First of all, some of the step-by-step instructions are just a little tiny big on the vague side. It’s all well and good, for instance, to tell me that before I give my business its official name, I need to conduct a national search for other companies using the same name, and to check with state and federal agencies for conflicting trademarks, but…um, how do I do that, again? Google? Letter to my senator?
Yeah, no idea.
The other less helpful component of the book is the fact that those expert interviews are all waaaaaaay beyond my level. Instead of reading Lotta Jansdotter talk in her interview about outsourcing her production, I’d much rather read about the criteria she used for choosing a bank for her business accounts, because that’s more where I’m at.
Frankly, though, there probably isn’t enough hand-holding available in this world to provide the ample hand-holding that most crafty types would like to have during this business start-up process. Without Craft Inc. to give me even this amount of hand-holding, I would not even know that I was supposed to search for identical business names, or to have a separate business account.
So simply being clueless about HOW to do any of that stuff is still a step in the right direction.
thanks! will most definitely check out “crafters inc.” i’m on etsy as both a buyer and seller of vintage and handmade, http://www.mclovebuddy.etsy.com.
that would be an excellent reference for me. 🙂
I already bought Craft, Inc. I liked it, but I had the same thought as you about the vagueness of certain instructions. And, I totally agree with your assessment that most new crafters-turn-sellers will need a lot more hand-holding than any books can provide!
I laughed at the idea that you consider yourself a novice at selling your crafts; in case you didn’t already know, I look up to you as a role model for my possible-eventual foray into *really* selling (and not just to a couple of supportive relatives). 🙂
Here is one happy thought after reading your substantive, clear-eyed review: This sounds like one to check out from your local library instead of buying.
I will admit that I’m a thousand times better at what I do than I was at my very first craft fair–I kind of cringe thinking about that first-year set-up now! This Christmas season has been big, especially, so I have high hopes that it’s signaling a general upswing in sales and show quality, etc.
My library copy of Craft Inc. is already well-thumbed just by me, and it is actually on my to-buy list. Even though it’s not perfect, I think that it’s got all the necessary components that need to be checked off in order to run a legal, profitable business.