Have you decided that you want to start you own wedding invitation business? Regardless of the reasons as to why you are doing this, to be home with the kids, to have a second income, it doesn’t matter. The main reason that you’re doing this is to make some money. Don’t tell yourself that it isn’t the main reason, because well, that’s why anyone starts a business. What you need to be thinking about is how to make money selling wedding invitations.
Start by sitting down and either writing down, or typing up, a business plan. If you are not familiar with these you can search it online to get a rough idea. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but having your goals outlined on paper is one of the best things that you can do. If you are typing it, print it off when you are done and put it on your fridge or somewhere that you will see it so that it reminds you of why you are doing this every day.
The next thing to take a look at is start up costs. Are you going to be purchasing invitation that were previously made and reselling them for a profit? Will you be creating your own invitations to personalize for the bride and groom? Or will it be both? start up costs should be fairly minimal, especially if you already have a computer and printer with ink in your home.
The next decision is down payments and security deposits. Will these be charged to your clients? If so, will they be refundable and within what time frame? You may not want to ask clients for a deposit especially when you are just beginning your business, but you also do not want to be stuck with a client that backs out at the last minute and leaves you in the negative because you spent your own money on supplies.
Next is pricing. A higher quality product should cost more and do not be afraid to charge for it. If it’s costing you more then you need to earn back what you have spent. This is a part of business, and your client should be aware that a finer quality product will be more expensive than that of a lesser quality. You should not be afraid to share the prices with them or of how they may react.
Advertising is also something to think about. How will you let people know about your business? There is lots of cheap and even free advertising available, such as a posting in the wedding section of Kijiji or Craigslist. Business cards can be made inexpensively (save money and do them yourself) and passed out to bridal shops. Some areas also hold large wedding showers for brides to be and give out goody-bags with items from sponsors, you could place a business card in these. You could even set up a booth as a sponsor in the venue. What could be better advertising than being surrounded by hundreds of brides to be with samples readily available?
Overall, the main thing to keep in mind is that you are trying to make money for yourself. Do not sell yourself short. You are worth what you charge.
The number one problem with starting a new business is the startup capital that is required. Use these balance transfer credit cards to get yourself a good amount of cash to start your business.
