Description
The Craft Business Conversation You Actually Need to Have
Most people start a craft business the same way.
They discover they love making something, their family tells them they should sell it, and they’re off — passion first, strategy never.
There’s nothing wrong with starting that way.
But if you’re serious about turning what you make into a real, profitable, sustainable business, there are things you need to be doing differently.
This guide tells you what they are.
Written in Rob Anderson’s characteristically direct and warm style, this is less a formal business manual and more an honest conversation with someone who has spent decades in the trenches of the craft business world — at markets, online, and helping other sellers do the same.
If something in your business isn’t working, this guide will probably tell you why.
What’s Inside
Research
The Single Most Important Thing You’re Probably Not Doing — This is the section that changes everything for most craft sellers.
What if there was another product you’d enjoy making just as much as what you currently make, but it sold for ten times the profit and took a fraction of the time to produce?
That’s not a hypothetical — it’s the kind of discovery that proper research makes possible.
Rob explains why research isn’t optional and how approaching it seriously from the start virtually guarantees a more profitable outcome than passion alone ever will.
Product Development
Once your research points you toward a high-demand product that suits your skills, the next step is to develop it properly.
This section walks you through why creating multiple variations — different sizes, different levels of detail, different price points — and tracking every production detail meticulously is what separates businesses that thrive from those that plateau.
Testing at markets before committing fully is also covered honestly and practically.
Craft Markets
The market landscape has shifted significantly since COVID-19, and this section doesn’t pretend otherwise.
Rob shares his honest view of which markets are worth your time and which ones are, in his words, where time goes to die.
There’s also a genuinely useful perspective on why busy markets remain one of the best product testing environments available to any maker, even if online sales ultimately offer greater long-term potential.
Your Website
There is one piece of advice in this section that Rob is completely uncompromising about, and it’s the same advice that runs through everything he publishes: you must have a self-hosted website.
Not Shopify, not a website builder, not a social media page.
A self-hosted site that you own and control completely, because it’s the only online asset that cannot be taken away from you overnight.
This section explains why in plain, direct terms that are worth taking seriously.
Social Media
Social media can drive real buyer traffic to your craft business, but only if you’re using the right platforms for your specific audience and approaching them with proper research rather than guessing.
This section gives you a framework for thinking about social media strategically rather than reactively, and talks honestly about when it’s worth moving toward paid advertising.
Etsy
Rob’s take on Etsy is more balanced than you might expect. Used correctly and combined with a real self-hosted website, Etsy can generate meaningful sales.
This section explains when it works, why the fees are only a problem if you’re not making sales, and how to think about it as one part of a broader business rather than a business in itself.
Advertising
For anyone ready to accelerate, this section makes a compelling case for why advertising with a decent return on investment is one of the fastest paths to building real income — and why pointing that advertising toward digital products wherever possible is a particularly smart strategy.
Parallel Revenue Streams
Beyond your core handmade products, Rob introduces several additional income streams worth exploring, including affiliate marketing, printables, print-on-demand, and how-to courses.
For craft sellers looking to build a more resilient and diversified income, this section opens up possibilities that many makers never consider.
What Rob Can Help You With
The guide closes with an honest overview of the free and paid resources available through Thingstomakeandsell.com, including free books, keyword research packages, website services, and comprehensive bundles — along with a genuinely refreshing note about what to expect and how to follow up if bonus materials are still being completed.
A Word on the Companion Resources
This guide comes with a companion video series that covers the same material in a more conversational format — Rob’s words, not ours.
He also mentions upfront that he has ADHD and goes on tangents, which is precisely what makes the videos worth watching.
Head to Thingstomakeandsell.com to find the video series, the accompanying Read This First booklet, and all current resources.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide is for anyone at any stage of a craft business journey.
If you’re just starting out and want to avoid the most common and costly mistakes from day one, this is your foundation.
If you’ve been selling for a while and growth has stalled or something doesn’t feel right, this guide will almost certainly identify what needs to change. And if you’re somewhere in between — selling a little, not quite where you want to be — this is the conversation that helps you close that gap.
It’s honest, practical, occasionally funny, and entirely free of the vague motivational filler that fills most small business guides.
🎧 Free Audiobook Bonus Included
The audiobook version of this guide is included free with every purchase.
It’s the ideal length for a drive, a walk, or a session in the workshop — and the kind of content that’s just as valuable the second time you listen to it as the first.
About the Author
Rob Anderson is the owner of Thingstomakeandsell.com. He was a full-time crafter from the early 1990s through 2009, with a deep focus on marketing strategy and sales, before transitioning to helping other craft sellers build and grow their online businesses.
He offers free resources, premium guides, keyword research packages, done-for-you websites, and a growing library of niche-specific content for craft sellers at every level.
Purchase today and get instant access to the PDF guide plus your free audiobook bonus.
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