| | |  | Home Business Electronics | Home » » Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business | | | | | | | Description: | | Craft, Inc. is the hipster business primer for entrepreneurial crafters to turn what they do for fun into what they do for money. Pro crafter Meg Mateo Ilasco offers a step-by-step guide to everything from developing products and naming the company to writing a business plan, applying for licenses, and paying taxes. Chapters on sales, marketing, trade shows, and publicity round out the mix. Plus, in-depth interviews with such craft luminaries as Jonathan Adler, Lotta Jansdotter, Denyse Schmidt, and Jill Bliss provide inspiration and practical advice. Accessible, informative, and more than a little spunky, Craft, Inc. paves the way for today's creative minds to become tomorrow's trendsetters. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Meg Mateo Ilasco | | Paperback:
| 160 pages | | Publisher:
| Chronicle Books | | Publication Date:
| August 09, 2007 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0811858367 | | Product Length:
| 7.94 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.58 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.6 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.69 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.8 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.8 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.7 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 32 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 32 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 41 found the following review helpful:
 Perfect for the beginner!Jan 05, 2008
By Kitty Kellie
"2misskitty@earthlink.net"
I purchased this book over Thanksgiving and just now got around to reading it. WOW! I wish I had done it sooner! I agree with all of the previous comments. This book is a quick read with much to offer the new crafter in the way of marketing and getting organized.
Taking advantage of the internet is a must for anyone in business these days and Craft Inc. has some wonderful gems to offer in that regard which I am putting to use as I write this. The information is laid out in a non-intimidating way that lets you decide which methods are going to be best for you.
I am inspired by the interviews with successful crafters of various mediums and how they got their start!
If you are thinking about taking your hobby to the next level, this is a good place to begin your journey and you will not be sorry you purchased this book.
Cheers!
30 of 30 found the following review helpful:
 Guides artists through the basics of businessDec 11, 2009
By Jaymi Elford
"innowen"
The ultimate dream for any artist and crafter is to be able to open up a shop where they can sell their creations and make a living from their passion. Thanks to sites like Etsy crafters can do just this. For those of you who think you might want to eventually swap out your 9-5 job to pursue a business based off your creative designs, then Craft, Inc.: Turn your creative hobby into a business, by Meg Mateo Ilasco, is just the guide for you.
Mateo Ilasco uses Craft, Inc. to hit all the major points of starting your own crafty company. Her writing is crisp and tailored perfectly to today's crafting audience. The chapters are loosely organized around topics such as: is starting a business right for you; overview of business topics; making your product identity; marketing (with heavy emphasis on internet and trade show techniques); production and pricing; and how to live beyond the dream. She teaches you how to make business and marketing plans and how to act when you're invited to trade shows. The book also contains many internet resources to help you along the way to turning your crafting hobby into a profitable business.
Craft, Inc. contains a lot of good information over a very broad scope. Mateo Ilasco covers a lot of ground in 160 pages. I'd almost recommend that you read this book twice. Once to see the variety of information in the book and a second time to really understand what to do with the information. There are lots of check lists to make sure that you have what it takes to open shop or successfully attend a trade show. She also includes some very good questions to ask yourself about why you are doing what you are doing with your craft and business. The book includes many positive success-story interviews, illustrating that craft businesses can and do make it in the real world.
I personally loved the final chapter, "Ups, Downs, and Next Steps". While knowing business plans and marketing styles is important, this chapter goes into the specifics of what to do if your design gets plagiarized, or if you burn out quickly, or want to end your business because it's not doing as well as expected. These are important things that happen to new entrepreneurs and usually get glanced over or forgotten from most business-oriented books.
On the flipside, while the book contains a lot of information, the information it contains tends to be broad and generalized. This is a book that caters to craft-people but it should be read in conjunction with other business books out there. For example, the book talks a lot about marketing and where to go to market your wares. But it doesn't really tell you the specifics of making a great marketing plan that grows with your business over the years. I also would have liked to see more interviews with crafters; especially one or two where turning their hobby into a full-time business didn't live up to their expectations. Adding a touch of realism to all the bright and shiny success stories would ground this cheery, "can do" book back into reality. Craft, Inc. also focuses mostly on US markets and techniques, so I'm not sure how useful this book would be on a global scale; even though Mateo Ilasco does mention outsourcing globally.
The bottom line is that Craft, Inc. is a good, solid book to introduce basic business principles to crafters who think they want to open shop and sell their items. It gives you a complete view of the business process from creation to ending your business gracefully. Like most craft books on the market, this one has a nice graphic design and color scheme that seems to cater to woman crafters over men. But don't let that fool you as Mateo Ilasco does illustrate that the book works for anyone.
33 of 35 found the following review helpful:
Hip and helpfulDec 29, 2007
By Teresa
"trartist"
Barbara Brabec had written books on the crafting biz that are, I feel, the standard for what one needs to know. However, I am quite captivated by Meg Ilasco's take on the topic because she thoroughly modernized it (e.g. how one can fully take advantage of the Internet to promote one's business). Her style is highly readable and approachable. I like how interviews are interspersed with practical information. The attractive overall design of the book is also a bonus to potential buyers because, obviously, we who engage in the craft biz are naturally tuned to aesthetics.
My only criticism is that the Your Business Mind chapter could be a bit more in-depth, but given that the publisher probably wants to keep the book at the manageable size that it is, this chapter is still a good starting point, and it's up to the crafter to get more info from, say, the SBA.
I had borrowed this book from the library, but after reading it, I will definitely be buying my own copy.
22 of 24 found the following review helpful:
A must have for anyone selling handmade itemsSep 05, 2007
By WillowTreeCreek
"Willowtreecreek"
This book is an amazing tool. I am currently in the process of starting my own crafting business and this book is the best "guide" I have seen out there. Practical tips, great advise and interesting interview make it a wonderful book. If you plan to start your own business or even if you just casually sell on the internet or at craft fairs this book is a MUST HAVE!!!!
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Incredibly helpfulDec 03, 2007
By Ashi
This book is exactly what I needed, and more than I expected. It helps with virtually every aspect of starting your own creative business, from the technicalities of personal voice and company image to the bones of legal requirements, smart business thinking and how to get the ball rolling. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who is interested in opening a store, peddling their handmade goods online, or selling their goods wholesale. It answers questions I wouldn't have thought to ask.
See all 32 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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