What To Do When Your Kid Wants To Start a Greeting Card Business at Home

Everyone knows how beautiful a greeting card is and how happy you feel when you receive one from someone you love. It is a good way to put a smile on someone’s face. Your kid wants to start a business and thinks of a greeting business, don’t discourage them; in fact, you can help them a long way as they start. Or maybe you were thinking of a business your kid may go into and you just were not sure, greeting cards would be great especially if your kid loves art and is creative. One of the ways to select the kind of business your kid would strive in is to identify his or her skill and if your kid is good at colouring, painting, and drawing then they could go into it.

Here is why you should help your kid start a greeting card business:

1. Little financial investment

Since the business would be home-based, you will just need a small financial investment. It is a small scale business that your kid can handle and you can supervise because it involves low risk. You can easily buy supplies at a low rate through online stores or your local supply store and at times, one can even improvise. So, you don’t have to make 1000 copies, all you need do is make according to demand. If you create a line of handmade cards, you would not get stuck with lots of expenses if they don’t sell. And the good news is that you can adjust them at times. Concerning the supplies, you do not need to buy every supply you think you should have, only buy the supplies that you need at the time.

2. Easier to sell

Well, did you know that handmade business cards are easier to sell? This is because it is unique and quite different from the usual printed cards. Homemade cards has and artistic advantage and appeal more to people because of its originality and realistic touch. Secondly, if you are in the homemade cards business, you do not compete with the big companies. This is because the market is different. Some people like commercial cards while others prefer homemade greeting cards. There are more printed cards than homemade cards and depending on your area, this will serve you well because your card will stand out.

3. Being their own boss

Helping your kid start a home business means that they are their own boss. They won’t be under another or having to work according to schedule or follow orders and because of this, they will learn to discipline themselves if they want their business to succeed. Being independent means they have more responsibility to ensure that they do what’s right and at the same time, they will also learn to be accountable for their actions. Because it is their business, they will train themselves to work according to their schedule and timing, this would mean deciding when to design cards, how to distribute them, making decisions as to the affairs of the business. All of these activities will make your kid grow up fast and you will be so proud of them.

4. Staying at home

Having a home business lets your kids stay at home more often. Unlike a regular job or business, they need not leave the house or walk the streets. They are right at home, comfortable and working, which is great. This is especially good for kids that are unable to move around easily, they have the perfect option of being home and still making money.

Now that you know the advantages of having a business greeting card at home, you can now follow the steps below to set up your kids business;

Step 1: Plan

Planning is the backbone of every activity you engage in, in life. This is the part where you start preparing and creating a detailed plan on how you and your kid wants the business to go. You can ask your kid to write out the reasons why he or she wants to get into the business and their long-term goal or vision. This will provide a guide on how much you want to invest. Your plan  should include a lot of details and also answer a lot of questions like: who is your card aimed at? Where will you sell your cards? Market opportunity? Competition? Price? Time? etc.

Step 2: Permits or license

Make sure to find out if you need to register the business or not. Laws may vary but inquire from your local government in order to avoid illegality. It would not be cool to start something for your kid and have it stopped because of a minor error. So, having set up your plan, get to know if you can execute it.

Step 3: Research

If you and your kid probably do not know much about homemade greeting cards, then do some research. It will be a means of inspiration and you will get to see lots of designs and concepts. You could go to your local stores, where you can browse through homemade greeting cards or you can also easily check for them online.

Tip: try to find out a concept from the greeting card business that has not been completely dominated by another artist or card company. Then do a little brainstorming with your kid for your greeting card ideas and just jot whatever comes to mind; this can be fun too.

Step 4: Investment

Supplies are usually not expensive and so your investment will depend on the amount and quality of greeting card you and your kid want to produce. Before you start your own business, you need to make sure that you do not produce more than you think you can sell. And unlike other business, the startup cost is just small because you do not have to worry about buying expensive equipment or getting a premise so you and your kid can just get the things you need for the moment.

Another important thing to note is the fact that there may be tax and for this will need to do more inquiry from your local government. When it comes to investment, you can put in the whole money for the start-up and get it back when the business begins to boom or you can ask your kid to bring a certain percentage, perhaps his allowance or his piggy bank. Whichever way would depend on you and your kid.

Step 5: Get your supplies

Get your supplies set so that you can get to decorating and creating beautiful greeting cards. One thing you should note is that it is best to spend money on quality paper, people appreciate it more. Some of the supplies you will need would be;

• 1 package of cardstock
• Cellphone bags
• Glue
• An assortment of papers/materials
• Pens, pencils, markers or paints etc

You will also come across other items which you will be needing that I may not have mentioned as you get more creative.

Step 6: Advertisement

This part in the sale of a greeting card cannot be overlooked. You can advertise your products in various ways which include creating a website for your greeting cards. Choose a catchy name and this may help customers to find you and your products. You could easily create a Facebook page if your website seems too much at the initial stage. It would serve the purpose too. You could ask your local business, such as card shops, gift store, and craft stores, etc. to display your cards in the shops. Some will agree to do this on a temporary basis until you are able to get interest in your card. Once customers show interest, they may be willing to continue to display it. You can also sell your cards at craft fairs, church programs and other special events. Finally, ask friends ( both that of your kid and yours), family members to show samples of the cards to their friends and coworkers.

Step 7: Pricing

Pricing your cards is very important. Based on your research, you should have been able to identify the amount that cards are being sold at. Your price ought to be within that range and not too high so that you can attract customers. Make sure that based on your planning that you will still make a profit after you have priced the card.

The greeting card business takes a lot of effort and commitment, one that your kid will learn to give if he or she a has passion for the business. It will engage his or her mind in creative activities and develop their entrepreneurship skills they become customer minded. They will learn to think of others and how to meet their demands or to satisfy their needs. These are skills your kid would not learn from a classroom and with the trend with which the world is moving, your kid needs to get into small scale business. You never know but the act of starting a business successfully is an achievement.