

Now move onto the next steps.

http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp



Steps 3-6: Local Registered Business Name Databases

The next four steps are name searches of your province and country. A quick phone call to these offices

will tell you how to go about requesting a name search, what the fee is, or if their databases are online for

you to do the search from your computer. Okay, here are the steps involved.

Step 3: A name search can be conducted, all on-line at the link below. There is a cost approximately $8-$25/search and payable by credit card. https://www.ibsa.serviceontario.ca/ibsa/servlet/com.visionmax.servlet.CommandServlet?command=screenflownoscript&screenid=26&_ga=1.175761890.1927665610.1394719655

Step 4: Registering your name in Ontario requires a fee payable by credit card. This can also be done on

line, by telephone or in person at any service Canada office. The link for registering your business on line

is the same as when conducting a name search and can be found at:

https://www.ibsa.serviceontario.ca/ibsa/servlet/com.visionmax.servlet.CommandServlet?command=scree

nflownoscript&screenid=26&_ga=1.175761890.1927665610.1394719655

Also, here are a couple of other tips for you:

When everything feels so vague and you don't have a clue where to start or who to call, just go to a major search engine and type in the specific information you need. For example, "registering a small business in Canada”

Also, call just about any local government office, tell them what you're trying to do, and ask for their ideas about who to contact. You might be surprised at just how helpful your government can be!

Step 5: If you are planning on doing business in more than one province or exporting your products out of country, you should also get a business number. Your Business Number is a nine-digit account number that identifies your business to federal, provincial, and municipal governments. You can open several different accounts for your business through a single registration. The accounts include:

GST/HST

Payroll deductions

Corporate income tax

Import/export

Step 6: Searching for federally registered trademarks is easy and free. I've included a link to the federal trademark database. Even if your company name or your business name is registered federally (Corporations Canada), provincially or territorially, it is recommended to also obtain trademark registration to better protect your brand. Now you will go national with this last step. More information can be found at: https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr00058.html

Let me just recap these six steps for you:

6 Steps of a Name Search

1. Do an unregistered name check on the Internet. 2. Do a URL search. 3. Check name with province. 4. Register business name. 5. Get a Business number with CRA. 6. Search your business trademark.

https://www.ibsa.serviceontario.ca/ibsa/servlet/com.visionmax.servlet.CommandServlet?command=screenflownoscript&screenid=26&_ga=1.175761890.1927665610.1394719655




https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr00058.html



Register It!

Once you've completed your registered name, unregistered name, and initial federal trademark

searches—and of course, once you've decided which name to use for your business!— While you may

think “I just wanted to start a small craft business,” this course is also about thinking bigger because

anything is possible. Getting a federal trademark for your business name as soon as you can afford to will

be a great investment. There are other reason why:

A federal trademark will provide legal protection when you do business out of province, such as at craft shows.

It will secure your business name on a national level, should you decide to expand your business.

And even if you stay local rather than go national, a federal trademark will add value to your business if you decide to sell it someday (a new buyer may want to go national).

Well, this course has just had two full chapters on just the name of your business! Did you know a name

could be so involved? There's a lot that goes into starting up your own business, but it's definitely doable.

Next, let's see what's involved in having a company logo. Get those creative juices flowing, because your

logo is going to be one of the most important designs you create!

Part 4

The Logo

The logo for your business is vital because it conveys the first impression of your company. The logo has

a huge responsibility! It must reflect the quality of your company, make your customers feel they can trust

your stability and integrity, and do all this while being distinct. You want your logo to attract attention,

create an impact, and set your business apart from the competition.

How do you go about making your logo do all the above? Basically, you have four choices, all of which

will draw on your own creative talent:

1. Hire a freelance designer. Freelance designers will have a lot of experience, knowledge, and research to support their design suggestions. You'll work closely with them so they can understand both your craft and your business goals. Feel free to give them a sketch or two to convey your ideas. The more information you can give them, the better!

Hiring a freelance designer will mean a significant investment of time and money, so be realistic about your capabilities in both of these areas. You'll want to go with a designer who comes highly recommended. Don't be shy about asking to see both his or her portfolio and a list of prior customers you can call on for references.

2. Hire an ad agency. If you have a bit of start-up money and want to hire an ad agency to mount an advertising campaign, you may want to use their services for logo design. And even if you're looking only for logo design, ad agencies are usually happy to help. The upside to this route is that ad agencies usually have several designers who help in the creation of your logo, so you're getting the benefit of more creative vision than a lone designer.

3. Use an online logo design service. For a nominal amount of money (around $300) and a fast turnaround time (about three days), you can go with an online logo design service. These companies



are a relatively new development in the design world, but they do professional work. Your role would be the same as it would be with any designer or ad agency: provide as much information as you can and feel free to ask them to make any changes in the final design you think should be made.

4. Create your logo entirely on your own. Last, let's look at the most creative option for you: creating your own logo. Of course it's the most inexpensive too, and you don't have to spend time trying to convey information to another person. On the other hand, one word of warning here.

Chances are, you're not a professional designer, an occupation that requires a completely different

set of skills than you have for the craft you love. This means you may find it harder than you think to

translate your business vision into a logo. Remember, sometimes we get what we pay for.

Whatever avenue you take for designing your logo, it's important to know what qualities to look for in a

good one. All good logos have certain things in common:

Good logos are not trendy.

Good logos look as good in black and white as they do in color.

Good logos are adaptable, fitting well on different products and marketing pieces, like business cards.

Also, keep in mind your logo's function—it gives the first impression of your business. So when creating it,

determine what you want it to convey by doing these three things:

1. In under 10 words, describe who you are and what you do. 2. Now ask yourself, "So what?" 3. Answer that question.

The answer to that question is the benefit you're offering to your customer. That's the message you want

to convey behind your logo.

Now, what are some of the qualities of good logo design? You want to have a simple color pattern,

something eye-catching, yet not too heavily decorative or showy. Your logo should be innovative and

stand apart from the logo designs of other companies. If you're using text, it should be short. You'll

probably want to use a combination of your company name and a visual design or symbol that illustrates

what you do.

Now, there are four types of logo designs you should be aware of:

Textual logos: simple text used in a logo format.

Illustrated logos: illustrations used as logos.

Symbolic logos: an abstract representation of your company.

Combination logos: any mixture of the above.

Whatever logo design you create or choose, remember that you want it to be unique, strong, appealing,

and suitable to your craft product. After you've settled on a basic design, you'll go through a few more

stages. First, you may want to consider making some modifications on the original design. Next, you'll

review the design after any final changes are made. And of course, you or the design company will file for

copyrights to the logo, pay necessary registration fees, and the logo is now yours!

If you've been working with a freelance designer, ad agency, or online logo design company, they will

take care of the necessary paperwork and fees to register your logo's copyright. You'll then pay them a



final bill for their services and receive documentation proving you have sole ownership of the right to use

the logo.

If you've created the logo on your own, you'll need to hire a trademark attorney to guide the logo through

the copyright process.

Whew! Like choosing your company's name, designing your craft business's logo can be quite an

endeavor! But you have to admit, artists don't mind the creative work quite as much as the general

paperwork. After all, that's why you have chosen to be artists!

Part 5

Summary

This lesson has covered some very important first steps in this lesson that will get you off to a great start!

This lesson has taught how to choose a name for your business that describes your product and doesn't

limit your potential future growth. Understanding the six steps to a thorough name search and how

important it is to secure your name from the start by registering it. And you know the value of a federal

trademark and a trademark attorney.

This chapter also explored your options for creating a unique logo for your arts and crafts business. And

you now have the tools to evaluate good logo design or design a logo on your own. Finally, we looked at

the options for having your logo registered so you can be the sole owner.

The next lesson will examine where you want to locate your arts and crafts business and what you need

to consider in making that important decision.

Creating your new business is exciting and remember, every step you take brings you closer to realizing

your dream.

FAQs Q: I never thought much about franchising an arts and crafts business. How would this work? Could you tell a little more about this? A: Many craftspeople think about franchising, but it can be a very good option for them. The business structure would be similar to any type of franchise. However, craftspeople would obviously worry more about quality control than, say, a pizza franchise. If you create jewelry, for example, you could retain control of both the design and manufacture of your pieces by either making them yourself or, more likely, by hiring skilled craftspeople to reproduce your designs. Another option would be to retain the designing aspect only and let the franchisees handle hiring craftspeople for reproduction. The first option, of course, would give you more quality control. One obvious example of an artist who has franchised his business with enormous success is James Avery. When you have time, check out his work. Web site at http://secure.jamesavery.com/index.jsp. His jewelry is beautiful, and he's an excellent example of what one person can do with a commitment to quality of craftsmanship and good customer service.

http://secure.jamesavery.com/index.jsp



Lesson 2 - Assignment Below is a list of some of the agencies you'll need to contact to do a thorough name search. Your assignment today is to gather the phone numbers (and URLs, if possible) of the agencies in your area. Good luck!

1. Your nearest Service Ontario office: business names database

2. Your provincial office: name databases

3. Your Canadian trademark office: trademark database

4. The Federal Registration for a Business number.

If you aren't sure which offices provide you access to business name databases in your area, start by calling your Service Ontario office. After you find out what information they can provide, ask them which agency to call for the next name search database on your list (it may be the same office). They may even be able to give you the phone number. As you speak with each agency, ask them about the following:

1. The process involved: Do you have to come into their office, or can you access their database on the Internet?

2. The fee, if any, for a database search and what method of payment they accept.

3. Their physical location (if the search must be done in their office).

4. Where to contact the next agency for the next database on your list (if you don't already have this information).

Once you do this, you'll have all the information necessary to search and register your new business name!



Lesson 2 - Quiz


1. What should your logo convey to the public?

What your business is about and how it stands out from your competitors.

That your prices are lower than your competitors.

Your personal history.

What city your business is located in.

2. Which of the following is one thing to remember when choosing your business name?

That your business name should start with the letter “A” to help it place first in business directories.

That you can always change it later.

That it’s easier to spell and pronounce.

That it’s trendy.

3. After you come up with your top name choices, what type of search do you conduct net?

A federal trademark search.

An unregistered name check on the Internet.

A provincial registered business name search.

A paid, professional name search.

4. What does your business name need to convey about your company?

What your business is about and how it stands out from your competitors.

Who owns the company?

How long you’ve been in business.

Where your company is located.

5. Which of the following is a good reason to hire a designer to create your business logo?

Freelance designers are inexpensive.

Freelance designers have extensive knowledge of copyright law.

Freelance designers can see your business more clearly than you can.

Freelance designers will have a lot of experience, knowledge, and research to support their design suggestions.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. What your business is about and how it stands out from your competitors. 2. That

it’s easier to spell and pronounce. 3. An unregistered name check on the internet. 4. What your business

is about and how it stands out from your competitors 5. Freelance designers will have a lot of

experience, knowledge, and research to support their design suggestions.



Lesson 3

CHOOSING YOUR LOCATION

Part 1

Introduction

This lesson, looks at how ones personality is an important consideration in choosing where to work. It

explores alternatives for locating ones workshop that may have never been considered.

The process of creativity is mysterious. As an artist, one knows that one can create in less-than-perfect

environments. That surge of creative energy that comes when there are no obstacles and the floodgates

open can make five hours seem like five minutes. And more gets done in one session than was done in a

month! Setting up the work environment so that this can happen more often will improve production.

To do the best quality work and to be most productive, one needs to aim for the most ideal environment.

Some artisans need an almost monastic silence; while others need to hear the sounds of laughter, music,

and human energy around. Some prefer privacy and not like working in front of others, while others love

to work in a group. Only the artisan knows how they prefer to work, and this lesson will explore why it's so

important to identify those unique needs. The artisan will benefit by doing some soul-searching to find out

who they are and how they work for greater productivity and an enjoyable work experience.

Part 2

Knowing You

Knowing oneself is the best way a Native artisan has of discovering what is right for them and how it will

affect their business. All artists, craftspeople, and businesspeople will face “the moment of truth” at some

time or other when they can look at the figures that tell if it’s a financially sound decision or not.

Here are a few questions to ask oneself:

1. Do you need the company of others to work well, or prefer to work alone?

2. Are you a risk taker and a strong self-starter?

3. Can you work under financial pressure, does it stimulate you to work harder?

Following is a story of an artist named Sarah, her experience illustrates very well how important it is to

know yourself and to base your decisions on who you are.

After 15 years of hard work, Sarah a manager of a program working at an Indian Centre in Ontario, had

an excellent salary with good benefits and great job security. Or so she thought.

Almost overnight, it seemed, Sarah's life went topsy-turvy. She was laid off due to funding cutbacks, her

marriage ended, and she suffered great emotional loss with the death of her father. Still, she did her best

to forge ahead, moving in with the widowed mother.



Sarah didn't have an endless supply of money, but she had enough put aside to take a couple of months

to think about what she wanted to do next. She had never done anything creative before, and to fill the

empty hours, she took a short painting course. Sarah found that she loved the experience and began to

paint every day while living with her mother. She started listening to what she calls "a strong inner voice"

that told her to pursue her new creative outlet.

Then came another upheaval in her life: the home Sarah and her mother shared in the village had a fire.

So they moved from the village to a lake front cottage in a rural part of the reserve. She had a beautiful

view of the lake, the only problem was - she found working there too isolated.

Sarah’s friend from the Indian Centre told her about a space that was available in the youth program

where she could set up her equipment and paint in the day time when the youth were not there. The

Indian Centre had artisan shows throughout the year which provided Sarah with the opportunity to get to

know other artisans and crafters and gain exposure as a professional herself.

Sarah made the decision to take the space. It fit her budget, and was a way to meeting her professional

goals of teaching others how to paint. Her commissioned portrait work has picked up from the extra

exposure, and the space is large enough to accommodate the workshops she has begun to teach to the

youth. Along with teaching the youth groups about painting, the group shows have brought her private

painting students. And her new space and increased business give her just the right balance of personal

interaction and privacy to work and to meet her individual needs.

Not surprisingly Sarah has had great success. She has years of experience in decision making from her

history as a manager, she's a strong self-starter who loves to work hard, and she's a risk taker. It was the

right decision for her.

This story shows that an artisan needs to know who they are. If you don't work well with debt hanging

over your head, the creative juices aren't going to flow, and you should try to meet your needs without a

large overhead. Don't let anyone, or even your own ideas of what kind of person you should be,

determine your business decisions.

Sometimes, like Sarah, you have to go through various situations before you know whether you will be

happy working from home, sharing a work space, having your own perhaps-small-but-affordable space,

or taking a risk on a prime but expensive larger space on your own.

Now let's look at some of the options for you!

Part 3

Working Privately

How do you feel when you're working and someone comes along and watches over your shoulder? Are

you eager to share your creativity with them, or do you cringe at the idea of someone seeing a less-than-

finished product?

If you're the latter, you definitely want to choose a location for your workshop that will guard your privacy

while you work. The creative process is different for each of us, and we have to respect our unique

requirements to keep the creative juices flowing.



The next few options might provide just what you need!

Working from Home

Home sweet home! There are many benefits to working at home, but there are drawbacks too. The

majority of all professional crafters work in a studio that's either on or in their residential property. Here is

a look at a few of the pros and cons.

The Pros

The most obvious advantage to a home-based craft business is the money you save by not paying rent

on a commercial space. You also save money on commuting costs, wardrobe, and after-school care (if

you're a parent). If the space meets the right CRA requirements, there may be possible tax deductions

you can claim, for example, a portion of property taxes, utilities, repairs and maintenance, home

insurance and a portion of your mortgage interest or rent.

There are great nonmonetary advantages too. You are free to work your own hours. Sometimes the

creative juices are flowing, and you can work nonstop all day. If you're a night person, you can sleep in

and start your business day late, and then work into the wee hours of the night when you're least likely to

be interrupted. If you naturally wake up before dawn, that's when you can schedule your creative work

(designing or production) with no interruptions, and then you can do your phone calls and shipping and be

off work by noon. You get to structure your workday by what works best for you.

Also, you can multitask your home chores with your work duties when necessary: throw in a load of

laundry or run the dishwasher and get back to desiging for your new product line. You don't have to take

off work to meet a repairperson.

You can take your lunch with family or friends, or enjoy breaks in a visually inspiring way by relaxing in

your garden or taking a stroll in your surroundings. You may be more likely to have one of those "Aha!"

moments when you can truly relax.

A couple of other advantages to working from home is that when the weather is bad, such a snow storm,

or you're down with a cold. You can still get a reasonable amount of work done and get the extra rest you

need.

The Cons

Now, let's look at a few of the disadvantages of working from home.

A huge complaint from people who work full time in a home-based business is social isolation. For some

people, like Sarah, the isolation is overpowering. A helpful tip to balancing the work-alone syndrome is by

being active in other ways in your community that meet your socializing needs. This has a threefold

payback: your community benefits from your talent, you benefit from the mental and emotional health that

socializing brings, and your business benefits from more exposure to potential customers.

In the beginning, you may have to work extra hard to come across as a professional, especially when

trying to qualify for wholesale accounts. In certain businesses, such as the arts and crafts field, you have

to go the extra mile with some business associates (such as wholesalers and the CRA) to convince them

that you're a professional and not a hobbyist.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/ddctns/lns206-236/229/cmmssn/hm-eng.html



Another possible disadvantage is that while you must be self-motivated to own your own business, you

must be doubly self-motivated to operate it out of your home. Those 10-minute breaks can turn into hours

of wasted time spent doing household chores, watching TV, napping, or chatting with friends and family.

Along with keeping your work space neat and tidy to prevent your crafts area from taking over the rest of

the house, you also have to prevent your new business from taking over the rest of your life! Finding the

balance between being extra self-motivated and being a workaholic (working to the detriment of your

personal life) can be as challenging for some people as staying motivated can be for others.

Using a daily calendar and scheduling in time for family, friends, community, and organizations will help

you find the right balance of time for yourself and your business. Make showing up on time for those

appointments as important as keeping your business engagements.

If you live with other people, you may be interrupted by family or roommates during your work time. Don't

give up—keep reinforcing the agreements you've made with these people regarding respecting your time.

Do so calmly but firmly. In time, they'll get the idea. Remember, this is a big change in their lives too.

If you're not able to run your new venture as a home-based business, or you don't want to, you have

several alternatives. Let's look at what some of these are.

Renting Space

Depending on what kind of artisan you are and the product you make you may find you do not have

enough space in your own home to work from. You can consider renting some space in other areas of

your community. One of your family or community members may have a spare room or an empty garage

that they would rent to you if you asked. One thing to remember, depending on the time of the year

heating and cooling may be an issue when using a garage as your business.

Renting space such as these will require you to negotiate a viable rental charge and agreement with the

owner of the property in order to make your business a success.

Office Space

Your community may have office space available within their buildings, such as the Indian Centre, local

stores or service buildings, and if you’re creative process doesn't require loud machinery and you can

prevent damage to the walls, floors, and ceiling, this may be the ideal location for your workshop. Many

businesses sublet portions of their office space to individuals. Just be sure that the space affords you the

privacy you need.

Ask yourself questions like these: Does the office provide physical privacy (four walls and a door)? Are

you good at setting boundaries? Will you be comfortable hanging a "Do Not Disturb" sign when you're

working? As you get to know your office mates, they may want to drop in and chat during their breaks.

Are you good at politely handling these situations if they become too frequent?

One advantage to this type of location is that you can easily create repeat customers within the office.

Also, if you like to work in the evenings, nights, or very early mornings, you'll have plenty of privacy. You

may find that a workshop in an office will offer you just the right balance of solitude and companionship.



Artist Studios

Another option is to rent an artist studio, although, you may have to move your business from your rural

location on a reserve to an urban setting. Some of these have a lot of walk-in traffic, and some have

none, providing the craft worker quiet and privacy. It's important to determine how much walk-in traffic the

studios have and factor its importance to your business, since these spaces are usually second in cost

only to retail.

Most artist studios also sponsor open studios once or twice a year. These are usually highly advertised

local events designed to draw the public into the artists' studios in their community. Artists exhibit their

products in the studios as well as in common areas (hallways, lobbies, adjoining galleries, and so on).

The customers get to meet the artists, see where they work, and purchase directly from them. Open

studio events are usually held on the weekends, sometimes for two or three consecutive weekends.

Unless you're working in what's considered a fine craft (such as art glass, turned wood, or fine jewelry)

and you can charge high-end prices for your work, it will be impossible for you to make a living based

solely on biannual open studio sales. However, as with the craftsperson who rents a retail space, nothing

can stop you from selling your product to other vendors while also making the most of all the advantages

the studio setting has to offer.

Part 4

Working Publicly

If you're an extrovert and love showing your work in progress, then renting a more public space may be

for you.

The current popularity of arts and crafts products springs largely from what is called the human factor the

more isolated we become, the more we need to connect with each other on some personal level. Selling

a painting or a craft that was created in front of a customer is a sure way to make a sale.

Why does this happen? A group of artists suggests that it’s a shared experience. The customer

experiences the creation at the same time the artist does—he or she experiences it with the artist. It's a

very personal connection and a story they can tell anyone who later admires the art piece in their home!

Craft fair organizers see this happen all the time and actively encourage crafters to work in their booths

for this very reason. So let's explore some places where you can share your creative process with your

customers.

Retail Spaces

You can rent retail space and reserve a portion of it as your work space. You may have to search for the

best location in your rural area or rent retail space in an urban setting. This is the most expensive of your

options, but if you're going to sell directly to the public in your local area, it may well be worth the extra

money spent. Rent is charged by the square foot and is often negotiable.

Do you like to teach? Retail spaces are ideal locations to advertise and hold classes and demonstrations,

providing you with a great way to build a customer base. And most students want to buy something their

teacher has made. Again, it's that personal connection.



Retail spaces are designed to draw customers in, so you'll benefit from walk-in traffic (new customers)

that you wouldn't get at a nonretail location. The golden rule for choosing a successful retail spot is

location, location, location! A good retail location is defined by how visible it is to the public. It attracts new

customers who were just passing by on their way to somewhere else. It is, on its own, a good form of

advertising.

As an added benefit, if you decide to locate your business in a retail space, you'll still have the option of

distributing your product to vendors outside your area so that you increase your income without

competing with your own storefront.

Craft Malls

A similar, yet less expensive, option is to rent a small space in a craft mall. As with retail space you may

have to look in urban areas for Craft malls. Craft malls are like craft fairs, except they're open year-round.

And they're like retail stores in that they have regular hours when they're open to the public. Usually, craft

mall owners mandate that their artists be present (or have an employee present) in their space the whole

time the craft mall is open.

Craft mall owners subdivide the space and rent cubicles (which serve as both work space and product

exhibit space), booths, or exhibition tables to individual crafters. Some craft malls commit to a certain

amount of advertising in your lease agreement. Your share of the advertising cost is then included in your

rent.

This option offers you walk-in customers just as an individually owned retail store would, if the craft malls

are in a good location.

Co-op Spaces

Co-op spaces are similar to craft malls in design, but they vary widely in the responsibilities of the

craftsperson. For example, some co-ops share the cost of advertising, while others do no advertising and

leave that up to the individual artists.

Also, while co-ops also mandate in their leases that artists be present during regular business hours, this

responsibility is often shared among the crafters. It's not uncommon for a crafter to have to work in the co-

op space one day a week, or even one day a month, making retail sales. Some co-ops pay a commission

on any work sold to whoever is making the sales that day.

If your goal is to own your own retail store, but you can't take on the financial obligation of a retail lease

for a location with good public exposure, this is an excellent way to get started in retail business. In most

cases, you can continue to create your product at home without violating zoning restrictions and spend

only a fraction of your time managing your retail sales.

Don't have a craft co-op in your community? See if there's enough interest in your local area to start one.

Invite other arts and crafts professionals in your community to a meeting to discuss the prospects of

forming a local artisans' group with a retail co-op space.

Keep This in Mind The golden rule for choosing a successful retail spot is location, location, location!



Part 5

Summary

In this lesson you learned how important it is to match your work space to your personality. You need to

know yourself and how you best function in order to find the right work space for you. This lesson also

looked at how different types of work spaces allow you to fill your creative needs, whether those needs

are for a more peaceful or a more energized environment.

One more important topic to consider when choosing your option for your workspace - you'll want to

check the zoning ordinances of your ideal work space before you sign on the dotted line. Don't sign a

lease until you're positive that it's okay to operate your business out of that space, even if it's your own

living room!

If you decide to locate your business off reserve you must consider that every city has zoning rules that

allow or prohibit conducting business within the city limits. The same applies for rural areas outside the

city limits, your county will have zoning ordinances that rule the location of businesses within county

boundaries.

If you decide to locate your business on reserve you may have to enquire with your Native band office for

any rulings or by-laws you will need to consider.

Although your prospective landlord should be helpful in answering some of your zoning questions, the

responsibility ultimately lies with you to research the ordinances and comply with them.

To help you figure out how to go about researching your local zoning ordinances, included in the resource

section is a link to The Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Zoning By-Laws. This link gives

you information about what a zoning by-law is.

Wherever you decide to house your new business, you'll need to design your work space for utmost

productivity. In the next lesson you will learn how to increase your productivity simply by organizing your

work space properly.

FAQs

Q: What's the difference between a craft mall and a co-op? They seem like the same thing to me. A: You're right that they're very similar; so let me clarify by pointing out the differences. In a craft mall, you alone are responsible for having someone in your space ready to sell to the public during the hours the mall dictates. This means six or seven days a week, from opening to closing. The mall's management dictates the hours. The downside to a craft mall is that if you're doing a good sales volume, you may not have enough time to create new product. If you're selling enough to warrant hiring an employee, then problem solved. But if you're not at that point yet, it's a tough situation. In a craft co-op, you and the other members of the co-op negotiate with the building manager what your hours of being open to the public will be. Then the co-op decides how many people need to be on-site to sell everyone's merchandise. Depending on the number of crafters in the co-op and the size of the space



rented, you may only have to be there for retail purposes one afternoon a month. If your space is also your workshop, you can be there as often as you like to work on your crafts during retail hours, but without taking on the responsibility of sales during that time. The downside to a co-op is that crafters will usually (and quite naturally) focus on selling just their own crafts during retail hours. So when you aren't there, it's possible that no one is trying to sell your work. Another problem that comes up is what to do when the people scheduled to cover the retail time don't show up. What policy will the co-op have for getting someone else in there to work—fast? And how do they prevent calling on the same two or three people every time this happens? (How good are you at saying no?)


1. Write at least a paragraph about yourself, taking into consideration the issues we discussed in this lesson.

2. Then write a paragraph describing your ideal work location.

Please give this assignment a lot of thought because it will give you invaluable information for future decisions.

Resources

Work space in the home expenses: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-

tx/rtrn/cmpltng/ddctns/lns206-236/229/cmmssn/hm-eng.html

Check list for small businesses: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/sm/chcklst-eng.html

Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Zoning By-Laws:

http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page1758.aspx



http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/sm/chcklst-eng.html

http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page1758.aspx



Lesson 3 - Quiz


1. What rule of thumb is vital to consider when you choose your work space?

Choose a place that's close to public transportation.

Make sure your home is visible to the public.

Know yourself.

Location, location, location.

2. Which of the following locations would suit a person who likes a lot of interaction with the public?

A craft mall.

Warehouse space.

Office space.

A home studio.

3. A good retail business is defined by what factor?

How high the rent is.

How visible it is to the public.

How many students you can fit in it comfortably.

How much advertising you have to do.

4. Why do craft fair organizers actively encourage crafters to work in their booths?

It makes the fair look busier.

The artisans won't get bored in their booth.

The customers can learn how to make the craft themselves.

The customers share the experience of creation and have a story to tell about their purchase.

5. Which of the following work spaces would be appropriate for you if you need quiet, uninterrupted time to work?

Warehouse space.

Craft mall.

Retail location with workshop in the back.

Artisan studio.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. Know yourself. 2. A craft mall. 3. How visible it is to the public. 4. The customers

share the experience of creation and have a story to tell about their purchase. 5. Artisan studio



Lesson 4

YOUR WORK SPACE DESIGN AND BUYING IN BULK

Part 1 Introduction

This lesson, demonstrates the tools that you need to design a work space for maximum productivity. And

maximum productivity can go a long way toward maximizing the profit.

Not only can you affect your environment, you can gain the knowledge to make your environment affect

you. The elements of good design, such as: pattern, texture, colour, shape, balance and so on, can

impact you as an artisan. They can help you relax, energize you, enable you to work longer without

getting tired, and help you achieve your goals by making you more productive. How to achieve this last

effect will be discussed in this lesson, along with the organizational needs of the space being designed.

In addition, this lesson covers how to achieve maximum productivity at minimum cost and find wholesale

suppliers who'll sell you the materials you need and discover how to purchase them in bulk. There's no

reason that equipping a business should cost a fortune.

Part 2

Designing Your Work Space

Most interior designers follow the rule: form follows function. This means that when you design a space,

you base your plans on the task you'll be doing there. You must think first of what helps you get your work

done most effectively and plan around this. The function of the space is what you think of in designing

that space, right down to the colours.

For example, if you need a quiet spot to read and relax in, you don't paint the walls a bright red. Red

stimulates the nervous system—and the appetite!

It's important that you follow this rule when designing your work space. How you set up your work area

must support the work you do there.

Okay, now how do you go about designing your work space to reflect this rule? This is where planning

comes in.

Create Your Plan

Start by visualising the area you'll use as an empty space: a floor, four walls, a ceiling.

Starting with the floor:

https://www.ed2go.com/Classroom/Lessons.aspx?classroom=H8XTIQi5hm0p14RQ5%2bGEmLcEBO2PfCbyjp8lB5KLxhnhUM8i3ZNta0f9WFU7fbnW&lesson=4



https://www.ed2go.com/Classroom/Lessons.aspx?classroom=H8XTIQi5hm0p14RQ5%2bGEmLcEBO2PfCbyjp8lB5KLxhnhUM8i3ZNta0f9WFU7fbnW&lesson=4&chpt=2







Depending on your craft, the floor may need to be made of something indestructible—something on which you can spill wood stain, varnish, paint, clay, or tiny expensive beads you can't pick out of carpet.

Consider pulling out the carpet and painting the cement. If this isn't possible, at least cover the area in which you'll do your messiest work with a thick sheet of plastic or a drop cloth. (If you have employees, this may be a liability factor due to tripping.) But if it's just you, this is a good way to not ruin your carpet (or your landlord's). Also, be sure to keep the floor clear of telephone and electrical cords.

Next are the walls:

Colour is up to you if you don't have a lease prohibiting you from painting. White, red, green, purple—whatever you can feel good in eight hours a day or so. Also, you'll probably be covering much of the wall space with your craft materials and something to hang materials on (like Peg-Board). So you may not need to paint as much as you think.

Finally, the colour of the walls will affect your colour perception a bit, so if you're working in a craft where exact shades are an issue, you'll probably want to stay with some type of white.

No matter what colour you choose for the walls, the ceiling in a work area should be white. This can be eggshell, ivory, or creamy off-white—but definitely in the white family. Why? The ceiling needs to reflect light down to your work surface, and white is the best reflector.

Your light source:

Are the lighting fixtures you have adequate? If not, consider overhead full-spectrum fluorescent panels, which are an affordable option for your general lighting needs. In addition to this, you'll likely need moveable and adjustable halogen lamps to brighten strategic spots.

Not only is proper lighting crucial to helping you do your work, it's also essential to your mental and physical health.

Finally, think green: Sustainable design, or green design, minimizes the impact you make on the

environment. Plan ahead for recycling bins, hazardous materials disposal, and indoor air quality.

Workstations and Electrical

Where are your best electrical sources? These are going to determine where you place your various

workstations. And where are your telephone jacks? You don't want any cords crossing pathways—nor do

you want an electrical overload.

To figure out how to design your workstations, make a list of the various tasks you'll do there. Then place

your workstations with those in mind. If your administrative area will be in the same room as your

workshop, decide on the placement of your desk based on the power needs of the office equipment you'll

want to have close at hand. Investing in a quality power surge protector is a good idea.

Note:

Take advantage of natural light source.

You may want to keep window treatment to a minimum



Consider the shape of your workstation. To allow you to keep your things within an arm’s reach, consider

arranging your workstation in an L- , T- , J- , or U-shape which often functions better than a single,

straight-line surface.

Spend some time measuring your space and furniture, create a floor plan on graph paper and think it

through, this will be easier than moving your furniture around until you like the layout.

Start by measuring the floor space of your existing or imaginary work space and charting it on graph

paper. Use a scale of two squares for each square foot. Next, measure all of your furniture and

equipment, from tables to fax machines, and draw those on a separate sheet of graph paper according to

the same scale. Then cut them out and arrange and rearrange them on your floor plan to help visualize

different layouts.

If you don't yet have your actual work space or furniture, then you can work backward, from furniture to

work space. Here's what I mean.

Use office furniture and equipment catalogues to create a wish list of furnishings you'll need in your new

work space, noting their dimensions. Then draw them to scale on graph paper. Place them on another

sheet of paper in several different workable arrangements, and trace around the furniture. Then measure

the floor space used in these arrangements. This will show you your ideal work space, although your

budget will always have a big say in your designs.

Also included are links for you in the Resources section that will take you to two different online

templates. These will let you try out your ideas for furniture placement without straining your back.

Remember, it's a lot easier to move a mouse than to move a desk!

When planning pathways, remember to leave adequate space to move around and carry things. Never

block doorways or windows, even if you think it'll be for "only a minute." You may have some kind of

flammable or combustible fluid or material that could easily ignite, giving you only seconds to escape.

Likewise, if your windows have safety locks, be sure they work well and you can open them easily, even if

your vision is completely impaired by chemicals, smoke, or simply darkness after a natural disaster.

Your primary goal is to design a highly functional, safe work space that you and your employees can not

only be enjoyably productive in but also easily get out of in an emergency. (Be sure to check out this

lesson's FAQs, where you'll find valuable information on getting planning help from your local fire

department.)

Considering Work Surfaces

Once you've determined which areas of the room are designated for which tasks according to safety

issues, you can then set up the appropriate work surfaces for these tasks. Remember to consider

whether you will be sitting or standing. If you will be standing a lot, it might be better to invest in a higher

table. You will also want to get a good chair if your craft requires you to sit for an extended period of time.

An ergonomically designed office-style chair with wheels is great if you move between multiple

workstations.

And don't forget: Unless you have a separate room devoted to be your office, you need an area, properly

lit, with an adequately sized desk, a file cabinet or two, and a phone (preferably also a fax, scanner,



copier, and computer). The less clutter to cope with, the clearer a person's thinking can be. Stowing your

desk supplies in an on-the-desk caddy or in trays inside your desk drawers can give you a clean surface

which makes for a more creative surface.

Now on to the next step of organizing your tools and materials.

Part 3

Organization: An Ongoing Process

Designing your work space is usually something you do once, with a few minor changes made as your

needs change. But organizing is an on-going process. As you work around your space, designing and

making your craft you may notice that it is getting cluttered. The key here is to keep yourself organized by

continually cleaning your work area and putting tools and materials away after each time you use them.

Here are some ideas that keep your creative area orderly, peaceful, and productive.

Organizing Your Tools

Your goal in organizing your tools and materials is to have them immediately accessible. You do this by

(1) making them visible and (2) having them within hand's reach.

Taking advantage of wall space by installing a wall-mounted system to hang tools on. (Peg-Board is

especially nice, because you can paint it.) Simply hang the tools you'll use most within easy reach, and

put those you use less often a little higher. Use this arrangement for a few days to make sure you've

made the right placement. Then either outline the tool on the Peg-Board, or use an adhesive label to put

the name of the tool on its spot.

You can also mount a magnetic strip horizontally on the wall to hold some of your smaller metal tools, like

scissors or files.

Get in the habit of always putting your tools back where they came from, and spend about 10 to 15

minutes at the end of each day cleaning up. This will actually save you valuable time and needless

frustration.

Organize Your Craft Materials

In addition to tool storage, you'll need storage for the smaller craft materials you use. Group things with

common themes, such as colour or function. Clearly label the containers or use clear plastic boxes.

By having your tools within arm's reach and your materials clearly marked, you'll save hours of wasted

time looking for things you need. Minutes add up to hours quickly, and this is time you could be spending

in increasing the number of products you make, placing calls to prospective vendors, or any number of

tasks that will grow your business faster.



The Storage Challenge

If you've rented a large enough space, storage probably isn't a problem. But if you're remodeling to add a

studio to your home or property, plan for twice as much storage space as you now think you'll need. Keep

safety issues, such as flammability and electrical or heating sources, in mind if your storage area is close

to your workshop.

If you find you do not have enough storage space, look in your phone book under Storage and research

the cost of renting a storage unit near your work space for items you'll buy in bulk. Before you make your

storage decision, ask yourself this: Do I really have inadequate storage space, or do I have ineffective

storage space? There's a big difference. Once you determine whether you honestly don't have enough

space or whether you really do have enough space but aren't making the best use of it, then you'll know

whether to spend the extra money renting a storage unit.

Storing Hazardous Materials

1. Keep toxic or lead-based materials (such as ceramic glazes containing lead) organized together on a clearly marked shelf—out of children's reach and away from heat and electrical sources.

2. Use coloured sticker dots on those containers to ensure that you've put them away properly.

3. Keep a notebook detailing which products you use these materials with. You will, by law, have to affix the correct labeling to those products.

4. Anyone working with or around Hazardous Materials are required by law to be WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) trained.

Tip

Be creative with storage products to utilize every square inch of possible storage space in

an organized, functional manner. Think about everyday organizers you can use—shoe

racks with fabric pockets that hang on the backs of doors, shoe boxes (covered with plain

brown mailing paper and labeled at the front end and stacked), food storage bags, and

stackable plastic food containers with lids.

Consider reusing such items as plastic prescription bottles for tiny, leftover items you don't

use that often. You could pick up a labeler at any office supply store to create 1/4–inch

labels, leaving most of the bottle's contents visible. It would also let you make labels that

would fit on the tops of the bottles.

Store the bottles upright in one of your covered shoeboxes, with the bottle tops clearly

visible. Number the labels, and create two corresponding lists that you'll tape on both the

outside of the shoe box and the inside of the lid. Then just update the list when necessary.

http://worksitesafety.ca/



No matter where your storage area is, remember that it needs to be as organized as your work space to

be time efficient. Don't let it become a mess, or you'll lose all the time you gained by organizing in the first

place.

As with your work space, consider the storage closet's or rented storage unit's walls and ceiling as

possible options for creating more storage and organization. Is there a way to hang things from the

ceiling? Would adding extra rods help? They can hold rows of ribbons, string, and chain. You can move

most existing wall shelves up or down a notch too. You can also purchase drawers that attach to the shelf

and hang below it, rolling open and closed as you need them.

As for floor-based storage, think about getting storage units on rollers. It's easy to pull these out, see

what's inside, get what you need, and be on your way.

If you teach any classes away from your studio, consider keeping a fishing tackle box for the smaller

supplies you'll need to take with you and a small suitcase on wheels with an extension handle for your

heavier tools and materials.

Purchase a suitcase that has an external zippered pocket, you can slip your laptop and its power source

in here (keeping your portable printer inside the suitcase with your other tools). A small portable projector

that plugs into your laptop, is useful if you have a PowerPoint presentation of the craft project or

technique you'll be demonstrating. Just keep both the tackle box and the suitcase packed and easy to find

in your storage area so you can work right up until time to go; then, just reach in and carry out your

classroom-in-a-box.

Part 4

Bulk Buying

Buying in bulk is also called buying wholesale. The items you buy are sold to you in unit packaging—by

the dozen, the case, or the gross. Your goal is to buy the best quality materials at the lowest possible

price so that you can sell your product to your customers at a competitive price. To do this, you need to

establish a list of reliable wholesale suppliers.

Having more than one source for each item you need is a good idea. Just imagine, if you're trying to meet

a deadline, such as a large catalogue order or a major holiday craft show, and your wholesaler is out of

the particular item you need? At such a busy time you don’t need that added stress, so always have at

least two reliable suppliers for the same item.

The fastest way to find bulk suppliers is to search the Internet. You can either enter the search term craft

supplies wholesale or the name of the specific item you're looking for followed by the word wholesale.

Included is a few links to suppliers in the Resource section of this lesson. Another way to find wholesalers

is to join a craft organization. These organizations provide a wealth of information to its members and

allows members to stay current of this relatively new medium.

And last, but certainly not least, don't be shy: ask your fellow artisans. You'd be surprised at how helpful

they can be!



To qualify for most wholesale buying, you'll need to have a business licence.

Now, what if the wholesalers you've found don't carry a product you've been paying retail for and just

have to have? First, look on the retail package, of the product you have been using, for the

manufacturer's information. Usually, there will be an address and sometimes a telephone number in

addition to the manufacturer's name. If the packaging lists only the manufacturer's name, city, and

province, you can try four things:

1. Use a directory assistance Web site, which is free. 2. Call directory assistance for the city the manufacturer is in. 3. Use an Internet search engine entering the name, city, and province of the manufacturer. 4. Check in the Thomas Register online (Web site address is listed in the Resource section), or use the

Thomas Register book at your local library.

Once you've found the manufacturer's phone number, call (or if appropriate, send an e-mail or letter) and

inquire about buying wholesale from them.

Part 5

Summary

Wow, this lesson covers a lot of information. You've learned how to design a work space for productivity

and safety, as well as how to organize it efficiently. If you treat your organization as an ongoing process,

you'll save hours looking for misplaced tools. This is time that will be yours to spend doing more of what

you love—making your craft product. And you've learned some of the ins and outs of how to buy in bulk

and find those wholesale items you need.

In Lesson 5, you will look at what makes marketing your new business different from marketing any other

product or business, and you will explore powerful strategies to get the word out no matter what your

budget. You will also look at ways to present your art to the world.

FAQs

Q: How can the fire department help me in planning my work space? Is it really necessary to take the time to involve them? A: Yes, it is would strongly recommend consulting with them! Not only can they help you plan a safe work area, but they can also save you money. For example, you'd definitely want them to do an inspection before you invested in expensive electrical changes. The good news is, all fire departments have someone who does this for local businesses (usually the fire marshal or fire inspector), and most don't charge a fee to businesses in their area. Here's what you need to do to prepare for a preliminary inspection. When your local fire inspector comes, be sure to have the electrical tools you'll be using, along with their manuals, on hand. (The manuals provide electrical-current usage data.) This will help the inspector thoroughly assess your electrical power needs. You'll also want to have the manuals for any office equipment on hand, as well as the manuals for your additional lighting fixtures or the one-sheets for the ones you want to buy. One-sheets are very informative, one-page product information sheets that wholesalers, distributors, or manufacturers send to retailers to entice them to carry their product. Your local lighting retailer will have this and should be



happy to provide you with a copy. Also, have your flammables out so you can discuss where the best place to store them is in relation to the electrically powered work you'll be doing. Finally, if you might teach your craft to a small class in your work space or hire several crafters, get the fire inspector's advice about having your workshop safely wired for multiple simultaneous use. The fire department really is there to help you plan for safety. Q: What is an ergonomically designed chair? Is it important to have one in my work space? A: An ergonomic chair has a design that will maximize your productivity by reducing your fatigue and discomfort. The designers take into consideration the structure of the human body and how it best works, figuring out ways to prevent injuries and strains from repetitive movement or a lack of movement (like sitting for a long time). As soon as you can afford to, invest in a good quality, ergonomically designed chair. But don't leave all the care of your body up to your chair! Be sure to take plenty of short breaks to stretch and move around a bit.


Your assignment for today is to create a work space template with a furniture layout that's unique to your work space.

Materials needed:

1. Graph paper 2. Ruler or measuring tape 3. Pencil & Eraser

When you finish, write out what problems (if any) you came up against and any questions you have. Also, write out your ideas about how to solve any problems you may have faced.



Resources

Online Room Planner – Design Your Room

http://planyourroom.com

3D Room Planning Tool

http://roomstyler.com/3dplanner

WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) Online Training

http://worksitesafety.ca

This WHMIS 2015 course covers the implementation GHS in Canada as well as WHMIS legislation introduced in 1988.

Wholesale Craft Supplies

http://www.whole-sale.ca/canadian_wholesale_canada/wholesale_craft

Craft Site Directory

http://www.craftsitedirectory.com/wholesalecrafts/index.html

Craft Site Directory is a great guide to finding wholesale crafts and supplies online.

ThomasNet

http://www.thomasnet.com

Do a free search on this site for the item you’re looking for. While you’re there, check out some of the links directory under the category Other, such as Point of Purchase (POP) Displays, Banners, and Display Fixtures.

http://planyourroom.com/

http://roomstyler.com/3dplanner

http://worksitesafety.ca/

http://www.whole-sale.ca/canadian_wholesale_canada/wholesale_craft

http://www.craftsitedirectory.com/wholesalecrafts/index.html

http://www.thomasnet.com/



Lesson 4 - Quiz


1. How does the wall color in your work space affect the quality of your work?

It changes your depth perception.

It influences your customers' buying habits.

It alters your color perception.

It helps you tap into your talent.

2. What color should your work space ceilings be?

Yellow.

Pink.

White.

Blue.

3. What should you bear in mind when deciding on the placement of your workstations?

How close to the entrance they are.

The various tasks you will do there.

How close to storage they are.

How attractively you can arrange them in the room.

4. Why should you keep a notebook for which products you've made that have toxic or lead-based

materials?

You need to test how quickly these products fade in color.

You need to factor the higher cost of these materials into the sales price.

You will, by law, have to affix the correct labeling to those products.

You want to keep these on a separate inventory list.

5. What's another term for buying in bulk?

Buying retail.

Buying co-op.

Buying wholesale.

Ordering C.O.D.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. It alters your colour perception. 2. White. 3. The various tasks you will do there. 4.

You will, by law, have to affix the correct labeling to those products. 5. Buying wholesale.





Lesson 5

MARKETING/PROMOTING IN THE ARTS

Part1

Introduction

This lesson is going to focus on something quite important: how to successfully market your work.

If the new business is to succeed, it's very important to get the word out about who the business is and

what it does. But marketing an arts and crafts business is distinctly different from marketing any other

type of business.

Why? Because to a large extent, you'll be marketing you.

It's important, as you go about every aspect of turning your craft into a business, that you always

remember why people are so drawn to arts and crafts products. It's that human touch. People value your

work not only because it's so beautiful and unique but also because you made it. Not a factory, not a

machine, not an assembly line. But you, with your own individual creativity and your own hands.

This idea needs to be the centerpiece of all your marketing efforts. It will keep you grounded, honest, and

happy!

So this lesson will explore the unique marketing approaches of an arts and crafts business. Secondly, it

will examine how to create a solid marketing strategy to reach potential customers with your message.

Lastly a look at the different marketing tools the business will need to use to be effective.

I'm excited to help you form your marketing game plan, and I hope you are too. Let's get started!

Part 2

Telling The Story of Your Art

How did you come to make your craft? What's special about your technique? How did you turn your

business into an actual store from a hobby in the evening hours?

These are the kinds of things your customers want to know—they want to know your story. When their

friends admire their new craft piece, they want to tell them where it came from and what's special about it.

And you want them to spread your story. (Word of mouth is inexpensive but powerful advertising!) And a

unique story definitely makes you stand out—it sets your craft apart and gives it more meaning.

So, what should you tell the world about yourself? Well, you don't want to give your entire biography;

that's a bit too broad in scope. You also don't want to give a résumé, because that's just not personal

enough. Instead, you simply want to share how you came to your particular craft. How did you fall in love

with it? What continues to bring you joy in doing it?



There's a knack to telling the story well, so work through a couple of examples. Say that you're a woman

who wants to start a business selling your homemade moccasins. You might want to include details like

this:

When I was 8 years old, my grandmother taught me to do leather work. I loved sitting by her side for

hours, sometimes in silence, sometimes listening to her share stories of her youth while we sewed the

leather pieces together. As I grew older, Nana always asked what new project I was working on, and we'd

share our moccasins-in-progress stories, with her giving me tips just like when I was 8 years old. This is

why I've named my business Nana's Moccasins. Each pair are hand-crafted, with the patience and love I

learned at my Nana's side. I hope when you dance your first dance in your new moccasins, you'll feel a

little of that love too!

This story invites others into your treasured relationship with your grandmother. So the people who buy a

pair of your homemade moccasins would not only be getting beautiful hand-crafteded work, they'd be

partaking of some of the love and history woven into it. I hope you can see how powerful stories are!

Here's another example. This time you're a man who has started a second career doing something he's

always loved—working with wood:

Joe was an ironworker for 35 years having travelled many places because of work. Woodworking had

been a hobby of his since he was a boy. When he retired, he combined his love of both worlds, making

small treasure boxes for people to keep their little mementos in: notes written from a small child, the collar

of a beloved dog, love letters from long ago, a seashell from the ocean. A place to keep special

memories—life's true treasures. These boxes were carved with scenes from the many places that had

brought him so many years of discovery and joy. Joe hoped the treasure box would bring his customers

years of joy as they return to it again and again to rediscover their life's treasures!

With such a unique craft—carving scenes of ironworkers walking the iron, skyscrapers, or merely the

country scenes he seen in his travels, into the living grains of rich wood—you'd just know there'd have to

be a unique story there too!

What you need to see in each of these examples is that your story needs to connect with your customers'

emotions in a real way. And by real, it means simply telling the truth. You're not sharing your story to

manipulate others' feelings. Instead, you just want to convey your love of your craft.

So how do you go about putting your story together in an effective way? Start by asking yourself the

following questions:

1. What was your earliest experience with your particular art? (Was there someone special who influenced you or whom you admired?)

2. Who taught you your craft? 3. How did you come to learn the technique you use now? 4. What's different, unique, or special about what you make? 5. Is there anything in your personal life that relates to your craft? 6. What do you hope to give to others through your craft?

You don't have to live an unusual life to have an interesting story! But you do need to be willing to open

your heart a bit and share your love of your craft. Essentially, the more of yourself you can put into your

story, the more interesting it will be.



Once you write down your answers to the questions above, how do you turn them into a story that

effectively touches others? The first thing is turning each of your answers into a single sentence. Keeping

the story short will help keep it real and honest. So think about this: what's the one thing, the most

important thing, you want to communicate about each answer?

Next, as much as you can, arrange your one-sentence answers chronologically. This provides a logical

sequence, and that's much easier for most people to follow. Then build some little bridges between your

sentences so they connect meaningfully and read smoothly. Finally, read your story out loud to hear how

it sounds. If you stumble anywhere, tinker with the wording until you smooth it out. And be sure to have

friends and family read it too and give you their feedback.

Today's assignment will devote time to work on your story and share with your class or instructor for

feedback. So if you have some thoughts about it as you're reading this lesson, stop reading and jot your

ideas down!

Once you know how you want to tell your story, your next step is to create a marketing strategy in Part 3.

Part 3

Your Marketing Strategy

Your marketing strategy is your plan of action—it's how you'll get the word out about your story. That

sounds simple and straightforward, but to be successful, it requires a lot of thought.

Now, some people might be wondering, "Why should I go to the trouble of developing a marketing

strategy? Why not just start selling to family, friends, and neighbors and let word of mouth do the trick?"

Well, word of mouth is a good start, but it's only that—a start. It simply doesn't have the reach to take your

business to where you're dreaming it can go.

But by sketching out some basic steps, you can reach your dreams!

The Benefits of Having a Marketing Strategy

If you take the time to develop a strategy, you'll do yourself the following favors:

You'll know exactly who your unique market is.

You can choose where it's wisest to put your time, energy, and money when it comes to advertising.

You might discover opportunities you never thought of before.

You'll be able to spot potentially costly risks and take action to avoid them.

You'll actually free up time to let your creativity blossom.

You can know who your competitors are, how their products are different from yours, and make the most of those differences.

All good reasons to plan out the steps to reach your dreams, don't you agree?



Now to get into a marketing frame of mind. The issues surrounding sales don't always feel comfortable or

come naturally to the artistic types. Take a moment to walk through some marketing basics, taking into

account the unique strategies of an arts and crafts business.

One Step at a Time

The first step you need to take is to focus on who your target market is. Do you mainly want to sell your

craft to people in your local community? Or are you hoping to reach a national customer base? Do you

want to sell to retailers or to wholesalers? Or do you have your eye on high-end galleries, craft show

juries, and national catalogue companies?

Determining “the who” goes a long way toward deciding “the how.” Take the time to think deeply about

the market you want to reach.

Once the market is determine, the next thing to do is look at your budget. Just how much can you

realistically spend? If your money is tight, you'll have to work a little harder. You could fax or e-mail press

releases to print media and talk to local organizations. Along these lines, you could demonstrate your

craft through the children's program at your local Native Centre or library, exposing young ones to the arts

and maybe even getting them started on their own love affair with your craft! It takes a little more elbow

grease, but you can launch a very effective marketing campaign on a tight budget.

If money isn't that much of a problem, you'll still need to know how you can make the most of the money

you have. For example, if you make a product that has a more local appeal, it wouldn't be wise for you to

buy pricey advertising space in national craft magazines. You'd be better off utilizing less expensive ads

in local publications or newsletters.

When you know your target audience and how much money you have to work with, then it's time to

decide how you'll get your story out. Will you rely on fliers posted in local businesses or handed out after

speaking at local organizations? Will sending a brochure do? Will you use national or local print

advertising? Or will you choose an opt-in e-campaign?

Some people may not have heard of this last option. Here is a little background. An opt-in e- campaign

involves setting up a Facebook page for your business and sending your personal contacts the link to like

it. This way you can notify them about news about your business. For example, if a person “likes” your

Facebook page you can post messages about your craft along with all the other ways to get in touch with

you if they wish to contact you to buy your merchandise. You can also post pictures of completed work,

post messages of where upcoming craft sales and offer seasonal sales. This is an excellent way to

receive information from you. The key is that they've given you permission to send them material. This is

very important because of the new laws in affect in Canada.

This would be a good time to talk about what businesses had done before called the e-mail campaigns.

This was where businesses would send out mass emails to everyone advertising their business without

the receiver’s permission. This is spam, which is blasting people with e-mails they never requested. You'll

want to avoid spam at all costs! It is against the law in Canada. Not only is it obnoxious, and there's no

quicker way to lose a potential customer but most Web-hosting companies will take down a Web site if

you use spam.

There is a way to do this option legally but it entails having a website. An opt-in e-mail campaign is a

good idea for your business, but you have a couple of options for how to go about it. You always want to



give visitors to your Web site a way to send their e-mail address to you. But if your Web site isn't up and

running yet, you can contact companies that will send your ad to the people on their opt-in lists (for a fee).

To keep on track with your goals and your budget, your next step is to track the responses you get to

each piece of your marketing campaign. Below are a couple of examples.

First, if you're using an online marketing campaign, you could have your prospective customers reply to a

specific e-mail address, if you are using Facebook you have a list of those following you. Second, if you're

mostly using print advertising, you can have your customer email their replies to a special email set apart

for that specific advertising outlet. Let's say you bought advertising space in your local newspaper and an

ad in a local newsletter. You could have the newspaper ad responses go to "email A" and the newsletter

responses go to "email B." This would help you see which outlet got the best response.

Now, a marketing plan isn't something that's set in stone; it's not static. It's also not something you write

out and then stick in a drawer and forget about! Remember, it's a tremendous tool for helping you get

where you want to go. It is even encouraging for you to make a date with it several times a year, every

year, so you can review it and see what's working best. You'll want to stay with those strategies and

replace the not-so-hots with one or two new ones.

And don't forget: We live in a quickly changing world with new forms of marketing evolving every day. So

it's vital that you stay informed so you can take advantage of the most effective ways to tell your story.

That's the big picture. Now which marketing tools will you need in order to get your story out to new

customers?

Part 4

Marketing Yourself in Print

For many, this may be a first experience with marketing a business. Let’s give you the rundown of the role

your printed marketing tools will play in the scheme of things.

First and foremost, every piece we'll be discussing in this Part will convey to your prospective customers

what kind of quality you appreciate and offer. The bond of the paper, the weight of the card stock, the

professionalism of the design—all of it should say quality. You want your customers to know that when

they do business with you, they'll receive only the best quality product and service. There's no higher

compliment you can pay your customers than that.

Also, realize that each of the marketing tools discussed will play a different role in advertising your

business. Where business cards will grab a customer's attention, a brochure will entice new (and old!)

customers to take action and buy from you. So know what each piece is supposed to do, and then design

it with that purpose in mind.

Meet Your Marketing Pieces

Just a general word to start with: You'll want your logo and contact information on all your marketing

materials. All of them will communicate you, so make sure that your customers can communicate back!



Business Cards

The most important element of your business card is your marketing message and how you display it.

You want it to tell people what you can offer them in a personal, meaningful way. Consider these

examples:

Now, just a word of advice: Don't try to cram the front of your business card with your message, logo,

contact numbers, Web information, mailing addresses, and so on. If there's too much information, your

message will be lost in a flurry of chaos.

But remember there are two sides to every business card.

So use the back of the card for your contact information while leaving just the logo and your message on

the front. This way, you can dazzle your customers with your message while providing them with the

information to look you up, which gives you another chance to dazzle them!

Also, pay special attention to the quality of paper you'll use. This means a lot. A business card that's

flimsy or that tears easily will quickly find its way to the nearest trash can.

The office supply/dollar store, have different kinds of card stock. The higher quality paper will be more

rigid and will snap back when you gently bend it in one direction. It's also heavier in your hand. That's the

kind of paper you want.

Handcrafted, functional pottery for the discerning

collector

Enjoy the simplicity and beauty of black-and-white photography in your home

Maker of fine, handcrafted traditional Native leather and cloth regalia

Handcrafted boxes for your cherished memories Quality hand made traditional lacrosse sticks

Accomplished craftsman of Native traditional rattles & drums



Next, think about ink. As a general rule, the fewer colours you use, the less expensive your printing costs

will be. But regardless of how many colours you choose, be sure to stick with a mid-to high-quality ink. If

you choose a less expensive but low-quality ink, you can wind up with smudging, smearing, and running.

These make for another fast track to the trash can.

Finally, don't get creative with the size of your business card. Anything larger than 3½ x 2 inches won't fit

in most business card holders. You can do many creative things with folded business cards, but again,

this will add to your cost. In the end, following tradition in this situation is probably the best strategy.

Hangtags and Labels

A hangtag is a paper tag you attach to your craft product that gives your contact information and any

message you want to convey to your customer. Hangtags give a personal touch to your craft product.

What message do you put on your hangtags? It could be anything from your personal story to the

tradition your craft came from. Your hangtag can also tell the story of the specific product it's on: how you

came to design it, where you found your inspiration, and what it means to you. Just remember, like all of

your other marketing materials, your hangtags need to tell your customers how to contact you, so leave

room for this very important information.

Let's talk labels now. While labels are less glamorous than hangtags, they often have a vital legal

function. Labels can determine which products you can market and sell and which ones you can't.

Depending on your craft, you may be required under federal laws to list what your craft is made from or

what it contains and permanently affix this label to your product.

Business Stationery and Forms

Your business will want to have all of your business correspondence on letterhead, and your letterhead

and envelopes should have your business name, logo, and contact information. It's definitely worthwhile

to consider getting your business forms—such as receipts, order fulfillment forms, and shipping labels—

with your logo on them too. These are all powerful marketing tools, reinforcing your identity as a

professional craftsperson.

As with your business cards, you will want to buy the best quality paper you can afford for your letterhead

and envelopes. In my experience, it's also very helpful to get the advice of a professional designer and

have him or her help communicate with a professional printer about the paper, inks, and colour choices

available. And be sure to tell your designer if you plan on reproducing the stationery yourself using a laser

printer so he or she can help you choose laser-compatible paper and heat-resistant inks. A more

economical way to get professional advice is to find a student in a community college who is going to

school for graphic design. They will often assist you for a very nominal fee in exchange for the experience

for their portfolio.

To give you some ideas of different types of stationery design choices, look in your template section of

your word processing program, under stationary, there is often a wide selection of choices you can adapt.

You might find it helpful to look through these before meeting with a graphic designer/student. You'll save

time and money by having some basic knowledge of stationery design.



Your business forms will have the same information on them that your letterhead does. But the paper

quality isn't as important. Most business forms come in duplicate and triplicate, with standard weights of

paper. Ask your printer or look online at the options for standard business forms.

Brochures

No matter what your craft, brochures are the most accessible and an immediate way to communicate

your story and your work to potential customers. They give you room to showcase your products in high-

quality pictures, tell a little something about each craft, and encourage people to contact you in a more

personal way than your business cards alone can do.

Always have several brochures with you, no matter where you go. You'll be surprised at how many

opportunities you'll have every day to strike up a conversation about your work, and a brochure will let

you visually communicate what you're telling people.

Take a minute to get acquainted with the elements of good brochure design.

Have your brochure match your business cards. You want to keep your message consistent through

all your marketing materials. Using things like the same colour scheme, font, logo, and message will

help tie everything together.

Use high-quality paper. Again, it's important to choose the right medium for your message. If you're

using lots of full-colour photos, then a high-gloss paper would make the most of that product. But if

your content is mainly text with a few drawings, then a heavy card stock with two colors of ink may

also do the trick. Both types can have an impact.

Stick to a single product or service per brochure. If you work in several different mediums, it's best to

design separate brochures for each medium. Although costly, it makes for a more effective impact on

your potential customers. It also discourages the notion that you're a "Jack (or Jill) of all trades;

master of none" or that you haven't found your artistic voice. Then, if you have the space, list at the

end of each brochure the other mediums you work in and give your Web site address/Facebook

address (where people can see and learn more about your other products).

Use text and images wisely. Your customers' time is very valuable, so you don't want them to have to

spend their time wading through large blocks of text to learn about your new business and products. If

you use bullet points, arrows, and boxes, you can help keep things more organized visually. Even

with these elements, though, you can easily overwhelm new customers. So keep your message

succinct and your images and text balanced. The more pleasing your brochure is to the eye, the more

likely it is that someone will actually read it.

Encourage potential customers to take action! After you've invested so much time and effort into

developing an eye-catching, informative, and on-message brochure, you don't want a potential

customer to walk away. Tell them that they can make a phone call for more information or visit your

Web site or like you on Facebook to see more products or maps to your store. The more they

become invested in what you have to offer, the better chance you have to make them a customer.

Tip - If you're just starting out and your budget doesn't yet allow for brochures, think about getting a

one-sheet instead. This is simply an 8 ½ x 11-inch page of information about your company and product. It could have a photograph, it could be in colour or in black and white (to save money), but it will definitely have your logo and contact information on it. And you'll hand it out in the same way as you would a brochure. Again a word processing program has several templates to use. These are easy to put your pictures and information into.



There's something else you need to know about regarding design and content. Some people say that the

key to marketing is to realize that people buy with their emotions and justify their purchases with logic.

Your brochures, then, need to strike an emotional chord with prospective customers. You want them to

tap into a positive emotion related to your product that will compel them to take action and buy your

product.

Here is an example, while out shopping one day, Jen discovered a great deal on a brown velvet purse.

While Jen was sharing the find with a friend, she asked why she had bought it when she already had

several purses. Jen’s answer was, "Well, I don't have one for going out at night—a dressy purse." But the

real reason was that Jen simply liked how it felt in her hand as she carried it around.

Do you see what Jen just did there? She bought the purse because it struck an emotional chord with her,

and she justified it by saying it filled a practical purpose in her wardrobe! So, how do you do this in a

brochure? Here are some tips:

Focus on your customers' needs. Appeal to their perceived needs and desires for your product.

Connect personally with your customers. Talk about life from your customers' point of view and how your product fits into that.

Carefully choose your words. Use words and phrases that would be familiar to your core group of customers. Don't fill your brochure with trade jargon and technical language.

Grab their emotions. Describe how your product will be a benefit to them.

You certainly have a lot to think about now, even though you have been given all this information at once,

don’t become overwhelmed. Just take a breath, and tackle one piece, one section at a time.

Part 5

Summary

This lesson is really exciting stuff, in which you've learned what makes marketing your craft different from

marketing any other product or business—the human touch of you. You've also seen how to create an

organized strategy to get your message out. And you now have an idea about how to use business cards,

hangtags, labels, stationery, and brochures to spread your story.

This is your time to decide how you want to present your art and your story to the world! It is strongly

encouraged that you do this lesson's assignment to help you jump-start this very important task.

The next lesson will look at how to go about pricing your work and the tools you'll need to sell successfully

in the venue you choose.

FAQs

Q: What size should a hangtag be? A: There is no right or wrong size, but make it large enough that your customer doesn't need a magnifying glass to read the text! You want your hangtag to be another source of contact information for you, so let it be easy to read. And remember, this is your chance to connect on a personal level, so you want it to have room for a message from you: a simple thank you or the story of your crafting.



Q: How can I possibly afford to create a brochure for each medium I work in? I'll go broke! A: Don't panic! Don't feel that you need to create several brochures when you're first starting out. Instead, start with one brochure and print others as your finances allow. Have your graphic designer/student create one basic layout so the only changes will be text and photos. This will not only save you money but also create a recognizable consistency of design. Q: With my particular craft, I'm worried about complying with the government regulations. How can I be sure that my material will be safe? A: This is a great question. This act pertains to people who sell products made of certain fabrics, or paints. If this is you, then the simplest way to comply with this law is to ask your supplier to provide you with a guarantee of compliance. For further information refer to the Canadian consumer safety act.


1. Now's the time to write your personal story! Your challenge is to eventually trim it down to 125 words or less. To help you get started, go back to Part 2 and use the questions and examples there as your guide. When you're done, please share your story with your class or instructor. Remember: Don't give out personal information such as your phone number or address! Good luck! 2. This assignment is in two parts:

a) Design your business card and letterhead layout. Go to your local printer and ask to see the various qualities of papers they have for cards, letterhead, and brochures. Get some prices while you're there so you'll know how these jobs are priced out. Ask about turnaround times for initial orders and reorders. Do they have their own graphic designers to help you with the design layout and your logo design, or will they refer you to some? Contact your local community college Graphic Design program. Ask if they have students who would like to assist a new business getting started.

b) Design the hangtags for your product. This doesn't have to be a highly polished job; just sketch out some ideas. Merely start thinking about what you need to include on the hangtag: What can you say on it to help your business stand out from the rest?



Lesson 5 – Quiz Use the quizzes to test your knowledge of the lesson.

1. What information do you want to include in your story?

Where you were born.

Your qualifications for making this craft.

What's unique or special about what you make.

Your contact information.

2. What should your marketing message do?

Convey the price of your products.

Tell people your years of experience.

Tell people what you can offer them in a personal, meaningful way.

Reach a local market.

3. Why might you be legally required to permanently affix a label on your product?

To clearly mark the price.

To list the specific materials your craft is made from.

To describe how you make your product.

To tell when your product was made.

4. What do you want to make sure to include on your letterhead?

Your phone number.

Your street address.

Your logo, business name, and contact information.

Your e-mail address.

5. If you don't have the money in your budget for a brochure, what tool could you substitute for it instead?

A business card.

A hangtag.

A one-sheet.

An opt-in e-mail piece.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. What’s unique or special about what you make. 2. Tell people what you are offering

them in a personal, meaningful way. 3. To list the materials your craft is made from. 4. Your logo,

business name, and contact information. 5. A one-sheet.



Lesson 6

PROTECTING YOUR ARTISTIC WORK

Part 1 Introduction

The works that an artisan creates holds a very personal place in one’s heart, although their creations hold

monetary value too. So it's vital for you to know how to protect your work, price it well, and insure it

against loss.

This lesson will explore three areas:

1. How to copyright your work—unfortunately, some people may try to copy your designs and compete with you. This lesson will show you how to stop them if they do and how to discourage them in the first place.

2. Next, you will see what goes into pricing your work. Using a formula that will help you get just the right price.

3. Also in this lesson is a look at the issues you need to be aware of when it comes to insuring your work and place of business.

Part 2

Copyright Your Designs

Today, copyright law is complex and international, and it covers everything from recorded music to the

patterns on a lampshade. Also, each country provides copyright protection within its own legal system. So

it is recommended that if you are copyrighting your work: Consult with a copyright attorney!

The first step is to educate yourself about some copyright basics.

What You Can and Can't Copyright

Here's a simple table that shows you what you can and can't copyright:

Yes You Can No You Can't

Your original expression of your idea in a fixed, tangible form.

Your ideas.

Your original patterns, color schemes, and shapes used on a functional object.

A functional object.

Your original design of a physical object using an image that's in the public domain.

Anything in the public domain.



Only your original designs, patterns, and physical pieces may receive a copyright. You can't copyright

your ideas—we can't put laws on people's thoughts. So until the idea becomes a tangible reality, it is free

for the taking by anyone else who thinks along the same lines as you or who likes your idea and runs with

it before you do.

You are probably thinking to yourself, that copyright has some interesting twists and turns. In the

paragraphs below are some of the points in the table above in a little more depth.

First, you can copyright your original expression of an idea in its physical form. Such as this familiar

figure: Big Bird, the tall, bright yellow character on Sesame Street. Big Bird was Jim Henson's artistic

expression of a golden condor. No one can copy Big Bird without willfully infringing on Henson's

copyright. But anyone is free to create another expression of a golden condor, as long as it's completely

different from Big Bird. Remember, complete originality is the first requirement.

Second, is expressing your idea in a fixed, physical form—such as a painting, wooden carving, object,

quilt, and so on. You can copyright tangible designs or products you make even if you use material that's

in the public domain. Public domain, means that a work's copyright has expired and no one person own

the rights to the work anymore. The public has free access to the use of the work and is free to profit from

that use. What kinds of things might this apply to? Things you find in nature, historical or cultural icons,

and quotes from certain older works.

Here is an example using Joan who makes jewelry. A few years ago, a completely new medium came

into existence: precious metal clay (PMC). The first jewelry piece Joan designed using this medium was a

pendant with the shape of a turtle. Joan was certainly not the first artist ever to use a turtle design in

PMC. So Joan wouldn't be able to prevent other artisans from using turtle designs in their PMC creations.

However, Joan could prevent them from using her turtle design by copyrighting it. Since the turtle on

Joan’s pendant was part of a pattern of other shapes, Joan could also copyright the pattern, which would

prevent the entire surface design from being copied.

Under the "Cant’s" column, it is listed that you can't copyright a functional object. But what if you create

functional art, such as ceramic dinnerware, pottery bowls, woven baskets, or furniture? Well, if you come

up with a completely new, original design for these items, you can apply for a patent instead of a

copyright. More likely, though, you'll be able to copyright the original shapes, combination of color

schemes, and pattern of decoration you design for these objects.

That is the basics of what can and can't be copyrighted. Next, let's see how to copyright your work, as

well as look at some additional ways to protect your creations

The Copyright Process

Generally, your original work is automatically protected by copyright when you create it. However, when

you register your copyright, you get a certificate of registration that you can use in court as evidence that

you own the protected work.

To register your copyright in Canada, you must complete an application and pay a fee.

You can obtain application forms online to be downloaded and printed, then mailed in to the Canadian

Intellectual Property Office along with your fee. You can also obtain these forms at the Client Service

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00021.html



Centre, or from a regional Industry Canada office. Another way to file your application is electronically

through the Canadian Intellectual Property Office website. See the Resource page for links to these sites.

You are not required to send a copy of your work with the application. The Copyright Office does not

review or assess works in any way.

In addition to securing a copyright for your work, you'll want to do some things on your own to protect

yourself and your designs. Let's look at those next.

Other Ways to Protect Your Works

If you work in a medium where each piece you create is one of a kind, such as woodcarving or pottery,

you might not be able to afford copyrighting every piece you create. So, if it becomes necessary, how can

you prove that someone has duplicated your work?

Here are a few tips:

Take photos of your work. It's best if you have a digital camera that can include the date stamp in the photo. Then download the photos immediately, and send them to an online development service so you'll have independent verification of the date. Order print copies, and keep a three-ring photo binder so you can easily access them. And be sure to keep copies of your photo receipts in the binder too.

Always sign, number, and date every work you create in a way that no one can remove. You can put this information on the back or bottom of the piece if you think it will interfere with your overall design.

Keep a very thorough paper trail.

If you think someone has ripped you off, act quickly! Call your copyright attorney or your local Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

Don't sign anything with a buyer—such as a wholesaler, catalog company, or retail store—without your copyright attorney looking over the contract first.

Now that you know how to protect your designs from being stolen and how to prove it if they have been,

let's see what you can do if somebody violates your copyright and infringes on your designs.

Proving Copyright Infringement

There are times when, unknowingly, an artist may be stealing your original designs—an inexperienced

artist thinks she's just "drawing inspiration" from your work when she's actually infringing on it.

Other times, though, people do so with full knowledge. There are people who actually walk the aisles of

craft fairs, scour catalogs, and search the Internet just looking for profitable designs to copy. They take

the chance that you haven't established copyright for the design, won't have the money or knowledge to

fight them, or won't have the proof to win.

The term copyright infringement, in the craft market, is when someone copies your design, they have

infringed on your copyright.

Proving it may not be easy and can be costly. You will have to show that the other person’s design has

substantial similarity to your design and that the person had access to your design.



Substantial similarity – the copier’s design is so similar to yours that the average person would

think they're the same.

Access - the copier had an opportunity to see your work and the ability to copy it.

If someone unknowingly violates your copyright, you can have your lawyer draw up a letter informing the

artist that you own the copyright on the design he or she has used without your permission and telling him

or her to stop any further use of it. You may ask the artists to make restitution depending on how many

products the artists has produced and how much money they have made from your designs

A more serious situation is if someone intentionally infringes on your copyright. This could be costly and

timely. It is advised to talk to an experienced copyright attorney to know if you can show unquestionable

proof that you own the copyright and how much it will cost you.

As you are starting out with your business, your best protection against infringement is to be prepared in

advance. It is advised that do two things: First, register your new creation with the Canadian Intellectual

Property Office.

Second, create a paper trail. Here's how:

Start by keeping all documents related to your copyright.

Keep good records of anyone you talked to or sold to at craft fairs and trade shows. Ask for their

business cards and contact information.

Take notes of phone conversations about your work.

When creating your paper trail, always remember the five W 's: who, what, where, when, and

why.

The most casual conversation may contain crucial information for your attorney later if you've been

copied. You'll be glad you created that paper trail!

Part 3

How to Put a Price on Your Work

Many artists and crafters have no idea about what to charge for their work. They either charge too little or

too much—and both can have a negative effect on their business. In this part, you will learn how to price

your work using a formula that will help you arrive at a good starting price.

Following are four basic business terms you should know.

Basic Business Terms

1. Overhead - This refers to what it costs to keep your business going. However, it doesn't include the

cost of the materials for your craft or the cost of your labor in making your craft.

Here's a list of the typical things you'd include in your overhead:

Rent on your workshop or storefront

Tools and equipment

Utilities

Telephone bills

Web site costs



Marketing costs

Travel expenses

Application and booth fees

Bank fees on your company checking account

Legal fees

Taxes

Insurance

Also included in overhead are the number of hours you work on business duties multiplied by your

hourly wage. This would include the time you spend on bookkeeping, promotion, design, mailings,

telephone calls, filling out applications, and going to see prospective buyers.

Be sure to list all the parts of your business that qualify as overhead, you need to be aware of all the

money going out. To make a profit and run a successful business you will need to have more money

coming in than you have going out.

2. Cost of materials needed - This category is pretty straightforward—it's the cost of what you need to

make your craft. If you make traditional ribbon shirts, it's your fabric, thread, and anything else you put

on your shirt. If you do woodworking, this would include your wood, varnishes, and so on. If you make

jewelry, you'd look at your beads, your pins, your clasps, your strings—all the materials that make up

your pieces. This cost is probably the easiest to see.

3. Labor – is your time and how much it is worth. How much time does it take you to produce one craft

piece? And how much money do you need per hour to make a good living? Since you're starting your

own business, you also need to factor in the extra payroll expenses that self-employed people need

to pay, such as Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Employment Insurance (EI). See reference page for

a link to payroll deductions.

4. Profit—is the minimum amount of money above your costs that you need to make from your sales to

grow your business. In accounting terms, it's what's left over after you subtract your costs from your

revenue.

Okay, let's take these business ideas and see how they work together to help you determine a good price

for your products.

The Formula

As an example - Tina makes hand-painted wooden boxes. How much should Tina charge per box to keep

her newly launched business moving forward? Let's take this step-by-step.

1. Tina will have to figure out what her overhead costs are per month. Using a chart, she will list all of the possible expenses for a month. When the business is just starting out, some of this will be guesswork, but at least it will give Tina some practice thinking through the many unseen aspects of your business. (Chart provided at the end of this lesson).

For Tina’s hand-painted wooden box business, an example of her total overhead cost is $1,700 per month.

2. Next Tina will time herself making one of her crafts to figure out how long it takes her to hand-paint one box! Example- one hour per box.



3. Tina will need to find out how many wooden boxes she can paint in her first month of business. If it takes one hour to hand-paint a wooden box, Tina could paint eight boxes a day. If Tina wants to work five days a week, that's 40 boxes per week. So per month, Tina could possibly paint 160 wooden boxes.

However, this figure doesn't allow time for Tina to design a brochure, go shopping for her materials, make telephone calls, or fill out and mail applications to craft fairs. (Let alone take a break here and there!) So let's take out some time for these aspects of her business and say that Tina will make 100 painted wooden boxes per month.

4. Tina will next figure out her overhead cost per wooden box. This is where the math gets a bit more complicated. Tina will divide her total overhead cost per month by the number of wooden boxes she makes per month. The numbers would look like this:

$1,700 ÷ 100 = $17

5. Tina will then determines her cost of materials per box. Basically, Tina would look at two factors: (1) the number of boxes she can hand-paint per paint bottle, and (2) the cost for each wooden box she paints. To figure the first factor, Tina will divide the paint bottle's cost by the number of boxes she can paint with it. As an example, Tina’s total cost is only $3 per box!

6. Now Tina will figure out her labor cost per wooden box. She will take her hourly wage, and add 30% of it for extra payroll expenses (30% is an example, go to: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bsnsss/menu-eng.html for current payroll expenses). As an example Tina decided that $10 an hour was a good wage to start with (especially because it's a nice round number for this example), so your payroll expenses would be $3. Here's the math: $10 + $3 = $13. This is Tina’s labor cost for her wooden box, since it takes her exactly one hour to hand-paint one.

7. Finally, Tina will figure out her desired profit. So far, one box takes this much money to make:

$17 + $3 + $13 = $33

Tina wants to have her business grow by a third, so she will add about $10. This would bring her grand total for the scarf to $43.

So here's the formula:

The Formula Example of Tina’s Costs Overhead cost per item

Cost of materials per item

Labour per item

+ Profit per item

$17.00

3.00

13.00

10.00

= Minimum cost per item $43.00

This formula is a very reliable guideline, but it's not the only guideline.

A helpful tip is to do some market research, so let's look at that next.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bsnsss/menu-eng.html




Market Research

Basically, market research is checking out what competitors are charging for similar craft items. So if

you're at a craft show, walk the aisles and see if you can match their price or sell your item for less—and

still make a good profit. You can also do this with online sellers, craft catalogs, and retail stores that carry

similar craft products as yours.

You can also ask retail store's owner what price point their customers will usually pay. A price point is

simply a standard price the maker of a product will set for the item. As a general rule, retailers usually

double the wholesale price.

Using Tina’s wooden box example, the retail price would probably be around $86. Wow! This may be an

acceptable price for your high-quality, hand-painted wooden box—if the retailer caters to customers who

can afford this. But if the retailer has a different customer base that can't afford this, then this might not be

the right outlet for your product.

You may have to find a way to lower your costs and desired profit. You will only want to lower your price

after you've thoroughly researched the market and know for sure that your price is too high. This is a

good idea especially if a buyer is willing to order a large quantity and you can make a reasonable profit by

selling more for less.

Okay, we've looked at how to protect your original designs through copyright, and you now have an idea

of how to go about setting an adequate price for your craft. Next up, let's talk about what you need to do

to properly insure your work and your business.

Part 4

Why Getting Insurance is Important

If you're thinking of working out of your home, your home owner’s insurance may not cover you for

running a business also. A lot of artists aren't aware of that, and they leave themselves wide open to big

financial trouble if anything goes wrong.

Since you're running a business, what you need is business insurance, both for your property and for

people who could somehow get hurt in relation to it. A few scenarios to consider:

You're holding a small workshop in your home studio, and one of your students cuts his hand on your scroll saw. He needs 12 stitches and will require several months of physical therapy.

You're hosting an open house in your brand-new home gallery to promote your beautiful ceramic works. Your next door neighbors bring their three wild, rascally boys, who overturn the kiln and set fire to one wall of your gallery.

Tip

Always print your price list separately from your brochures so you can raise or lower your prices

as the market dictates. That way you can just slip the price sheet into the brochure, rather than

having to reprint small quantities of brochures all the time. That can get expensive!



You've rented a co-op space, and a customer trips on a power cord, falling and breaking her arm. She accepts your sincere apology, but she also decides to sue you.

At a craft show, the booth next to yours collapses because their wrought-iron artwork was too heavy for the flimsy divider between your booths. The wall comes crashing down and destroys a whole display of your glasswork.

When you finally get home from this craft show, you find that someone has broken into your house and stolen your inventory and your very expensive tools.

These are just a few examples as to why you need insurance. If you had the right amount of business

insurance, you would be covered for unforeseen mishaps. But imagine if you weren't covered. The injured

customers could wipe out your personal savings and assets, perhaps putting your home at risk, and

maybe cost you your business.

These scenarios are not meant to scare or discourage you. But to let you be aware of the risks involved in

your type of business. An insurance broker can help you determine they type of insurance that best suits

your business, and how much it will cost.

Types of Insurance

The two main types of insurance that you should look into getting are business liability insurance and

business personal property insurance. The first protects you in case others get hurt, and the second

protects your products and equipment in case of theft, damage, or any other type of loss. You need to

protect your business at home, as well as at a rented studio, a co-op, a craft fair, or a gallery. (See

reference page for a link to Insurance for your Small Business).

If you are exhibiting at a craft fair or a gallery, it is a good idea to ask, in advance, if they provide the

coverage and to find out what they do and don’t insure.

There's also one more type of insurance you should think about: shipping insurance. This is fairly

inexpensive, and you can purchase it through your shipper. It will cover your products as they're on their

way to the customer, as well as if the customer sends them back to you within the time frame of your

return policy.

Tips for Getting the Coverage that Suit Your Needs

Insurance can be costly, so it's very important to be realistic about what you can afford. Here are some

suggestions as to how you can get what you need as well as what you can afford:

Determine the current retail value of your work. Start by photographing and documenting each piece.

Simple snapshots or digital image prints of individual pieces will do, along with a list of each item and

its value.

Get a professional appraisal of your work in writing. Then add up the total value of your entire

inventory.

Once you have this information, you'll need to photograph your craft equipment and add up its current

replacement value. This is how much it would cost you to buy the same equipment today, not the

price you paid for it years ago.

Add the value of your inventory to the replacement cost of your equipment, and you'll have a target

range for how much insurance you'd ideally like to get.

http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/page/2684/



Be sure to keep all your sales receipts—this will help you show that you sold other comparable pieces

for a similar price—and any other paperwork you have that establishes your pricing policy and sales

history when filing a claim.

Look at your budget and decide how much insurance you can afford. If you're on a really tight budget,

it's better to have some insurance rather than none. Fortunately, chances are slim that you'd lose all

of your work. But even if you did, it would be better to be compensated for half its worth than not to be

compensated at all.

Remember to compare insurance companies, their prices and coverage they offer before making a final

purchase. Ask the agent questions to be sure you understand the policy, including the fine print and any

exclusions the policy may include.

Part 5

Summary

This lesson has covered a lot ground.

It covered what you can and can't copyright and how to go about getting this important legal protection for

your original work. Also discussed were some important steps you can take to prevent theft of your

designs, as well as to prove copyright infringement if it does happen to you.

Also covered in this lesson was how to price your work and have some ideas about how best to insure it

in a way that protects you without breaking the bank.

The next lesson, covers the topic about sales. More specifically, it explore what happens when you feel

uncomfortable with this aspect of your business, and provides some ideas for what you can do if your

artist's soul just cringes at sales.

FAQs

Q: What does an artist need to do regarding copyrights when they want to use part of someone else's work in what they are creating? A: That's a great question, and one some artists might not be aware they need to be concerned with. If you're a painter, for example, and you want to use a page of literature in a collaged art piece, you'd need to be thinking about this. Or if you're a jewelry artist and want to imprint or engrave a line or two from a poem on a bracelet or a miniature copy of sheet music in a pendant, this applies to you too. Are you a fabric artist? You may want to print a famous quotation on a quilt or pillow, so you, too, need to think of the other person's copyright. And it's not just words you have to worry about. You may be attracted to someone's illustration of a pink rose. Please don't make the mistake of thinking you can use their design and be safe because you changed the color of the rose on your product! The only way you're not infringing on someone else's design is if you get permission to use it, or part of it, in your product design. Otherwise, you must come up with a completely original design. There are two exceptions to this, though. The first is using works in the public domain, which are works whose copyright has expired. The public is allowed to freely use these works, as well as profit from using them.



The second exception is fair use, which gives the public limited access to protected works. The key word here is limited. There are conditions attached to this that you must pay attention to. Basically, if you don't seek permission, if you use a large amount of another artist's work in your design, and if you'll profit from that use—you're violating fair use. And that means you're guilty of copyright infringement.

As always, your safest bet is to take the time to talk with a copyright attorney. It will be well worth your money! Q: How long does a copyright last? A: That seems to be constantly changing and is different in different countries. Depending on things like when the artist first created the work, what country the copyright is in, and when someone may be seeking to use the copyrighted product—the expiration date varies widely. So again, you are advised to consult an attorney. That's just the safest way to go.

Resources

Registration of Copyright – online

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr03915.html?Open&wt_src=cipo-cpyrght-main&wt_cxt=toptask

Access to the copyright e-filing application to register your copyright.

Canadian Intellectual Property Office


Canadian Government website with copyright information.

Self Employed payroll deductions


Canada Revenue Agency website with payroll deductions information.

Insurance for Your Small Business


Canada Business Network website with information about insurance for a Small Business.









Price at least one item you make (Use forms provided). Describe the research and the method you used

to arrive at that price, and include what a competitor's similar craft product is selling for.

Overhead Cost $ Monthly amount spent

Rent or Mortgage payment

Utilities (hydro, heat, water)

Telephone, Internet

Insurance

Wages and Benefits

Loan interest/bank fees

Website costs

Travel Expenses

Legal fees

Tools and equipment

Marketing costs

Application and booth fees

Taxes (may not apply on reserve)

Total Monthly Overhead Costs:

The Formula Your Costs

Overhead cost per item

Cost of materials per item

Labour per item

+ Profit per item

= Minimum cost per item



Describe the research and the method you used to arrive at that price:

Competitor's similar craft product selling price:



Lesson 6 - Quiz

Use this quiz to test your knowledge of the lesson. 1. What is actual copyright infringement in the craft market?

Someone uses a design in the public domain using the same colour as you.

Someone sells a product in the same medium as you for substantially less money.

Someone copies your original design.

Someone uses your design with your permission.

2. What do you need to do to copyright a craft piece?

Register it with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

Take a photo of it, and mail it to yourself.

Put a trademark symbol on each of your pieces.

Have a witness sign a document describing the work.

3. What do you have to show to prove copyright infringement has happened to you?

Financial damage.

That your design is in the public domain.

Fair use.

Access and substantial similarity.

4. Which of the following would be considered overhead?

Your hourly wage for producing a craft product.

Your hourly wage for business-related tasks.

Cost of materials.

Desired profit.

5. What type of insurance will protect you if a customer gets hurt at your craft booth?

Business personal property insurance.

Business liability insurance.

Home owner's insurance.

An injury rider.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. Someone copies your original design. 2. Register it with the Canadian Intellectual

Property Office. 3. Access and substantial similarity. 4. Your hourly wage for business-related tasks. 5.

Business liability insurance.



Lesson 7

BUT I HATE SALES!

Part 1

Introduction

The previous lesson explored marketing, this lesson will begin to examine sales. Some of you might be

feeling very motivated, so hats off to you! Others of you, though, might have a knot in your stomach. "I

love my craft," you might be thinking, "but I hate sales!"

You're certainly not alone in feeling this way, this dread of sales does complicate things. After all, you're

starting a business of your own, and that means you have to sell your products. (Otherwise, you would be

starting an arts and crafts charity!)

This lesson, will take an honest look at the fear and loathing many artist/craftspeople feel toward sales.

Some of this is very natural, because an artist/craftsperson's personality is often quite different from a

salesperson's. Some of it can come from areas of resistance that in a lot of cases stem from fear, so this

lesson will explore that too. This lesson will conclude with some ways that you can not only overcome

your dread of sales but transform it into a more creative endeavor.

This lesson intends to find and embrace your inner salesperson.

Part 2

It’s all about attitude!

What makes sales so challenging? Quite simply, an artist/craftsperson personality is often very different

from a sales personality! This can make the whole realm of sales and marketing rather uncomfortable for

the craftsperson.

Let's look at some of the temperament differences between most artisans and salespeople. You may

know of some exceptions to the following descriptions, but for the most part they ring true.

ARTIST/CRAFTSPERSON SALESPERSON

Artist/craftspeople cultivate inner listening and natural development. Artist/craftspeople know that they can't force the creative flow, and they tend to think anything good can't be forced. Artist/craftspeople know that their best creations come from some magical place within themselves, so they try to listen to and follow the directions it gives them. They see it as more reliable and true than any external information or set of rules.

Salespeople, on the other hand, try to influence others from the outside. Salespeople have a goal in mind, and their focus is to direct the customer's action to meet that goal.



Artist/craftspeople like to work alone or with a few others. They are more privacy-oriented, especially when they work. Artist/craftspeople need to be in control of their own environment, to have few interruptions, and to be left alone to cocoon when it's necessary in the creative process. Some artist/craftspeople are solitary, shy people; others are social, but usually only when not working.

Salespeople need to be in more constant contact with other people. This is what gets their engine running and keeps them energized to make their next sale. They are people-oriented. You may get anxious just thinking about making a cold call on an art or craft collector—a natural salesperson sees it as an exciting challenge!

Artist/craftspeople flourish in a quieter environment. Or at least their own environment! Artist/craftspeople may prefer total quiet, calm music, or loud rock-n-roll, but very few artist/craftspeople want to create in a party environment that's out of our control. And most artist/craftspeople feel they communicate best nonverbally, through their art.

Salespeople thrive on talk and excitement. To a salesperson, "the more the merrier" means the more opportunity to make sales! A good salesperson has mastered the art of conversation, using it to explore a person's needs and desires and then finding an appropriate opening to pitch their product. They welcome every person as a potential customer.

Artist/craftspeople are more oriented toward the heart. The artist/craftsperson want to stimulate emotions in others with their art: happiness, appreciation, the enjoyment of beauty, satisfaction, even joy. Sometimes they convey their own heartfelt emotions in their work, hoping to strike a chord with others who have shared similar experiences and feelings in their lives. It's a way of saying, "You are not alone—this is what it felt like to me." It's part of that human connection they all crave.

Salespeople are more practical and numbers-minded. They compartmentalize their lives more, separating their emotional life from their professional life. A salesperson may be crazy in love with her husband and kids, but she will see her job as a series of goals to meet to provide a standard of living for her loved ones. Sell x number of product this week, profit x number dollars, make the mortgage and car payments. She's concerned with moving product, not the meaning of the product's design or its emotional message.

So, you might be wondering now, "Is it hopeless? Will I ever be able to sell my work when my

temperament is so different from that of a salesperson? Do artist/craftspeople even have an inner

salesperson?"

The answer is, "Yes!"

You see, sales doesn't have to be an either-or proposition. And you don't have to become something that

really isn't you. Instead, you can become the type of salesperson that's in sync with your personality.

Let's look at some common artist/craftsperson traits and see how they can translate into unique

salesperson traits.

Let's say you're naturally a quiet, shy person. You wouldn't want to try a hard-sell technique because you

wouldn't be comfortable with that. So use your personality in a positive way. Many customers who are

attracted to arts and crafts prefer a gentle, low-key sales approach. You can have great success just

being you.

One thing to think about is that your customers are there because they are interested in what you make

and how you make it. If you're a potter, you might start by asking them if they're familiar with whatever it is

that's unique about your product. For example, you could say something like this: "That's a pretty bowl,

isn't it? I was really pleased with the success of the glazing technique I used, because it was just an



experiment. I mixed red soil from my hometown with the glaze, and that's what gave it this rust colour

here."

You've shared some interesting information about your work, and you've left the door open for them to

ask you a question: "Really! Where's your hometown?"

That wasn't so bad, was it?

Or perhaps you're a natural teacher. Your approach might go something like this: "I noticed that you're

drawn to the pieces with inlaid wood. May I share a great technique I use to fit the edges together

smoothly?"

Even if your prospective customers don't do woodworking, they'll be interested in hearing your

enthusiasm for your craft and learning something in the process! Just keep your description short; no one

wants a lecture when they're shopping. But three or four sentences spoken with enthusiasm will spark

their interest, and it might just make the sale too!

Do you have a talent for humor as well as art? Using your sense of humor with a customer is a great

sales tool, especially if it comes naturally. It breaks the ice and creates a comfort zone.

And speaking of comfort, nothing puts a customer at ease faster than a warm, welcoming smile. If you've

got a smile in you, use it! Before you know it, you'll be finding all kinds of reasons to keep smiling. Smiles

are contagious!

We often get what we expect. So see your customers as warm, responsive people, and you'll naturally

treat them that way. And they'll most likely treat you the same way in return!

Lastly, there are not many artists/craftspeople who don't take pride in their work. One of the secrets to

successful salesmanship is to show your pride in your work. How do you do this? Handle your work as if

you value it, use the best display materials you can afford, present it as thoughtfully as possible, and

hand it to the purchaser in wrapping or packaging that conveys its value.

You will find that you do have an inner salesperson when it comes to sharing your work with others. You

just have to tune in to your own personality traits and use them.

Part 3

Common Areas of Resistance

In addition to the natural differences in artist/craftspeople and sales temperaments which many crafters

run into internal resistance to sales that's often grounded in fear. Let's take a look at some of these

mental roadblocks next.

Fear of Strangers

Shyness doesn't have to be a static, immovable state! There are degrees of shyness, as well as room for

growth. Here are three simple habits for growing your level of confidence:



Make eye contact.

Smile.

Use positive words.

Practice doing these things, and they'll become second nature to you. You will be surprised at the friendly

response you will receive! As a craft’s person selling your work you will feel more relaxed and less shy,

and you will find yourself being warmer to others. In turn, they will warm up to you! It's an experience that

builds on itself.

Shyness doesn't have to have the last word. As children, most of us were taught the safety rule: Never

talk to strangers! Although it is an excellent rule for childhood safety, it doesn't apply in selling your work.

Learn to see every person you interact with in your business as a customer—not a stranger!

Fear of Talking About Yourself

Do you feel uncomfortable talking about or promoting yourself? This can sometimes be a cultural

roadblock—we may have been brought up with warnings about not tooting our own horn. So maybe a

shift in perspective about what sales is about will help here.

Did you know that the most successful salespeople have two characteristics in common? The first is

creativity. Successful salespeople use their creativity to problem-solve for their customers. And the

second characteristic is caring. Successful salespeople genuinely care about their customers' best

interests. They care about helping customers find something they will be truly satisfied with.

Maybe as an artist/craftsperson you are not totally different from salespeople after all! Artist/craftspeople

share the ability to think creatively, and they care about their customers. Maybe where they differ is in

their perception of sales.

What you might see as tooting your own horn someone else might see as an act of giving. So give some

thought to changing your perspective.

Here's an idea: Your artist/craftsperson’s ability is a gift you've been given that can grace others' lives

with beauty. You're also sharing the joy you've found in this craft with others. Sharing beauty and

knowledge of how you created something isn't an ego trip. People are naturally curious about things

they're attracted to, as well as their makers. You're really not tooting your own horn by satisfying that

need!

Fear of Success

Some people have sort of a "positive" fear: "What if my products become super popular, and I can't keep

up with the demand?" It's very important to be able to honor your commitments in business, and keeping

up with rapid growth is a valid concern. Fortunately, though, it's a concern you can handle with a little

planning and quick response.

For example, if you want to approach a catalog company or national retail chain, do a little research first.

How big is their customer base? How quickly after accepting your product would they expect you to

provide it to them? What's the average size order they place with a company new to their catalog? It's

okay to ask what they would expect from you.



If they want an initial order of 500 pieces, and they want it 60 days after signing a contract with you, you

have several options. You could license your design to a company that can fulfill the order. You could hire

skilled employees or ask family and friends to help you meet the demand. Or you could sell your

company for a tidy profit and start a new one with a whole new product.

If the stress of high product demand is too uncomfortable for you, then you might want to hire a

consultant who is experienced in high-volume arts and crafts businesses. A consultant can help you

decide the best route for you to take and map out a plan of action.

And if you work in fine crafts, remember that high demand means higher retail prices and a waiting list of

customers. Your work moves up in status from craft to collectible. This means you build up a network of

art collectors who see your work as an investment as well as an article of craftsmanship and beauty. The

demand for your product and the rising prices are good for them as well as for you.

As a fine craftsperson, you don't have to promise a large quantity of product to anyone. Just make it clear

to your collectors how long they will have to wait and whether their deposit is refundable. Then honor your

promised date of completion and agreed-on sales price (even if your prices have continued to rise).

Whichever way you decide to handle high product demand, you stand to make a profit. It's a great spot to

be in! The important thing is to take action. So protect your reputation by meeting your commitments

one way or another, without sacrificing quality. And enjoy your success!

Fear of Losing Time for Creativity

Life is always presenting us with the ongoing dilemma of finding the correct balance, isn't it?

Artist/craftspeople try to find the balance between home life and work, giving to others and taking care of

themselves, taking care of business and feeling the flow of creativity that an artist/craftsperson love so

much. It's not easy!

And it is true that the time it takes to grow a business can be demanding on our schedule. Selling is also

a very different frame of mind than creativity is, and it can be hard to change back and forth between the

two. It's not like artist/craftspeople have a switch they can flip to instantly change modes!

If your sales efforts really are interfering with the time you need to meet the demand for your product, it's

time to hire someone to help with the sales end. If, on the other hand, you feel like you're spending more

time on sales efforts than you should be because it's an activity you don't enjoy, then rest assured this is

a common feeling among artist/craftspeople.

So there are two things an artist/craftsperson really have to pay attention to in solving this dilemma. One

is your perception of sales. The other is time management.

Let's talk about your perception of sales first. Sales and marketing are closely linked. They're both a way

of sharing what artist/craftspeople love with others. What an artist/craftsperson have to do to enjoy them a

bit more is think of creative ways to get the word out and make those sales. Don't get lulled into seeing

these efforts as traditional drudgery. Set a goal of being creative in every aspect of your life!

If you approach sales creatively, you won't waste precious time switching modes between your craft-

making time and your sales time. (More about ways to do that in Part 4.)



Now look at time management. Good time management is different for everyone, and you will need to do

what works for you. The most important thing is to take your ideas and put them into action. Keep using

those ideas, and they'll become habits.

Here are a few time management mantras:

Start your creative engine mechanically.

The best time to start was yesterday. The second best is today.

Act now!

These concepts will changed your business life. Look at how the first mantra works. When Henry was a teenager, he romanticized the life of an artist/craftsperson. He thought he could only create when inspired. (Good thing he had parents to pay the bills!) Later he learned that he had to create consistently if he wanted a consistent income.

When he does a little work every day, he accomplishes more than when he did a lot one day, skipped a

few days, and did a lot the next day. By creating every day, he not only developed a good work ethic, he

became more skilled at his art and built a larger inventory.

Instead of waiting for inspiration to hit, he started his creative engine by creating. At the very least, he had

the satisfaction of accomplishing some work. But usually, the inspiration starts flowing as he works. Even

if he can only fit 30 minutes of creative time into his day, he visualizes and thinks about his work,

developing new ideas as he goes about fulfilling his other obligations.

As for the second mantra, it works in two basic ways. Sally said she would have liked to start a career in

the arts but felt like she missed the boat—she thought she should've started it 20 years ago when she

was young. There are artisans retired from work starting a craft business in their garage and becoming

highly successful.

Maybe you'd be rich or happier now if you'd started your craft business yesterday. Or maybe not. That

doesn't really matter. What does matter is that right now, today, is the best time you can start.

And this is where the third mantra comes into play. Whether you're young or not-so-young, you don't have

time to waste. You certainly don't have time to waste on regrets, feeling sorry for yourself, or kicking

yourself for making mistakes and losing opportunities. Time is precious, so move forward. Act now!

Those two words are the most powerful words in the world of time management. Just say them to yourself

when you wake up tomorrow and throughout the day, and see what happens!

Fear of Selling Out

Do you ever worry that you'll lose your artist/craftsperson integrity by selling your products in bulk? You

want to sell your art—but you don't want to feel like you're selling your soul, right? After all, you're making

the choice to pursue your dream because you want your days to be filled with the joy of creativity! As an

artist/craftsperson, you have the gift of making things with your own hands that other people enjoy. You're

giving them pleasure and adding beauty to their lives. Don't allow yourself to see this offering in a

demeaning light.

As an artist/craftsperson be assured that this dilemma of seeing selling as selling out is a crisis every

artist/craftsperson goes through. And it's a necessary part of clarifying your goals. The solution you



discover will be the anchor to your business. It will form the integrity in everything you create. And it will

be your inspiration—over and over again!

The definitions of selling out are as numerous as there are artist and craftspeople. What you think is

selling out may be what someone else feels is success. For example, if your dream is to have your own

original greeting card business, then designing cards for Hallmark for a steady paycheck may be your

definition of selling out. For other artist/craftspeople, though, a full-time job designing cards for Hallmark

may be their dream come true!

But resolve on a general definition: Selling out is exploiting your talent in a way that makes you unhappy.

So you have to decide what you can be happy creating and feel proud to put out in the world. Anything

outside of that creative comfort zone is most likely compromising your artist/craftsperson integrity.

Selling, in itself, is not selling out. But creating something you're not proud of or don't get any satisfaction

out of making is. Selling is simply a way of sharing a part of yourself in a product you have created. The

monetary exchange is a way of enabling you to continue to do your work and offer it for the enhancement

of other people's lives.

Fear of Failure

Last but not least is the little (and sometimes big!) voice in your head murmuring, "What if nobody wants

your products?" This voice of misery and woe is called the fear of failure. And again, there aren't many

artist/craftspeople who haven't experienced it at some point. What matters is that you work past it so it

doesn't stop you.

The best antidote to fear is action. Take baby steps if you have to—but act now! Also, celebrate every

success along the way so when you do experience a disappointment or two, you'll see them in

perspective.

One of the most important things to remember is that failure is not finite. If your first attempt doesn't work

out, that doesn't mean your third or fourth or 100th attempt wouldn't succeed.

How badly do you want to reach your goal? Don't let the fear of failure stop you. Be tenacious!

If you've designed your products well, made them with quality craftsmanship and materials, and you

market them well, they will sell. And you'll see how really empty all those fears truly were!

Part 4

What's an Artist/Craftsperson to Do?

This lesson has explored some of the mental stumbling blocks to having a successful sales campaign.

And it probably struck a chord in more than a few of you who need to do a little more soul-searching. But

many of you will be left with the simple fact that, sales is necessary!

Is there an antidote to disliking sales? Of course there is! Know your purpose for your art and for your

business. And don't stray from it.



Believe in the value of your creativity, see your business as a way to support that creative ability, and

view sales as a vehicle to share what you create with others.

Sales is the act of helping a prospective buyer decide on the product that will best satisfy his or her need

for beauty in their daily lives. If you truly care about your customer's happiness and sell with this goal in

mind, you will be establishing a relationship with a customer who will return to you time and time again.

Sales is also communicate your passion about your craft. You have a story, and this, along with your

craft, provides the human connection your customers need.

Listen, even if you feel a bit uncomfortable with the idea of sales, just try these three steps:

1. Greet your customer warmly. But don't ask, "May I help you?" That opens the door for them to say "No"—a real conversation stopper!

2. Give them a couple of minutes to look around without hovering over their shoulder.

3. When they've stopped to look at or touch an object, if they don't ask you about it, ask a "Yes" question about the piece, such as, "Isn't that an unusual shade of blue?"

Customers don't want to be pounced on, but they don't want to be ignored either.

After you greet your prospective customer and open the door to conversation with yes questions, then

offer some information about your work, your passion for it, or your story (how you came to make the

product). You both will relax, and the rest of the experience will be more enjoyable. Just try it!

You want to keep your overall business goal in sight. Your goal is not to make x number of dollars in

sales this month but to build relationships with your customers so they'll take pleasure in buying from you.

This is how you create repeat business.

If the whole area of sales is a huge barrier to you, maybe you need to stop and evaluate. Is turning your

craft into a business something you really want to do? If it is, but sales is just too uncomfortable for you,

hiring someone to take care of this for you is always an option!

There are several ways you can do this. Hire an employee (a friend or family member) with experience in

sales. You'll be able to tell a lot about their abilities when you interview them. After all, they have to sell

you on the idea that they can increase your profits!

Or you could find an agent (again it could be a friend or family member) who will represent your work to

buyers such as retail stores, catalog companies, or galleries. Just be sure they're reputable and that you

get the feeling that they're excited about your product. Ask other artist/craftspeople for referrals, or get

leads through arts organizations you're a member of. If you are not a member of any crafting organization

you should consider this as their assistance is often quite useful.

Consider taking on a business partner—someone you can trust to handle the marketing of your product

and maybe other business tasks you dislike. Be sure they are trustworthy, and put your agreement with

them in writing. Your local Volunteer Lawyers can help you draw up a legal contract that clarifies each

person's duties and expectations.

However you decide to approach sales, think positively about your success and take action! You'll be

surprised at the results these two efforts can bring about.



Part 5

Summary

It is interesting the way creativity is always directing us to know our true selves better. Whether you are

designing, making, or selling art, you have to dig around inside and find your core. Then you will have to

probe it, stretch it, and weigh whether the stretch is inside or outside your comfort zone. Is it outside

because of your fear of failure? Because of the newness of the situation? Or because it compromises

your artist/craftsperson integrity? Only you know the answer for you!

It's important that you know the purpose of your art, know what it means to you, and know why you want

to sell it. It's also important to recognize those little hindering voices and discern what they're really saying

and where they're really coming from. So dig in, and find your answers!

And when you get ready to approach a new customer, remember: You don't have to become someone

you're not in order to be good at sales. You don't have to come on like an aggressive used car salesman

to make a sale. Just be you! Use your personality traits to create your sales style. Just as your story is

unique, so is your approach. And uniqueness is what your customer has come to you for.

The next lesson will explore where to sell your craft. Living in a world of more options than have ever

existed before expands your market. The downside is that it can be a little confusing. The upside is that

there is more opportunity than ever before too!

The assignment will help you with the issues that this lesson has examined.

FAQs

Q: Can you tell me what time management techniques you use? A: Yes, but remember, you want to discover the nuggets of wisdom out there that work for you. There are many books written on the topic of time management. Start by scanning the internet and reading maybe one or two articles. Then try some the techniques to see if they work for you. Create mantras that keep you inspired. Keep your mantras posted in clear view of your work space What businesses do, and may work for you, is to chart out a year, two or five-year plans. You will find that you are not afraid to dream big in yearly chunks. Often, you will meet these goals sooner—but you may not have had the confidence to think you could achieve your goal that fast. You may find that you drop the goals that aren't as important to you as time goes on and zero in on the ones that are becoming more successful but need more attention. Also break your overall plan into smaller units: (1) steps to take toward the ultimate goals, (2) monthly steps for each yearly goal, (3) weekly steps for each monthly goal, and (4) daily steps for each weekly goal. Being a visual person, it helps to see these steps as blocks of time, with a block for each type of task that needs to be done each day leading toward a goal. A day in five chunks might look something like this:

Marketing: Create a brochures, print ads, have a discussion with a fellow craftsperson, price classified ad in local weekly newspaper.

Communication: Call X for appointment, RSVP to Chiefs of Ontario conference, call school and say yes to donation for fundraiser, call X supply to check on prices for boxes.



Sales: Invoice X Gift Shop for 40 pair of earrings, mail brochure and cover letter to new gift shop on Main St., 1:00 p.m. appointment with Mr. Smith—owner of WW Gift Shop @ 234 Oak Street.

Payouts: Pay my sister for helping with sales at the local craft sale at the Indian Centre.

Creativity: Work on orders from Mrs. M & T& T craft shop.

Get the business tasks out of the way in the morning because people are easier to reach then. More important, when these tasks are out of the way, you can get to your creative work and keep going as long as you want to work. You don't have to stop at 3:00 to pay invoices or at 4:30 to try to catch someone on the phone before they leave work. If you are on a roll, you can work until midnight because the business tasks are already done. But you may have heard other artist/craftspeople say they prefer to create first and do business tasks later, or intersperse them throughout the day during their breaks from creative work. Other artist/craftspeople prefer to spend two days a week on business and three days solely on creating. Basically, explore some different ways and find what works best for you.


Make a list of your personal traits as they relate to your craft. Then explore how you can use these traits to create a sales approach that feels natural to you. Here's an example:

Artist/craftsperson Trait Translated to Sales

Quiet, shy Gentle, low-key sales approach

Personal connection with craft Sharing process of making; perhaps a teaching approach

Enjoyment of craft Smile, use humor to connect with people

Pride in craft Beauty in sales materials and presentation of products

Share your discoveries and ideas with your instructor or class.



Lesson 7 - Quiz


1. In general, which personality trait is more common among artist/craftspeople than salespeople?

Artist/craftspeople thrive on talk and excitement.

Artist/craftspeople need to be in more constant contact with other people.

Artist/craftspeople cultivate inner listening and natural development.

Artist/craftspeople compartmentalize their lives more, separating their emotional life from their professional life.

2. If you're naturally a quiet, shy person, what would be the best sales approach for you to take?

Use a gentle, low-key sales approach.

Humor.

Practice a hard-sell technique at home, and then try it on your customers.

Ask your customer if you can help them.

3. If your new company lands a large order it can't fill by the deadline, what could you do?

Hire minimum wage employees to help you meet the demand.

Sell your company for a tidy profit and start a new one with a similar product.

Hire a general business consultant to help you diversify.

License your design to a company that can fulfill the order.

4. What does high demand mean for the person who works in fine crafts?

It's time to hire production assistants.

Higher retail prices and a waiting list of customers.

The rising prices are bad for collectors of your work.

Your final sales price is based on the date of completion.

5. What's an antidote to disliking sales?

See every customer as a one-time challenge.

Learn to direct your customers into buying what you want to sell.

Know your purpose for your art and for your business.

Make what you think people will buy.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. Artists cultivate inner listening and natural development. 2. Use a gentle, low-key

sales approach. 3. License your design to a company that can fulfill the order. 4. Higher retail prices and

a waiting list of customers. 5. Know your purpose for your art and for your business.



Lesson 8

WHERE TO SELL YOUR WORK

WHOLESALE, CONSIGNMENT, AND GALLERIES

Part 1

Introduction

This lesson is the first of several that talks about where to sell your work.

Starting with how to sell wholesale on a small scale by placing your product in some local retail stores.

This is a great way to start out in wholesale on solid footing. Who knows? Someday you may be selling to

national retail chains and catalogs!

This lesson also explores how to place your crafts in retail stores on consignment. When a retailer isn't

ready to commit by buying from you wholesale, consignment can get your foot in the door and prove that

your product is a winner. Along these same consignment lines, will be a look at how to place your craft

objects in casual galleries. And lastly, our lesson will look at what it takes to get your collected pieces into

fine arts galleries.

Part 2

Retail Outlets

Researching Your Options

Start by looking through your phone book and making a list of your local gift and souvenir shops, arts and

crafts co-ops, specialty shops, galleries, craft malls, and chain stores. Be sure to write down their phone

numbers, addresses, and Web site addresses. Now, you will need to call and confirm their current

business hours, address, and Web address.

Once you have all your info correct and together, it's time to start visiting the potential retail places. Dress

casually but neatly, and wear comfortable shoes, you may be doing a lot of walking depending on how

many locations are on your list.

As you browse the location, ask yourself the following questions:

Do they sell your type of craft? (If not, look at the other items they sell, and see if you think they're complementary to your product.)

What's the average price of their merchandise?

Do the customers appear to be a part of your target market?

Retail – the sale of goods to the public in relatively small quantities for use or consumption rather than for resale. Wholesale – the selling of goods in large quantities to be retailed by others.

Consignment - agreement to pay a supplier of goods after the goods are sold.



Is the store well-organized and clean?

Is the sales staff friendly and attentive to their customers?

Do they carry the work of other artisans?

How long has the business been operating? Has it always been at this location?

Sit in a quiet place and write down some notes about your visit. Create a list of questions such as the

ones above to use as a guide in order to not forget important information about each location you visit.

If the environment feels like a good fit, put it on your "Yes" list. Make note of anything that struck you as

unique about the store and, most important, why you think it would be a good match for your product.

Be very honest with yourself during this process. Remembering, you're looking for a long-term and

profitable relationship—profitable for both you and the retailer. Retailers stay current of marketing trends

and forecasts and can provide invaluable advice to you besides sales income. If both you and the retailer

see the future in working together, you'll naturally grow a healthy business relationship.

If you noticed work in the locations you visited by artisans you can contact directly, then call or e-mail

them and ask about their experience with the retailer. Ask questions such as – Do they display your

products well? Has he honored his commitments to pay on time? How is their advertising? Overall, are

the artisans happy with the income the store is bringing them?

Also check with the local Better Business Bureau for any complaint history. If the retailer has passed your

background check, then it's time to move on to the next step.

Setting an Appointment

Using the notes you created, call the prospective retailers. Ask for the name of the buyer of new

merchandise or the business owner, if they are not available at the moment ask when it would be

convenient to contact them.

When you reach them, the first thing you want to do is compliment them! Tell them you were in their retail

store and how lovely it was. Give them one or two specific things about the store you liked best. For

example, it was uncluttered and the merchandise was displayed very creatively. It's important to let them

know you appreciate it.

Next, you want to tell them that you have a product you would like to show them that you believe will sell

well in their store. Prepare yourself with a confident answer if they should happen to ask why you think it

would do better there than somewhere else. You can use this question as your lead-in to setting up a

meeting to show your work. An appropriate answer would be something like this: "Because it's a natural

match. You have a good eye for what sells, and if you can spare a few minutes to meet with me and see

my design, you'll know what I mean!"

If the retailer is interested in seeing your product, be ready, make an appointment to meet as soon as

possible at their convenience and thank them for their time.

Tip Let "Act now!" be your motto for one week, and see how it changes your life!

http://www.bbb.org/



Follow your meeting with a thank-you note. Thank him or her for the time he or she gave to meeting with

you. If the meeting was a success, tell him or her you look forward to a relationship that you both will

profit from. If the retailer didn't take your product, tell him or her that you hope to have the opportunity to

work together in the future.

The Meeting

When meeting, dress appropriately and arrive five minutes early. Greet the retailer warmly, with a smile

and a firm (but not crushing) handshake, and make eye contact. Let them direct you to a place the two of

you can sit, and demonstrate your work.

Remember: Be positive! You're not tooting your own horn when you're talking about the techniques of

your product or the use of color schemes. You're sharing your passion for your work, and that gets the

people around you excited too.

Wearing one of your products, while promoting another product may prove advantageous to you. As an

example - Donna, an arts and crafts person who makes beaded moccasins and silver jewellery, had an

appointment to meet with a retailer who deals mainly with footwear. She was meeting with the hopes that

they would purchase her beaded moccasins. Donna always wore some of her hand crafted silver

jewellery wherever she went, and put on a necklace adorned with a silver feather pendent.

During the meeting at the retail shop, the owner was very impressed by Donna’s quality of workmanship

in her handmade beaded moccasins. While in the meeting the owner complemented Donna on her

necklace, where Donna added that she also makes silver jewellery. Not only did the owner purchase her

moccasins but was so attracted to her silver necklace, that she ordered 20. Eventually the retail owner

expanded into selling jewellery with Donna as her main supplier.

Once you've both agreed your product is a good fit with the venue, you'll need to discuss the terms of the

order. Will he or she buy the products from you wholesale or take them from you on consignment?

Wholesale is when the retailer purchases your products from you at wholesale price. This is your total

cost of producing the work plus the profit you need to make. The benefit of selling wholesale is that you

get paid up front (or within 30 days), and the pressure is on the retailer to sell the product so he or she

doesn't lose money.

Consignment is another option for selling your work, but it's a bit different.

Part 3

Consignment

You have a couple of venues available to you when you sell on consignment: in retail stores and in casual

galleries.

Tip If you make jewelry or other wearable art, always wear it!



Retail Shops

Consignment is when retailers accept your product to sell in their store, but they don't pay you until they

sell the items. This gets your products out where they will be seen, but unfortunately, it doesn't put any

pressure on them to sell your pieces. In fact, after an agreed-on amount of time, any items that are not

sold will be returned to you.

If this is the only way the retail shop will sell your products and you really think the shop is a good fit for

your craft, you can start on consignment. Then, when you've established a history of your craft products

being good sellers, you can ask for a wholesale relationship.

Here are some questions you need to ask retailers in a consignment relationship:

What will the terms be on consignment—what's the monetary compensation for both of you?

What's your return policy on unsold items?

How and when will you receive payment?

Will you have to send invoices, or will they pay on order?

Who is responsible for shipping costs of unsold products?

Retailers should give you a copy of their standard contract, which should provide clear answers to the

questions above. If something doesn't seem clear to you, consult an attorney who can advise you.

Remember, no matter how well you hit it off with the retail owner, you absolutely must have a written

contract signed by both parties.

Another important point is to try to find a selling price that's along the lines with what the retailers'

customers will pay and what will allow you to make the profit you need. It’s always nice if you can find a

selling price that you and the retailer agree upon, but tell them when they offer a selling price that does

not allow you to make a profit.

Finally, thank them for their time, and tell them you hope you can work together because you do think

their store is a good fit for your product. Then go on to your next appointment.

If you have trouble finding your selling price with three or more shops, you may need to re-evaluate your

price and see if you can lower it and still make a profit that will grow your business. Remember, retailers

need to double your wholesale price to pay their overhead and make a profit for themselves.

If you can't lower your price, consider selling through another venue.

Tip Keep marketing cards and file them either alphabetically or by date. Each card will have the

business name and contact information for every business you approach. You'll make notes on the

cards about whom you spoke with and when, what products or materials you left with them, when

to check back with or invoice them, and when your pickup date is. (This is the day you'll pick up the

items that haven't sold, as specified in the consignment contract.)



Casual Galleries

Another option is placing your work in galleries on consignment. It is extremely rare for a gallery to

accept work any other way.

Some galleries are really more like art shops. They're not as difficult to get your work into as fine arts

galleries, but you still need to do some research before approaching them. When considering placing

your products in galleries you will follow the same approach as looking for retail locations.

Visit some galleries to find out the quality of crafts they carry, as well as the price range. You want your work to fall into the price range of the crafts they sell.

Take notes of what the gallery is like? Is it neat and in good physical condition? Did someone greet you when you entered? How do you feel about this gallery?

Ask a staff person some casual questions. One thing you'll want to ask is how long they've been in business.

Ask if the gallery has a Web site. If not, take notes of the crafters' names, and look them up on the Internet. Contact them, and ask what their experience has been with the gallery. Does the gallery display their work well, pay promptly, and advertise their art events well?

If you feel the gallery is a good fit for your work, call them and ask for an appointment to show your portfolio. Again, dress professionally and be five minutes early.

If they accept your work, ask for their consignment contract. Take it with you, and review it carefully. Ask your lawyer to explain any areas that are not clear to you. This is an important step, so don't feel shy about getting your attorney's advice. And it's expected in the business world, so don't worry that you might offend the gallery owners.

As for fees, the gallery will take a percentage of your sales price when they sell your work. This commonly

ranges from 40-60% and is sometimes negotiable, sometimes not.

Once you sign the agreement, make a copy and return it promptly, along with the merchandise you've

agreed to place on consignment there. Be sure to have a copy of the contract with both your signature

and the gallery owner’s signature on it in your files.

Note on your marketing card which items you've left with them and when the pickup date is. Galleries will

typically keep your work for two to six months.

Part 4

Fine Arts Galleries

For crafters and fine artists, there is always the option of placing your work in a fine arts gallery.

However, this can be more difficult than getting your work into the casual craft gallery or retail store, but

not impossible. If your goal is to be a collected artist with a growing market and a growing price list, you

can get into fine arts galleries by knowing how to approach them.

TIP If you have an emergency and have to cancel, call as soon as you can before the meeting time.

Then try to schedule a second appointment during that call because you may not get another

chance.



The goal is to develop a long-term relationship with the gallery owner or owners. A good gallery will

represent you to its collectors and broaden your market while building your reputation. As your reputation

builds, so do your sales and prices.

Researching for Fine Arts Galleries

Researching a fine arts gallery is not as easy or quick as researching retail stores. Retail stores tend to

carry a variety of merchandise and try to sell their inventory quickly. Galleries, however, have what's

called a program. Their program is the style and direction of the art or craft they sell. It's their preference

and the preference of their collectors.

Before approaching the owner you will want to understand their

program. Attending a group showing is a good way to get a

sense of what is involved in the program of the gallery you are

researching.

Galleries usually hold group shows around the winter holidays

and in the summer, and will contain works from most, if not all,

of the artisans they represents.

By attending a group show, you should be able to see if the gallery will suit your type and style of work. If

your work does not fall into one of their categories, there may not be a market of collectors who will buy

from you.

Attending group shows at a variety of galleries may take some time. Once you have found the galleries

that you think would be right for you and your work see if you know one of the artists they represent. Then

ask the artist to recommend you to the owner.

Also, while attending shows introduce yourself to the owner and mention that you are an artist and what

your medium is—even if you don’t think it is appropriate for their program. Sometimes, the owners may

suggest a gallery whose program would be appropriate for your style.

If you don't have an inside lead, another approach would be to present your portfolio.

Portfolio

Your next step will be to put a portfolio of your works together. This should consist of 12 8-1/2 x 11-inch

colour photos of 12 different pieces of work (your best) with a neutral background. You'll also need

another similar set of photos of 12 other pieces (your other 12 best!), in case a gallery wants to see more

of your work.

Craft and fine artists use a variety of materials and techniques to create art for sale and exhibition.

Craft artists create handmade objects, such as pottery, glassware, textiles, and other objects that are designed to be functional.

Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, create original works of art for their aesthetic value, rather than for a functional one

Tip Always dress well when you visit

galleries. You need to present yourself

in a courteous, professional manner as

you mingle and meet gallery staff and

owners.



Be sure to label every photograph—typed, not handwritten—with

the following information:

Title

Medium

Size of object

Your name

Contact info: telephone, e-mail, and mailing address

Purchase the negatives, any digital files, and slides of the 24

photos of your work in order to have a variety of formats available if needed.

When viewing your portfolio, gallery owners will not only be looking for talent, but consistency of style and

a large body of work.

Approaching the Fine Arts Gallery

Once you have your body of work, a professional portfolio, and a thorough understanding of the fine arts

gallery's program, it's time to approach the gallery you think would be a good fit. You won't get instant

results, but patience will pay off if this is the right gallery for you.

Attend an art opening at the gallery. Ask to meet the owner or owners and strike up a short, casual

conversation. Be sure to compliment them on their gallery and its program. Later that night or the next

day, send a short e-mail telling them that you enjoyed the show and your conversation with them.

Attend a couple more shows over the next few months, ask if you can schedule an appointment to show

your portfolio. If the owners prefer you send it, do so promptly with a cover letter and self-addressed

envelope. Also, don't forget to update your marketing card with the gallery name and contact person you

left a portfolio with, and a portfolio review date if you know it.

Again, this can be time consuming, some galleries review portfolios immediately, and some do so every

three or four months. If the gallery owners are interested, they'll schedule a follow-up visit to your studio.

At this point, they just want to see more of your work.

At the follow-up visit, dress and act professionally. Be able to talk about the subject matter and direction

of your work—and of course, what you think your work will bring to the gallery (how it will benefit them).

As usual, send a thank-you note after the visit.

If they don't invite you to show your work in their gallery, ask them nicely for feedback, and accept it

graciously. Remember, just because they don't accept your work this year doesn't mean they won't

accept your new work next year.

You should also be approaching other fine arts galleries that you feel are appropriate. You can even invite

the first gallery owners to your shows if you ultimately want to end up in their gallery.

With professionalism, politeness, persistence, and patience, you will gain entrance to the right gallery for

your work.

Tip Have a professional photographer who is familiar with lighting and photographing art objects take the photos of your work. This is an investment you must make in your business!



Part 5

Summary

As you can see, there's more than one way to bring your product to market!

This lesson has explored the ins and outs of how to place your product in retail stores at wholesale

prices, how to place your products on consignment, and how to approach fine arts galleries and develop

long-term relationships with them.

Lesson 9, will show how to sell retail through craft parties, learn some of the principles of setting up your

own retail store, and then explore selling retail to a worldwide market on the Internet.

FAQs

Q: How do you know when the moment is right to approach a fine arts gallery owner? A: Some pointers about when not to approach gallery owners:

Don't approach them at the beginning of an evening showing, when they're busy with last-minute details and anxious about how many people will show up and make a purchase.

Try to avoid the very end of the evening too, because they'll be tired from an event they've worked weeks to promote.

Never approach gallery owners when they're deep in conversation with someone else.

So when is it okay to approach gallery owners? Here are a few clues:

Read their mood by their body language and facial expression. Do they smile or otherwise seem open to approach when you make eye contact?

Is the owner having a conversation with a mutual acquaintance? This could be an ideal time to join the conversation.

Another possible good time is when they're finishing a conversation with someone and you can see the person they've been talking to is going to walk away.

As you approach the owner, does he or she seem responsive to you when you introduce yourself as a fine craftsperson? Then proceed in a gracious and considerate manner.

As you can see, approaching gallery owners involves using your powers of observation and relying on your intuition. So be sure to listen well to that little inner voice of yours!


How do you want to sell your craft products? Make a list of questions for yourself. The goal is to help you decide which venues in your area might be right for your work. For example, do you like dealing directly with the public in a retail setting? Do you like having set hours every day? Do you like to travel? How often? Do you want to produce large numbers of the same product design or one-of-a-kind craft pieces? Think of as many questions as you can on your own. You'll develop a picture of what type of sales and venues suit your personality.



Lesson 8 - Quiz


1. What's one of the benefits of selling wholesale?

You have control over setting the retail price.

Artists need to be in more constant contact with other people.

The pressure is on the retailer to sell the product, not on you.

You get a larger percentage of the retail price.

2. Once you and the retailer have agreed your product is a good fit for the venue, what do you need to

discuss?

Where your products will be displayed.

What colours they think you should use in your product designs.

The terms of the order.

What other stores in the area you should approach?

3. What are marketing cards?

Cards that contain the business name, contact info, and all data pertinent to your interaction with prospective venues.

A card used to gain entrance to craft buyers' shows.

Cards you give to people when you network.

Cards that give a discount on your craft products used as a sales promotion tool.

4. On what basis do casual and fine arts galleries usually accept artisans work?

Wholesale.

Consignment.

Retail.

Gifted.

5. What should fine crafters consider when trying to place their product?

It's easier to get into a fine arts gallery than a casual craft gallery.

Pricing their products as low as possible.

It takes more work to get your pieces into a fine arts gallery.

It takes as much persistence to get your work into a retail store as a fine arts gallery.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. The pressure is on the retailer to sell the product, not on you. 2. The terms of the

order. 3. Cards that contain the business name, contact info, and all data pertinent to your interaction

with prospective venues. 4. Consignment. 5. It takes more work to get your work into a fine arts

gallery.



Lesson 9

ONLINE SELLING, CRAFT PARTIES,

AND YOUR OWN RETAIL STORE

Part 1

Introduction

In the last lesson selling your craft was explored, it covered selling your craft products wholesale, on

consignment, and in galleries. This lesson is going to continue your journey into selling by exploring what

some of your retail avenues are. This lesson will have something for everyone!

You will begin by surveying the opportunities you have for selling your crafts online. It's a big, big world

out there, and the Internet can give you access to all of it. Next, you will look at a more intimate setting—

using craft parties to sell your creations. This is a terrific way to get started in the retail world, and it really

lets you share your love of your craft. Finally, for those of you who dream of having your very own craft

store, we'll talk about some retail basics—and uncover a few retail secrets too!

Part 2

Selling Online

This course must state a disclaimer that this lesson is not set up to teach everything that an internet

expert could. This lesson cannot teach you how to design and build your own Web site and set it up for

sales, which would be a whole other course. You can, however, look for a course in your area, College or

University, which offers Web page design for small businesses.

First, there are two terrific advantages to selling online: (1) it's one of the least expensive ways to start

your business, and (2) it offers a vast number of potential customers you can reach.

Second, if you want to sell your craft pieces online, you are not limited to selling through your own Web

site! That's always a good option, of course, and this lesson will explore more about that at the end of

Part 2. But many more options are available to you, and this lesson is going to look at a number of these.

What does it take to really take off selling online? By now you know that your product has to be top

quality, your prices competitive, and your service excellent. That's a given in any type of sales venue. But

the secret to successful online sales is great photographs.

That's right! This is what you absolutely need—professional quality photographs, taken from several

different angles. You'll want to include both thumbnail-sized photos and pictures as large as the site will

allow so customers can see the beautiful details of your work. Essentially, you want to create an

experience as close to touching the object as possible.

Why? Because you're four times more likely to sell a work that people have touched than one they

haven't. Online venues may give you the ability to reach more people, but you have to do a little work to

overcome the "touchless" factor. And your excellent photographs will do just that.



Of course, another crucial aspect of doing business online is that you need to be able to take various

forms of payment: electronically transferred funds, various credit cards, PayPal, and so forth. You want

buying from you to be as easy as the click of a button.

So when you're planning, if you have a Web site or your Facebook page for your business, keep these

two vital factors in mind, and you won't go wrong! And as I said before, if you don't have a Web site of

your own yet that you can sell from, don't be dismayed. You have many other options that will help you

launch your business' Internet presence. Just remember to look at ease of sales and having terrific

photographs!

Online Craft Malls

We'll start with online craft malls. As a crafter, you have a distinct advantage if you sell through online

craft malls, because you're attracting a much targeted market. People who shop at craft malls are

obviously going there specifically to buy crafts—and if they're looking for your type of craft, that's even

better!

Three of the major online craft malls are craftcanada.com, glccraftmall.com, and etsy.com these three

represent a wide variety of crafts and business styles for the crafter.

Let's look first at craftcanada.com. Craftscanada.com, evokes a simplistic way of selling your products. If

you are just starting out and do not feel real confident with your technological skills, craftscanada.com

may be the best fit for you. It creates an atmosphere and leans heavily toward ease of skill set. Here's

what their home page looks like:

They do a great job of giving you the feel of a quaint

country craft shop. Here's how they operate:

1. You will be able to present yourself, a description of your art, as well as a list of the craft shows you attend and more your business will be promoted in the virtual craft mall under the pavilion that matches your category of craft. Internet visitors will be able to search craft artist by province, city, category of craft, craft show, etc. If you have a Web page that you created yourself, we will provide a link to that page. Every person that visits CraftCanada.com and sees you in the directory or in the mall will be able to link to your page. This will increase your visibility on the Internet.

2. They charge a setup fee of $30/year.

3. If you have a Web page that you created yourself, they will provide a link to that page. Every person that visits CraftCanada.com and sees you in the directory or in the mall will be able to link to your page. This will increase your visibility on the Internet.

4. They have an additional offer in which the description of your business will be registered to the most

popular search engines. One, of the big advantages of our site is that you can update information

yourself on-line as many times as you want at no extra cost.

http://www.craftcanada.com/



To get started with them, just click the Add your business link on the home page, and get started.

Next, let's visit glccraftmall.com

Glccraftmall.com has a modern, colourful craft

feel to it. You'll notice that all their stores are

uniquely designed, which you want. You're

allowed to put your company logo on your

store's home page.

Glccraftmall.com templates are easy to use,

and the basic set up is free of charge for selling

up to 12 items, there is a nominal monthly fee

for more than 12 items with charges based on

the number of product listing of sales. They also

allow you to offer a free trial for 30 days with

automated beginning and end dates. If not

active for a given period it will be removed. You

can have your own domain name pointed to your

glccraftmall.com, or they'll host it on their server for free.

Glccraftmall.com only requirement is that you be able to accept MasterCard or Visa or have your own

PayPal seller account.

To sell through glccraftmall.com, click the Sell tab at the top of their home page, and they'll walk you

through the process step-by-step.

And last but not least is Etsy, which is dedicated to the idea that any creative person should be able to

make a living from his or her work. They also really want to reconnect makers with buyers. Here's what

their home page looks like:



Absolutely any handmade craft would fit their site, and their atmosphere is youthful and upbeat. Here's

how they work:

1. They're open to all. 2. They don't charge any setup or hosting fees. 3. They have low listing and sales fees. 4. They give free technical support. 5. And there are simply too many extra features to list here!

You are really encourage to check them out. Like glccraft.com, it's easy to get started selling with Etsy.

Just click the Sell on Etsy link at the top of their page, and follow their directions.

And of course, your choices aren't limited to these three. It seems like there's an infinite number of

smaller craft malls online, with more coming every day! Just type in online craft mall using your favorite

search engine, and explore the ones that seem most interesting to you. You will find more than you ever

dreamed of!

How do you choose the right ones for you? Here are a few tips. First, choose sites that target your

market. A site may draw a zillion people every week, but if everyone's looking for country crafts and you

make modern sculptural glass objects, you're wasting your money. This writer could not find an on-line

craft mall entirely dedicated to Indigenous North American craft so you may find this as a positive

marketing tool to make your product unique.

Second, look at the average price of the crafts. If it's very inexpensive and you create high-end jewelry,

you're not going to reach the customers you need.

Third, evaluate the design of the site itself. Does it look professional or amateur? Do all the links work?

Will your prospective customers be irritated with pop-up ads and give up on reaching your online shop?

Whether you make lower-priced or expensive crafts, you want to be represented professionally, with the

same care and quality you put into your products.

Here's another thing to consider: Can you have your own domain name on the site so that your

customers can type in your URL and go directly to your shop at the online mall? If you want this type of

customer experience, will the site host your domain name on their server for free? If you're going to pay

them a monthly fee for a shop, you may not want to pay another company to host your domain name.

However, if your shop will be only one part of your main Web site, you wouldn't want your domain name

hosted by your store. Instead, you'd want to link to your store from your main Web site—in other words,

you'd want it to be another page on your Web site.

Online Auction: eBay

Online auctions are another way to show your crafts to a wide audience. In fact, people going to these

auction sites may start out looking for a gift of perfume and wind up bidding on a craft item that catches

their eye! So you have an even wider customer base than a craft mall.

Tip Always have your virtual store's address on your print materials. You want to generate as much

"virtual" foot traffic as you can!



I'm sure you've all heard about eBay. Currently, they command the largest customer base in the world of

online auctions. Other companies have tried to compete, but most haven't been successful in the long

term. While this means a large market for you, it also means a lot of competition.

So, before you decide on the lowest bid you can accept, take time to read through and thoroughly

understand eBay's fees so you'll be making the profit you need. They charge for listing each item in

auction, extra photographs, placement, extra advertising, final transactions, hosting your store—and

more. You'll also have to pay your bank or PayPal payment processing fees.

To be competitive with your price, you also need to figure out appropriate shipping and handling charges,

because they, too, will be a factor in your customer's decision to buy from you. Thankfully, eBay offers a

shipping page where you can find out how much shipping costs will be with various providers. With some

eBay store packages, you also have the ability to offer instant shipping cost information to your

customers. And independent sites offer you the ability to compare shipping rates of various companies

too. Another plus to selling your crafts on eBay is that as you become more well-known, you may be

surprised at how high the bidding for your work goes!

Kijiji

While you may not be ready for eBay, a more community minded option might work and that is

advertising with a picture on the local Kijiji. It’s free and may very well be the option to get started.

Your Web Site and Online Store

Your Web site doesn't necessarily have to be an online store. Of course, if you want to sell your products

on your Web site, then, yes, you'll need to make it an online store too! What's the difference between the

two? A Web site can tell your story, give your business contact information, allow you to build an e-mail

list, and showcase more of your work than the malls and auctions allow.

An online store, on the other hand, allows customers to buy your products. So this site will have a

complete listing of the items you have for sale, what the prices are, a shopping cart, payment and

shipping forms, and privacy and security for your customers. You'll also want to provide some means of

contact (customer service) in case customers have questions or problems. If your Web site is separate,

you'll also want to link to your Web site from your online store and vice versa, which will bring your sites

increased traffic.

First, if you have someone help you create your Web site, sign a contract with them! Don’t learn this the

hard way. When Jean first wanted a Web site and she had very limited funds, a student offered to build it

for her at no cost. He wanted the experience and a professional project on his résumé. And he did a

fantastic job!

But toward the end, he dropped the project because of school commitments. While that was perfectly

understandable, Jean was left with a not-quite-functional Web site. Fortunately, he'd done such a

professional job that a good webmaster could easily finish it. However, he claimed ownership of the work

and wouldn't let a new webmaster finish it. In fact, he took the site down, which he had the legal right to

do because Jean did not have a contract with him defining their terms. That was one painful learning

experience!



Second, your Web site must look professional. You can achieve a professional look without hiring a

professional and save a considerable amount of money. But be forewarned: You'll need to invest a lot of

time! Almost all Web site hosting services have templates you can download and customize. You'll have

to be familiar with some basics, like resizing images and uploading them, linking pages and fixing broken

links, and possibly how to upload your site using FTP . . . yes, you need some fairly advanced Web skills.

If you have the ability and a little experience, that may be the way to go. If not, take my advice and hire a

webmaster. A webmaster is a person who creates and maintains Web sites and should be familiar with

several computer languages.

How do you find a good webmaster? Basically, there are two ways: (1) Ask friends and fellow artisans if

they can recommend one, and (2) browse the Internet for sites you really like.

Professional sites will have the name of the company that created them at the very bottom of the home

page, often in small text. If the text itself is not a link to their Web site, use a search engine to find them.

Inquire by e-mail what their prices are, giving them an idea of how many pages you might want your site

to be, and provide some URLs of Web sites you like. (It's okay if other companies created some of the

sites.)

Some fine artists and craftspeople have Web sites that have photographs of their work with text that says,

"E-mail if interested in purchasing." If you decide to go that route, you should at least list your prices.

Otherwise, you're just creating too many steps for the customer to have to go through before making the

purchase. The easiest way to meet your customers' needs, is to create an online store for yourself. It will

take a little work, but it will definitely pay off in the end.

Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest are all areas in which the new business

owner should become familiar with. These can all be used as valuable selling tools at virtually no cost!

Bright colourful pictures can be added and prices can be added as well. Your followers can see your

products instantly as you complete them and share with their friends. It is the new marketing products of

the young or young at heart.

There is no cost just access to a computer or a cell phone, wifi and an active email. Most people just use

their cell phone. Try it by starting with your friends.

Enough of cyberspace and into the warm, human world of craft parties!,

Part 3

Craft Parties

Craft parties are a great way to get your feet wet in the retail business! Some artisans use them to spread the word about their new business. Others use them to supplement their other ways of selling. And many use them as their only way of selling and make quite a good living doing so.

How do you go about selling your crafts through craft parties? Here is the how-tos: start by asking a supportive relative or friend to host a small party for you. Then ask your host to invite just enough people so at least five guests will attend for sure.



You may think, the more the merrier! But that's not quite true with craft parties. They never need be large because you want to give everyone individual attention. You'll actually want to keep the number of guests under 10, even when you're experienced at selling this way. It's better to have more parties with fewer people than fewer parties with more people. That one-on-one time is very important. Next, provide your host with the invitations. And it's very important to discuss ahead of time what the host's compensation will be. Usually, you'll want to give him or her 10 to 25% of the sales in the form of credit toward their purchase of your crafts after the party. Other times, you may want to pay them by giving them one of your craft items as a gift. You'll also need to discuss with the host who will be responsible for the cost of refreshments and who will set up before and clean up after the party. I know, this may seem rather trivial, but you don't want to cause any hurt feelings by making assumptions. It's always better to be clear up front. One last detail you'll want to work out if you'll be taking orders during the party is who will be responsible for delivering the orders and what the time frame for delivery will be. Here you have several options:

You can deliver them to your host, and he or she can deliver them to the guests or have the guests pick them up.

You can deliver the items yourself, which will cost you time but will give you a chance to further establish a relationship with your customers.

You can have the guests pick them up from you, especially if you have a retail location you want them to visit to see more of your work.

On the day of the party, arrive early and set up a simple display of your crafts. When the guests arrive, do a short demonstration of your craft products, showing them what you're selling and briefly telling them your story. Let them know whether you're taking orders or selling only what's on display and what forms of payment you can take. At this time, pass out two brochures and two business cards to each guest (one for them to share with a friend). Encourage your guests to ask questions as they look at the crafts. And be sure to ask if anyone there would be willing to host a party for their friends to see your work. Last, ask them to sign your mailing list (which asks for all of their contact information: e-mail, home address, and phone number.) You'll also want to give your guests plenty of undisturbed time to look at your pieces. So try your best not to hover, but at the same time, make yourself available to answer questions and to chat briefly with your guests as they browse your items. After the guests have left, tally your sales and compensate your host. Then pack your goods, and leave promptly so as not to impose on your host; or help with the cleanup if that was part of the agreement. Be sure to deliver your crafts promptly if you took orders, send your host and your customers’ thank-you notes, and add them to your mailing lists. One of the great things about craft parties is that they give you a chance to try out retailing without investing a huge amount of money up front. And you get experience talking to customers. Who knows? This may be your opportunity to overcome your shyness and hone your sales skills!

Part 4

The Brick-and-Mortar Store

Some of you have the dream of having the best of both worlds: making beautiful crafts of your own and

owning your own retail shop! The next section will explore how to go about that.



Getting the Best Place

First of all, you need to know the three secrets to successful retail: location, location, and location!

(And it doesn't hurt to have parking too!)

Think of the money you pay in rent as money toward advertising of a different sort than we've talked

about before. You want people to see your shop as they drive down the busy street it's on, eat in the

popular restaurant next door, buy groceries in the same shopping center, or drop their children off for

guitar lessons at the music store next door. In other words, you want visibility and high foot traffic.

So how do you find it? There are three ways. The first is to drive to the areas you frequently shop or

areas you've always wanted to shop and see if there's anything available. You'll almost always see a For

Lease sign on the window of an empty commercial space. When you do, just contact the leasing agent

and ask about the property.

Another way to find your future shop is to read the commercial space ads in your local paper. Or look in

the Yellow Pages for a real estate office or property management company that handles leasing of

commercial property. And of course, ask a friend for an agent recommendation too.

You'll need to know approximately how many square feet of space you need. Commercial rent is charged

by the square foot, so you may need a calculator handy!

If the space is too large, the owner may be willing to divide it in half or thirds—yes, actually building a

wall! You may have to pay some of this cost, but maybe not. This is definitely a negotiating point.

However, any internal remodeling you want to do to your space has to be preapproved and is at your

cost.

Keep in mind when figuring your initial costs that you'll also need liability insurance for your new store and

insurance for the goods you'll sell. So talk to your insurance agent to determine your needs; have your

agent look over your lease to see how much and what kind of insurance your landlord requires.

You'll also need to budget for a rental deposit and signage. Your shop's sign will have to meet very exact

standards and be posted within a specified date. Your leasing agent can tell you more about it, and it will

be in your lease agreement also.

Once you work out all the details and sign on the dotted line, you have your dream shop. What an

exciting moment!

Display

As artists, you are very visual people. When you make a hand-painted shawl, we can see how it looks

draped loosely around someone's shoulders. We can see how the colours in the shawl would pop when

worn with a royal blue dress. But not all of your customers can. You need to show them.

If your shawls are bunched together on display tables, most customers won't dig through them. You need

to attract the customer to the product.



In this case, use a mannequin or two dressed in different colors, or at least a blanket display so the

shawls can hang. For the shawls not displayed, group them by color, fold some on the counter or drape a

couple over a piece of furniture—be creative!

Change your displays often to show off more of your merchandise. No matter what your craft, you can

create interesting vignettes to entice your customer to see the product as you do. Think of them as small

stage sets, and have fun!

The Grand Opening

Talk about fun! Announcing your store with a grand opening is a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun too and

leaves you feeling such satisfaction.

Do you ever wonder, though, why stores have a grand opening weeks or even months after they've

opened? Well, there are two reasons.

One is that it gives them time to work out a few of the kinks of day-to-day business: what return policies

really work best, what furniture placement or display arrangements need to be tweaked, does the phone

or Internet company need to come out to fix something?

The second reason is to have time to spread the word. Put fliers in every shopping bag, gather names

and contact information from new customers by adding them to the invitation list, or get your opening in

the announcements of newsletters from organizations you belong to. There are many ways to promote

your new store that cost little, if anything.

One of them is the press release. If you live in a small town, the opening of a store may be newsworthy in

itself. If you live in a large city, you may have to think of something unusual to get your event in the paper.

Timing your grand opening around a crafting convention and hiring a craft expert to attend or give a

demonstration might just do the trick. An unusual contest, auction, or raffle to benefit a worthy cause

might also help.

Just remember, your press release should answer the five W's:

Who: your name and any person of note

What: grand opening of your store and your store's name

Where: the address of your new store

When: month, day, year, start, and end time

Why: why this would be of interest to the readers

Then follow this with a short paragraph describing the event and giving any other important information

about it. Your contact information will follow that paragraph.

You've got one page and less than seven seconds to interest the reader, so keep your writing concise

and upbeat!

Tip - You'll have an even better chance of success if you follow up your media release with a

phone call. Have a copy of the media release handy to re-fax or e-mail immediately after speaking with the media in case he or she didn't receive or lost the first one, and tell him or her you're resending it now.



Once you've worked out the kinks of starting up your retail store and have spread the word about your

grand opening, just put out some fresh-cut flowers and lay out some munchies. And have fun—it's a

party! But don't forget the cash register, because you'll be selling too!

Part 5

Summary

As you can see, there really is a world of opportunity waiting for you! This lesson looked at how to place

your product in the world of retail. It also looked at the principles of setting up your own retail store—both

physical and virtual.

Today everyone lives in a time when they are no longer bound by geography, thanks to the Internet. You

now know many of the ways you can get your product in front of millions of people online: from craft malls

to auctions and your own online store!

No matter what online approach you choose, be sure to give your online customers good service by

confirming their orders, thanking them, shipping promptly, letting them know when their order has been

shipped, and letting them track the shipment if possible.

Lesson 10 looks at the world of the craft fair!

FAQs

Q: There is a Yahoo! general sales mall. Is this a good option to try? How effective would something like this be? A: As long as it doesn't cost too much, it never hurts to get your products out to as many potential customers as possible. Yahoo! has a large customer base, although it's obviously not craft specific. Basically, it hosts Web stores and offers you a variety of e-commerce, or payment processing, options. It has very professional templates to help you build your store, or you have the option of hiring recommended webmasters to create your store for you if you prefer. Be sure to compare fees, customer base, and ease of use with all of the online venues. Spend some time browsing the shops and auctions, and use their search capability to look up your craft. If you don't like a site, chances are your customers won't either. When you decide which online venue to try first, start small. List two or three craft items and see how they do. And always be on the lookout for new places and ways to sell your crafts online.


Spend some time browsing the Internet to find three craft-appropriate sites you might sell through in addition to craftcanada.com, glccraftmall.com, and etsy.com. Keep in mind the points on choosing online store sites that were talked about in Part 2. When you're done, please share your discoveries with your instructor or the class.

http://www.craftcanada.com/



Lesson 9 - Quiz Use the quizzes to test your knowledge of the lesson.

1. When selling crafts online, why are professional quality photographs so important?

Customers appreciate fine photography.

They can make up for customers not being able to touch your products.

They let customers know that you're a true professional.

Your site will load more quickly for customers than if you had poor photographs.

2. What will encourage your customers to buy when they first visit your online store?

Having an expensive, professionally designed Web site.

Having a large inventory.

Having the ability to take various forms of payment.

Spending a lot of money advertising on high traffic Web sites.

3. Why is the way you display your product important?

Shoppers are always in a hurry.

So your store will be attractive.

Customers are looking for cheap prices.

So your customers can see the product as you do.

4. What should be your guideline when choosing a brick-and-mortar retail site?

Location, location, location!

Access to parking.

The newness of the building.

Nearby greenbelts.

5. Why do stores have a grand opening weeks or even months after they've opened?

Because of poor planning.

Business is slow, and it's a sales tool.

To time it around holidays.

To work out the kinks of day-to-day business and spread the word.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. They can make up for customers not being able to touch your products. 2. Having

the ability to take various forms of payment. 3. So your customers can see the products as you do. 4.

Location, location, location. 5. To work out the kinks of day-to-day business and spread the word.



Lesson 10

CRAFT SHOWS: PART 1

Part 1

Introduction

In this lesson and the following one, this course will introduce you to one more venue for selling your

beautiful products: craft shows.

Since you're a crafter, your love for handmade items has probably already taken you to a variety of craft

fairs and shows (these terms, by the way, are interchangeable). But visiting a craft show is quite different

from exhibiting in one. So this lesson will give you the lowdown on what craft shows are and how you can

be part of them.

A craft show is essentially a fair in which artisans who make original, handmade products may exhibit and

sell their pieces. The shows can be rather small, like a grouping of tables at your local farmers' market, a

fund-raising fair for one of your local schools, a holiday show sponsored by your neighborhood recreation

center, or a bazaar. Or they can get quite big and prestigious, starting with county fairs, large pow wow’s

and going up to juried fine arts festivals.

Some shows may last one afternoon, while others may go on for two months. Some shows may only

allow you to display a small amount of your work, while others may require you to demonstrate your craft

as well as sell it. Some shows are open to everyone in the whole country, while others may admit only

artists from the local city, region or province. And some shows may allow only local guild or association

members.

Despite the differences, these types of shows all have one common goal—they provide a place for that

vital connection between you and people who love and appreciate handmade crafts.

Are you intrigued? Craft shows are great! So in this lesson, you will start exploring the ins and outs of how

to break into the craft show circuit. You will discover the resources to find the shows you want to be in,

and walk you through the application process. This lesson and the next will help you create a plan of

action that can lead you confidently to the top shows, if you decide this approach is for you.

Key Term When a craft show is juried, you have to formally apply for entrance and submit pictures of your

work for consideration. The people in charge of the event will then decide if your work is of the

caliber they want for their show. They'll normally have thousands of applicants for a limited number

of spaces, so as you can imagine, competition for these top shows is pretty fierce.



Part 2

Getting Started in Craft Shows

Starting out in the world of craft shows is so exciting! It's hard work, but it's full of other creative people,

interesting places to visit, and many new customers. Let's walk through the steps of how to get started.

The Value of Starting Small

Two things are crucial to laying the groundwork for your craft show circuit success:

1. Start small, and limit the number of shows you do in the beginning. 2. Treat the show promoter and personnel with the same respect you'd give them at the top-pier shows.

First point is to start small, do a few of the smaller craft shows in your local area, like the ones at the local

pow wow, farmers' market, school, Native Centres, and so forth. These are the places you learn. You can

hone your conversational and selling skills, explore ways to attract customers to your table or booth, test

which of your products sells, and see how people accept your prices.

Some artists make the mistake of thinking that these smaller shows are beneath them. This just isn't true!

They can do a lot to help your reputation. For example, if you're donating a portion of your sales to a

worthy cause, it not only benefits that cause, but your prospective customer will feel good about doing

business with you too. And remember, every happy customer tells at least six other people about their

experience with you.

The second point is pretty self-explanatory. No matter how small the show, be sure to treat the people

who have worked so hard to put the event together with the utmost respect. Most of them are volunteers,

not professional craft fair promoters, so be patient if they make mistakes. They will be a lot more patient

with your mistakes than the professional promoter who may feel your lack of knowledge brings the quality

of his or her show down. Bottom line: Don't underestimate the importance of your attitude toward all

people at any show you do, no matter how small or large.

Anne started small, doing holiday craft shows put on by handicrafters association at the community

center. She missed the first year, though, because she assumed it would be so easy to get into. She had

wanted to wait and see how much she sold the weekend before at a more advertised show, but it turned

out that she waited too long. When Anne found she did have enough unsold product to enter the

handicrafters association show, her craft category was full! So learn from Anne’s experience to never

assume anything.

When considering other areas such as local farmers' market here are a few pointers for you. First,

consider sharing a booth with a friend who works in a different (non-competitive) medium. It will work out

great for both of you. Next, these types of shows are open to everyone (they're not juried) and give you a

great chance to learn the ropes. However, go in realizing that people won't spend more than $20-$30, so

bring your best quality crafts that sell in that price range.

After you've done several smaller fairs and get a taste for whether you want to go further in this type of

selling environment, how do you find a list of other craft shows? And once you find your list, how do you

know what shows will attract your type of customers and be profitable for you? The answer, in a nutshell,

is research. And here's how you do it.



How to Find the Right Craft Shows for You

You can find literally thousands of craft shows every year. There are small ones that can be quite

profitable, large ones that can be too costly, and elite ones that you have to be juried into. How do you

know which ones are the best for you?

If you like to use a personal approach and if you're lucky enough to live in an area that hosts some large

craft shows, talk to the crafters there—especially those who work in your medium. Ask if this is their first

year in this particular show. If not, how long have they been doing that show? If this is their fourth or fifth

year, you can bet it's profitable for them.

Also, you want to find out what other large or top-tier shows they do. Do they have any advice for a crafter

new to the circuit? Some crafters might be tight-lipped when it comes to advice, but not everyone is. So

I'd encourage you to meet and get acquainted with your fellow artisans. You will not only learn a lot, but

you just might make some good friends, there's nothing like a friendly face in a group of strangers.

Your next good source of information about shows would be a variety of helpful publications and Web

sites. There are also a number of websites for both large and small powwows around Ontario or lists of

craft fairs. Organizations like The National Craft & Hobby Association also have lists on their website.

Once you do your research and find the shows that look like a good fit for you, how do you get into them?

The next Part will tackle that important topic.

Part 3

The Application Process

Most non-Native and some Native craft shows, including the smaller ones, require that you fill out an

application in order to participate. So you will want to contact the show's promoter about how to get an

application as well as what the upcoming application dates are. Many times, you can find this on the

show's or event's Web site.

This sounds straightforward, but there can be some tricky details to contend with. For example, will

someone mail you an application, or will you need to fill it out online? Will you need to fax in coloured

pictures of your work, or do they want you to upload digital photos of a specified size? How many images

do they want? And do they want a picture of your booth?

Tip Your first couple of years out, it's best to work within your own region—say, your community and

the surrounding three to five communities—if your research tells you there are promising shows in

your area of the province. This will cut your travel costs a bit and lessen the travel fatigue.

Tip - This last item can be a bit tricky. First, ask one or two experienced artisan friends in the craft

circuit to help you set up and display your products professionally. If you can't do this, then see if some other crafters in your area might want to go in with you on the cost of renting a booth canopy, lights, and other display materials, as well as splitting the photographer's fee.



It's very important to find out as early as possible exactly what you need to do to apply so you won't be

rushing around at the last minute.

When you get the application, read it and any accompanying information at least a couple of times. You

want to look professional, so you definitely don't want to call the promoter with questions the material they

sent you already explains.

Also, never send any less or any more than what they ask for. In some shows, this is automatic grounds

for disqualification. So if they require five photos, four of your work and one of your booth design, that's

exactly what you must send. Don't attach extra promotional material if they don't specifically request it.

They're really not being overly strict—it's just that, if it's a top-tier craft show with 1,000 booths and 5,000

applicants, the jury has to look through 25,000 images in a very short time.

Along these lines, don't leave anything blank on your application. If you have only a one in five chance of

being selected, you want to do everything you can to have them choose your application!

Professional Photographs

Because you'll be competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other crafters, you'll want the pictures of

your work to be of the best quality. So don't skimp here! Instead, select the pieces you'll want photos of

for your applications, and have a professional photographer—one who has a lot of experience shooting

art pieces—take them.

Be sure to work out with the photographer which one of you will own the rights. If you can't buy them, get

a written agreement specifying that you can freely use the images for promotion purposes.

And remember: As with every other part of the application process, follow the image labeling instructions

to the letter. Number and label the pictures exactly as the show's promoters ask.

The Artist's Statement

You have filled out your applications, had your best pieces photographed professionally, and maybe even

created some sort of a booth to be photographed too.

Next is your artist's statement. What exactly is this? Basically, it's a short description of your work, your

technique, and your work's meaning. It can come in two sizes: a short one that ranges from between 20

to 100 words, and a longer one that can be several paragraphs or even a whole page. It's easiest to write

the long version first and then trim the material to make your short version.

Where the photos of your pieces visually tell your story to the show's promoters, this written version spells

things out more directly. When asked to include your artist's statement with a show application, it's the

shorter version they most likely want to see. So remember that less is more, and try to come up with a

description that's simple and to the point.

Here are a couple of examples:

I create original raised beaded art. I combine traditional Haudenosaunee

designs passed down from generations past with contemporary

vibrant colours.

As a Native American of Anishinaabe decent. I paint from my childhood

memories of my native culture using oil paints on handmade wooden boxes



More and more shows are asking for this type of statement, so be sure to work on yours. Also, it's a good

idea to have your artist bio and marketing story handy in case you need additional information on the

application.

Time Frame

To have the best chance of success in getting into the shows you want, you'll need to have a solid

organizational plan. Now, this doesn't mean you need super detailed flowcharts—actually, just a calendar.

Write down the dates of the craft shows you're interested in, when they release their applications, and

when they're due. Then be sure to keep this calendar within view at all times!

Speaking of calendars, you'll be doing a lot of your application preparation work far in advance of the

shows—maybe even a year before the show's promoters release the applications. Why? Because you

want to fill out and return the applications within 48 hours or less of receiving them. The sooner you get

your materials in, the more likely your pictures will be shown in the beginning of the jury process, when

the judges are still fresh. And that just may give you the slight advantage you need in a highly competitive

process!

Once you're accepted by a number of shows, what do you do next? It's time to start planning a successful

craft show circuit.

Part 4

Planning a Successful Craft Show Circuit

Planning your craft show circuit is a lot like planning any other trip. Only instead of doing some leisurely

sightseeing or visiting with relatives, you're on the road to sell your wares! Here are a few pointers that

you may find useful when first starting out.

What You Need to Bring

The type of craft you do will most likely have a lot to do with how you plan to get to your various

destinations. And you also need to keep in mind all those things you need to bring along for your booth.

Depending on the type of show and setup, you might be hauling quite a load!

Here's a quick list of the practical items you'll need to bring along:

business card and brochure holders

cash box with small bills

cell phone with your business phone forwarded to it

clipboards for filling out order forms or commission contracts and receipts

clipboards with paper for collecting e-mail addresses and other contact information

credit card processor/ the square



electrical extension cords

fishbowl for people to drop their own business cards in, especially if you promote with some kind of giveaway contest

laptop

pens and something to hold them

promotional items like pens or refrigerator magnets with your Web site address on them

scissors

shopping bags for your customers

sign or easel for letting people know when you'll be doing a demonstration

signs for what methods of payment you accept

surge protector

tape

tools, equipment, and materials for demonstrating how to make your craft

vase or two for fresh flowers (or silk if fresh aren't available)

wrapping paper

Some other items can make the difference between a comfortable, energetic craft show experience and a

painful, tiring, stressed out one. So think about bringing these along too: a couple of comfortable and

lightweight chairs, an ice chest with some refreshing drinks and nutritious snacks, a CD player and CDs to

set an upbeat mood for your customers (if allowed), and comfortable floor mats.

Also, try to imagine what you'll be doing in addition to waiting on customers, and make a list of what you'll

need for that. You should always keep busy, even if you're just dusting shelves and product. Busy looks

successful and draws people to your booth.

You may be thinking, "Gosh, I'm going to need a moving van!" Well, you may not need something that

big, but you may need a vehicle that will accommodate all that you need to bring. Let's take a quick look

at security next.

Security

A word about security. If the show's promoter hasn't already provided this information, be sure to ask

about it! You need to know what type, if any, of security they provide during show hours and how to reach

them if you need to.



As important, if not more so, is the question of booth security overnight, especially at an outdoor show. If

you're driving an RV, trailer, or camper, you can sometimes park close to the booths. You'll find that other

craftspeople are protective of all the booths too.

If you're in a hotel, though, and the show doesn't provide overnight security, you're looking at tearing

down and loading each night, and then unloading and setting up your merchandise again each morning.

Equipment Rentals

If this is your first craft show circuit, you may have to borrow or rent the booth equipment you'll need.

(Another option would be to buy used materials inexpensively). You don't want to make any sizable

investments until you know if this is the life for you. Also, you'll want to rent and reserve booth materials in

the location of the craft show if you're doing an outdoor show far from home.

If you discover that you really thrive in the craft show circuit, then you're better off purchasing and

transporting your own booth supplies. But you don't need to rush into anything, so take your time to see if

you truly enjoy this roving artist way of life.

Take a Buddy

If possible, take a friend or supportive family member, or even hire a salesperson, to spot you on breaks.

This person can also help with sales and customer service, as well as serve as an extra set of eyes for

the not-so-honest fairgoers. He or she can pass out fliers in the aisles (if allowed) that announce your

booth's location, the time of demonstrations, or contest winners.

Part 5

Summary

Craft shows are pretty exciting. If they look like something you would love to do, just remember to be

patient with yourself and let your experience grow at a comfortable pace. It takes a few years to get into

the top craft shows, so don't get discouraged. If you just keep at it, you will have a lot more positive

experiences, as well as steadily build up your confidence.

The important thing is that you continue to perfect your craft and build your reputation and sales. Because

one thing for sure: Talent never lacks opportunity if you're persistent!

The next lesson will expand upon the craft show world. It will examine booth design, craft show sales and

marketing techniques, and what to do after the show.

FAQs

Q: You used the description top tier a few times in this lesson. What makes a craft show "top tier"? A: A top-tier show has several essential characteristics:

Its jury process ensures that the quality of work will attract a large attendance of serious buyers who return year after year.

It has an excellent advertising campaign.

It has a layout design that brings customer traffic past all the booths.



It has plenty of energetic, knowledgeable, and responsive volunteers.

Its vendors offer good quality food.

It has enough restroom facilities to accommodate the patrons. Q: Do you have any tips for organizing craft show information for those feeling a little overwhelmed! A: Being organized! It is suggested that you create a file for each show you apply to. Then keep any promotional information that is sent to you and a copy of your application on file. Also, put a copy of your marketing card in the file, along with any e-mails or other written communication. Hopefully, this file will also contain an acceptance notification! Q: Craft fairs sound like so much fun but they also sound like hard work. How can you decide whether craft shows the right venue for me? A: You're right—they're fun, but they're also labor intensive! You're wise to ask this question. Here are some things for you to consider that may help you in making your decision.

How far am I willing to travel to do a show?

Do I want to take short trips each weekend, coming home between shows?

Do I want to go out for four to six weeks doing shows on weekends while using weekdays to find new retail outlets nearby for my work?

How many fairs do I want to do annually?

Can I produce enough product to do those shows?

If I want to fly to a show, can I ship my product and then rent booth and display materials nearby? Is it possible to make a profit at the fair with these costs?

Is my vehicle dependable for long road trips, or will I need to buy a new one?

Am I in the physical condition for this type of work, or is there someone who is enthusiastic about doing this work with me who could help?

And remember, start small. If you do decide to venture into this type of sales, do enough shows to give it a fair try, but not so many that you've committed to a long, torturous summer. It is suggested to do three shows the first year. You'll know if it's for you after that.


Part 1 Create a matching game to assist in reinforcing some of the key points from this lesson. Match the definition to the correct terminology. Share with instructor or class. Use the template such as the example below:

Some things you need to bring along for your booth

>business card and brochure holders >cash box with small bills >cell phone with your business phone forwarded to it >credit card processor/ the square >clipboards for filling out order forms or commission contracts and receipts >clipboards with paper for collecting e-mail addresses and other contact information



Part 2

Call or look up on the internet a local chamber of commerce, neighborhood association or recreation

center, religious or non-profit organizations, farmers' markets, county fairs, and schools to find craft

shows in your area for the next year. Ask/find out about their application process, deadlines, booth or

table fees, and dates of the craft shows.

Make marketing cards and follow-up files for each one, and create a calendar system of application

deadlines. Share with your instructor and class!



Lesson 10 - Quiz

Use the quiz to test your knowledge of the lesson.

1. What's your first step in finding the right craft shows for you?

Look up "craft fairs" on the Internet.

Enter a few and see how you like them.

Talk to the crafters at some large craft shows

Ask some of the crafters at your local farmers' market.

2. What's one thing that's crucial to laying the groundwork for your craft circuit success?

Start small, and limit the number of shows you do in the beginning.

Don't spare the money when you're designing your booth.

Apply to as many shows as you can.

Only do local shows in your own community.

3. What's essential to remember in the application process?

Send as many of your promotional materials as you can.

If you don't have the information they want, then leave the line blank.

Have a large number of photographs of your pieces on hand for all your applications.

Never send any less or any more than they ask for

4. When you receive an application, how soon do you need to fill it out and return it?

A week before the application deadline.

Within 48 hours or less.

Within a year.

The same day.

5. What is an artist's statement?

Your artist biography.

Your artist résumé.

A short description of your work and its technique or meaning.

An explanation for why you want to be in a particular show.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. Talk to the crafters at some large craft shows. 2. Start small, and limit the number

of shows you do in the beginning. 3. Never send any less or any more than they ask for. 4. Within 48

hours or less. 5. A short description of your work and its technique or meaning.





Lesson 11

CRAFT SHOWS: PART 2

Part 1

Introduction

This is Part 2 of our study of craft shows or what could become the Pow Wow Trail! This lesson, is going

to look at some of the more technical angles of designing and setting up a successful craft show booth.

This is where all your showing and selling happens, so it's important to have a good grasp of the ins and

outs of effective booths.

This lesson will start by exploring the basics of good booth design and the part your booth plays in your

success as an exhibitor. Then it will talk about the importance of colour and lighting, as well as various

safety issues for both indoor and outdoor booths. This lesson will also discuss some of the details of

display design for craft fair products, which will allow you to have some creative fun.

Next, this lesson will explore ways to draw those customers walking the aisles into your booth—and how

to keep them there! It will also talk about sales techniques, including the whole realm of doing

demonstrations. Finally, it will finish up by getting a handle on some simple marketing and record keeping

tasks that you'll need to take care of after each show to build your craft business.

Part 2

Booth Design

An important element to begin with is the booth design. There's a science to this, and if you decide to go

into the craft show circuit/Pow Wow Trail full time, you'll want to create a professional style and look from

the start as this will be money well-spent.

Let's touch on the basic and most important parts of design here for both indoor and outdoor shows. But

there are a couple of matters unique to outdoor shows. For example, outdoor booths are a little more

complicated because you have to deal with weather conditions. So they need to be windproof, rainproof,

lean proof, structurally safe, and have sturdy display cases and shelves.

In addition, outdoor sales venues usually require a canopy for your booth, and this can really limit the

amount of light coming in. Some canopies help with this problem by having plastic skylights. It is advised

to visit a pow wows or craft fairs in your area and ask the crafters what they do and don't like about their

canopies. Then rent before you buy. The most important thing to know about canopies is that you get

what you pay for.

So these are just some general things to consider in designing your booth.

Booth Colour

As you know, people react very strongly to colour. People are not always aware that colour is at the root

of their reaction to a space. But a person knows right away what they like or don't like.



Most booth designers agree that there are two ways to go when choosing the colour for your booth's walls

and overall dominant colour:

1. Choose colours that are neutral: tan, off-white, gray, black, or grayed-down shades of light colours like pale blue or green.

2. Choose colours that are on trend. (Only do this if you can afford to change your booth as often as color trends change and if the color trend doesn't overwhelm your product.)

There are also some definite colour no-no's: bright yellow, orange, and purple. Why? Because most

people have the strongest negative reactions to these colours. They push people away, when what you

want to do is draw them in. Another no-no is a busy pattern, because this invariably fights with your

product for attention.

The bottom line? The background colour or colour scheme you choose for your booth has one function: to

show your product to its best advantage.

Keep This in Mind

No matter what colour you choose for the background or scheme of your booth, remember that it has one—and only one—function: to show your products to their best advantage!

Booth Lighting

Have you ever gone to a pow wow or craft fair, especially an outdoor one, that had booths that looked like

little dark caves? Did you want to go in and browse? That's why booth lighting is so important.

First of all, if you'll be using track lighting, as many exhibitors do, it is suggested connecting it to diagonal

poles placed 8 feet above your booth's floor. Now, why diagonal poles? Because they'll give you a greater

range of lighting angles. To take full advantage of this, be sure to get track lights that angle in different

directions. When you want to spotlight a particular work of yours without casting shadows on it, you'll

need to direct two light sources onto it: one from the left and one from the right.



And you will want to place the lights at an 8-foot height so that even very tall people can move around the

booth comfortably—without ducking light fixtures!

Another way to spotlight certain items is to use droplight fixtures. Use these for products whose best

lighting comes from a source no more than 3 feet away. You can usually attach a droplight to the lighting

track you already have in place. Try to use LED lighting for outdoor events as they attract insects less

than conventional lighting.

Designing for Display

Remember when you talked about your story as a marketing tool? Well, the design of your booth tells a

simplified version of your story through theme and focus. For example, let's say you're a leather tooler

who makes whimsical purses, belts, vests and other memorabilia. How would you use your booth to get

your story across? There are four basic ways.

1. Use display materials that match the nature of your work. For example, is your leather work of a more sophisticated design? Then mahogany or tempered glass would be good choices for your shelving. Does your leather work have more of a country or casual feel? Then knotty pine would be great.

Keep This in Mind

Just be sure that any display materials you choose don't

overwhelm your craft products. Remember, the purpose

of good booth design and display materials is to make

your crafts shine!

2. Vary the sizes and placement of your display surfaces. For example, displaying your work at varying heights provides visual interest and allows you to take advantage of every inch of available booth display space. Depending on the type of craft, an artist could do this by using shelves at different heights and widths, as well as using busts, easels, or frames with fabric backgrounds for displaying smaller items like earrings or necklaces.

Tip Do you know what the most valuable display space is? It's from your customers' waists to 6 inches over their heads. Eye level is the absolute best spot, so put your best work here.

3. Group similar items together to accent a theme. For example, with your leather work, you may want to group belts together in one area, display differently decorated purses of various colours somewhere else, and put different types of jewelry or guitar straps in another grouping. But if a set of your leather work has a theme and should be collected as a set, then you'd want to group all of these items together.

Just remember to stagger your display heights for your groupings and have enough space around

them to set them apart from each other.



4. Finally, use your lighting to focus on new work or any work you want to spotlight in particular. If you've just created a very finely detailed native designed vest, bolo tie, belt set, then get your customers' eyes going right to it. Set up a lavish display in the heart of your work and turn the lights on, and let your product shine!

Designing for Safety

You definitely need to think about safety when designing your booth. First, your booth needs to be

structurally sound. Besides holding up to wind and rain, it must hold up to someone weighing more than

200 pounds leaning on a side pole or falling onto it.

Also, you've got to have safe display materials, such as strongly secured shelving, tempered glass

display cases, or Plexiglas displays. And here's something most people don't think about: Always use

display cases that have a toe space (like the one under your kitchen cupboards) if the cases sit on the

ground or floor. That way, no one stubs a toe or cracks the glass in the display case.

Of course, you never want to leave extension cords or other things on the ground/floor that could trip a

customer. And those demonstration areas? Be sure you put any toxic and combustible materials or

electrical tools out of the reach of children when you're not using them.

Now, one of the biggest concerns for both indoor and outdoor promoters and exhibitors is fire safety. At

an indoor fair, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the exit doors, especially the ones closest to your

booth. Hopefully, you'll never need them! But planning is always better than panicking, and you have a

responsibility to direct your customers to safety too.

Tip You may want to bring along your own fire extinguisher and keep it handy in your booth. You don't need to have it in plain sight—you could slip it under a table, hidden by a tablecloth. Just be sure that you can get to it quickly and easily if the need should arise. And make sure you read the directions so you know exactly how to operate it!

Electrical safety is especially important. Highlight voltage information in any show materials you receive.

And if it's not there, check with the event's promoter. Please understand that your booth's maximum

voltage allowance is the maximum you can use at any given time.

Say your maximum allowance is 500 volts. If your lighting alone takes up 500 volts and you turn on a CD

player, plug in a laptop, and use electric tools to give a demonstration, you could easily blow the circuitry

for your entire aisle of booths. That would make you pretty unpopular with your neighboring crafters!

Another electrical safety issue you need to keep in mind is the type of outlets you need. All extension

cords need to have a three-prong plug. If the show's outlets are old and can accommodate only a two-

prong plug, you'll need to purchase some sort of adapter.

Never plug one extension cord into another to reach across your booth. Instead, buy a longer cord, one

that's 20 feet or longer. And if you like to keep everything tidy, you can purchase pretty inexpensively a

roll-up reel when you're finished using the cord. That's convenient and safe!



Sometimes, though it's rare, the fire marshal will visit the event—and your booth. He or she may need to

flame-test the material your booth walls are made of. If you do some simple preparations, this will be no

problem. I'd recommend that you carry some extra samples of the material, if you made your booth. And if

you applied a flame retardant yourself, have a copy of the label from that product. If you bought your

booth, ask the manufacturer to mail you a statement detailing the flame retardant used on the material.

Okay, now you have a good idea of how to design your booth, now some strategies for drawing

customers inside!

Part 3

How to Draw People Into Your Booth

Can you draw people into your booth by design? You bet! Your booth design is actually a make-it-or-

break-it factor of whether people stand in the aisles and just look or feel welcome to come inside and

explore.

Let's start at the beginning: your booth's entrance. This needs to be wide enough to accommodate a

crowd, so plan to make it at least 6 feet wide and 8 feet high.

Next, draw people in by making the back of your booth a strong focal point. One of the best ways to do

this is to use large photos of your work—or better yet, of you in the process of making your craft—hung

on the back wall of your booth. And when I say large, I mean large! Three 36 x 48-inch prints of your

process will tell your story very nicely. Black-and-white photos work well for more sophisticated crafts,

while sepia tone is great for casual crafts.

With the leather tooling, you could have something like this: The first photo would be of you carving a

design into a piece of leather, the second would be of you treating the leather, and the third would be of

you shining the final piece.

Wow! Anyone walking down the aisle of the event would know what you do. And if you had two triangular

display shelves in the back corners of your booth, people would be drawn inside to see the finished work.

Then they'd walk around inside the booth to see the various eye-catching displays of more product.

Tip You can also draw people into your booth with enticing giveaways or discounts. The giveaway can even be a coupon for a set dollar amount customers can use on your Internet store. You'd want to set aside a little area for this toward the front of your booth, but not outside of it, because you're trying to draw people in. And you'd want to arrange your lighting so the spotlight falls right on this area.

Demonstrations

Some promoters require that you do demonstrations, so you'll need to plan an area for this. A small work

table and necessary tools with proper lighting will do for most crafts.



You want to do demonstrations in an area easily seen by large numbers of people passing by. And

although you'll have plenty of product in your booth, you want to have finished examples (ready to sell!)

displayed at or within arm's reach of your demonstration.

Not all crafters like doing demonstrations. Some think they help draw customers into their booths and

therefore increase sales. While others feel that demonstrations take time away from talking to customers

and closing the sale. For the crafter with no assistant, this is definitely a dilemma.

In the case of crafters who think demonstrations hurt sales, you should look at it two ways to work around

this.

The first, and easiest, is to have an assistant. This person can help customers while you're

demonstrating, and he or she can actually draw more customers in by simply showing that someone is

available to wait on them.

The second, which is something you should do whether you have an assistant or not, is to verbally and

physically promote your sales in your demonstration. You do this by pointing out that the process you're

demonstrating was used to make this or that in your booth, which sells for this or that amount.

You can even stop for a few minutes in the course of a demonstration, if the pause is natural. Ask if

anyone has questions. And feel free to get an example of the product you're making and hold it up while

pointing out something about the end result of the technique and the sales price of the item.

Or if this is doable, hand a sample of your craft to your viewers. The sense of touch is a powerful sales

tool. Remember, customers are four times more likely to buy something they've touched than something

they haven't. And keep in mind that you want customers to see your products through your eyes.

Go the Extra Mile

If you want to be the busiest booth in the fair, be the happiest! The energy of your booth needs to be

upbeat and positive. How do you do this?

First of all, you need to feel that way. So do whatever works for you before the day starts—positive

thinking tapes, your favorite music, meditation, workouts, whatever. Just get those positive juices flowing!

And if you start to lose that feeling during the day, smile. Smile at every person you see. Most of them will

smile back, and that will lift your spirits right back up again.

Second, take your booth a step above good design. Make it appeal to all the senses. Offer some bite-

sized, tasty treats, a cool drink of water or juice, maybe some fresh flowers with a light fragrance. Play

upbeat music at a low volume.

Trust me, if your booth is the happiest booth around, it will be a people magnet! And nothing succeeds

like success.

Craft Event Selling Techniques

To be good at sales, you basically need to know three simple things about the act of buying.

First, buying is spontaneous. People buy on impulse. They buy when they have no plans to buy.



Second, buying is contagious. People attract people, and buyers attract buyers. So if customers see other people buying your product, they want it too. It adds a perceived value to your work.

Third, buying is competitive. Quite often, we want to get a product before the seller runs out or someone else buys it.

You may not have thought of buying in this last way, but it's true! Remember when you've been close to

buying a product, and then you put it back on the shelf? You probably told yourself, "I'll think about it and

come back later." Then, out of nowhere, someone else picks up the same object—and you turn blue

holding your breath, hoping they'll set it back down. And when they do, you practically knocked them over

and pounced on it!

Everyone has done it. Maybe not to that extreme, but you at least willed the other person to put it down,

saying, "Don't buy it! Don't buy it! Don't buy it!" in your mind. So you see, buying is competitive. If

shoppers think that someone else will take away the object they want, they'll jump at the chance to buy it

first.

So, how do these three facets of buying behavior benefit you?

Knowing that people buy on impulse tells you that people often just need help knowing what to buy.

They'll ask your opinion or ask a question about the product. They want you to nudge that buying impulse,

because they really do want to buy something.

Next, knowing that buying is contagious, pay attention to the people your customers are with or other

people in your booth. Then draw them into the decision of which item that undecided customer should

buy. Just remember to be very positive, saying something like, "Don't you think these blue earrings set off

the red highlights in her hair? But then these green ones pick up the green in her eyes! Which one do you

think she should buy?"

Not only are you getting a third party to confirm that the first customer should buy something, you've also

established a positive relationship with the third party. While you or your assistant ring up the first

customer's sale, you can ask the other person, "And what can I help you decide on?"

Now you've got a couple of sales in process, and more people will be drawn to your active booth, curious

to see what people are buying. And this sets the competitive buying in motion.

Your job now? Continue to be assertive and confident, but never aggressive or controlling. Also,

remember to make and maintain eye contact with your customers so they'll have confidence in you.

And this brings us to the issue of customer service.

Customer Service

When customers enter your booth, they want to be greeted quickly by someone who is friendly and

courteous. They also want you to treat them with sincerity, honesty, and respect. So don't just give good

customer service, give excellent customer service!

Also, make the sale easy for your customers. Accept credit cards, supply sales bags, and provide some

way to help your customers get their purchases to their cars if they're heavy. If you can, offer gift

wrapping or provide nice gift boxes with your logo and an attractive ribbon and bow.



Remember, you're not competing with Wal-Mart—you're competition is the charming and friendly booth

down the aisle.

Always ask a prospective customer permission to show them a specific item, and always give them

choices. Also, when customers ask you the price of an object, don't be apologetic but state it with calm

confidence, audibly and clearly. You know it's worth the price; let your voice and your manner let them

know it's worth it too.

Finally, be sincere in your statements. You want your customers to go home happy and to come back

next year because they've received so many compliments on the craft product you sold to them.

So now you have an idea of what do to before and during a show. Your work's not through, there is after

the event to consider

Part 4

After the Fair Is Over

Well, a crafter's work is never done. After the craft show is over, you still have some work to do.

Craft Show Survey Cards

The first thing you want to do toward the end of the event—even before you pack up your booth—is fill

out any survey cards the show promoters have given you. This communication is very important.

Promoters can't meet your needs or correct their mistakes if they don't know about them. And don't worry,

your feedback is always anonymous.

So if you want to improve the craft event experience for yourself and your co-crafters, fill out the survey

cards and send them in while your experience is fresh.

Update Your Contact Lists

Take the time to update your contact list immediately after the show—say within 24 hours, while

information about new customers and contacts is still fresh in your mind.

Also, update your list concerning nearby opportunities that might make your trip more profitable next time.

For example, you might want to fill in a light event schedule with workshops or demonstrations at local

craft supply stores or retail outlets, a special show at galleries that carry your work, or home craft parties.

Post-Show Communication

Building a loyal customer base is all about building relationships. So after you've updated your contact

list, start contacting these new friends! You can take the traditional route of mailing out postcards or

printed newsletters, or you can take the more "green" and less expensive avenue of sending out e-mailed

newsletters or short e-mail notifications, post on your social media outlets-- always add some new entries

to your social media.



Let people know where you've been and what events you will be doing next. Did you do a show in

London, Ontario, last year and are doing it again this year? It's especially important to let last year's

customers know you're headed their way next month.

Recording Profits and Expenses

Finally, it's a lot easier to keep track of your profits and expenses show-by-show than waiting to do it

quarterly or annually.

Just add up your sales receipts, and then list your expenses. It's best to have an expense sheet made up

so you don't forget anything. Here is an example that you might like to use:

Production Costs of All Products Sold:

Time making product and materials cost __________

Direct Costs of Doing Craft Event:

Craft event directories purchased __________

Organization and guild membership fees required to purchase directories

__________

Application fees __________

Cost of slides and other application materials __________

Booth fees __________

Transportation (fuel or airfare) __________

Lodging __________

Parking while at lodging __________

Meals __________

Parking while at meals __________

Advertising __________

Incidentals (personal needs, such as laundry costs or hygiene products, bought on the road)

__________

Direct Craft Event Overhead:

Display materials purchased __________

Booth rental or purchase __________

Booth lighting and flooring __________

Employee wage and costs for assistant __________

Parking fees while at craft event __________

Time:

Researching craft shows to participate in __________

Any classes or seminars taken to prepare for craft event __________



Travel time getting to and from show __________

Filling out application forms __________

Working your booth at the craft event __________

Setting up and tearing down your booth __________

Loading and unloading booth, display materials, and crafts __________

Indirect Costs of Doing Craft Event:

Auto depreciation due to high-mileage vehicle status __________

Extra oil changes __________

More frequent tire purchases __________

Preventive maintenance __________

Find out the best way to total the indirect costs depending on your individual financial situation. Also, add

various parking fees because, in some areas they can run high per hour. Many lodging accommodations

charge extra per night for parking. And though some craft event promoters offer free parking near the site,

others allow only specified loading and unloading times.

Once you've calculated your profit or loss from the show, you'll know whether you want to do the same

one again next year. To be fair, every show and every crafter has a bad year. So if you can afford to, and

if you found the conditions of the craft show to be satisfactory, give it a second chance.

Part 5

Summary

If you're drawn by the lure of the open road, then craft events or the pow wow trail may be just the thing

for you. And after this lesson, it is hoped you feel more prepared for success when you embark on your

craft event journey or the pow wow trail!

You are now acquainted with the essential elements of booth design: customer appeal, the display needs

of the crafter, and safety considerations for everyone.

You also learned some specifics about creating an inviting booth space that will draw customers in. One

of the most important things to remember is to maintain an upbeat, friendly attitude within yourself as well

as within the interior of your booth. In addition, you gained some solid selling techniques and also got

some ideas about craft show customer service.

Finally, you learned what to do immediately after the craft fair—simple follow-up steps that will help you

determine which shows make you money and increase your customer base. You now have an idea of the

importance of building one-time buyers into loyal customers, especially when your craft fair schedule is

light.

Remember to start out small and slow in the world of craft fairs. And if you decide the craft fair circuit is for

you, I hope you'll have a great time making new friends along the way as you build your craft business.



In our next and final lesson, you will learn about sharing the knowledge of your craft through teaching—

which can be both emotionally rewarding and lucrative!

FAQs

Q: A couple of crafter friends really don't like doing demonstrations. They feel that demonstrations encourage more looking than buying. Are demonstrations a waste of time? A: They are not a waste of time, but many crafters feel torn on this issue. Part of the question lies in why people go to craft fairs. Do they go to buy crafts? Not necessarily. Many people go for entertainment—like going out to a movie. Just looking at arts and crafts is what they enjoy doing. In addition, many people enjoy learning a little about how to make different crafts. They admire the artisans' talent and like to discover how things are done. They may not want to take a class and learn to do the craft themselves; rather, their joy is in gaining understanding. So they're basically getting a little lesson from you for free. You can understand how this frustrates some crafters. But until there are actual statistics proving how many people go to craft shows to buy, how many go for entertainment, how many go to learn, and how many go to do all three, then no one really knows for sure if demonstrations hurt or help sales. Each of your customers are made differently, and for some, a demonstration may be just the thing to draw them in to our booths (just as giveaways or candy will entice others)! Q: Could you explain how the process works for artisans selling their work on commission? A: Selling on commission means creating custom-made works at customers' requests. This can sometimes be a bit tricky. The most vital aspect of working on commission is to take the time to communicate clearly with your customers. You must find out exactly what they're expecting from you. And be sure they understand that no two handmade pieces will ever be exactly the same. To start with, let them see as much of your work as possible. Ask them what they do and don't like about the colors, designs, and decorative styles. Not only do you want to get a clear picture of what they like, but also you need to get a feeling of whether you can work with them to produce something they'll be happy with. If you feel uncomfortable, just be honest and say so. Try to steer these customers toward one of the creations you've already finished. However, if you feel good about the whole idea, then go on to the next step. Ask for a deposit of a third or half of the selling price. This is non-refundable because it covers the cost of your materials and some of your initial labor and time. Then have the customers sign a contract that describes the artistic details you've agreed on and states when payments (or a final payment) are due, late payment fees, a completion date, and delivery details. It's always a good idea to sketch the final design and have them sign off on the sketch as well. If appropriate to your craft, invite your commission customers to see your progress two or three times before completion. While they shouldn't dictate every detail to you, you are contracted to produce a work especially made (and perhaps designed) for them, and you want them to be completely satisfied—actually, you want them to be delighted!




In light of the principles of booth design you learned about in this lesson, how might you design your own booth? Take some time to sketch out a plan for displaying your crafts. Remember to pay special attention to varying levels of display and grouping crafts according to theme or other common elements.

How will you make the back of your booth a strong focal point?

What kinds of materials will you use for your shelves and display cases?

What colour scheme will you choose? Share your ideas and any questions you have with your class or instructor.



Lesson 11 - Quiz


1. What different needs do outdoor booths have from indoor booths?

Their colours must be brighter, like yellow or orange.

They do better with track lighting.

They require longer extension cords.

They have to stand up to weather conditions.

2. What kind of lighting is especially effective for most of the items in your booth?

Track lighting.

Droplight fixtures.

Klieg lights.

Italian or twinkle lights.

3. For fire safety in your booth, what do you need to pay special attention to?

Toe space.

Maximum electrical voltage allowance.

Display cases of tempered glass.

Floor mat material.

4. To draw people into your booth, the entrance needs to be what width and height?

At least 6 feet wide and 8 feet high.




5. What can help make your demonstrations be a selling success?

Offer chocolate, and play upbeat music.

Use a droplight, and have a drawing for a giveaway.

Have an assistant, and promote your product while you're demonstrating.

Place photos of your craft process at the back of your booth, and pass out brochures.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. They have to stand up to weather conditions. 2. Track lighting. 3. Maximum

electrical voltage allowance. 4. At least 6 feet wide and 8 feet high. 5. Have an assistant, and promote

your products while you’re demonstrating.



Lesson 12

TEACHING YOUR TRADITIONAL SKILL

Part 1

Introduction

This lesson is going to explore one more topic that you may not have thought of making part of your

business, and that's teaching. Sharing your love of your traditional skill with others who are eager to learn

about it can be exciting and rewarding.

Some of you may be sitting back, thinking, "I'm not comfortable standing up in front of a group of people

and talking. Who am I to think I could be a teacher, anyway? I'm not qualified for that." Hold on there. The

same voices that tried to tell you that you couldn't do well in sales may very well have relocated to this

area of teaching!

Your approach to teaching, just as your approach to sales, can easily fit with your personality and style.

I'm not saying it might not be a little stretch, but those little stretches are doable and help us keep

growing.

This lesson begins to look at types of teaching opportunities that are available to you. Then it will explore

some specifics, like designing your curriculum, writing an eye-catching class description, and figuring out

how to price your class.

Part 2

Starting to Teaching your Traditional Skill

Do you remember who taught you your skill? Was it your mom or dad, a grandmother or grandfather, an

aunt or an uncle, or a friend of your family? Was it a traditional elder who took you under his or her wing

and mentored you? Was it a teacher at a class at your community parks and recreation center? Or was it

an artisan who gave lessons at his or her studio?

Think of the difference this person has made in your life. Can you even imagine your life without your art

being part of it? To some art makes up the fabric of their life. And I'm sure you feel the same way. Thank

goodness for our teachers?

It's very possible that you could make this same impact in someone else's life. You would be opening

whole new worlds for that person, the same way your teacher opened whole new worlds for you. You

could bring beauty into someone else's life and through their life to touch still others. Creating is

considered part of the Indigenous healing and well being sector of one’s life. It is the place we go to

renew and refocus and best of all relax. Creative expression should be a part of everyone’s life in order

for their spirit to reconnect with their soul.











Are you inspired or at least intrigued by this way of thinking? Then teaching your skill is an opportunity to

share that experience with others. It is an opportunity for you to touch someone else’s soul the way yours

has been with your art.

Sharing your skills

There are several ways to share your skills such as one on one or in a class room setting. You can also

teach through writing articles for craft magazines or even through writing your own how-to books. You can

also teach through CDs and DVDs and online. With Youtube many have made quite a lucrative living

sharing their skills.

We don't have enough time or space to explore each of these options, but if any of these ideas appeal to

you, you are encouraged to explore them on your own! For now, though, let's think about some teaching

ideas that let you directly interact with students.

1. Private lessons. Just as you'd do with private music lessons, you can also teach private art or craft lessons. This allows you to really get to know your students—you'll be able to discover the unique shape of their talents, what teaching methods work best with them, and in what directions they could grow. You can probably accomplish more at a faster pace through this method too, since you're dealing with one student at a time. And if you have a fear of speaking in front of groups, this way allows you to teach without even dealing with a group!

2. Craft parties with a class. The first half of the afternoon or evening is usually where someone shows you all that you can do with a product, and the second half is where the teaching happens. Depending on your type of craft, you could do the same sort of thing.

In the first half of the party, you could show your beautiful handmade works, explaining how you came to learn about your craft, what you love about it, and the ways you hope your works will touch others' lives. Then, in the second half of the party, you could hold a class for those who are interested in learning the craft themselves. Most likely in this type of setup, you'd be making money from selling the materials that people could work with. But it would let you hone your skills and decide if teaching is for you.

3. Small classes. A great opportunity could be to ask your friends if they would like to learn and have a few people gather around your kitchen table for a few small intimate classes.

4. Craft supply store classes. These settings are great because the store will actively promote your class (in addition to your own promotion, of course). Not only that, but it's a natural setting—it's a place your students may enjoy spending time. These types of classes are usually a little more lighthearted. So you can place more of an accent on enjoyment of the craft, showing others how to bring more beauty into their lives, and just having fun with fellow crafters—everyone from dabblers to more committed artisans!

5. Medium-sized group classes. If you're fairly comfortable interacting with a group of 15 to 25 people, then you might want to think about teaching classes at community centers, parks and recreation centers, youth groups or senior centers. You could offer a one-time seminar or teach a class for several weeks. Depending on your students, as well as your personality type, your classes might be a nice blend of lighthearted enjoyment and more serious craftwork.

6. Larger-sized group classes. If you're a natural teacher and can speak to groups with ease, then you might want to try teaching classes at a local school or community college, perhaps in their extended education program. You could give a lecture or a demonstration, depending on the size of the venue and audience. And like the other venues, you could teach a class for just one night or teach an ongoing course for a series of weeks.



As you can see, you have many opportunities available that can fit your personality. And of course, you

could start teaching in one area, say, craft parties, only to end up loving something entirely different, like

art school seminars. The possibilities for growth and discovery are exciting, aren't they?

How to Start

If you're drawn to the idea of giving private lessons in your home or studio, then your main concern when

you start is getting the word out. Of course, you'll also have to get your teaching space, materials, and

class content set up. To break into teaching in these venues, though, is pretty simple and straightforward,

and you'll mainly just need to let people know that you're available to teach lessons.

Craft parties don't even need the publicity, since the teaching aspect is built into the party itself. You'll just

need to make sure that your host's setting can accommodate a small class (while not making a mess or

using materials or tools that could damage anything in the host's home).

When you get to more public venues, then you have to do a little more work. I've found that it's very

effective to put together a media kit before approaching anyone about teaching or renting a space to

teach. The media kit explains who you are, what you do, and how professional you are. It's also a great

help when it comes time to publicize your class.

Let's take a look at how to put a media kit together. Here are the items it generally includes:

8 x 10-inch photos of yourself (black-and-white and in color, looking professional)

Artist's statement

A short bio

Professionally photographed images of your work

Résumé

Course description (we'll tackle this in the next Part)

Copies of previous publicity

Page of positive quotes from previous students

When you're just starting out, you naturally won't have all of this material. But you'll want to do your best

to put as much of the media kit together as you can.

Tip Even if you're teaching at home, or at craft parties, your media kit materials will come in handy there too. You can tailor some of the information you gather to put on fliers. Then, to help get the word out about your availability as a teacher, ask some local venues (like craft supply stores, community centers, and reserve newsletters) if they'll post them for you.



Once you've got your media kit set, then it's time to sit down and make a list of the venues where you

think you'd enjoy teaching. Remember, go with what's comfortable for you when you're just starting. And

since you're not yet well-known as a teacher, you'll want to start with smaller, local places, like a craft

supply store or a senior center. Once you have some experience, then you can branch out to a parks and

recreation center, a community center, or your local community college’s extended education program.

The process for getting started with teaching is actually quite similar to the process for getting your craft

pieces into different sales venues. With your list in front of you, call and ask if you may speak with the

person in charge of setting up classes. Then introduce yourself, explain your craft, and ask if you might

have a few minutes of their time to come and speak to them in person about teaching a class. Conduct

yourself as the professional that you are, and keep in mind that you'd like to form an ongoing, friendly

relationship with these venues.

Usually, when approaching fine art centers or community education programs, they may ask you to send

your media kit first with a one-page cover letter. In the cover letter, introduce yourself, briefly describe the

course you want to offer, and give your contact information. Then follow up a week later with a phone call.

Now sometimes, the venue you'd like to get into might get a lot of requests from teachers wanting to offer

classes, and the person in charge may not remember who you are when you call or have had time to

read your bio. Don't be discouraged, and don't take this personally.

Just politely remind him or her and sell yourself and your class. This will be easier than you think,

because you love your craft and probably get enthusiastic when telling other people about it anyway! And

most center directors are nice people who want to offer new and exciting classes to their community.

Be Flexible

When you approach a venue where you'd really like to teach, you may find that they love the idea of your

workshop but have different policies regarding class length. They may offer only one-time workshops, like

a three-hour workshop with no weekly follow-up classes. Or they may like one-hour workshops that you'd

teach once a week for no longer than six weeks.

Be as flexible as you can with the format of your class. Their experience in offering classes has probably

taught them what works best in their community. More and more venues prefer short (one to three hours),

one-day workshops. People are so busy these days that they're hesitant to commit to ongoing classes.

This can actually work to your benefit. How? You'll be continually creating new workshops on different

aspects of your craft for a variety of formats. Before you know it, you'll have a notebook of course plans

and descriptions with tool lists, handouts, and all the other materials you need for each type of workshop!

And when you approach a new venue with a workshop idea, and they say it doesn't fit into their

scheduling policy, you'll have a convincing response. You can say, "Oh, I offer everything from one-hour

workshops on specific techniques to six-week classes for the beginner!" and show them the descriptions

of your offerings. They'll be impressed with your professionalism, organization, and planning skills.

Tip - Don't call right before lunch or at the end of the workday. People are in a hurry to get out of

the office at these times.



With all the workshops you're proposing, you'll need to have some content! Let's look at how you can

design a curriculum that works for you and your students in our next Part.

Part 3

Figuring Out Your Teaching Approach

The first principle of good teaching is preparation. Good teachers are like good dancers—they make what

they're doing look effortless. But there's really a lot of work that goes on before they walk in that

classroom door.

Let's look at how you can prepare to be one of those teachers whose classes run smoothly and are a joy

to take.

Determine the Goals of the Class

The first thing you need to do is decide what your goals will be for your class. For example, do you want

to provide students with knowledge of new techniques? Do you want to take students from their fledgling

ideas to a finished project? Do you want to introduce a craft to beginners? Or do you want to teach more

advanced techniques to more skilled students?

Your goals will help you determine the time you need for your class (or the number of sessions). Your

particular medium will also affect your time needs—if you teach pottery, for example, the pieces will need

to dry and be fired before the next step of glazing.

Here's an example of a goal list I created for my medium of precious metal clay:

1. Introduce students to the history and properties of clay. 2. Teach rolling, texturing, cutting, using water and slip, creating holes, and basic pre- and post-firing

finishing techniques. 3. Have students complete a charm, ready to be fired. 4. Teach basic finishing techniques.

Since the students' work would have to dry, and would need to be fired before teaching basic finishing

techniques, this goal list indicates you need to have at least two sessions for this class.

Once you figure out just what it is that you want to teach about your craft, then you can sit down and write

out your class plan.

Your Class Plan

Your class plan basically fleshes out the practical aspects of your goals. You'll need to think through what

materials and tools you'll need, a finished project you'll want to create to show your students the end goal,

and what step-by-step information you need to give your students. Most of the time, you'll want to create

handouts so your students can practice the techniques you're teaching on their own.

Here's an example of a brief class lesson plan for a one-time, one-hour workshop for a beginning

precious metal clay class:



Class Goals

1. Familiarize students with precious metal clay work space and tools. 2. Teach basic rolling, texturing, and hole techniques. 3. Teach students the use of water and slip.

What I Want to Teach

1. How to set up a precious metal clay work space and the materials needed. 2. Basic tools. 3. Four techniques: rolling, texturing, creating holes, and smoothing edges.

What I Don't Want to Cover

Firing

Finishing

Attaching findings or gems

Soldering

Class Project

Simple textured pendant

Handouts 1. Brief history of PMC 2. List of materials for a PMC work space 3. List of basic PMC tools 4. Step-by-step directions for rolling 5. Step-by-step directions for texturing 6. Step-by-step directions for creating holes 7. Step-by-step directions for smoothing edges

Practice Your Presentation

You have an idea for a project that fits your class goals and the techniques you want to teach. What you

need to do now is test it to make sure you can actually accomplish it in the time you'll have. Make the

project at least three times before settling on it as the correct project for your class.

This sounds like a hassle, but it actually helps you in many ways. You can take notes on what tools you

use and in what sequence so you'll be very familiar with the clearest way to present the steps of making

the project. This is especially helpful for creating your handouts. Plus, you can provide several examples

of the project for your students before they get started.

Once you have timed how long it takes you to complete the project, triple that time for beginning students.

They will work more slowly because they're learning and they are less confident in their skills.

Also, you need time for demonstration, for questions throughout your students' process, and for checking

and guiding their work.

Use your goals to plan your key points. It is recommended that you make notes about them on 8 ½ x 11-

inch paper (numbered). Why? Because if you get momentarily lost in your presentation, it's easier to find

your way back than if you had used index cards (which can be dropped and scattered).



If you're giving a lecture, time it. Practice it. Record your voice and listen back, or better yet, videotape

yourself. And if you plan to use visual aids, have a backup lecture ready that doesn't need them, just in

case of a technology failure. Have your power point presentation photocopied so your audience can

follow along with your presentation.

Your next step is to write your course description.

Writing Your Course Description

How can you be sure that what you plan to teach meets your students' expectations? By writing a course

description. This needs to include the goals of the class, the techniques students will learn, and the

project they will walk away with when the workshop is over. If your fees for the course include the tools

and materials they'll need to make the project, then be sure to list each of these items too. As you might

guess, the key to an effective course description is to make it clear.

Depending on the word limit, you can also add the areas you'll cover if there's extra time. Just be sure you

word it as something you're not promising, such as, "If time allows, we will also cover the basics of one or

more of the following . . ."

And always state any prerequisite classes, knowledge, or skill level a student must have before taking

your class.

Part 4

Pricing Your Class

Before you even approach a venue at which you'd like to teach, you need to have an idea of what to

charge for your class. It's much like approaching a retail store to take your products on consignment or

wholesale. Of course, sometimes you have to be flexible, but you should never lose money! This is part of

your business, after all, and you want it to succeed.

If the venue says they never charge over $25 for a class, and you know your materials will cost $30 per

student, it may be the wrong venue for you. Not all prices are set in stone, so don't be afraid to discuss

different options with the venue, such as adding a materials fee.

Another thing to take into consideration about the venue and your price is how many students the space

can accommodate. For example, if you teach a lecture-type of course, you might be able to charge a little

less because you'll earn more with a greater number of students. If you're teaching a more intensive

hands-on workshop with lots of one-on-one attention to each student, then you might want to charge

more.

To get started, you need to know the costs you'll have and the profit you'll need to make for your class to

be financially viable. Here are the two main categories you'll want to take into consideration:

Materials and Miscellaneous Expenses

1. The cost of the materials for your craft per each student 2. Tools each student will take home (at your cost) 3. Tools you make available for each student's use in class (usage fee per student)



4. Number of handouts per student (about 25 cents per page.) 5. Rental of venue divided by estimated number of students 6. Cost of any advertising you paid for divided by estimated number of students

Subtotal _________

Instruction Fee

1. Number of teaching hours, plus setup and teardown time 2. Multiply total hours times $50 (for example, a three-hour class with a one-hour setup and teardown

time is 4 x 50 = $200 3. Divide total teaching wages, in this case $200, by estimated number of students

Subtotal __________

Then you just add your two subtotals together to determine the minimum cost of the class per student.

Now, this is where you may have to tweak the costs a bit. For example, if you're too optimistic about how

many students you think will be coming to your class, you may not charge enough to make any money on

your workshop. If you estimate too low, though, the course may cost too much to draw students in.

Somewhere in the middle is usually the answer. And remember to do some market research to see what

other classes are charging.

Advertising your Class

All right, you've designed your curriculum, planned your project, and found a space to teach. Now it's time

to get the word out!

A little secret: Even if you are teaching at a venue that does the publicity for your class, do all you can to

get the word out—without overstepping your bounds. How? Post a media release on your social media

outlets and ask your friends to share this is great advertising for free. Also, promote the class on your

Web site, send announcements to my e-mail list, announce it in classes you are currently teaching, and

talk about it when networking with people I think might be interested.

Check with the venue (if retail) to see if they will agree to put fliers in every customer's bag for a week or

two prior to the workshop—and provide the fliers. But remember, the best advertising of all is word of

mouth—and it's free!

Part 5

Summary

You've accomplished a great deal in this class, from finding your niche to designing your work space to

securing copyrights and trademarks to selling your beautiful works, and now, finally, to teaching your

craft!



You got to come around the other side of the desk and see what life looks like as a teacher. If you like

teaching, you'll find it rewarding—both emotionally and financially. You've discovered some places where

you can share your knowledge and love of your craft with others who are eager to learn, as well as how to

get started in this aspect of your career.

You've also learned how to plan a class and put together your course description. And you have some

guidelines now about how to price your classes so you can make a profit and teach even more classes.

FAQs

Q: What makes a good handout? A: You want to provide general as well as specific information about the medium with which you're working. For example, not all clay is alike. What are some of the most common types of clay used? Are some easier to handle than others? Do some clay pieces break easier than others? Would some clays or glazes make a more slippery product than others? (This could be very important if you're making decorative floor tiles for a floor!) At what temperatures do various clays or glazes need to be fired? While this type of information may or may not be immediately necessary for your students to know, it makes for a valuable reference for them should they continue in this craft and lets them know you're taking their interest seriously from day one. Q: Do teaching venues also have contracts? A: Most venues will have their own policies and written contracts. But if you're approaching a new or smaller craft supply store or art studio, for example, you need to consider—and get in writing—several points:

Decide on the registration process and cut-off date. Do students call you to register or the venue?

How many students need to register for the venue to offer a class?

Do students need to pay before the class to secure their registration?

What is the cancellation policy?

What's the refund policy, and does it affect your profit?

How will the venue pay you? Will they charge you to rent some of their space for the class, and your profit is anything you make over that fee? Will they pay you a set fee? Or will they take a percentage of tuition? What are these amounts?

Be open for compromise, but be sure the math adds up to you making a profit at the end of the day. Although teaching is a great way to get the word out about your new business, it's also hard work and, as you can see, is a business in itself! Q: The idea of starting small when just beginning to teach is good. But how do you go about increasing your class size once you have more experience? A: If you have already been teaching at home, perhaps to three or four students at a time, it's still better to close enrollment at a certain number of students and offer a second or even third class. It is suggested



no more than double the number of students you're used to teaching. You really need to let your teaching experience have time to grow. It's tempting to go beyond your capabilities when you have 40 people on a waiting list for a class. But you won't have a waiting list for long if word spreads that your workshops are crammed with people who don't get the one-on-one help they need. Q: Do you have any specific teaching tips for handling a class well? A: Here are some tips for handling a class:

1. Most experienced teachers agree that the first half hour sets the pace of the class. So show your enthusiasm for your topic right from the start. Energy and enthusiasm are contagious!

2. If you have fewer than 30 students, allow some time for people to introduce themselves and identify one reason they signed up for the class. This makes the class atmosphere more personal and friendly.

3. Give information in bite-sized pieces. No matter how interesting the information is, people can't sit still forever, and they'll absorb knowledge more easily in small portions.

4. Tell your students what you plan to teach (through your handouts and other visuals, as well as verbally), and then go through the steps with your students in a hands-on manner.

5. Give your students a chance to move often. The ideal is every 15 minutes in a workshop. So try lecturing for 15 minutes or so and then ask students to come up front to see a demonstration. Be sure to read your students' body signals. Are they squirming in their seats or falling asleep? Ask if they'd like to take a five-minute break or simply stand up and stretch.

6. Set aside time to let your students evaluate your class (through anonymous forms). Then listen to what they have to say, learn from it, and grow with it in your next class!

Q: Is it really necessary to create an evaluation form? Won't the venues provide their own? A: A lot of venues probably do give out teacher evaluations, but even so, it is strongly recommended that you hand out your own so you can get information that's tailored specifically to your needs. Remember, a really good evaluation form will help you become a more effective teacher. You will want to assure your students that their comments will be anonymous. When you create the form, word the questions in a way that helps the students be concise in their feedback, but don't ask leading questions. Also, don't ask about things you can't or won't change. You want to put a lot of thought into creating your evaluation form. It doesn't need to be long. Just cover the important points, like what you could do to improve the class and what format they'd prefer (such as a one-day workshop or two-hour classes once a week for six weeks). Also, you want to create a form that doesn't change so you can objectively measure your improvement over time as a teacher. Remember, you want to elicit the information that will most help your teaching over time. Last, don't wait until the last five minutes of class to hand out the evaluation. Your students may be tired by then or rushed to get somewhere after your class. Give it out no less than 30 minutes before the end of the class, and ask them to take a break to fill it out. And be sure to tell them where to turn in their evaluation when they're finished. Q: Is $50-an-hour for teaching a class the general going rate? A: It is based on a couple of factors. First, as Traditional knowledge teachers, you put a lot of time into the development of our courses and course projects, and take into consideration our past training,



reputation, and years of experience. And second, $50 an hour is a good minimum hourly wage because you can have a small turnout without having to cancel the class, you have made it worth your time. This figure, of course, isn't set in stone. It also depends on what the market can bear in your area, so it must be re-emphasize the importance of doing solid market research. It is suggested that you start by asking other local Traditional knowledge and skill teachers what they set as their hourly minimum for a workshop of similar length. Also, ask them what minimum enrollment they need in order to hold the class and what time limit they set for canceling (such as four days, one week, or two weeks before the class if not enough students register. It is preferred to set a high enough minimum wage so as not to cancel a class. Canceling is bad for your reputation, and you lose any last-minute students who could have made up your minimum enrollment if you didn't have a time limit.

Lesson 12 - Assignment Think of a short craft workshop (three hours to one day at most) that you'd like to teach. Next, create a

class plan using the topics we covered today: goals, project, and what you will and won't cover. Then

write your course description.

If you have time, try creating a handout of your own. This is optional, though, so don't sweat it.

Share your assignment with your instructor and class.



Lesson 12 - Quiz


1. Which of the following should your teaching media kit contain?

Your price list.

Your course description.

Your marketing plan.

A picture of your craft booth.

2. What will help you succeed in working with different venues?

Being flexible with class formats.

Having a media kit.

Determining clear, set prices.

Posting on social media.

3. What's the first thing you need to do when planning your class?

Come up with a catchy title.

Put together your media kit.

Figure out the format you want to use.

Determine the goals of your class.

4. To make sure that you can complete the project you've chosen to teach by the end of the class,

what should you do?

Choose a small project.

Make the project yourself at least three times.

Set a timer during your class.

Walk a friend who has no experience making the craft through the process and time how long they take.

5. What do you need to include when pricing your class?

Time consulting with your attorney.

Time spent putting together your press kit.

Time setting up and tearing down the class.

Time writing your handouts.



Quiz Answer Key: 1. Your course description. 2. Being flexible with class formats. 3. Determine the goals

of your class. 4. Make the project yourself at least three times. 5. Time setting up and tearing down the

class.





Targeted Learner Program

Resources





Sample Template for a Targeted Learner Program: “Indigenous Knowledge & Skills as a Business”

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

WEEK

1

20 hrs/wk full time program

Classes will run from 9:00am to 2:30pm with ½ hour lunch (5 hours of instruction) Lesson 1 With activity & quiz




ADMIN/PREP

WEEK

2 20 hrs/wk full time program





ADMIN/PREP

WEEK






ADMIN/PREP

WEEK


Classes will run from 9:00am to 2:30pm with ½ hour lunch (5 hours of instruction) Work week preparing for Craft Fair on Wednesday

Classes will run from 9:00am to 2:30pm with ½ hour lunch (5 hours of instruction) Work week preparing for Craft Fair on Wednesday

CRAFT FAIR for the public to attend 5 hours of preparation This is the Student’s culminating task

GRADUATION CEREMONY HANDING OUT PROGRAM COMPLETION CERTIFICATES

ADMIN



MATERIALS LIST FOR PROGRAM

Pencils and/or pens, eraser

Lined paper or notebook

Graph paper

Ruler/measuring tape

Computers/Internet

Display Board

Calculator

Tablecloths

SAMPLE TEMPLATE FOR ADVERTISING THE PROGRAM

Traditional Knowledge and Skills As a

Business Certificate Program

Turn your passion for your traditional knowledge and skills such as hobbies, arts and crafts into a money making business. This course is designed to help you learn the basics and how to avoid the

pitfalls that many people have encountered and help you decide whether to pursue a small business as a profession.

Where: (Name of Centre- ei. ONLC) Dates: (start date to end date- ei. April 4, 2016 – April 29, 2016) Time: (hours of day – ie. 9:00am -2:00 pm)

To enroll for this certificate program or for more information please contact: (name of centre, address, phone numbers

– ei. ONLC, 16 Sunrise Court, Ohsweken, On, N0A-1M0, 519-445-1539)

THIS IS A 4 WEEK, 20 HOUR PER WEEK PROGRAM

This course includes 12 lessons

Each lesson is divided into five parts followed by one small assignment and one quiz to assist with the student’s understanding of the material.

The lessons include areas in which the potential business owner will discover how to find your niche in the market, how to determine which venues will be best for your product, and what the student will need to represent themselves in a professional manner.

The student will also learn how to price their work; learn some of the secrets to marketing, how to set long- and short-term goals, and how to stay artistically inspired while running their own business



THIS CERTIFIES THAT

has successfully completed the required course of study approved by the

Indigenous Knowledge and Skills as a Business Program, and is therefore awarded this

CERTIFICATE Given this day of , 20

(Director of Sponsoring Program) Instructor



THIS IS A SAMPLE OF THE CERTIFICATE

ONLC (Program Name)

THIS CERTIFIES THAT

POCAHONTAS (Student Name)

has successfully completed the required course of study approved by the

Indigenous Knowledge and Skills as a Business Program, and is therefore awarded this

CERTIFICATE Given this 1st day of April, 2016

(Director of Sponsoring Program) Instructor

(Add stamp or logo here)



Documents

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AS A BUSINESSonlc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Traditional-Knowledge...Traditional Knowledge and Skills as a Business pg. 5 ©Ontario Native Literacy