Beginning Business

Ah June, the traditional month for weddings. There’s just something joyous about the beauty and excitement of a big gala celebration as friends and family witness solemn vows, followed by a fête for the happy couple.

The wedding industry is a multi-billion dollar market. Even in a rough economy, most couples don’t want to scrimp on whatever it takes to make their special day memorable and unique. A bride, especially, is interested in making her wedding stand out. Weddings are nothing if not entrenched in tradition, so how does a bride go about introducing a distinctive touch to her special day?

If you have, or wish to have, a home craft business, sooner or later you will want to do a craft show. Craft shows can range from the tiny (small-town celebration, six booths, outdoors) to the enormous (large city, 500 booths, convention center). 

When running a craft business, there are two basic divisions in sales type: retail (selling directly to the customer) and wholesale (selling to a middleman, who sells to the customer). It’s entirely possible to do both, of course. But, the common element in both types of sales is marketing. How else can you earn money if you don’t market your products to people who want to buy them?