Knitter Finds Place on the Net -Small Business Idea

by Sandy
(Michigan)

My name is Sandy, and I recently found myself under-employed after almost 20 years of working full time. With no part time positions available for me to make up my lost income, I decided to start an Internet business. I have blogged about my knitting hobby for years, and because in the past I’ve knitted a few articles (mostly sweaters) on commission basis, I decided I’d see if I could sell any of my knitting online.

At first I just mentioned my new business on my blog; readers were encouraging, but blogging did not turn readers into customers. Some bloggers have found success selling from their weblogs, but not me. I suspect that this happened because most of my readers are knitters themselves and don’t need to buy what they can make themselves.

Learning from that, I turned to eBay to sell some of my more expensive sweaters and scarves. Although I sold a few pieces (mostly the more “artsy” scarves), I learrned through trial and error that selling less expensive pieces--in a word, hand-knitted socks--were what sold best in this venue. Perhaps it’s the economy, or maybe it’s because an auction format encourages buyers who are looking for a deal. Although I still use eBay, I’ve now established myself on Etsy and have found some success there.

I’ve found that it can be difficult using the Internet to sell hand-crafted items that often need to be touched and tried on to get a sale, but it can be done. I certainly recommend others to take excellent photographs of their goods. If you’re selling clothing items, try to use a model to give the apparel life. You don’t have to be a fashion photographer; just make sure there’s good lighting, the model is having fun (or looks like he/she is having fun!), and take multiple photos of each pose so you’ve got a choice. It doesn’t cost extra to do this with a digital camera.

I did not have to buy any computer equipment to get started. Try to use what you have, borrow what you don’t have, and save up for things you’ll need in the future. Skill-wise, the basic computer skills that let you use the Internet will get you started; as you go along and experience some success, you will start to feel more self-confident in yourself, both as a craftsperson and as an entrepreneur.

The hardest part of starting a business for me has been viewing my old hobby of knitting as a business. I do not want to take the joy out of something I love doing because I might start viewing it solely as a way to make money. To keep myself from killing the pleasure I derive from knitting, I concentrate on quality rather than quantity. Since I’m advertising my wares as hand-crafted, I’m not going to have fifty sweaters available in my online store at one time because that gives the appearance of factory, not hand-crafted. I do rotate my stock, however, to keep the site fresh.

What motivates me is not the selling part, but sharing my craft and writing about it both in my blog and my online store. I like to write a little about each item I feature--what inspired me, alterations made, etc. I inject my personality into my online presence, and it seems to work. Also, I view the selling part as a hobby in itself. I’m sure my attitude would change if I depended upon this as my main source of income.