Starting Your Creative Business on a Tiny Budget
The internet is amazing. Yes, yes, it is full of crazy, negative, sometimes terrible things as well. But it is amazing, and FULL of opportunity.
The ability to start a business online truly opens up the world of entrepreneurship. No longer do you need to pitch a business plan and secure investors or loans in order to start a business. Platforms like Shopify, Etsy and Amazon, or YouTube and Anchor- just to name a few!- allow you to begin selling or creating content in a few short steps. Yes, of course, none of this will be an overnight success, and there is a learning curve, and a ton of work involved. Just as with more traditional business, nothing will be handed to you. However, the tools you need to distribute your ideas, content, and creations are available on the internet for cheap or free. And that is an incredible opportunity. What a time to be alive!
Not every creative business is going to be affordable to start, but SO MANY are! I really believe you can begin a creative hustle for very little money. I believe in the power of starting with a little seed money, and using that to the best of your ability to make a little more money, invest a little more in your business, make even more after that, and so on. When I began making party supplies, I couldn’t afford a cutting machine. I started out with hand punches to make my garlands, and cut banner letters by hand. At the time, I was getting so few orders that this was realistic for me. It also gave me a chance to start small and see if my products were sellable. When I got a Cricut, I was obviously able to greatly expand my products. This isn’t the fastest way to start. Your growth will be slower at first when you don’t have the money to buy things like equipment, and your expenses may even be a little higher when you don’t have the money to spend on things like bulk supplies. However, I have also been able to be profitable from day one, and stay in the black every month for over 3 years. Slow growth is usually a very good thing. It’s much better than being upside down on something that doesn’t really work out, or causes you to go into debt. It can also allow you to pivot your ideas if necessary without too much loss.
Here are a few ideas for ways to start small, even when your goals are much bigger.
1. Use supplies you already have on hand. If you are already a crafty person, you may have a bunch of things on hand to use to make money. Maybe you have a big stash of fabric that you can turn into face masks (it’s 2020 right now if you read this and say…huh??), or small makeup pouches. Maybe you paint, and can come up with an idea for downloadable prints of your work, or Christmas ornaments. Maybe you’re a woodworker, and have scraps available to make smaller, easily sellable items. Think through what you already have and already do. Using up what you have to make something to sell can be the great start of a business, or even just a way to drum up some seed money for a larger goal.
2. Take advantage of free platforms. Before you have money to spend on advertising, pricier craft show spots, someone to build your beautiful website, or even a Shopify subscription, use what’s free. Honestly, a lot of free platforms and tools can take you really far! Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest- all free. Etsy is practically free unless you make a sale (there is a miniscule fee of .20 to list each item up front). Canva is an invaluable tool for creating graphics, a logo, shop and Facebook banners and more. Yes, there will come a time when you’ll want to use some paid advertising on one or more of these platforms. You may want to use tools like Tailwind to optimize Pinterest, or some of Etsy’s extra features, or the paid version of Canva. But there really is a lot available to get the ball rolling.
3. Check out your local library. Many libraries are starting to offer more than just books and movies and a quiet place to study. There are some that now offer maker spaces, recording booths, and more! They may have better computers and software than you have access to at home at first. You never know what resources might be available to you! This is an especially good option for content creators. For example, you could spend all week making notes, practicing speaking, and preparing to go to a recording space at the library over the weekend to get a few podcast episodes recorded in a quiet space with a good microphone, if that’s something available.
4. Take the time to learn how to do a couple of things really well. I don’t believe you have to do ALL THE THINGS. You don’t have to be on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and TikTok and Pinterest. Decide where to focus your attention and learn how to do it. There are skills and a learning curve involved with every selling platform, like Etsy or Shopify, every social media outlet, like Facebook and Instagram, and every search engine, like Pinterest and Google. I would suggest taking the time to learn how to properly and effectively use one or two of those things. Personally, I have focused on learning Etsy SEO and Pinterest using Tailwind. Focusing on email marketing is also a great choice. What you don’t need to do is spend every waking minute posting on social media trying to drum up sales. In the beginning, when you have more time, and less money, you can spend some time learning.
Where are you in your creative journey? Are you still trying to figure out how to get started making or creating something on a shoestring budget? Let me know in the comments!
