Art Careers / Handmade Business Owner

Business of Art

What Does a Handmade Business Owner Do? An Art Career for Kids

Curious about this job? Here is what the work looks like, a typical day, the tools, where people do it and how to get started, plus a small activity so you can try it yourself.

What a handmade business owner does

A handmade business owner makes things by hand, like pottery, prints, candles, stickers or knitted goods, and sells them. Many sell online, at craft fairs and in local shops.

A day on the job

  • Make products in their studio
  • Photograph products and post them online
  • Pack and ship orders
  • Track money, set prices and answer customer messages

Tools of the job

  • Their art and craft materials
  • Camera or phone
  • Online shop
  • Packing supplies
  • Spreadsheets for money and inventory
  • Craft fair booth display

Where they work

  • Home studios
  • Craft fairs and markets
  • Online marketplaces and their own websites
  • Local shops

The path in 4 steps

  1. Start now

    • Make a small batch of something, like bookmarks or cards
    • Sell at a lemonade-stand style table or school fair
    • Keep track of what supplies cost

  2. In your teens

    • Take business, art and computer classes
    • Sell at a local craft fair with an adult
    • Learn product photography

  3. Training

    No formal degree is required for most craft businesses, though art and business classes help. Many makers learn through classes, workshops, practice, and running their business.

  4. Build a portfolio

    Good product photos, an online shop or website, and a consistent style.

Skills that help

  • Making things well, again and again
  • Pricing
  • Photography
  • Customer service
  • Organization

Try this job

A small taste of the real work, using things you already have.

Design a set of 3 bookmarks that look like they belong together: same theme, same colors. Make them. Then figure out a price: add up what the paper and supplies cost, and think about your time. Write a short description like you would for an online shop. You just did what makers do every week.

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Learn more

For pay, job outlook and training details, read the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook page for this kind of work.

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Questions teachers and parents ask

What does a handmade business owner do?

A handmade business owner makes things by hand, like pottery, prints, candles, stickers or knitted goods, and sells them. Many sell online, at craft fairs and in local shops.

How do you become a handmade business owner?

No formal degree is required for most craft businesses, though art and business classes help. Many makers learn through classes, workshops, practice, and running their business.

What skills does a handmade business owner need?

Making things well, again and again, Pricing, Photography, Customer service and Organization.

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