As formal employment becomes increasingly difficult to secure, people are looking for alternative ways to make a living. They’re baking cupcakes or offering their skills as a handyman – and an increasing number of people are turning what was a hobby into a money-making venture, with word-of-mouth referrals by family and friends driving demand for their creations. Choosing to invest in the right technology is playing a key role in helping them to get their small businesses off the ground, says Karen Stretch, Marketing Manager for Kemtek Imaging Systems.
People who scrapbook or engage in other creative hobbies enjoy getting lost in the sheer pleasure of creating something unique to them from scratch. Today, handmade is valued as much as mass-produced is denigrated, especially when it comes to special occasions. Unfortunately, the skilled hobbyist often doesn’t have the capacity to turn out 50 items all perfectly the same, and in a short space of time. So where is the happy medium for people wanting – and being prepared to pay a premium for – handmade items?
There are several pieces of equipment that hobbyists can use that are also ideal for small business use, explains Stretch. “When you invest in a scanning and cutting machine or a label printer, or even a laser marking system, you're given access to training and workshop sessions that will add value to your existing business and help you generate some exciting new creative projects. Learning how to use the technology to its full capacity is key to successfully marketing the resulting items.”
A scanning and cutting machine means that instead of manually cutting out designs from paper and fabric, that process is automated by machines that take your scanned images and photos or hand-drawn sketches, and turn them into unique cutting designs. This enables the user to recreate the same item perfectly multiple times, as well as in a shorter time-frame.
A label printer allows you to produce professional labels for your goods, or even supply customers with short-run labels for their own use. Another machine that’s useful for someone wanting to turn their hobby into a business is a laser marking system, which allows the user to personalise an assortment of items made of glass, plastic, steel, wood and even food, in some instances.
Clearly, it’s easier to create professional looking cards, gift tags or stickers with the assistance of the right technology. So, where you might have perhaps done seating place cards for your own dinner party, you can now do the same for someone’s wedding. Stretch says: “Often, people will acquire the technology initially to help them with their hobby, and requests from family and friends will spur them on to turn it into a small business.”
Some benefits of using technology to turn your hobby into a business include:
- More cost-effective than making the item/s by hand;
- Shorter turnaround time;
- The ability to produce multiple identical items;
- Personalised items; and
- A more professional end result.
Finally, if the idea of creating items for other people doesn’t really appeal to you, or you’re concerned that it will undermine your enjoyment of your hobby, you can also balance your investment in technology by teaching other people how to use it to make their creative visions come to fruition.
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