Ready. Set. Knit!

So I am just about ready, at least I feel like I am.

As you all know I have been knitting for years now and have had some success selling some of the items that I have knitted but I have never really tried to make it into anything more than what it, at heart, is.

A hobby.

Hobbies are all good and fine, but they get risky when you start having aspirations to make them into a career. I have been told that this is the easiest way to get tired of, what had been, a pleasant way to spend your time. That is something to certainly consider but I really only feel that that is true for those who might have picked up the hobby with this as their original intent.

For people like me that come at it from the other direction it is less of a risk.

Here the only thing that I may give us is the idea of making my hobby into a business.

When I started to look into this more I realized that there was a lot to consider. And I was sort of put off it all. Now, for the most part, things are in place and I've seen enough to get started. At least the basics have been covered and what has yet to be discovered/encountered isn't that important.

That isn't me being super confident. Rather it is a feeling of covering all of the basics before getting started. And, sure, basics are just that, the baby steps that lead to success.

As they say: "We must learn to walk before we can run." Sidenote: When I googled the idiom I was expecting to see somebody famous credited with saying it. Instead they listed E.L. James as saying it. Hum, pretty sure that it is older than that.

So, what would walking look like in my case?

Well, I felt like it would only be fitting to set a budget. I am willing to invest this much in the business and not much more. This comes in the form of:

  1. Time – I am willing to put a realistic amount of time the business, yet, at the same time it has to have a realistic cut off point. I know some women that decided to start a shop on Etsy and are "still cracking away at it" years later. This isn't very encouraging, nor is is sensible.
  2. Money – If it is important that I set a limit to how much time I am willing to invest into the business that same is doubly true for the financial aspect of the business.
    • Somebody once that I know told me that print shops love to see people come in that are just starting out. Most businesses try to do everything right. And that means having lots of prints made; regardless of how many they need.I think that is why so many shops have a surplus of fliers, business or care cards.

One aspect of starting a shop that I find important is adding the finishing touch.

It both needs to be professional and at the same time it needs to feel like it is personal. I have always appreciate the cards that certain sellers include in the package. They are no more than business cards with a tasteful and cleaver design and a specific purpose that falls into one or more of the following categories:

  1. Coupon
  2. Care
  3. Contact

Right now I want to include two. And I found a site which offers a lot of different styles. I even recognized one of the card designs I've received from an Etsy seller in the past. So from that I can say using straight business cards is certainly an option. And judging by the quality of the print and paper I will likely also go with them, as they are also cheaper. The coupon (which doubles as a contact) and care card.

I haven't made a final decision on the card design. Though I am certain that I will use business cards for the inserts. My main concern for selecting the right set is that they should compliment each other.

When it comes to cards, no matter if it is a business card or a any other piece of promotional material the important part is in clearly stating the purpose. When you get a care card with an order off of Etsy you want the recipient to immediately understand what it is. Don't hide the meaning behind a fancy design that, while it may look nice, ends up in the garbage because they do not know what it is.

What I have in mind for the design is something that clearly shows its intention and then, once they have acknowledged it adds the extra touch.

Is that too much to ask?


But I have a big selection to choose from.

Down and Out

Alright, not really out. But I was informed by one of my loyal readers (Thanks mom! Seriously what would I do without you. ) that my site was down. How can this be you ask? How can something so radical s Radical Mirrors be down? Well, it was a mess up by my Registrar. They must have messed something up. Uhm, sure. Though I think it might have been my mistake… cough.

As you can see, reading this means that the site is now back online and spiffy as ever!