Need Advice on a New Business

HI S. -

I think it's great to start a business from home. If other people (not friends and family) tell you they love the stuff you make, then you have a great shot at success. And there are lots of venues to sell your work

As far as home parties, for me personally, I hate them and try to avoid them and here's why. It's a guilt trip. You are always invited by a friend, so you feel obligated to buy, and feel like a jerk if you don't. Once you show up, you are pressured to host a party of your own. On top of that, usually the items are outrageously expensive and when you cave in and decide to buy something you really don't need, just to be polite, then they slap an excessive shipping charge on top of that figure.

Having said that, obviously home parties work. There are a lot of companies that succeed selling through home parties so there must be plenty of people who DO enjoy them and love to buy that way.

Just to be fair, I am not your typical female - I hate shopping anyway and I'm really careful about what I buy. I'm not a bargain hunter, but I look for good value. Because I've always been the breadwinner of the family, and have 5 kids to feed, I live in survival mode most of the time - even when the money is good. I think women who have financial support from their husbands are much freer to shop for pleasure and enjoy buying things. And those are the women who would be your target audience, not me!

Also, I'm not sure the home party system works without multiple layers of reps. That's kind of the selling point to reps - you get reps under you and you make a piece of what they make (which is also why the items are so expensive.)

If it were me, I would try to sell my stuff online or conseign them in someone's store.

Hope that helps!

I would be interested in knowing what you are doing?? I like partys.

always looking for way to have people over.

I agree with the previous mom--I hate those parties. I get invited by friends every couple of months to one. I only work part-time, so I can stay home with my kids, so we have very little expendable income-I hate to waste it on overpriced items that I really don't need (or want) simply because I feel guilty for not buying them. Not to mention the pressure to do a party of my own and burden all my friends with the same dilema. What about creating a small, online store, or even selling the items at craft fairs around town.

Hi, S.!

My answer is going to be a bit different then the others you received.

First, I think that the home parties are successful, because of a couple of different reasons. 1.) Really upbeat, energetic representatives go a long way. A rep that gets the guests excited about the product, is going to make money. I went to a Taste of Home Party that I felt that I had to go to, and had a wonderful time and bought product. Same goes for a Mary Kay Party, I went to. 2.) I have gone to other parties that I went to because I felt obligated to go to because it was a friend's party and I bought items that maybe I shouldn't have (because I really didn't have the extra money) because I felt obligated to. Or knew that I would feel guilty (like I would hurt my friends feelings or something) if I didn't. Anyway that is my input on home parties.

What I did want to suggest to you is selling your crafts at a craft mall. I have only been here in the St. Louis area for about a year and a half now and I don't know if there are many of those around here. We have them in Southwestern Wisconsin and I have seen them in towns along the river in Paducah, KY; Vicksburg, MS; Natchez, MS and St. Francisville, LA. A bunch of crafters get together and rent a space. They set up their booths and then take turns watching the mall and providing customer service. That way, they are not always tied to the place and they do not have to hire help. I believe that there are also crafters that do not take a watch but pay rent on their booth in the mall. This would be quite successful in places where there are people wondering/looking around and sightseeing, like in Historic Downtown areas (LaClede's Landing, St. Charles and Kirkwood come to mind) or in retail malls. I have bought a lot of gifts for people in these craft malls. I personally would love to do something like that if I could find a craft mall.

Anyway, take the idea for what it is worth. Good Luck finding an outlet for your craft!