Members Fullmetalsam Posted November 21, 2013 Members Report Posted November 21, 2013 I'm one of those that have a full time job and an Etsy shop. I keep busy enough with no advertising at all... just the traffic coming from the website. It's far from being anything I can rely on financially - but I've made a bit of money... but most of my "profits" are re-invested into tools and I see it hapenning this way for the best part of another year at least. I'm pretty satisfied with how I do. Quote Etsy Shop: http://www.dalamor.com
Members tboyce58 Posted November 22, 2013 Members Report Posted November 22, 2013 I've sort of combined my hobby with my business. As an engineer, my clients are architects. One way I've found of getting my foot in the door when calling on a new client is to create a nice leather portfolio, place my company's information inside of it and send it over as a gift. Then I call up and ask for an appointment. Quote
Members Red Cent Posted November 22, 2013 Members Report Posted November 22, 2013 No way I would have borrowed the money to get all my stuff. I would not want to work under that pressure. I have sold a few at bargain prices to friends and we (wife) are putting together a website. There seems to be a few guys that are on a forum or two awaiting the website. I picked up a Sailrite sewing machine and I am entering the world of canvas and other material like it. Seems there are boat owners out there that need covers fixed. And awnings. And........ Quote https://www.facebook.com/redcentcustomleather?ref=bookmarks http://www.redcentcustomleather.com/
MadMorbius Posted November 30, 2013 Report Posted November 30, 2013 I've found it's a lost art. People are amazed at what we create, thinking it's rocket science. I could make a living doing this if I could give up my living to do it. Quote
Members cjdevito Posted December 6, 2013 Members Report Posted December 6, 2013 I seem to be getting dragged into this becoming a business when I never intended it to be. I've got a day job that pays me very well indeed and a shortage of free time, but I picked up leatherwork a couple years ago as a hobby. Which I enjoy a great deal, but even if I were as good as the masters - and I'm not remotely, I consider myself a novice - I'd never be able to pay myself anything close to my day job's hourly rate working with leather. But more and more of my friends and acquaintances - and their friends and acquaintances - keep approaching me to pay me to make them things. For the past year I've been telling people I'd make them things for the cost of materials - I have a hard time seeing my work as being sale-able quality and it feels wrong to take money for it. Still, it's getting to the point where I think I'm going to have to just out of self defense. If people have to pay real money and deal with a waiting list besides, I can't imagine I'll be getting the same volume of requests. I guess my point with this post would be to decide for yourself if you want a hobby or a business, and whichever you pick do what you have to do to make it work. Quote
Members Tex Shooter Posted December 6, 2013 Members Report Posted December 6, 2013 Not yet, but it is starting to and that is scary at age 77. I am not for sure I want it to! -- Tex Quote Tex-Shooter - Winner of the 2003and 2004 Summer Nationals Slingshot Tournament. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Too soon old/too late smart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “It is better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt” Abraham Lincoln -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My YouTube Channel ----- slingshotbill's channel - YouTube
Members Dano1122 Posted December 6, 2013 Author Members Report Posted December 6, 2013 Im in between jobs ! I wish i could pickup some side work with leather! Quote
Members cjartist Posted December 7, 2013 Members Report Posted December 7, 2013 Im in between jobs ! I wish i could pickup some side work with leather! The best way to do that Dano is "Just Do It". Make a few things and open an Etsy account for free. Tell a few friends, share the links on facebook. If your stuff is any good, you may just fin that you can make some extra money on the side. Best of Luck to you. Quote Check out my Unique Marketing Strategy and see if it might also work for you to get paid for your art.
Members Dano1122 Posted December 8, 2013 Author Members Report Posted December 8, 2013 I was thinking about trying out etsy , is etsy kinda like an ebay? Quote
Members BondoBobCustomSaddles Posted December 8, 2013 Members Report Posted December 8, 2013 Simply put, I stay as busy as I want to be. Got retired against my will when I wasn't ready for it about 8 years ago. By then I had a pretty good clientele built up and it kept me going till I could adjust to living on a fixed income. In the mean time, I worked at the race track for 3 years repairing and making tack for the trainers, and riders there. That's where I got a taste of a real leather business, working 10 hours a day 7 days a week and never being able to get ahead of it (600 horses tear up a lot of stuff!), or get the money I really though it was worth. All in all it was a good experience, and kept me going. Now I have scaled back so that I can concentrate on high end work that I like to do. And again, I stay as busy as I want to, but; leave myself time to ride and enjoy my horses in the summer. Funny thing, since I got "settled in" and found I could make it without a regular job, I have received calls form both Ford and Lear, asking me to come back and work for them 'cause they needed folks with my skill set and they didn't have them since they had laid them all off in order to cut to the bottom line. You can guess what I told them! Bob Quote
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