Part-time home business idea – make your own cards

Did you know that the greetings card industry is worth over £1.2 billion per year? Or that in the UK we buy more cards than any other country – even America! If there’s one industry that offers a great opportunity for anyone who is creative and wants to make extra money working part time from home, it’s got to be this one.

Handmade cards are always desirable; people like buying them because they look more special than the usual supermarket selection, and the recipients appreciate the gesture. And because people no longer depend on buying cards from high street shops it’s now a lot easier to find a market for handmade cards.

Setting up is very easy. You’ll need sufficient work space and a storage area for card, envelopes, cellophane wrappers, and the materials you are going to use to decorate the greetings cards. It may take a while to discover the type of cards you enjoy producing – and the ones that prove to be most popular – but you’ll have fun in the process. There are all kinds of things that can be used to create visually attractive cards. You may of course have a talent as a painter or illustrator, but you could also try collage. You might be inspired by a piece of material, old stamps, broken jewellery, illustrations from old books etc, all of which can be used to produce beautiful handmade cards.

Friends and family represent an instant target market, and it won’t cost you anything to tout your cards to them. You may even be able to persuade them to take samples into their workplaces, so it’s easy to very quickly build up a core customer base. Then you could start thinking a bit bigger and take a stand at local craft markets or school fairs. You could of course have your own online shop or start an eBay shop which will give you instant access to a huge audience – but don’t forget to factor in the cost of postage if you’re selling online.

And however you choose to sell your cards, do not forget to have that all important sticker on the back that says ‘handmade by…’ with all your contact details; your cards are a key marketing tool!