How to write a business plan for handmade items

If you want to sell handmade products, creating a plan is essential to your business’s success. A business plan for selling handmade items will help you structure and focus your efforts. This document is also great to refer back to so you can measure the progress of your goals. 

Plus, having a well-developed business plan is essential to achieving the necessary funding to start or grow your business. It helps you show banks or investors that you will use their money with intention and will be able to pay it back. But if you’re not sure where to start with your plan or what to include, we can help. 

This guide will list the key elements of a business plan for handmade items, including: 

• Market research 
• Company description 
• Goals and objectives
• Budget 

Before you can write your business plan, conduct your market research. This research will allow you understand the handmade items market, including its trends and demand. Market research will help you understand competition, examine similar businesses and products, and get an idea of pricing. 

The more you understand the handmade items market, the better you’ll be able to plan your business. This knowledge will allow you to organise your operations, pick your products, understand your target audience, and market yourself to develop a customer base. 

To find valuable information on the handmade items market, you might want to look at popular craft products on Etsy. You could also use YouTube and TikTok to find popular videos about handmade products. Understanding who engages with this content will help you know who will be interested in your products. Include this market research in your business plan and use relevant information to inform the other aspect of your plan. 

In addition to this, try to stay up to date with trends in the handmade items market. You might want to join or follow a relevant club or association such as the Design Trust. You can also sign up for magazine subscriptions, such as Crafts Magazine. 

The company description is a key part of your business plan for handmade items. This description summarises your business’s who, where, what, when, why, and how. So, it will help explain what you do, how you earn money, and why you’ll achieve success. 

Your company description will outline your mission. In other words, this is where you’ll discuss your values, ethics, and culture. You’ll also touch upon your vision or where you want your company to go in the future. Then, outline how you’ll organise it, market it, and which products you’ll focus on. 

For example, you might explain which handmade items you’ll sell and where you sell them. Will you open a shop for your products or sell them through an online shop? You can also outline who these products will benefit most and how you will reach that audience. 

Learn more about writing a company description.

Once you outline your company description, you can write out your business goals and objectives. It’s important to have short, medium, and long-term goals to help you establish and prioritise tasks to progress your business. Goals structure what you want your business to achieve and where you want it to go. 

Meanwhile, objectives help you turn those goals into reality. In this part, you’ll want to make your objectives specific. Do this by using the SMART method, meaning you’ll make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based. For example, you might have an objective to reach profitability. Additionally, you could plan to expand your handmade items business by incorporating an Etsy shop within the first six months. 

The next essential thing to include in your business plan for handmade items is a budget. This budget will help create goals on how much you’ll spend to start up and run your business. At the same time, you can consider sales goals and how you’ll earn a profit. 

While creating your starting budget, determine how much it’ll cost to run your business. These expenses might include the cost of supplies to make your products, marketing expenses, insurance, and other software. 

Learn more about starting a budget.

But to simplify budgeting and stick to it, you’ll need organised finances. Countingup, a business account with built-in accounting software, will help you understand how much you earn and spend for your business. You can easily find and record your transactions by type with the automatic expense categorisation. 

Plus, the app has a receipt capture tool that reminds you to snap a photo of your receipts as soon as you make a purchase. When you stay on top of your spending, you’ll know when to cut back and how to alter your budget for stronger finances. 

When starting your handmade items business, you’ll also need to consider your startup costs, to calculate how much you’ll need to start your business. With this number, you can determine how you’ll secure the necessary funding, such as saving, seeking investors, or taking out a loan. Whichever funding sources you plan to pursue can inform your plan. 

As you write your handmade items business plan, you’ll need strong financial management to make the business profitable. But, financial management can be stressful and time-consuming when you’re self-employed. That’s why thousands of business owners use the Countingup app to make their financial admin easier. 

Countingup offers useful accounting features like ongoing cash flow insights that show how much you earn and spend over time. This tool helps you track your performance, make better decisions, and confidently keep on top of your business finances wherever you are. 

Start your three-month free trial today. 
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