Most people dream about being self-employed, especially those who have run the race of nine-to-five jobs. If you’re blessed or equipped with artistic skill, you definitely possess a vital building block, which is the hallmark of successful businesses. Also, if your artistic skill takes you to start your own paper craft business, you’ll have many outlets to showcase your talent.

By paper craft, we mean any craft which you can create out of paper or any other material that looks like paper. For instance, if you can use fabric rags or cardboard to craft something, you’re in business. You can make a variety of designs from paper craft, depending on the season of the year. One of the seasonal designs of paper craft is the handcrafted holiday decorations. There’s also the paper craft design for wedding invitation cards and market place settings.

So if you want to start your own paper craft business from home, it is quite easy. You only need the relevant information to get it right.

Read Also: 10 Lucrative Craft Business Ideas to Start This Year

How to Start Your Own Paper Craft Business from Home

1. Select your Business Name

The first thing a prospective customer will see is your business name. That’s what will show that you’re a businessman and give the customers an idea of what you are selling. Your business name will also throw a little light on your personality. That’s why; you shouldn’t choose any random name but carefully select a name that will create impact.

Most people like using their names like; Peter Fine Quilts. It is good, but you are wasting words. Why not try something like Uptown Quilts in Houston, TX. With this business name, you are telling people exactly where you are and the particular product you are producing for sale.

2. Look for your Basic Startup Tools and Supplies

Opening a paper craft business is one of the businesses that you can start with little investment. That is because the tools and supplies you need are very easy to find and affordable, as well. The things you will need are varieties of the paper medium, printing tools, cutting tools, adhesives, and dyes.

You should also differentiate between seasonal and non-seasonal paper crafts. The seasonal paper crafts include; greeting cards, gift wraps, holiday decorations, and wedding invitations. As for non-seasonal paper crafts, you may look for year-round types such as bookbinding, lampshades, scrapbooking, pop ups, paper Mache, origami, and wallpaper.

3. Check Out the Different Papers Types Available

The major key to success in any craft or art is choosing the appropriate raw material. For instance, if the item you want to craft is lampshaded, the best raw-material to go for is hemp paper material and kinwashi. These materials are also perfect for making letterpress designs and block printing.

When you go to buy paper materials, you will find out that they are sold either in rolls or sheets. Most of them are bleach or acid-free, and this fact affects the paper’s consistency and color. Also, the sheet even the thinnest ones are very strong, although it depends on their weaving technique and the type of fiber utilized.

On the other hand, there are ready-made papers available that are quite gorgeous and comes from various online as well as brick-and-mortar factories.

4. Study the Paper Craft Supplies and Tools

The major tool for the paper craft you need to study is the paper cutter. It depends though on the paper craft you are making. You may require an excellent pair of guillotine paper cutters, a razor knife, or cutting shears. You’re also going to need tools like; ruler, a letterpress, plastic for cutting stencils, ink, dyes, adhesives like glue, stamps, and T-square.

The price of a professional letterpress machine is a bit on the high side. They may reach up to $5,000, which may be much for a crafter still running a small business. But then, you can always opt for the affordable hobby letterpress. At least, it will give you the idea of what to expect.

If what you are handcrafting are simple designs of letterpress, you can always cut stencils and use a brayer to print them. Another important tool that is rated high in the handcraft business is the Cricut machine. Most hobby crafters love it, and it is an excellent transitional tool to go from hobby to commercial.

However, you should know that most of the affordable hobbyist tools may come in handy when you are just beginning so that you can learn all the basic skills required. But when you want to make money from your paper craft business, which needs a letterpress, you will have to invest in the professional tools.

5. Choose a Market for your Craft

Any handcraft business owner should have a target market in mind before starting up. In fact, deciding your selling venue for handmade products is a major decision, especially if you are a beginner. Some choose to sell their products only online, while some people prefer their venue for selling at fairs or other events. Some people even decide to send their products to local stores on consignment.

You have many available venues for you to sell your handcraft products. The question then is, where would you like to market your products? For you to make the best decision about your selling venue, you need to carry out thorough research.

If what you want is online marketing venues, you should check out the many craft marketplaces online. You can also check social media sites to find out what makes them unique. Moreover, you can also chat with other sellers on that platform to help you learn from their experiences as well as its pros and cons.

Checking out the reviews of those websites across the internet is also helpful. Even, you can join any online crafting forum so that you can chat with the other crafters and learn where and how they sell their goods online. If you prefer selling your products at fairs, you can also search online for events. But then, you shouldn’t forget to check out the local events first, which may not carry adverts online. Where you need to look for what is happening locally is on newspapers, the announcement boards at libraries, and by asking around for such events.

You will be surprised that most crafters are very happy to share the good news. If you know where to begin, you can also sell your products in local shops, although that may seem intimidating. Take a few good pictures of your handcraft to make a portfolio.

Also, pack some of your sample work in a box or presentation case. Then canvass through the local shops that interests you to inquire if they will need a consignment. It will surprise you to find out that many shop owners will love to do business with you. As long as your work is beautiful and has high-quality, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for buyers.

Conclusion

You will feel a sense of accomplishment when you have a business of your own. Most people think that it is a herculean task to achieve.  We believe that after reading this article, you have learned that it is very simple. Go ahead and be your own boss doing what you love.

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Author: Simon RobertEasyInfoBlog is a multi-author blog. We have experts and professionals in various fields who share their ideas and expert knowledge to help you with your daily information needs. Thanks for reading!