I’m a mum of four and set up my own crafting business but I’m not making money – do you have any tips? BANK OF DAVE replies

I am a mother of four children and have set up my own craft business.

My website isn’t doing very well and I haven’t sold much, and I’m not making any money.

Do you have any advice? How would I earn money to help me get the equipment I need to make more products?

Dave Fishwick, This Is Money’s company doctor, replies: It would be great, especially in your position, to earn some extra money to cover the higher costs of food, energy, and household expenses and maybe afford some luxuries for you and the kids.

Before investing in equipment or taking on overheads, I think you should see a proof of concept here.

You have to prove to yourself that there is profit to be made with the products you have made so far.

You could start with friends and family and ask their honest opinion on whether they would buy the products rather than just whether they like them and how much they think they would sell for. Although, maybe save the hard sell for commercial customers.

However, you need to know if they have any commercial value. It may be difficult to hear criticism.

It’s a creative outlet for you to make craft products while putting your personality into it, but you need to know if you’re on the right track or need to change direction.

My advice would be to try selling at craft fairs. There are many of them advertised online and located all over the UK. I have given loans and advice to many craft businesses.

One in particular was a company that sold handmade wooden jigsaw puzzles. I advised him to try the craft fairs, which proved very successful, and he went from strength to strength.

As with any business, you need to ensure that your products are seen by as many people as possible at the lowest possible cost.

A website alone will not necessarily bring in a business as no one will visit it without promotion.

You can pay the search engines to promote your site, but I wouldn’t recommend this in your case as it can get costly.

A better way is to write about your products, including keywords that customers of your products might search for online. Let your creativity run wild, because the more you paint a picture of the journey that goes into creating products, the more desirable they should be.

Social media would be a great way to get started at no cost to you. If you haven’t already, create accounts and upload photos and descriptions of your product to the various platforms, including the very popular TikTok.

You’ll get a good idea of ​​which products have the best potential through the reach and response you receive.

Once you understand which products are the most commercial, you can take them to stores near you that sell or might do similar products.

They may be reluctant to invest their money in stock, but you can ask them to show you your products and take orders from them.

Of course, they want to make a profit, so you probably won’t get as much as selling directly.

Everyone has different tastes, so another option might be to take commissions for custom creations rather than producing products and hoping they sell.

Ask people what products they would buy and let them order. You may find more opportunities to teach people how to make products than to sell them.

I helped out and loaned money to a florist company, which started charging for flower arranging lessons. That has become a popular side income and now helps pay a significant amount of money for their overheads in the business.

If you are considering borrowing through financing, I would first prove to yourself and others that future sales will comfortably cover the repayments.

Once you’ve done this, message me and maybe Burnley Savings and Loans can help.

Good luck!