While starting a handmade card business may seem like an attractive prospect and one that is relatively easy to do, starting a successful card making business takes planning and research. Whether you are planning this as a part-time job, a way of making a bit of extra income or whether this represents a new career path, read on to find out what you should be doing before you start selling your cards. . Your planning should include potential designs, techniques and materials that you will require, what market need these cards will fulfill, for example what occasion will the cards be targeted at? You should be creating mock-ups of some of these designs so you can see how long they take to create and identify any construction problems.
Your market: Who your cards are aimed at? Your market place: Where are you going to sell your cards? Will you sell your cards at one of the online marketplaces for crafts? Market opportunity: Is there a market need for your cards? Are you offering cards that have a point of difference, for example, unique designs or construction, are you fulfilling a niche? Competition: Who are your competitors, what do they do that is better/worse than you? How do their prices, designs, materials compare with yours? Where are their areas of weakness? Price: What price range will your cards fall within? Will you make a profit at the price range you have identified. Have you budgeted your time–all of it, including the time you will need to promote your cards? Time: Can you commit the time required to make your business a success.
