Taking Custom Orders At Craft Shows without Overbooking Yourself

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For those who craft for a living (or to make some extra money), craft shows can be very profitable.  They put your creations in front of a targeted audience, and they give you the opportunity to interact with potential customers and answer their questions.  It’s important to take plenty of products with you, because at a good show they will go faster than you think!

Another great thing about craft shows is that they are great places to get custom orders.  They allow customers to take a close look at your work, and if they are impressed but want something different, they might ask you do make something special for them.  It’s important to be prepared for this.

Custom orders are wonderful, but if you’re not careful, you might end up overbooking yourself.  It is crucial to know how many projects you can realistically do, and how long it will take you to do them.  If you take on too much, you could fall behind quickly.  Here are some tips to help prevent this:

* Determine how long it takes you to do a simple project.  If you truly have no idea, start timing yourself.  You’ll need to know this in order to accurately estimate how many projects you can do in a given time frame.

* Take into account any extra work that will be required for a custom order.  If a customer requests something that will require a great deal of extra effort or materials, we will usually consider that when quoting a price.  But we need to make it a point not to forget to consider it when setting a time frame for the project, too.

* Set limits regarding what you will and will not do on custom orders.  Some requests might require expertise that you do not possess, and others might take up more time than you’re willing to spend on a project.  Sometimes it pays to say no.

* Give yourself a little extra time for each project.  You never know when there might be a delay in getting the materials you need, or when something else might come up and put you behind.  It’s better to give yourself a little too much time than not enough.

* Remember that you have a life outside of crafting.  When the orders are coming in, it can be tempting to book ourselves solid and not leave any time to do other things.  But if we let ourselves get burned out, our work will suffer.  Make sure you leave yourself room to take a day off every now and then.

For some crafters, custom orders make up a large portion of their business.  But it’s important not to let them take over your life.  You need to make sure you have adequate time to do your non-custom work.  Doing custom work can be a feat of scheduling, but if you schedule properly, you won’t have to dread it.

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