Hello Everybody

[chimerabespokefantasy]

Hello everybody. I'm Nici, and I have recently started a small business making crafts. The main focus is on Faerie Doors.. may sound unusual. They are tiny little doors which you put anywhere you want to let the faeries in...


I do cards, and other crafts too... but I work full-time and have a part-time job at the moment, so am moving step by step, slowly. My partner is in the process of setting up a special effects type company, specialising in sci-fi stuff like full, adult size armour.. all cool stuff..

Very late at night now, so I will go because I will babble on and on, just got in from work to get the registration e-mail so thought I would say hello..


Nici

[Will]

Hi Nici and welcome to the forum! :)

I must admit that I've never seen anything like these Faerie Doors before. Sounds like a great little niche you're in.

How did you arrive at where you are (in business) today?

[chimerabespokefantasy]

How did you arrive at where you are (in business) today?

Well, it's really through the encouragement of my partner. I have always been creative, but it was never really encouraged. When I met my partner Ian, he gave me the freedom and the skills to do things like this. We initially made some Faerie Doors for a craft fair, as a back up plan, and it has taken off since then. We are only at the start of the business, and have spent about 6 months refining the process. Now we have 3 wholesale customers, as well as our ebay shop. WOuld welcome any advice on how to present myself to companies. I would like to be quite selective in which shops I choose, as I don't want to go mass produced, and want to stick with the hand crafted effects.

Nici

[Will]

Now we have 3 wholesale customers, as well as our ebay shop. WOuld welcome any advice on how to present myself to companies. I would like to be quite selective in which shops I choose, as I don't want to go mass produced, and want to stick with the hand crafted effects.

Are you looking to get more wholesale customers? I think someone like Lucy (http://www.businessmix.co.uk/forums/member.php?u=6), especially with her experience in the creative arts industry, would have a lot of experience in that area.

One way to get yourself some wholesale custom would be to use a service such as Simply Wholesale (www.businessmix.co.uk/simplywholesale.php). For a reasonable monthly fee, you get to present your products in front of a qualified audience. A lot less legwork!

[Pedge]

Hi Nici,

Welcome to the forum! As Will said, sounds like you've got a niché going there. Funny enough, two of my customers deal with various faery materials - cards, prints and photographs; it must be that time of year and they're all coming out of the woodwork (or is it a door...?)!

Your husbands business sounds interesting - SFX stuff; I'd like to see some of the kit he's going to sell, there's a real good market for that type of thing.

Are you going to come along to one of the meetups?

[chimerabespokefantasy]

Really sorry everyone... I've not been on the boards for a while... been overworked trying to do ten million things recently, am going to have to start setting myself limits. I didn't even know people has replied because I forgot to subsribe to my own thread... OH dear...

ANyway, brain has cleared a bit now.. so Hello Everyone.. It's good to be back.

I'm looking for a workshop in bootle area at the moment for my partner to use on a temporary basis... so if you know of any.. drop me a line..

We have started a Forum for our boys with star wars armour costumes, so it's been fun setting that up...
http://www.the99thimperial.co.uk
Given myself even more work now...
Anyone interested in Star Wars, drop by and say hello!!

ANyway, I'm going to find more time to come and contribute to the forums... so hope to get to know you all a little better...

Nici