Let's turn 2023 into your best year yet
as you build your dream
handmade business from scratch.
So, in the spirit of the new year, we're all
for exploring new opportunities
that will lead us to have a special,
fulfilling, and happy year ahead.
If you've been thinking about
putting up a business, but you
don't know the specifics yet,
come watch this video.
Hi. My name is Mei Pak.
I help makers, artists, and designers,
start their own handmade businesses,
and make a living from selling
their own crafts online.
Last year, I uploaded a video about
the Top Ten Trending Handmade
Products To Sell in 2022.
This year, I'm going to help you decide
what unique handmade products
you can sell and earn potentially
a lot of money from.
Now, I get it. You're excited about the
idea of building a business where you
can sell your own work.
But at the same time, you might be
terrified of what could go wrong
because starting a business is scary,
especially if you don't have any
background in running a business.
There are a lot of limiting beliefs
about starting an online business.
Maybe you're thinking that you're not
good enough or that people might not
find your work very impressive,
or that your idea is a little bit too
unique and maybe it won't sell.
And you're afraid to fail and lose time,
money, and energy. I understand
where you're coming from. I get it,
I am a perfectionist and I always
want things to start right.
So, to help you get out of overthinking
and figure out the first step in
building your handmade business,
I have prepared a list of ten handmade
business ideas that you can
explore today for this year.
I put this list together after
seeing which handmade products
are growing in terms of popularity
on Etsy and also on TikTok.
So let's get started.
Amigurumi plushies.
Amigurumi plushies are
popular crochet products.
They are so cute. The word “amigurumi”
is a blend of two Japanese words,
ami, which means crocheted or knitted
and noigurumi which means a
stuffed doll. So basically, amigurumi are
three-dimensional crocheted
stuffed toys.
And like, people of all ages love
plushies, right? Children love cuddling
with them while adults love making
or collecting them.
Plushies have been around
for a long time and they are still
popular handmade products
that people love even to this day.
So there are definitely gonna be
people buying it.
Tufted rugs. Speaking of soft and fluffy,
tufted rugs are also good products that
you might want to look into
selling this year.
These tufted rugs can be made by hand
or using a specialized tufting gun.
I even saw some people tufted coasters,
cushion covers, and even mirror frames.
These are amazing ways to add
your personal touch and like a splash
of color and texture to your home, right?
It improves your overall interior
design and gives off a really
comfortable and cozy vibe.
Tufted rugs are trendy items that people
find nice to have because they're fuzzy,
warm, and luxurious.
Flower arrangements.
Flowers never go out of style
whether we're talking about dried
or fresh and everyone loves a
pick me up and receiving flowers
always does the trick.
You can create colorful bouquets,
corsages, centerpieces, and ornaments.
Floral design is pretty easy to learn
and there are so many designs
that you can make. We get flowers
simply because they're pretty, right?
And because we want to feel happy.
So whether it's a gift for any occasion,
or like a fresh home decoration,
or just to completely change your mood,
flowers do the trick.
Flower arrangements are also
timeless products that you can sell,
and the demand is only growing.
Stickers and stationery.
Did you know that putting up a sticker
business opens up a whole new
world of possibilities. The sticker market
is so big right now. There are so
many sticker enthusiasts and
collectors out there. And by designing
your own stickers, you can
express your unique art style.
Some sticker products you can
sell are planner stickers, deco
stickers and wall decals.
People love using stickers to personalize
their favorite things like their journals,
their phone cases, laptops, and so on.
And stickers are typically used to
express people's personalities
and display their passions and interests.
These are great conversation
starters as well. So for example,
if you see someone at the coffee
store whose phone has a sticker
for Parks and Recreation, you
automatically find something in
common between you two and then
maybe strike up a conversation
and make a new friend.
Stickers represent something
in a person's life, right? This is
especially true for Gen Z, but even
millennials and Gen X love
collecting stickers too.
Resin lamps.
Resin is a popular medium these days,
and the typical handmade resin
product you'll find online are coasters,
trinket dishes, and key chains.
So why not specialize in a
sub niche within that, which is to make
resin lamps like nightstands and
bring a new idea to the market?
If you're already comfortable using resin,
then all you need besides that
is lamp based wiring. Resin lamps
provide mood lighting that people
enjoy when they're relaxing at home.
And typically, resin lamps also
feature unique and beautiful works of
art that when you turn on the lamp,
produces really interesting
and cool shadow figures. There are a lot
of reasons why people love resin lamps
as the resin art market is a
steadily growing as a niche.
Unique scented candles.
Scented candles sell really well.
For many years now, people have loved
buying and using scented candles.
But instead of selling basic
scented candles, why not explore
creating candles with unique designs
and scents? There are thousands
of different techniques out there to
create beautiful styles. For example, you
can add other media like dried flowers
or even crystal chips into
the candle vessel or you can
use intricate silicone molds to
make realistic designs.
Designing candles can be a fun
experiment and people seem to
really love having pretty candles
to decorate their homes with.
Also, since everything that happened
in the last couple of years, you know
what I'm talking about, more people
have bought and collected scented
candles to bring a little bit of more,
you know, peace into our private
spaces as we're all stuck at home
or at least spending more time at home.
Scented candles help reduce anxiety
and set up the atmosphere to
just improve your mood, and the
demand for scented candles
I'm seeing isn't ending anytime soon.
Tinted lip balms.
Now I know lip balms aren't new
and there are a lot of businesses
out there already selling handmade
lip balms. Since these are essentials
in everyday life, lip balms are another
product that has proven to sell well
and are likely to continue in the future.
But you're probably thinking if
everyone else is already selling it,
how do you stand out? So, to
stand out in the lip balm space,
you can explore making lots of
different-flavored, scented, and
tinted lip balms. Stand out in that way.
You can also create your own
signature formula. Plus, people
love buying organic and handmade
lip balms rather than the commercial
and synthetic ones.
Printed tote bags.
Design your own art prints and
get them printed on tote bags.
This is a stylish yet practical way to get
your art seen in public. As a form of
self expression, people love buying
wearables with designs that clearly
express their personalities.
Other products you can print
your designs on are pouches,
coin purses, t shirts, obviously,
and even face masks. People love
collecting tote bags. They're super
practical. You bring them to the store,
you put your groceries in them,
you can't just have one tote bag,
so people love collecting them.
The only thing you need to stand out in
the tote bag competition is your original
designs and then focusing in
on a specific niche. If your target
audience loves your designs, you will
be able to sell a lot of tote bags and
grow your business relatively easily.
Bento cakes.
Now, this one is for all of you
food businesses out there.
Who says “handmade” are just,
you know, home decor and jewelry
and other wearables, right?
Now with the rise of bento mini
or “lunch box” cakes, you can
put your creativity to good use
by decorating these small cakes
using different colored frosting
and make trendy designs out of them.
Because of what's been happening
the last few years, a lot of us have
stopped hosting big celebrations,
so having smaller, more minimalist
cakes have become more appropriate.
We don't have to have a cake that's so
big to feed a lot of people anymore.
So having these smaller, cuter cakes
is actually more inexpensive
and kind of fun to eat.
Enamel pins.
Yet another product that you can
design on your own are enamel pins.
These tiny pins are usually overlooked
accessories that can suddenly
personalize your whole look.
Create custom designs and pin them
on jean jackets, backpacks, or hats.
Enamel pins are really popular in the
fashion industry since it adds a lot
to your outfit. It makes you feel cute
and expressive. Just like stickers,
enamel pins also allow people to
display their personality— only this
time, in the form of little
tiny fashion accessories.
There are a lot of opportunities
you can tap into in this handmade
business space online. So why not
try exploring a little bit more on
platforms like you know, Skillshare,
YouTube, even Udemy.
You can learn a lot of new skills this
year and use that in building a business,
whether these skills are creative
skills like painting or crocheting,
or even administrative skills like
marketing and sales. Learning will be a
big help when you're still starting out.
It's so easy these days to learn
specific skills, so it's up to you to carve
your own path on how you're gonna
build your own business this year.
So let me know which of these
handmade business ideas you think
you'll explore this year?
Let me know in the comments.
And if you found this video helpful,
please give it a two thumbs up.
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