Knitting information, ideas and success stories from women who create real cash flow from their knitting and crochet.
Posts Tagged ‘knitting business’
Knitting Business Success Story – Jill and Susan from Y2Knit
Thursday, March 26th, 2009
Susan and Jill have brought together their love of knitting and yarn, their skills, life passions and experiences to create www.Y2Knit.net, a knitting business with a difference!
They are a wonderful example of the many paths that a life in knitting can take you down, and how being creative with your approach can set you apart and make your knitting business a success.
Both Susan and Jill have been knitting since they were young children, and both have been teaching knitting for many years now. Their knitting business, Y2Knit, has evolved over the last few years to include not only the yarn store, but also knitting workshops (online and live), an extensive pattern collection, two published knitting books, two more books on the way, and of course their famous knitting retreats!
“Jill and I both loved the idea of combining a relaxing experience with knitting workshops, good food, yoga, massage and fun conversation. Our most recent knitting getaway was in Tuscany” says Susan.
This is a great example of finding a niche and doing something that really sets you apart.
Both Susan and Jill attribute their success to determination and hard work, as well as flexibility and being able to capitalise on each others skills. “We tend to have different strengths, so we can balance each other, and we are also able to bounce ideas off one another” says Jill.
They both had some experience in business when they started out, and now have a knitting business plan which helps keep them moving in the direction they want to go. “We are constantly looking at how we can excel and succeed in our knitting business” says Susan.
And they have some great advice for anyone wanting to start teaching knitting:
“I think the first step is to identify if you are a good teacher. Try teaching your friends and see what it’s like. If you find that you can’t stifle your impatience, then teaching knitting isn’t for you!
Jill and I both love to teach knitting, and I think that our enthusiasm shows through. To start, develop some lesson plans, find a venue, and work at getting people to sign up. To be an entrepreneur, you must be able to do your own marketing.”
They freely admit that their hours are long, and it can be challenging to embrace the rapid changes that have occurred in this industry over the last few years, but both Jill and Susan show a wonderful passion for knitting and teaching knitting, and live life surrounded by the people and things that are most enjoyable for them, a dream come true for many of us!
If you have found Jill and Susan’s story helpful and inspirational, or would like to know more about how to start teaching knitting, please leave a comment!
Make Money From Knitting – The Top 5 Questions
Saturday, March 7th, 2009
Here are the answers to the 5 most common questions I get about Knitting For Profit. If you have another to add to the list, feel free to leave a comment and I'll do my best to include the answers in another post, perhaps titled "A whole lot more questions about Knitting and Crocheting for Profit!"
Do I need lots of money to start up a knitting or crochet business?
The great news for knitters is…NO! Having a big idea and goal is great, but the best way to start a business is small, and you really don't need much money to begin with. In fact, most of the successful knitters I have found started out with very little money – many were work-at-home mothers or students.
Knitting Business Start-up Tip…
One of the secrets to business success is to test your markets, so you can provide what the market really wants, rather than what you think they want. To do this, you don't need to knit or crochet a huge range all at once. Start out with one or two knitted products at a time, see how well they sell, and focus on the ones that do well. There's an old rule that 80% of your profits will come from 20% of your products, so that's what you need to try and find. The actual costs of starting up a business vary around the world, but these are the main things you will need to allow for in your start-up budget:
1. Your knitting supplies and yarn
2. Some promotional material like business cards and brochures
3. Business registration or license
4. Insurance
5. Some advertising like a website, craft shows, local paper or yellow pages etc.
Do I need to have business experience to start knitting or crocheting for profit?
If you read the knitting success stories here on this blog and in my Knitting for Profit book, you'll see that most of these knitter women had absolutely no business experience when they first started out. And when you think about it, every successful business person had to start somewhere. Most of them admit they just jumped in and learned things as they went along! If you would like help from the start, there are lots of government and not-for-profit organisations that offer start-up support and advice. My Knitting for Profit book has a step-by-step guide to starting a knitting business, and links to these resources in many countries around the world. And I think it's really interesting that the most common piece of advice that successful business people give to newbies is not about complex business strategies or start-up budgets, it is simply…. 'Just do it!'
Knitting for $$$ – Can it really be done?
Absolutely!! In my extensive worldwide research I have found many examples of successful knitters making money from their passion. One of my main reasons for writing this blog and my book 'Knitting for Profit' was to share these amazing and inspirational stories of knitter women who have achieved their dream of making money from knitting or crochet. You can read some of their stories here on this blog. When you do, you will realise that they started out just like you, some with no money, some with no business experience, some with small children and mortgages. Anything is possible, especially when you have the right information and resources to start with.
What if I'm not a good salesperson, or I don't think I would enjoy trying to sell my knitted products?
Selling your products is just as achievable as knitting or crocheting your products, it may be new to you and feel a bit strange at first, but once you learn the three simple rules of selling (see my blog article 'Three Essential Rules For Selling Your Knitting'), you'll see that sales is much more about genuinely helping your customers choose what's best for them, rather than pushing them into something they don't really want. Besides, there are many ways to sell your knitted products without ever having to talk to the buyer, and if you make a great product that appeals to a niche market then you won't have to sell it, because it will sell itself!
What do I do first?
The very first steps for starting your knitting business are actually the easiest and most exciting ones! This is the part where you get to shop around for ideas and inspiration, decide on your path and begin your journey.
Step 1: Research your market and assess your knitting skills and desires. One of my goals in writing the Knitting for Profit book was to make this process easy for you. I have uncovered and developed five main strategies that you can use to make money from knitting and crochet (in the Knitting For Profit book I go into great detail about these five strategies). You need to choose one of these paths based on your knitting skills and what you are attracted to.
Step 2: Find your niche market and decide how you will make your knitted products stand out. This is absolutely essential for your success.
Step 3: Write a business plan. This will be your map to guide you on your 'knitterpreneur' journey. It will help you decide who your customers will be, what knitted products you will sell, where and how you will sell them, and what knitter resources you will need to start out. There are lots of standard business plan templates available for free online (have a look on the US small business site, it has a fantastic range of resources for new businesses at www.sba.gov), or you can use the specialised Knitting Business Plan Template that comes as an extra bonus with the Knitting For Profit book.
At the risk of sounding repetitive… 
if you would like to know more about these steps and how you can easily achieve them, read more about my new Knitting for Profit book at www.KnittingForProfit.com
Knitting Success Story – Ruth From nonstopknits
Friday, March 6th, 2009
This month’s Real Live Knitting Success Story is featuring Ruth Boelkins from nonstopknits, who has taken her knitting hobby and passion, and turned it into a thriving small business.
Here’s how this "beginner knitter" made her home-grown knitting business a success…
How did she start her knitting business?
Ruth is relatively new to knitting. It took years of persuasion, but 5 years ago she finally allowed her mother-in-law to teach her how to knit. She was instantly hooked, and hasn’t stopped since! She now creates a beautiful range of knitting patterns, as well as finished hats and purses for her very appropriately named knitting business, nonstop knits.
Ruth first started selling her creations at local Bazaars where her hand-knitted items sold very well. She had discovered one of the keys to success in selling hand-crafts, which was to make her knitted products unique and different. By using interesting styles and colours, and adding knitted flowers and decorations to her work, she presented knitted pieces that people could fall in love with and desperately want to own.
She then started taking custom orders, and it wasn’t long before her knitting business grew. Most of her sales are still local, driven by art sales and word of mouth. She also sells knitting online through her etsy.com shop at www.nonstopknits.etsy.com
A profitable knitting niche by accident?
Ruth found another knitting niche market by chance one day when she created a knitted hat for her son to wear to Ice Hockey. "My intention was that Adam would have a cool knitted hat," she says. He started wearing it to the rink and a coach commented on it, so she made knitted hats for all the coaches. Then, parents started requesting knitted hats for their kids, and suddenly she had a whole new income stream!
How did her knitting business evolve into knitting pattern design?
Ruth didn’t aspire to become a knitting pattern designer either. She started getting requests for her knitting patterns when visiting yarn stores with her daughter, who often wears her mother’s original knitted designs. After many requests for knitting patterns from other parents, she was lucky enough to get the support and encouragement of a local yarn store owner who said she would sell her knitting pattern for a felted purse if Ruth would write it down.
This apparently gave Ruth the push she needed, and she hasn’t looked back. Ruth had hit on another niche market with her knitting patterns. They are appealing to both new and experienced knitters because the projects are quick to knit, and the directions are very detailed. Her knitted hat and purse patterns are made using circular needles and don’t require expensive yarns. If someone knows they need a couple of gifts, or want to whip something up quickly, many of the projects can be made in an hour or two.
Looking back, Ruth says she is glad she finally picked up the pointy sticks. "I love that it began as something within my family," she says, "I have on my knitting patterns that I’m a home-grown business, and that couldn’t be more true." Ruth says the experience has also made her a more avid supporter of other local businesses and connected her to other creative people. "That’s been a really enriching thing, to bump into other knitters and discuss what we love to make".
Ruth’s advice to up and coming Knitterpreneurs:
‘Many of my knitting patterns are for small fast projects, which is a great way to begin. A hat on circular needles is easy to hold and a fun way to knit, you can make a range of sizes, you only need to purchase limited supplies and you can experiment with color changes as you go. Projects with no seams make for nicer finished products as well.’
‘I am on a steep learning curve as I make my knitting hobby and passion into a business. I constantly try to keep my focus on doing what I love. Designing, creating and fitting art into life is the edge where I like to work. If you want to sell your knitted items, my advice is to listen to the comments people make about your work and watch how they react to your products. This will show you where your marketing opportunities are.’
If you would like to see Ruth’s knitting patterns and products, have a look at her etsy shop at www.nonstopknits.etsy.com If you have a knitting or crochet success story, we would love to feature you here as part of our real live knitting success series! Just drop me a line at liz@knittingforprofit.com
What is Knitting For Profit? And What Is A Knitterpreneur?
Friday, March 6th, 2009
“Knitting for Profit” means you are making money from your knitting skills (yay!!). This can be achieved in a variety of ways, but how do you become a true "Knitterpreneur"??
Knitting For Profit could mean you are selling the pieces you knit, or it could mean you are getting paid to teach other people how to knit, or you could be earning money from your knitting designs or knitting patterns. Whichever way you earn, you are being paid for your knitting skills and talents, and you have become a ‘business owner’, no matter how much or little money you are making, or whether you officially call yourself a business or not!
You see, there are many different levels of ‘business’. You may think of a knitting empire. A large fashion-knit design company, or popular knitting or crochet magazine, or perhaps a large established knitting pattern design company or yarn manufacturer. Million dollar turnovers, worldwide distribution and teams of staff. This is a big vision, but entirely possible as shown by the large knitting companies that already exist.
Or you might be thinking of a smaller knitting business. Based at home or in a retail shop, one or two employees and creating enough income for you to live your knitting passion and be surrounded by the things and people you love. Lots of knitters live this vision by owning yarn-stores.
Or what about just a bit of extra income for the family? Not getting rich, but having enough to be able to stay at home and care for your children. Enough to keep your family comfortable, and let you keep on expressing your creative spirit.
Or perhaps you just think of knitting. A micro-business that lets you buy all the yarn you desire, and makes enough so you can knit for free!
No matter what your goal or vision, if you make money from your knitting, you are knitting for profit, and you are what we call a ‘Knitterpreneur’.
We believe anyone who starts a business, no matter how big or small, must have some entrepreneurial spirit in them! So we created the word ‘Knitterpreneur’ to describe all of the amazing people who go on that journey using knitting or crochet.
Get some inspiration and ideas from the real live stories of Knitterpreneurs on this blog – have a look in the ‘Success Stories’ category for them. They are well worth the few minutes it takes to read! There are also more in depth interviews in my book "Knitting For Profit".
I hope you’ll join us in the Knitterpreneur community, by learning all the tips and tricks to Knitting for Profit found here and in my book. My book is designed to be a step by step guide to helping you become a successful knitterpreneur. And if you would like to share your own story with us all, please contact me at liz@knittingforprofit.com, I’d love to hear from you!
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About Liz
Welcome! My name is Liz and I am a work at home mother of two. I am also the author of the new book “Knitting for Profit”. I have created this blog to give you more great information, ideas and resources for making money from your knitting passion! [more]
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