Beading Classes or Parties

Although I do not get much chance to give beading classes myself, friends of mine have made some good money out of it. 1. It is crucial that you have the right personality to do this. You need to have a lot of patience. 2. There is so much information on the internet, that with hard work and research, you could become well enough skilled to be able to teach projects in a relatively short period . You need to have made at least one well made sample of each of the products you want to teach in. This is important both for the experience in the technique and as a sample to show your customers what they will be making. You also need to measure how long it takes to make the project to know how long the class will take. 3. If you do not have space to turn into a classroom, why not become a “Travelling Beading School” where you present your classes at the clients home. Arrange beading parties. I do that from time to time. They are great fun and very relaxing. You could suggest to clients that they have “beading” birthday parties instead of going to the movies or eat out (it might even work out cheaper). You could also have beading parties for children over the age of about 6. I recommend that you visit the venue before hand to make sure the lighting is good enough and that there is a suitable table to work on. If the weather allows, then outdoors work well during the day since the light is very good for beading outdoors. You could even have the function in a park. 4. To ensure that you have returning clients, you should preferably present classes in a broad range of techniques and at different levels of difficulty. With the internet, it is quite easy to to become skilled in a large variety of techniques. It is a good idea to team up with a beading buddy who specialises in other types of skills. You might like to recommend to first-time-clients, that they attend classes where they can finish the project they pick, during the class (they might not have the time to finish it at home which will discourage them). For beading parties you should choose easy projects like bead stringing and a matching set of earrings. 5. Your main problem will be to get a viable client base. Working people who are looking for a relaxing hobby, will make good clients. They will have the money to pay for classes. To accommodate them, your teaching times might have to be after business hours. It is a healthy way to preoccupy children during school holidays. Pensioners love these sort of activities if they have the money to pay for it. Make sure you remind the oldies to bring their reading glasses. Beading is also known for it therapeutic benefits. People with stress related problems will greatly benefit from these classes. I know that occupational therapists use beading in their treatment of mental patients. 6. You could try to start your business without spending money on advertisement by marketing it amongst your friends, family, on facebook, on a free internet page for local businesses etc. If this does not work, go to a craft market and market your classes in your display of the goods you intend giving classes in. You might have to go a couple of times. If you practise your craft while you are sitting at the market, you will most likely attract some interest. You could even set up a workshop there at the market. Just make sure it is within the rules of the market and get permission before hand to do so. If the managers of the market are reluctant, tell them it will attract clients for the market and could produce future stall owners. I find there is nothing as effective as the personal contact you make with your clients. Make sure you have plenty of business cards with you. Your last resort would be to advertise in printed matter. It is expensive and not always effective. If you do wish to go this route, advertise in a local paper or booklet where other professional people advertise classes. Make sure your wording will attract the right kind of people and stands out from the other advertisements by adding some unique features like “beading parties”. The advertisement must not be too small but need not be very big. I find a 5cmx5cm (2x2 inch) advertisement works fine for my maths classes. 7. This would be a relatively cheap business to start up. You might have some travelling costs and a bit of materials to buy. Make a list of the materials you will need for the project. This will consist of materials that will be in the clients package that they will take home like beads, thread and a needle. Make these into packages and have a few spare packages in different colours to choose from. If possible, ask the client what colour they would like for their project. Other materials will be yours that can be borrowed by the client, like scissors, glue, beading boards etc. Ask a deposit to pay for the materials you will be using in the class. That way you can ensure that you do not have excessive expenditure. You might want to start by giving a free “party” or class to a friend to see what you need. Expect to make one or two mistakes in the beginning. 8. Finally make sure you have the rights to teach for the materials you use. Teaching with bought patterns could infringe on the copy right laws with regards to those patterns. Some designers do not allow you to use their patterns to teach with at all. I do allow tutors to use my patterns for classes, if they buy a copy of the pattern from me for each client that attends the class. You do have to ask me for permission to do so. My friends are doing it and are still making a good profit. The pattern makes up about ¼ of the fees they charge which is little enough if you think of what you are making. Enjoy your beading. Cecilia Rooke