one delightful business: take good photos

I have thought for a little while that it might be fun for me to share some things I have learned from owning my own small business. There is certainly a lot I do not know, but I have been running one delightful button for over four years now (hard to believe!). And I feel like there are a lot of tips and tricks and lessons I have learned along the way.

One of my first lessons was to take take good photos of my products. I can say in no way that I have mastered this, but I have improved. On my first post I shared a picture of my first etsy sale. I thought I needed a white background so I used a clean bed sheet. I frequently took pictures at night. Early on, I went into an etsy forum and asked someone to review my site because I was starting to feel good about it. I remember she commented on a pictures mentioning that they needed to be taken during the day in natural light. I was somewhat offended, but this was really great advice. 

Here's a few things I have learned about taking good photos of your products....

• If you are selling online all someone has to go off of is your description of your item and your pictures. Clearly, the pictures are really important because someone may not read your description in detail. 
• Take pictures during the day, but in indirect sunlight. This is one of my night photos. Its hard to see the product well. 

This was taken during the day...indirect sunlight and on a book page, nice and simple. 

• Use consistent background for your photos. Also, do not take a photo of your product on something unappealing or that overpowers attention to your product. The background can help to define what the vibe you want your products to give off. For example....the doily was a nice idea below, but I think that the earrings would have looked better with a simple background instead of the linen and doily.  

• Take a picture of your packaging. This is huge for me. If I am buying handmade, I do not want someone to think that I made it. I want a nice tag on the earrings I purchased and potentially a cute box, too. 

• If there are important features to your product, make sure they are can be seen in the photo. (i.e. I just upgrade my earring backs to nicer posts and try to make sure every listing has a picture of the new posts)

• I really like this resource: fotofuze for editing the background out of photos. However....it is not always perfect. 
• Lastly, if you are selling something unique for $3 and have to photograph and edit it every time, it may not be worth the trouble. I like that I can reuse my photos because I sell several of the same style of earrings. The photographing and editing and uploading and listing process is not always a quick one so reuse photos when you can. 

Hope this helps! Any thoughts or tips you would add? 

one delightful business: lessons learned

I have thought for a little while that it might be fun for me to share some things I have learned from owning my own small business. There is certainly a lot I do not know, but I have been running one delightful button for over four years now (hard to believe!). And I feel like there are a lot of tips and tricks and lessons I have learned along the way.

So, my hope is weekly to share something with you.

For my first post though, I will just share some about how I began selling crafts. In 2009, I heard about etsy for the first time. I was working a full-time job with Young Life, but had no kids and some free time. I thought it would be fun to have some sort of craft to make and sell. I was some what crafty already - I liked making cards for friends and in school I loved projects that required some sort of poster or display so I could make it pretty. I also started this blog around that time (under a different name) and I shared about a chair I reupholstered here.

But I didn't really have a "thing". I barely knew how to sew. I had just some random supplies and an idea to start a craft business for fun. (Sounds a little odd to me, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's how a lot of people began on etsy).

In the fall of 2009, I found a jar of vintage, discarded buttons at my favorite antique store in Norfolk, Virginia called "Country Boy". If you live nearby, go. It's the most unrefined antique store and walking through it is like an adventure because there are things piled up everywhere.

I bought the jar and googled "things to make with buttons." This is pre-pinterest era, people. I started then making button earrings and some other accessories surrounding buttons. Soon, I expanded to the fabric button and took some sewing lessons.

I posted on etsy basically immediately after testing out my product to make sure it was wearable. My business name: k bowling designs. Sure, why not? I had my first sale shortly after opening. God bless that woman, I have no clue why she bought these earrings that I photographed under yellow lighting on a white piece of paper.

I continued with etsy, started doing craft shows, began approaching shops about wholesale and consignment, and really started to develop my niche as the button girl. I now sell on an e-commerce site called big cartel (more on that later) and have continued making and selling jewelry and accessories as we have moved from Virginia to Massachusetts. 

I hope some of the things that I have learned will help a reader or two out who is considering starting a craft business or is continuing with a shop they own already. 

Thanks for reading!