True Value

This picture is a Mother-Daughter bracelet set I made.

I like to do crafty things. I like having extra money. I like being staying at home with my daughter. So to combine all these things I like, I thought I would sell some crafts I made. I did two craft fairs, and started an Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/jepcreations.

I also like to read, so I checked out about ten different books on starting a business and selling crafts. Most of the books were very similar, and one thing that was in each book was pricing. They said that you need to price your craft appropriately so you are compensated fairly for your time, effort, and materials. You also need to factor in how much of a profit you want. Another factor is your overall financial goal. Decide how much you want to profit in a year, how much you can produce in a year, then do some simple math to see how much you should price items.

One book took some time to go a little deeper and focus on not devaluing your handmade crafts, which leads to the devaluing of other people's crafts.

We live in a world where everyone wants the lowest possible price on clearance with a coupon. Big box stores can give a lower price because everything is mass produced in a factory by machines or child labor. The non-monetary value of these items is low, where as a handmade item (meaning made with lots of love and effort) has a lot of non-monetary value, which requires a higher monetary price.

If I price my items too low in the hopes that I will just hopefully sell something, then I have devalued myself and my craft. There is something special about a homemade item because of the time, attention, care, and love put into the making of each item. It has an intrinsic value that can't be mass produced. When you devalue your items, it devalues the items of others because you aren't owning up to the time and effort it takes to make a homemade item special.

If you make a craft, be proud of it, take ownership, don't downplay your work. If someone compliments you, tell them "Thank you!" not "It was nothing..." because it was something! If you show others the value of homemade crafts, they will understand and apply that value to the crafts of others.

You are making a homemade craft every day- that craft is you! Don't devalue yourself. If someone thanks you for what you have done, say "You're welcome!" Don't tell them it was nothing, because it was something, it is something.

You tell people your value in the way you dress, the way you stand, the way you talk, the way you interact with others. If you don't value yourself, other people won't value you either. Be a unique homemade craft of great value, not a mass produced item.

In valuing yourself highly, you set a standard for valuing others. You show others what you are worth and that others are worth the same. Keep your value high!