need help... small business venture

i make things. knit, crochet, sew, decoupage... you get the picture.

i'm ALWAYS being told that i should sell my stuff.

so i decided to give it a whirl. i've decided to start small... real small.
this is my thought, so far:
i want to create a pamphlet with my "wares" and put it in a common area at work, where co-workers put their kids' fundraisers and such. i was thinking of creating an inventory of items that would be popular for the winter holiday season: scarves, hats, mittens, slippers, bath/spa sets, etc.

my questions to you are this:
**what on earth do i name my "company"?... so that it looks more professional
**if you saw this at work, would you purchase anything?
**should i let them know that it's me? name myself in the pamphlet or should i make it seem like it's a "company"?
**if you would purchase anything, is there anything you would add/delete from my list?

thanks for reading

Re: need help... small business venture

I would figure out how much your time is worth, along with the yarn for each item, and see if people would pay enough to warrant this. Maybe do a focus group on here or whatever to see what people would pay max for the items.

I would never pay more than $10-12 for a knit scarf, and if two skeins of yarn cost $8 or so, it might not be worth it.

Message edited 5/23/2007 3:11:14 PM.

Re: need help... small business venture

Re: need help... small business venture

In Stitches
All Sewn Up?

Yes I would buy something like that at work if I saw something I liked. I probably wouldn't buy it from a pamphlet. I would want to see a sample or have see someone wearing it.

Re: need help... small business venture

Re: need help... small business venture

I would have a "website" so I could see the work.

Re: need help... small business venture

Re: need help... small business venture

Have you thought about being a vendor on LIF?

Contact Liz to see how much it would cost. I can't remember.

They help you with the website.

Re: need help... small business venture

I think you would great more buys selling a couple on ebay first. This way you could print the folks positive comments in your pamphlet. I would take a pamplet, but I don't know if I would buy one.

Re: need help... small business venture

I'd buy the stuff if I liked the items. I tend to pay more knowing it was hand made locally as opposed to mass-manufactured overseas.

I just bought a couple of crocheted hats for DD while at a craft fair and I made sure I got their business card w/their website so I could purchase more and find out what other craft shows they would be at. (Unfortunately, their website isn't up yet. )

If you're going to do a pamphlet, I'd have multiple photos of your different items, along with a website address where you could have a gallery of your work.

Re: need help... small business venture

i'm def including pictures.

dh just followed a tutorial on how to make a "mini photo studio"