Craft, Inc. is the hipster business primer for entrepreneurial crafters to turn what they do for fun into what they do for money. Pro crafter Meg Mateo Ilasco offers a step-by-step guide to everything from developing products and naming the company to writing a business plan, applying for licenses, and paying taxes. Chapters on sales, marketing, trade shows, and publicity round out the mix. Plus, in-depth interviews with such craft luminaries as Jonathan Adler, Lotta Jansdotter, Denyse Schmidt, and Jill Bliss provide inspiration and practical advice. Accessible, informative, and more than a little spunky, Craft, Inc. paves the way for today's creative minds to become tomorrow's trendsetters.
Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Meg Mateo Ilasco is a designer, writer, and illustrator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was in grad school when she started designing wedding invitations for extra money, but the demand for her distinctive designs was so great that she eventually made the business full-time. Her company then expanded into stationery and accessories, and was featured on NBC's Today and in publications such as The Knot and Islands: Weddings and Honeymoons. She has since sold that business and is launching an eponymous housewares and gift company, Mateo Ilasco (www.mateoilasco.com). Meg is the author of You Can Wear It Again and The Space Planner, both published by Chronicle Books.
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More About the Author
Meg Mateo Ilasco is a writer, designer, and illustrator in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the principal of the eponymous stationery and housewares company, Mateo Ilasco . She's authored several books including the best-selling business book "Craft, Inc."
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I purchased this book over Thanksgiving and just now got around to reading it. WOW! I wish I had done it sooner! I agree with all of the previous comments. This book is a quick read with much to offer the new crafter in the way of marketing and getting organized.
Taking advantage of the internet is a must for anyone in business these days and Craft Inc. has some wonderful gems to offer in that regard which I am putting to use as I write this. The information is laid out in a non-intimidating way that lets you decide which methods are going to be best for you.
I am inspired by the interviews with successful crafters of various mediums and how they got their start!
If you are thinking about taking your hobby to the next level, this is a good place to begin your journey and you will not be sorry you purchased this book.
Cheers!
Taking advantage of the internet is a must for anyone in business these days and Craft Inc. has some wonderful gems to offer in that regard which I am putting to use as I write this. The information is laid out in a non-intimidating way that lets you decide which methods are going to be best for you.
I am inspired by the interviews with successful crafters of various mediums and how they got their start!
If you are thinking about taking your hobby to the next level, this is a good place to begin your journey and you will not be sorry you purchased this book.
Cheers!
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
By Jaymi Elford
Format:Paperback
The ultimate dream for any artist and crafter is to be able to open up a shop where they can sell their creations and make a living from their passion. Thanks to sites like Etsy crafters can do just this. For those of you who think you might want to eventually swap out your 9-5 job to pursue a business based off your creative designs, then Craft, Inc.: Turn your creative hobby into a business, by Meg Mateo Ilasco, is just the guide for you.
Mateo Ilasco uses Craft, Inc. to hit all the major points of starting your own crafty company. Her writing is crisp and tailored perfectly to today's crafting audience. The chapters are loosely organized around topics such as: is starting a business right for you; overview of business topics; making your product identity; marketing (with heavy emphasis on internet and trade show techniques); production and pricing; and how to live beyond the dream. She teaches you how to make business and marketing plans and how to act when you're invited to trade shows. The book also contains many internet resources to help you along the way to turning your crafting hobby into a profitable business.
Craft, Inc. contains a lot of good information over a very broad scope. Mateo Ilasco covers a lot of ground in 160 pages. I'd almost recommend that you read this book twice. Once to see the variety of information in the book and a second time to really understand what to do with the information. There are lots of check lists to make sure that you have what it takes to open shop or successfully attend a trade show. She also includes some very good questions to ask yourself about why you are doing what you are doing with your craft and business. The book includes many positive success-story interviews, illustrating that craft businesses can and do make it in the real world.
I personally loved the final chapter, "Ups, Downs, and Next Steps". While knowing business plans and marketing styles is important, this chapter goes into the specifics of what to do if your design gets plagiarized, or if you burn out quickly, or want to end your business because it's not doing as well as expected. These are important things that happen to new entrepreneurs and usually get glanced over or forgotten from most business-oriented books.
On the flipside, while the book contains a lot of information, the information it contains tends to be broad and generalized. This is a book that caters to craft-people but it should be read in conjunction with other business books out there. For example, the book talks a lot about marketing and where to go to market your wares. But it doesn't really tell you the specifics of making a great marketing plan that grows with your business over the years. I also would have liked to see more interviews with crafters; especially one or two where turning their hobby into a full-time business didn't live up to their expectations. Adding a touch of realism to all the bright and shiny success stories would ground this cheery, "can do" book back into reality. Craft, Inc. also focuses mostly on US markets and techniques, so I'm not sure how useful this book would be on a global scale; even though Mateo Ilasco does mention outsourcing globally.
The bottom line is that Craft, Inc. is a good, solid book to introduce basic business principles to crafters who think they want to open shop and sell their items. It gives you a complete view of the business process from creation to ending your business gracefully. Like most craft books on the market, this one has a nice graphic design and color scheme that seems to cater to woman crafters over men. But don't let that fool you as Mateo Ilasco does illustrate that the book works for anyone.
Mateo Ilasco uses Craft, Inc. to hit all the major points of starting your own crafty company. Her writing is crisp and tailored perfectly to today's crafting audience. The chapters are loosely organized around topics such as: is starting a business right for you; overview of business topics; making your product identity; marketing (with heavy emphasis on internet and trade show techniques); production and pricing; and how to live beyond the dream. She teaches you how to make business and marketing plans and how to act when you're invited to trade shows. The book also contains many internet resources to help you along the way to turning your crafting hobby into a profitable business.
Craft, Inc. contains a lot of good information over a very broad scope. Mateo Ilasco covers a lot of ground in 160 pages. I'd almost recommend that you read this book twice. Once to see the variety of information in the book and a second time to really understand what to do with the information. There are lots of check lists to make sure that you have what it takes to open shop or successfully attend a trade show. She also includes some very good questions to ask yourself about why you are doing what you are doing with your craft and business. The book includes many positive success-story interviews, illustrating that craft businesses can and do make it in the real world.
I personally loved the final chapter, "Ups, Downs, and Next Steps". While knowing business plans and marketing styles is important, this chapter goes into the specifics of what to do if your design gets plagiarized, or if you burn out quickly, or want to end your business because it's not doing as well as expected. These are important things that happen to new entrepreneurs and usually get glanced over or forgotten from most business-oriented books.
On the flipside, while the book contains a lot of information, the information it contains tends to be broad and generalized. This is a book that caters to craft-people but it should be read in conjunction with other business books out there. For example, the book talks a lot about marketing and where to go to market your wares. But it doesn't really tell you the specifics of making a great marketing plan that grows with your business over the years. I also would have liked to see more interviews with crafters; especially one or two where turning their hobby into a full-time business didn't live up to their expectations. Adding a touch of realism to all the bright and shiny success stories would ground this cheery, "can do" book back into reality. Craft, Inc. also focuses mostly on US markets and techniques, so I'm not sure how useful this book would be on a global scale; even though Mateo Ilasco does mention outsourcing globally.
The bottom line is that Craft, Inc. is a good, solid book to introduce basic business principles to crafters who think they want to open shop and sell their items. It gives you a complete view of the business process from creation to ending your business gracefully. Like most craft books on the market, this one has a nice graphic design and color scheme that seems to cater to woman crafters over men. But don't let that fool you as Mateo Ilasco does illustrate that the book works for anyone.
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Barbara Brabec had written books on the crafting biz that are, I feel, the standard for what one needs to know. However, I am quite captivated by Meg Ilasco's take on the topic because she thoroughly modernized it (e.g. how one can fully take advantage of the Internet to promote one's business). Her style is highly readable and approachable. I like how interviews are interspersed with practical information. The attractive overall design of the book is also a bonus to potential buyers because, obviously, we who engage in the craft biz are naturally tuned to aesthetics.
My only criticism is that the Your Business Mind chapter could be a bit more in-depth, but given that the publisher probably wants to keep the book at the manageable size that it is, this chapter is still a good starting point, and it's up to the crafter to get more info from, say, the SBA.
I had borrowed this book from the library, but after reading it, I will definitely be buying my own copy.
My only criticism is that the Your Business Mind chapter could be a bit more in-depth, but given that the publisher probably wants to keep the book at the manageable size that it is, this chapter is still a good starting point, and it's up to the crafter to get more info from, say, the SBA.
I had borrowed this book from the library, but after reading it, I will definitely be buying my own copy.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Craft Inc Review
This book was very helpful and informative and covered all possible questions about starting your own small business. Read more
Published 1 month ago by rugbybeast11
1.0 out of 5 stars
awesome
I Am Sure I Will Be Able To Use A Lot Of The book. My Business I Hope To Start In A Few weeks
Published 2 months ago by granny
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very informative
I really enjoyed this book. I have dreamed of selling my knitted and crocheted items. This is a must read for anyone considering starting their own business.
Published 2 months ago by Marian Baker
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good as a starting point, but not as a thorough resource
Years ago, I wanted to read this when it came out. But, I only finally purchased it because I got my hands on the Craft, Inc. Read more
Published 3 months ago by BlueAlgae
4.0 out of 5 stars
very helpful
This book was very helpful. My partner and I have a parttime crafts business and the book had many ideas we had not yet considered.
I also liked the interviews. Read more
I also liked the interviews. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Laurie Pollack
5.0 out of 5 stars
What A Great Purchase
I got this book for an awesome price and it's full of very useful information! It was a great buy
Published 23 months ago by jenn
2.0 out of 5 stars
Couldn't get past the first chapter
I was hopefully optimistic about this book after such glowing reviews, but sadly I couldn't get far enough into the book to tell if everyone was correct. Read more
Published on February 3, 2011 by C. Byrnes
3.0 out of 5 stars
PLEASE LOSE THE COLORED INK
i haven't finished reading this yet, but already my nose is out of joint because of the frou-frou colored text, headings and titles. Read more
Published on January 22, 2011 by INFP
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good book
I thought this book was well written and easy to read. It covered many topics from choosing a name, to craft shows, to packaging. Read more
Published on December 16, 2010 by Tracy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Craft Business for Dummies
This book is fantastic. I learned so much from it. I thought I knew enough to run my own business, but this book showed everything from how to inspire yourself to legalities and... Read more
Published on September 30, 2010 by paulineasaurus
