We all heard growing up that artists don’t make any money. If you had artistic ambitions, perhaps you put them to the side in favor of the daily corporate grind and the promise of a steady salary, health benefits and a retirement plan. Now though, perhaps your job is on shaky ground or worse, gone entirely and you are casting about for a new way to earn a living.
Why not, this time, take a new route that puts money in the bank AND leaves you creatively fulfilled?
The following are ten home based businesses for perfect for artistic types:
Cake Baking/Decorating – Everyone has birthdays, weddings, and other special occasions. Why not encourage them to celebrate with a custom designed cake of your creation? This business requires relatively little capital to start, but cake decorating skills are imperative.
Candle Making – Candles have become a ubiquitous gift item and homemade candles let the recipient know that the giver did not simply drop by the big box store the day before a special occasion. You can sell homemade candles on consignment at stores, at craft fairs or on online sites like Etsy.com and eBay.
Cookie or Candy Making – You can sell cookies and candy through bakeries or local gift shops. Just be sure to check ordinances in your area when it comes to food preparation in your home kitchen.
Card or Scrapbook Design – Just like with cake baking, with this business you can be the one people go to when special occasions arise. Create artistic cards or offer to turn clients’ memories into tasteful scrapbooks.
Furniture Refurbishing – For those who embrace the concept “what’s old is new again,” scouting flea markets and antique stores for “finds,” fixing them up and then selling them locally or on eBay can be a profitable business. This business requires some investment and technical know-how, especially when it comes to antiques, which can actually lose value if refurbished.
Interior Decorating – If you have an eye for interior design (and perhaps some courses or experience under your belt), striking out on your own as an interior designer could be a very lucrative business for someone with an eye for color, design, lighting and spaces.
Jewelry Making – Homemade jewelry is all the rage right now and if you have an artistic eye and the patience to work with many tiny pieces, then this could be the business for you.
Music Teaching – This business requires, of course, expertise at a musical instrument. As a music teacher you can give lessons out of your home, travel to student’s homes, or perhaps, start your own studio.
Mural Painting – If you are a gifted painter, you can contract to paint murals in homes, offices, shopping centers or even outdoors areas.
Sewing/Knitting/Crocheting – As paring down and “going green” becomes all the rage, the market for local, homemade items is growing. Just like with other “crafty” products, you can sell these on consignment at local shops, or through sites like eBay, Etsy, and 1000 Markets.
Are you ready to start a creatively fulfilling business? It won’t be easy, so be sure to take advantage of all the freebies you can get. Start with us! Sign up through July and we'll throw in a free business profile web page and web address to get you started.
What do you think?
Do you own a crafty small business?
What do you do? How did you turn your craft into profits?
1
I bought Craft, Inc. by Meg Mateo Illasco and then created a business plan for myself! I am a graphic designer and letterpress stationer. The biggest thing was calculating cost for my product and learning to delegate tasks that I was looking efficiency on.
Posted Feb 23, 2010 3:08:10 PM by: Dingbat Press