How to earn some extra money from side hustles!

As a crafter you can become so channeled in to making money with your crafts however you could be overlooking a number of simple ways that you could increase your income whilst still working under the crafting umbrella.  I thought I would take this opportunity to identify some additional side hustles that a crafter could tap into.

Craft supplies

If you are anything like me you have tried numerous crafts and have all the kit.  If you have an opportunity to sort out your craft supplies then you may find that you have a wealth of unused craft items that you don’t need.  This could free up some spare change that could be used to reinvest in even more craft supplies. You could sell your items that aren’t needed on a site like www.ebay.com

In the same way if you have had to hunt around for a reasonable price for craft supplies or a supplier of a particular item this could also be of benefit.  For example if you have looked high and low for a supplier of a certain sized wooden toggle.  When you then find a supplier you could then order in bulk and sell on the toggles to other crafters who may be looking for the same thing.

Classes

If you have managed to master a craft to the level where you can sell on your item you have a valuable skill that many people would be willing to tap in to.  Many people would love to learn to do a range of crafts.  Therefore if you can do a particular craft you could make some extra income by holding classes where you teach others.  Just from talking to customers in my shop over the years I know that there is a particular interest in needle felting however I have been asked for classes in all crafts.  This could be a simple way to increase your income while still doing the crafts that you love.

YouTube

In a similar way to the classes you could also tap into the individuals who would like to learn a craft from the comfort of their own home.  Instructional videos on YouTube are very popular and many crafters use them to increase their skills.  By sharing your expertise online you could tap in to earning potential from people watching your videos.

How it works basically is if you have a certain number of people watching your videos, you can earn an income from the adverts that are displayed before or during your videos.  The videos don’t need to be anything fancy.  One video once created could then sit of YouTube earning an income on an ongoing basis.

Blog

Also in the same frame of mind of the YouTube videos there are a number of people that make an income from sharing their expertise or experiences online through a blog.  A blog can be created on a number of topics and writing can be quite therapeutic.

Simple forms of income from your blog can be from the display of adverts on your site.  Therefore if there are visitors to your site you can potentially earn from display adverts.  In addition you could earn from affiliate marketing.  This means reviewing or recommending products, then when a customer purchases one of the products you can earn a referral fee.  With a steady stream of visitors to your site an additional income could be achieved.

People have even gone on to expand their income from their blog by offering downloads or online courses through their blog.  So a basic blog income does have the potential to increase.

Additional side hustles services

Being a crafter you end up collecting equipment and gadgets.  However there will always be other crafters that wished they had those items.  Therefore if you have the ability you could use this to help other crafters and make a bit of money at the same time.  To give you an example I have a cutting machine that cuts vinyl.  I have sold a number of sheets of cut vinyl to other crafters.  They may want to have a sticker or stencil made that they can use on their own handmade items. 

This may only result in a few pounds of income here and there but it is making use of your equipment and earning a bit of money at the same time.
Sometimes as crafters we have to think outside of the box.  Thinking of side hustles can be just the same.  Let me know if there are any other ways that you have been able to earn a bit of extra income from your crafts or which ones you have found to be most successful.

If you want a bit of guidance in how to assess a new income stream have a quick read of https://www.claireyatfairycrafters.com/assessing-a-new-venture-for-viability-will-it-work/