Do you want to host creative workshops? Perhaps everyone keeps telling you they want to learn how to make your crafts? Instead of attending craft fairs or selling a product, hosting a creative workshop may be the right choice for you.
If you’re considering starting a craft business, check out my 5 Things You Should Know Before You Start tutorial!
Today we’re going to talk about how to get started and what things you should consider before starting.
You can watch us talk about hosting creative workshops by pressing play on the video below.
Why Start a Business Hosting Creative Workshops?
There are a lot of reasons why hosting creative workshops might be right for you. Let’s talk about some of them.
- Untapped market – starting a small business allows you to tap into a market that is not overly saturated. Hosting your own creative workshops gives you the freedom to look at current trends or items and
- Less time and energy – compared to craft fairs and a full online shop, hosting creative workshops, takes less time and energy. You can set how many you want to host and how often you want to host them, making them a good option for someone with other commitments.
- Don’t have to sell online – some people do not want to have to sell products online. Hosting a workshop keeps you from having to set up a website to sell your items, and you don’t have to have things always in stock.
- Preparation – depending on how you set up your workshop, you will know exactly how many of every item you need to supply. If you make everyone purchase their kit ahead of time, you don’t have to worry about needing more or less than you have on hand.
- Meet People – creative workshops are a great way for both you and your customers to meet people in person.
- Fill a need – people are looking for an excuse to go out and meet people or to gather with their friends. By hosting a craft night, teaching people how to make craft projects, you are filling a need for people to interact with others and teaching people a new skill.
How Do You Start Hosting Creative Workshops?
Now that you’ve decided hosting workshops sounds like fun, how do you get started? The list below is not necessarily in order, but you should do all of these before you host your first event.
- Decide what type of craft you want to teach. There are a lot of options, but whatever you decide, you need to know how to do well enough that you can teach others how to do it.
- Find a venue to have your event. Where you hold the event will dictate how many people you can invite. It’s good to have an idea of how many people you feel comfortable teaching at one time to help you decide how big of a venue you need.
- What is your goal? It’s important to know what you expect to happen with your craft workshops. Do you want a fun night where you can get together with like-minded people or are you looking for a way to make money to eventually leave your job? The answer to this question will dictate how often you’re hosting workshops and how many people you need to host at one time.
- Check out the competition. It’s important to know if you have competition in your area. If no one else is hosting creative workshops, that gives you a lot of freedom in what you teach and how you set your prices. If others in your area are doing the same thing or something similar, it’s smart to consider their pricing and to get a feel for what they’re doing and how it’s received. Can you fill a hole that their business is leaving in the market?
- Host a test event. Before you host a full event, it may be beneficial to hold a test event for family and/or friends where you invite people to come and teach them what you want to do for your workshops. This will help you learn if there are questions people are likely to have that you don’t have an answer to or if you need more/less time to get the project done.
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How Do You Get People in the Door?
Now that you know what type of workshop you want to teach and where you’re going to hold it, it’s time to fill the seats.
There are a few different ways to spread the word about your creative workshop, so let’s talk about them.
- Create a Facebook Event. The great thing about a Facebook event is that you can invite people to attend and so can others. You can advertise your event on local Facebook pages or create ads that will be targeted to people in the area your event will be held.
- Promote yourself. Don’t be afraid to share about your event on your own social channels and ask friends and family to share with their following.
- Encourage people to bring a friend. The great thing about in-person events is that people like to attend them with someone they know. Encourage everyone to tag their friends to get a group to come together. You may even want to offer a group discount, this will definitely get people to reach out to friends.
- Offer Repeat Workshop Discounts. They say it’s easier to sell to an existing customer than to find a new one. You could offer a discount to everyone who comes to a workshop, that they can use on a future workshop.
Create a Memorable Experience
Now that we have people coming to our creative workshop, we need to make sure it’s an event they love and can’t wait to come back to. Let’s talk about how to create a memorable experience for your attendees.
- Make sure you’re spending time with every attendee. Make sure the attendees who need extra help get the attention they need to leave with a project they’re proud of, but don’t let them take all your time. You may find that you need to start small or bring in some help for larger groups to make sure everyone is getting some attention throughout the event.
- Give people FOMO. I love the idea of having a place where people can take photos. They can share them or look back on later. I also recommend encouraging people to take photos and to share them on social media. You can host a giveaway or offer a future discount for people who share. Having other people share about the event is a great way to spread the word about your workshops.
- Offer extras. By providing things like food and drink, you are creating a full night out that people don’t have to make multiple reservations for. Make sure you know the rules for food and drink at the venue you’re using.
- Host a Themed Workshop. Books are very trendy right now. Everyone is in a book club or wishes they were. Hosting a creative workshop with a book theme would give you a great opportunity to reach out to book clubs and libraries.
The best way to make an event memorable is to make sure everyone has a good time. If someone is having a hard time or seems to be frustrated, make sure you take the time to talk to them and listen to their feedback. In the future, you can do your best to take care of any issues before your next event.
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How Do You Know How Much to Charge?
I know this is the biggest question people have and unfortunately there is no one right answer for everyone. I do have some tips for you though.
- Make sure you are covering your supplies and your time. You’ll get burned out really fast if you aren’t charging enough for your time and barely breaking even. Make sure you’re including all of your fees, including venue fees, any food/drink fees, all supplies including packaging, travel, etc.
- What is the cost of living in your area? Depending on where you live or where you are hosting the event, you may be able to charge more or may need to charge less to fit the costs in that area.
- Include Travel Costs. If you are traveling to and from the event, make sure you’re working that time and cost into the event. You may end up losing money if you have to pay for a larger vehicle to transport items or a hotel and don’t work those into the fees.
- How much are similar items selling for? For example, if you’re teaching everyone how to make polymer earrings, look at how much it would cost to purchase a pair of those earrings. You’re teaching them how to make the earrings, and supplying everything they need. I would never price my event for less than what the item sells for.
Host Creative Workshops in Your Area
Are you ready to host creative workshops now? I hope you’re excited about the possibility of doing this for yourself.
I love that these can be customized for anything from a hat bar to candle making. There is a creative workshop for everyone.
Remember, if you do decide to host your own creative workshops you need to make sure you’re prepared to pivot when needed, listen to feedback, involve everyone attending, and stay mindful of your personal needs.
There may be times when you need to take a step back and take a break. There will be highs and lows as there is in every business. Take the time to look at how things are going and reevaluate as needed.
I hope I’ve answered any questions you may have about hosting creative workshops. If you have additional questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer them for you.
