Complete Idiot's Guide To Making Money with Your Hobby

by Barbara Arena of the National Craft Association

Discover How-to Make Money with Your Hobby...
Check Out the Book Chapters and Contents Below:

Contents At A Glance - With Brief Chapter Descriptions:

This book is divided into six parts.
The sequence is designed to guide you through the process step-by-step,
as you turn your hobby into a into a successful on-going business venture.

Part 1: So, You are Thinking About Making Money with Your Hobby
1. Making Your Secret Dream Come True
How to go from dreaming of a business to making it a reality.
2. Brave New World: Know What You Do Best and Do It.
How to choose the best opportunity for you, based on your experiences.
3. Risky Business: Overcoming Objections
How to meet the challenge of a new business.

"So, You are Thinking About Making Money with Your Hobby," asks you to thoroughly examine yourself, your motivations, and your personal situation. Are you ready for making your dream of opening a business a reality? What should you consider? What skills do you already have that will benefit you? What skills will you need to acquire, if any? What product or service do you want to offer? This part helps you answer these questions, and determine if you are ready to go forward with your plans to make money your hobby. It will prepare for meeting the challenge of starting a business and what it takes to be ready to take the next step.

Part 2: What is Your Plan?
4. Make Contact: Doing Your Market Research
How to find and target your potential market niche.
5. The Real Deal: Setting Yourself Up as a Legitimate Business
Ideas on various ways to structure your company.
6. Basic Steps for Running Your Business Ongoing Business
How to put together a plan for starting and running your business that allows for continued growth.
7. Using A Computer to Lighten Your Business Load
Discover the benefits of using a computer to get things done.
8. Polishing Up Your Hobby For Business Sales:
How to be competitive in the marketplace.

"What is Your Plan," presents the framework for assisting you with structuring you business. It helps you discover how to research your idea, and presents ways to structure your business. Then it walks you through how to develop a business plan to insure your on-going success. You will find out just how much work a computer will save you in both starting, and maintaining your business. And finally, what it takes to be truly competitive in the marketplace. This part lays the foundation for you to prepare for making money with your hobby. It covers a lot of ground, but you will find each chapter contains vital information that will enable you to point your business in the direction you want to go.

Part 3: Legal and Financial Stuff You Need to Know
9. How It Works: Can I Run My Business From Home?
What you need to know about a home-based business start up.
10. Uncle Sam and You: Getting a tax number
Knowing when the IRS really thinks your hobby is a business.
11. Protect Thyself: Insurance
What insurance does a business need, and why.
12. Keeping Financial Records
Watching your financial records helps you keep score.
13. Money Matters
Handling start up costs, financing, banking and getting a merchant credit card account.
14. Control Issues: Federal Regulations that Apply to Artists and Crafters in Business
What laws may affect the way you do business.
15. Bringing In The Pros:
How to determine when an attorney, accountant or other professionals should be consulted.

"Legal and Financial Stuff You Need to Know," don't let the title scare you, this part is presented in simple terms that make it easy to understand and use. We will explain what you need to check out if you start a home-based business. What determines whether your venture is a hobby or a real business. When you may need business insurance and why. What financial records you will want to keep, the start up costs, financing, banking and obtaining a merchant credit card account are all covered right here. Then we will explore what laws you may have to comply with, and the guidelines for when you may need to seek outside professional assistance. Reading this chapter will prepare you for running the business you were just dreaming about before. The information you get from this section alone will pay for the price of the book.

Part 4: Gearing Up For Profit
16. Smart Buying Tricks of the Trade
How get started purchasing wholesale for your business.
17. Set Up Shop: The World of Manufacturing
Getting prepared for producing your products in volume.
18. Time is Money
Understanding the value of your time.
19.Playing the Pricing Game
Discover how to price your products and services for profit.

"Gearing Up For Profit, " yes, I know you have been waiting to hear about where the profits fit into the total picture. This is it. Profits don't just happen, they take planning and business know-how. It starts with knowing the tricks of the trade for buying your supplies wholesale, and being prepared for producing your products in volume. Then we will delve into understanding how to value your time, so you can make the money you deserve. Plus this part covers the various ways to price your products or services so you can cover your costs, and make a profit. Wow, that is a lot of ground to cover in one section. However, each chapter will provide you with the basics you need to know so you can plan for profits in you business. After all just covering expenses isn't enough, your goal is to make it profitable. This means you want your business to earn more than it spends. Therefore, you will want to pay special attention to the contents of the part because we will show you what steps to take to achieve your financial goals.

Part 5: Where Do I Start Selling My Product Line
20. Selling at Art and Craft Shows and Fairs
How to find good shows for your products and how to pick the right shows.
21. Batteries Not Included:
How to be Prepared For Selling at Professionally Promoted Shows.
22. Other Sales Outlets
Successfully selling through consignment shops, art galleries, or craft malls.
23. Selling Through Private Venues
More ways to make money selling your hand made products.
24. Am I Ready for Selling Wholesale?
How to be prepared to successfully enter this market.
25. More Ways to Make Money With Your Hobby
Products are not the only way to make money.
26. Should I Consider Opening a Retail Store?
Overview of what it takes to open a retail store for consumers.

"Where Do I Start Selling My Product Line," now that you know how to make a profit, you need to know where and how to sell your product or service to make that profit. You need a plan of action. In this part we will introduce you to the many ways available to sell and market your work such as, art and craft shows, consignment shops, art galleries, craft malls, private venues, boutiques, or by selling wholesale. We will even overview what it takes to open a retail store, as well as how to market service businesses. Products are not the only way to make money from your hobby experiences, as you will discover in the section of the book. This part will be a real eye-opener because you will find out that the more ways you open up to channel your sales through, only serves to increases your potential for bigger profits. This part will be fun to read, it moves along quickly as entrepreneurs just like yourself add their tips and experiences to help you along your path to business success.

Part 6: Marketing Strategies That Will Help You Build Your Business
27. The Big Marketing Secret
Developing marketing techniques that work for your specific type of business.
28. The Nitty-Gritty of Successful Marketing for a Small Business
Plain down to earth "marketing on a shoestring" tactics you can take to the bank.
29. Put the Internet to Work For You How to put the Internet on your sales team.
30. Staying Ahead of Your Competition
Ways to avoid letting the competition eat up the sales you should have had.

"Marketing Strategies That Will Help You Build Your Business," covers the stuff you need to know to keep your business up and running as you continue to grow. Building a business is like laying a foundation, one-block-at-a-time. Each one you put in place adds structure to what you already have in place. Marketing is like that, the more you expand your efforts, the more opportunities you have to build your profits. In this part we want to prepare you for running an on-going growth structured business using marketing tactics you can take to the bank. We also included a special chapter on how to put the Internet to work for you and how to avoid letting the competition eat up sales you should have had. Marketing your product or service is as critical to your business success and having the right product or service at the right time. That is why we devoted the entire closing section of this book to helping you get a grip on the keys to success in marketing your business.

Business Resource Sections:
We have more in store for you, the business resources you want. We have included in Appendix A, the "resource inside information" you need to know to keep you ahead of the competition. You will find trade associations, books, trade magazines and publications that will provide you with a wealth of key contacts and information. Then to top it off, we give you the wholesale sources you need to locate supplies, equipment, tools or fixtures and display materials for running your business. Yes, more sources on top of what we already provided in so many of the chapters. These sources will save you countless hours of research, saving you both time and money. Appendix A will be just one of the many reasons why this book will remain an important part of your business reference library. And then we have included in Appendix B, a glossary of the trade terms used in this book for you to keep handy as a reference tool. So don't waste any more time, get comfortable and start reading up on how to make money with your hobby. Remember, nothing will happen until you take some action.

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