Why Home Parties?

Are home parties for you? Probably!

They're a fantastic opportunity for crafters to sell their crafts, for several reasons:

• Low risk- even if you don't sell anything (which is extremely unlikely) the most you've lost is a few hours of your time and possibly a small hostess gift.


• High return - in general, selling your crafts at parties will give you a high financial return for a comparatively small investment of your time.


• Willing customers - most of the guests are already interested in what you're selling, or they probably wouldn't be there, and the setting also provide them with a relaxed, comfortable environment to try before they buy - shopper's heaven!


• No competition - unlike at craft fairs, on the internet and in shops, you will have your customers' sole attention - there won't be any other vendors competing for their money.


• Flexibility - you're in control of how many parties you do, so you can do as many or as few as you like, or vary them according to your changing time constraints.

Take a look at these 10 Reasons To Sell From Home Parties for even more encouragement.

If you create quality crafts and dream of starting a craft Business, there are very few reasons not to at least give home parties a try. It's just that we’re all a little afraid of the unknown.

Reassure yourself by reading these common worries people have about doing a home party.

However, it would be unfair of me not to point out the few disadvantages there are, so you can make an informed decision as to whether home parties will work for you. These are some of the things you'll need to consider:

• Evening parties - although some people schedule parties during the day for coffee mornings or over a lunch, I find that most of my parties take place in the evening. So make sure your partner doesn't mind, and if you have children you'll have to make sure you've got a babysitter for the duration.

  Personally I like doing parties in the evening as it's only a couple of nights a week at the most, and as I work at home all day it makes a nice change! You'll need to decide whether it suits you though, taking into account how many parties you plan to do.

• Seasonality - the number of bookings you get can depend on the season, or what holidays are coming up. Obviously just before Christmas is always crazy, then I find there's usually a lull until the middle of January.

  I also don't usually get as many bookings during school holidays, but this suits me, as I can't make as much jewelry when my kids aren't at school! Decide whether you're happy with this, or whether you need a more steady income.

• Working at home - I love working from home, but it does have it's disadvantages. It's often not seen as a 'real job' and so you're often subjected to interruptions and distractions from friends and family.

  If you have lots of orders and need to restock for more parties, it can be difficult to juggle your time during the day to meet your deadlines. There are ways around this though, which I've covered in the section on Growing Your Business.

For me though, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. I enjoy having the flexibility to work as much or little as I want to, depending on what's going on in our family at the time. And if I want a some extra income for a special treat I can just schedule an extra party or two and work flat out for a while.

It's enjoyable too. No more slogging at the office at some boring job just to make ends meet, I can earn money from doing what I love to do - crafting!

Encourage yourself by reading these party success stories - like me, they're just ordinary people who love to craft and have found home parties a great way to sell!

I recommend the The Little Black Book of Party Consultant Business Secrets by Party Plan Pat to get your business off to a profitable start.