Month: January 2025

January is renowned for being a fairly bleak month with maybe the odd exception (Burns Night comes to mind). Depending on which part of the country we live in, we may be presented with snowy blizzards, freezing fog, black ice or weeks of overcast grey skies. This being said, we may also get some delightful, frosty days, where blue skies form a perfect backdrop to the stark silhouettes of barren trees. Fallen leaves crunch beneath our feet and icy landscapes sparkle under the pale winter sun. January also invites us to curl up with a good book, a piping hot mug of tea and a slice of leftover Christmas cake. However, for the gardeners among us, vegetable patches and flower beds are calling for attention and a tidy-up after the busy Christmas period.

January is also a good month to take stock of our businesses and make any necessary changes. One of these will be a reassessment of the risks involved and how we can best insure ourselves against any related financial implications. Of course, life would be very dull if we never took any risks but it’s just as well to take a healthy and balanced approach! One of the great benefits as a small business owner of taking out craft insurance is that it allows you to go full steam with your creativity and flair and not have sleepless nights worrying about unforeseen accidents. 

There are added risks during the cold winter months which are not present in our warmer seasons. For example, icy ground is a slip hazard over which you have limited control and could potentially cause an employee or customer to fall and sustain an injury. Having some general craft business insurance will cover you for any claims made against you for injury whilst on your property. Our craft insurance will be tailored to your unique business but usually would include both public and product liability insurance. It also covers you for any claims or legal costs made against a product of yours, even if it is not your fault. 

As well as weather-related injuries, this is also the time of year when many of us succumb to coughs and colds and both you and your staff may need time off work. In a small business with tight margins, this can be problematic. You may be able to counteract this in some way through some forward planning and it is worth thinking this through and seeing if you can add some extra leeway into your systems for a couple of the winter months. Having an emergency weather plan, keeping an eye on external storage facilities and general cold weather maintenance of your business property can all help to minimise any damage caused by winter weather.  

January can also be a good time to reassess the direction and general health of your business after the Christmas rush. How are your sales doing? Which lines are faring well and which are less so? Setting up and running any business requires risk-taking and adaptability. The beginning of a new year might be an opportune juncture to pivot your business towards certain lines which are flourishing and away from others which are not. This may demand a change of mindset and letting go of a long-cherished concept – not all good ideas are good business ideas! However, for your business to thrive you need to follow the market and embrace a flexible attitude, seeing opportunities rise out of disappointments and adventure within the risk

One aspect of diversifying and promoting your business in the dreary winter months which you might like to consider is to invite people to visit your workshop, if you have one. It could be a great way to meet new customers, to showcase your skills and to share your craft with others. In an age when loneliness is high and many work from home, people are longing more than ever for relationships and community. People love to connect with other like-minded souls and it’s both interesting and inspiring to watch skilled artisans using their hands to create something unique.  

It’s worth remembering too, whether or not you intend to invite anyone to your workspace, January is a good time to think about your workshop business insurance. At Craft Insurance we can advise you as to the kind of workshop business insurance that will suit your business the best. As a family business which has been working within the craft insurance industry for several decades, we tailor insurance to fit each client’s unique requirements. We also communicate directly with you, so pick up the phone or drop us a line and either Naomi or Sam will be waiting to hear about your plans and will create a customised  workshop business insurance package

So, despite the cold weather and the increased risk of accidents and unwelcome illness associated with it, wintertime also offers a good springboard for those prepared to take some risks and make some new connections. We hope you are encouraged to look at new directions for your amazing craft business and know that we are here to ensure you have the correct insurance to minimise the risks and give you confidence to follow your dreams.

From baggy 1980s types of denim to slim-fit slip dresses of the 1990s, hankering after retro clothing is still firmly implanted in younger generations. This is good news for crafters of handmade jewellery, clothing and accessories, but before we look at some of the business opportunities this offers, it’s a good idea to look into some of the reasons behind this fascination; having some insight into these might add direction to new ranges for 2025 and guide branding and promotion.

In recent history, fashion has appeared to follow a twenty-year cycle, just about the right amount of time for each generation to re-invent the style of the previous one. Getting older has meant seeing a few cherished garments eventually coming back into fashion (if they haven’t succumbed to moths or mould). It has also meant seeing, amongst the younger generations, an enchantment for all things vintage very much alive and kicking.

Never before has there been among teens and young adults such a yearning fascination with bygone decades. It’s possible that today’s young people are more wary of the mass consumerism that devoured the post-war decades and they see the shallowness of it, observing that it doesn’t necessarily lead to happiness… who knows? It’s certainly true that there is much more consciousness in the current generation of the need to look after our beautiful world which lends an ethical element to a preference for retro. Another explanation might be that as a way of navigating the unsettling times in which we live, immersing oneself in an era which seemed more straightforward and less confusing could offer an element of longed-for stability and comfort.

And it isn’t just the fashion that our people are enjoying; the music, the art and the films all contribute to the retro vibe. As crafters, this represents a golden opportunity to capture this longing for a simpler and more stable way of life not only in terms of products but also in branding which can be truly authentic. Crafters sell the real deal; locally made products of which the profits get ploughed back into the local economy. Raw materials are kind to our earth and often locally sourced and as such they will reflect the rich variety of regional distinctiveness of our nation. Your customers are not only buying a retro-inspired article of clothing or jewellery but also genuinely being a part of a way of doing business which harks back to the solid foundations of the times they are revisiting.

Apart from anything else, a preoccupation with vintage clothing is also about accessibility, affordability and a sense of fun! It’s about wanting to make a statement and to stand out gloriously in a crowd! This too is good news for crafters as each of your products is handmade and thus is unique. It’s an opportunity to use creative flair and genius to put a twist on a look from your own teenage or young adult years and develop a completely individual product; vintage restyled for today’s younger generation.

It goes without saying that when selling vintage or retro items it’s important to promote your environmental credentials in your promotional materials and website, (include details such as usage of recycled materials and textiles or if you employ local staff). If your business donates a small percentage to a local charity ensure you make this clear also as it will attract young people who want to buy with a clear conscience.

Once your range of unique, fun and quintessentially vintage-style products is ready, it will be time to reveal them to the public and set your customers buzzing. Whether you sell online or at fairs and markets, you will need to consider handcrafted goods business insurance. Although this is not a legal requirement, most craft fair organisers will ask that you have some sort of handcrafted goods business insurance and if you sell online it offers peace of mind as you send your beautiful products out in the post to all corners of the country and beyond.

So, what is handcrafted goods business insurance, is it complicated to obtain and how much does it cost? It usually includes public and product liability insurance which between them cover you for any claims which might be made against you, your staff or your products. Even if the incident is not your fault, the insurance will cover legal fees or compensation. It’s easy to obtain and we can give you a quote. We often call it “sleep easy” insurance as it covers you for completely unforeseen happenings which no amount of risk assessment and careful planning can avoid. It thus allows you to focus your attention on working at what you’re best at; creating stunning handmade products. So, check out our website and get in touch and either Naomi or Sam will be here to help.

The return of retro is good news for everyone! What’s more, you are not only providing inspiration with stunning clothes, jewellery and accessories but also with a way of doing business which is sustainable, creative and has stood the test of time.

January is a good time of year to reassess, acknowledge and be grateful for all the good things in our lives (the ones that get taken for granted) and to take a look at any changes we could make in areas that might need a bit of attention. This could be some straightforward targets; creating a book list and committing to reading more, taking up a new skill or deciding to exercise more regularly. It could be working on a particular relationship and being intentional about spending regular time with a certain friend or family member. Or, it could be deciding to take the plunge and turn your crafting hobby into a business. If this is you, we’re glad you’ve found your way here and hope that by the end of this blog post, you will not only have clarity over the first few practical steps you can take, but will have been encouraged to follow your instincts and chase your dream!

Before you begin to invest time and money into your new venture, you need to do some market research. Are there other businesses selling what you’d like to create? If so, could you find a niche within the product range? Who would your main customer base be and how could you best market your product to them? Are you going to sell online through your own or an established website, or at local craft fairs and markets?

Next, you will need to do some number crunching. How much do you have to invest at the start for raw materials, equipment, website costs etc? How long can you go with only bringing in a small income? Many successful craft businesses begin as “kitchen table” projects with their owners continuing in their current jobs for a while until their own business has grown enough to bring in a regular income. This involves a lot of hard work, making stock in the evenings and juggling family and other commitments with craft fairs at weekends. However, it is financially less risky. There may be ways you can include family members, especially teenage children in your business venture, perhaps with website design or helping at a craft fair. This will both help you and also give them some insights into running their own businesses…maybe you will ignite some entrepreneurial flames!

You then need to build the admin foundations of your business. This can often be somewhat tedious but it really is strongly advisable to start off on a good footing. It is a good idea to write a business plan. Even if you are not using this in any formal way, it will enable you to have clarity of direction and to hold yourself to account with your goals. Check out both tax and legal requirements in terms of registering with HMRC as self employed and as a sole trader or limited company. You will also need to decide on what payment methods you will be accepting and put these in place.

It can be helpful to allocate a certain slot of time each week to admin tasks, eg packaging, invoicing and sending out orders. It’s also worth investing in some shelving or other storage units to keep everything related to your business in one place. This can save no end of time as you will never need to search over the house for jiffy envelopes, sellotape, address labels or tissue paper.

You will also have to consider what type of insurance, or independent artisan protection you will need. If you are just starting out this can seem like quite a hurdle, something else you need to learn about. However, here at Craft Insurance, we have been working with craft businesses to ensure they have the best independent artisan protection for several decades and we can definitely take the stress factor out of it for you. You will probably need public and product liability insurance. These cover you for any claims made against you or your product; even if it is not your fault, this independent artisan protection will cover legal defence costs or any compensation you owe. Of course, you will do everything you can to ensure you are never in this position, but the whole point of insurance is that it covers you for the unforeseeable. As a small family business ourselves, we like to communicate directly with each of our customers, so pick up the phone or drop us a line and either Naomi or Sam will be here to talk with you.

Once these foundations are in place, you can then plan how you will be marketing and selling your products. If you are starting as a kitchen table project, alongside raising a family or a permanent job, it might be advisable to dip your toe into the water of sales by booking yourself into a few local craft fairs, school fetes or community events. These generally only necessitate a small financial outlay, so they are an ideal place to test your sales techniques and meet your first customers. We have a number of blog posts about what to take and how to prepare for a fair, so have a read and be enthused!

You might decide that you will sell online. It’s worth comparing a number of online craft-selling sites as some can be quite pricey. Or, you might consider creating a Facebook page or website from which to sell. Make sure that the name you choose for your business is available as a domain name and a social media handle. If not, you may need to tweak it slightly. Whether you sell online or in person, it is worth considering an Instagram as well as a Facebook account for advertising.

So, as you head further into 2025, do some research, dream a little and start taking some small steps towards earning some money from your creative talent. If it seems a little overwhelming, you could make a list of all the tasks you need to do and start gradually ticking them off. We look forward to hearing from you regarding craft insurance and learning about your burgeoning business.