Welcome back to our Side Hustle Series! Part three will focus on how to get crafty with your side hustle!
Getting crafty…
Now that we covered how to add more services and products to your business to increase revenue, let’s talk about how we can get crafty!
According to Webster’s dictionary, you can define “crafty” two ways-
1.
clever at achieving one’s aims by indirect or deceitful methods. “a crafty crook faked an injury to escape from prison”
2.
informal
of, involving, or relating to the making of decorative objects and other things by hand. “a market full of crafty pots and interesting earrings”
We are going to go with definition 2! Start inviting your friends over, we are going to have adult art and craft night!
Most of you are familiar with etsy.com right? Did you ever take a look at all the items people make and sell? Most items are things that the artisan is really passionate about and good at making, while other Etsy shops sell things to make a few quick dollars. Either way, I respect their craft.
You may be thinking “I am not good at making anything”. Well that might be true, but chances are you still have the gift to craft. Here are just a few things that I found interesting from a makeup artists perspective:
Custimizing is easy and you can target multiple audiences, the items below are targeting makeup lovers of all sorts…
Turning a coffee mug into a brush holder!
Custominzing glass containers to sort brushes.
Adding major bling to a makeup organizer!
Customizing makeup pouches.
Creating original art for makeup lovers.
Eyeliner decal for creative makeups.
It’s time to get creative!
So let’s get our creative juices flowing and “craft” up some ideas on what you can create and what the market needs:
- Do you see a “need” in your market?
- Do you see something you could do “better” than a competitor?
- Do you see how you could create “variations” of competitors products?
- Do you see how you could offer “competitive pricing”?
- Do you see how you can “solve a problem” by creating or crafting something?
- What problems do you face when applying, storing or cleaning your makeup and tools?
- What do you think might be a good gift idea?
- Are there any personalized things you really love?
Now that we have answered a few questions, lets choose one idea to focus on. In this example we will use customized mason jar brush holders.
A mind map may be the best solution for brainstorming.
With a mind map, you will be able to gather all information needed to get your side hustle started. Keep in mind that the image above is just an example, you may want to branch off even further for each area.
Now let’s break down the cost of the project and the profit margin…
Materials- all the materials you need to make this item. This includes items that you may already have. For example, a hot glue gun.
Time it takes to make- your time is worth something so think about what you would pay yourself hourly.
What can you sell it for?
The breakdown: I’ve added up all of my materials and the total is $100.00. With my materials, I can create 40 mason jars. I believe paying myself 10/hr is a reasonable rate and it takes me a total of 5 hours to complete the jars. Because these are original and one of a kind, I decide to sell them for 15.00 each. My total profit minus wages and materials for my new side hustle is $450.00!!!
Seems pretty simple, right? Well if you are willing to do anything to keep your makeup career your full time gig then my guess is you will probably find something to craft.
Don’t forget about Special FX!
Those of you that are familiar with Special FX have the ability to craft additional items involving sculpting, casting and moldmaking. Do some research on what is popular with different niches: what would Horror fans want to purchase? How about Cosplayers? Are there items you could craft for the cosplay community that they could use or modify for their own purpose? Here are some examples…
OOAK Final Fantasy XIV Soul Crystals/Job Stones
Alien lashes for cosplay conventions.
Zombie mouth appliances for Walking Dead cosplay or Halloween.
Rubber spikes to glue on a multitude of items.
Severed finger keychain!
Explore your options…
Here are 40 additional sites outside of Etsy.
I encourage you to give it a whirl, a small investment could have a really big return!
Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on the rest of the side hustle series!
Special Reminder: All subscribers from August and September will be entered in our giveaway… the item will be announced later this month!
