Running a craft business

Running a Craft Business: Made by Me Craft Parties

Running a craft business is a dream for many hobby crafters here’s how Lexy followed that dream and now does something she loves everyday.

Tell us your name and a bit about your family? When did you become a Mum and to whom?

My name is Lexy and I’m wife to Martin and mum to Izzy (10) and Austin (6) who are my chief crafty testers!

What’s your craft business called?

Made By Me Craft Parties

Can you describe it in one sentence?

I create fun, personalised and beautiful craft parties for children, teens and adults for any occasion.

When did you become a Mumpreneur and what inspired you?

I founded Made By Me Craft Parties 5 years ago. I’ve always adored crafting and making, so when my daughter was old enough for birthday parties it was a dream come true to create a beautiful party for her. I made decorations, came up with fabulous themed games and activities and even themed the food. (can you guess that I also love a theme!). At the time, I ran monthly paper craft classes teaching adult card making. Friends soon started asking me to run crafty parties for their children and the rest is history!

How did you fund your start up?

I actually started my business from (practically) nothing! I designed and made wedding invitations for a friend and used the profits for that to invest in kit for my business. As I turned my hobby into a business, I had a lot of the craft equipment I needed already. Over time I reinvested my profits and bought things for my business, such as aprons, new craft supplies, pull up banners and books.

How do you manage RUNNING a craft around your children?

I do the day to day planning, admin and party prep in the week while the children are at school and then I run parties in the evenings and weekends. I make sure that there’s a good balance of family time and parties. I’m also able to take a lot of the school holidays off to be with my children, so I don’t mind losing the odd weekend to work.

Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?

Oh gosh! There isn’t really a typical day … I tend to do my social media scheduling, party research and admin early in the week and on Thursdays and Fridays I prepare for the parties (packing up boxes, preparing the craft supplies and liaising with the event organisers). Peppered throughout the month are a couple of networking events, running my toddler craft classes, blogging and testing new crafts.

Child at a craft party

Lexy’s Craft business involves running craft parties

What challenges have you faced in your craft business and how have you overcome them?

Confidence! It’s hard doing all the roles within a small business and to keen the enthusiasm and passion going all the time. Especially when there’s a slow patch. I’ve met an amazing network of women through a local networking group (that’s held at a soft play – so when my son was young he could play while I networked!) They are such a supportive group and many have become friends. We share our problems and our successes and even collaborate on projects where possible.

I’ve also invested in a business coach, which allows me time to reflect what’s going well in my business and to identify challenges. She helps me to stay focused and set goals for myself – basically a way of keeping things moving!

What’s the best thing about being Mumpreneur?

I get to work my business around my family, whilst doing something that I love!

What are your plans for the future?

I’m working on launching DIY craft parties, so I can reach a national audience. I’m also working on a few exciting collaborations with some exciting small party businesses.

What advice would you give for someone just starting out in a Craft business?

Try out as many different networking groups as possible and then stick with one or two that fit your business.

Find out about free (or minimal cost) business courses locally and go on as many as possible (and then keep up to date because things change so quickly).

Get your pricing right from the beginning and don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth!
Collaborate on projects and events with other small businesses – it’s a great way to share resources and get yourself known.

If you’d like to read about more mums who have started a craft business, check out these stories.

www.madebymeparties.co.uk

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