Craft and Home Party Business Information

Recently I've come across several great new resources for craft and home party business information. It got me thinking about how much I've relied on reading to get me where I am today. And so this article was born...

Something I really believe can make the difference between succeeding or failing in your craft home party business is whether you arm yourself with the relevant knowledge or not. It doesn't matter whether you're just starting your business up, trying to grow your established business or hoping to revive an ailing business - the right craft and home party business information is what will help you do it as successfully and painlessly as possible.

I suppose I'm lucky - I've loved reading ever since I first learned how. I love getting stuck into a good story, and I love finding out anything and everything I can about whatever my latest passion is. If I'm worried about anything, I read about it to calm my nerves and figure out a solution.

And I wouldn't be where I am today without having read all the relevant craft and home party business information I could lay my hands on. Books, magazine, websites, newsletters - I love to read them all!

Information is never wasted. It can always be stored ready to use when you need it. And that's why I consider it to be an important investment for your business. Lay your hands on every bit of relevant craft and home party business information that you can find.

Read books, subscribe to magazines, scour the internet; all of these will provide you with the knowledge you need in order to be successful. You can learn from other people's mistakes and triumphs so there's no need for expensive trial and error on your part!

• Books - No self-respecting business person will have shelves without several good business books on it. Or a computer without a good library of ebooks downloaded into it. You'll refer back to the best ones again and again, as your business grows and changes and has different needs.

  Try to find books that are specific to your niche - general business books can also be useful, but you'll get the most out of practical details that relate directly to your own type of business. You'll find reviews of my own favourite craft and home party business information books here.

• Magazines - While books provide a solid base of knowledge for your business, magazines provide you with up to the minute information on the latest trends and discoveries.

  If you are serious about your home based business, I think it's important that you subscribe to at least one magazine that is relevant to your craft. For me that's a jewelry making magazine, for you it could be soap making, card making or knitting.

  You need to be up to date with what's going on in the world of your craft. Often even general interest magazines can help you with figuring out new fashion trends in clothing, jewelry or home decor. Search for magazines that are relevant to your craft business.

• The internet - No one has any excuse not to research their business adequately these days! The internet is full of free home based business information and tips on starting your own craft business.

  Gather this info up from the websites you find, and sign up for newsletters or ezines that relate to your business. You can get useful information sent straight to your inbox - ready to use whenever you need it. Some of it will be rubbish, but it's worth sifting through the dirt for a genuine nugget - and you soon get better at spotting which ones will be most useful.

  I belong to several newsletter subscription lists - for jewelry business, craft business and home party business information.

• Training courses - Why do you think big successful corporations spend so much money on training courses for their employees? Because they know that knowledge is an important investment. Good workshops can be expensive, but what you learn will usually more than pay for itself in the long run.

  If you know you need to learn a specific new business or craft skill and you can't find any good courses locally, consider doing an online course. There are lots out there, relating to all sorts of topics. Check out the syllabus first, to make sure the course will be relevant to you, and covers what you want it to. Then just cut out some extra tv time and go for it!

No more excuses!

Which of these have you used?

• "I'm too busy, I don't have time to read books or do courses."

  Personally, I'd rather make time to read now, rather than wait until my business has collapsed and I've got too much time! You will also save yourself a lot of time by doing things right the first time round, based on what you've learned.

• "I can't afford to spend the money on books or magazine subscriptions."

  Believe me, it'll be much more expensive to learn from your own mistakes! Rather learn from other, successful people's experiences, and save yourself the expense and heartache of a failed business. Reading relevant books and magazines is probably the cheapest and easiest way of preparing yourself to succeed.

So what are you waiting for? Find that craft and home party business information and get reading! I know you'll be glad you did ;-)

Craft Business Success Package - you probably already know by now how much I like James Dillehay's books, they're very practical and full of no nonsense craft business advice.

Intro to Marketing and Selling Jewelry - audio seminar by David Weiman (Marketing Director for Lapidary Journal and writer of Jewelry Marketing Q&A, a column that appears in Lapidary Journal and Step by Step Beads). You can also subscribe to his newsletter here.

How to Run a Home Based Jewelry Party Business for Fun and Profit - Lorri Ely's fabulous ebook, which is full to overflowing with jewelry home party business information.