There are a lot of competitors out there. I know one guy who is successful enough that he’s been able to pursue it full-time. Here’s what I’ve noticed:
-He mostly operates within the farmers market circuit, with the occasional higher end artisan show.
-He is loyal to his markets. Instead of cycling, he attends the same ones weekly (in different parts of the state) and builds a rapport with the locals + other vendors.
-He brings different price point items for different markets. So the market I do with him is in a working class area so he prominently displays his smaller items. He sells a LOT of chopsticks at this market because $20 is an easy impulse to justify. In wealthier areas or at the high end shows will have his masterpieces on display. He started doing this because at this market in particular, people were draw in by his big, beautiful boards but then they’d see the price and assume that everything is expensive. The lower dollar, quick items make him seem more accessible.
-He’s a phenomenal storyteller. Every piece has a story. He also harvests the wood himself from local trees. Towns will call him when a tree is scheduled to be cut down and he turns them into unique pieces. I have a spoon made from a tree torn down during a local elementary school’s remodel.
-For larger pieces, he will give the customer his signature board balm
-He’s REALLY patient. He attended a market for at least a month before his first sale but that person spent hundreds. Some weeks he doesn’t sell a single item and other weeks he has multiple customers like that first customer.
-He also sells to high end home goods stores, which increases his exposure
I’m not saying that his model will necessarily work for yinz but I figured it’d be helpful to compare.
Edited to add: we did a bit of a collab once! I sell salami so I used the board that I bought from him to do samples. It’s one thing to do demos yourself but watching someone else use your product and clean effortlessly can go a long way.
Hi OP. First and foremost, your stuff is not shitty and is very much my vibe. Sounds like you and your husband are both overwhelmed.
You need to have a real talk with your husband and figure out what the real objection is. Your businesses are very hands on and it’s hard to do that with a newborn. There’s a reason some folks opt into SAHP roles–because it’s a job in and of itself. Maybe your husband feels a bit like he’s sole provider if your business isn’t contributing much financially (which is likely due to you feeling overwhelmed). That being said, he is within his right to NOT work for your business for free. My partner and I both own separate businesses. We had our first fight in a LONG time because I broke my website with a WordPress update and he felt obligated to fix it.
Okay now moving away from emotions and into real advice: if you truly want to pursue this as a full-time job, you need to do a few things: