Inventory, manufacturing process, business success topics for small DTC manufacturers.
pricing
Most soap makers underprice because they've never done the loaf-to-bar math. This guide walks through the full costing formula: oils, lye, fragrance, packaging, labour, with a real cold process example you can use today.
handmade-success
Most candle business plan templates skip the parts that actually matter to a chandler — fragrance load, cure time, batch output, and vessel costs. Here's what yours should really cover.
bookkeeping tax
Craftybase and accounting software aren't the same thing, but they work together. Here's exactly what Craftybase does, what it doesn't, and whether you need both.
Butter costs more. Eggs cost more. Fragrance oils, coconut wax, shea butter: all up. If you haven't updated your prices, you're quietly losing money on every single order.
Etsy pricing done right means covering every cost before you set a number. Here's the formula Etsy sellers use to price profitably, fees, labor, materials, and all.
handmade success
Moving from Etsy to Shopify doesn't have to mean starting over. Here's how to export your listings, import to Shopify, and handle the inventory problem nobody warns you about.
selling online
Etsy has the built-in audience. Shopify gives you control. But for makers who care about knowing their true costs, neither platform was built with you in mind.
Shopify's 'cost per item' field doesn't work for handmade sellers. Here's how to calculate and track COGS accurately when you make what you sell.
Overhead costs are the silent profit killers most makers ignore — until tax time. Here's how to calculate them accurately and build them into every product price.
Most handmade sellers set their hourly rate at $0. Not because their time isn't worth anything, but because they've never been taught how to figure out what it's worth. Here's how to fix that.
Fallen behind on your handmade business bookkeeping? Here's exactly how to catch up, including the inventory step most guides forget to mention.
inventory management
Most holiday forecasting advice tells makers to project revenue first. That's backwards. Here's how to forecast from production capacity and materials availability — so you actually have product to sell.
Most budget templates aren't built for makers. Here's how to create a business budget that actually works for a handmade business — starting with your materials costs, not a revenue guess.
Most advice says raise prices when you feel undervalued. That's backwards. Here's how to use actual cost data to know when — and by how much — to raise your handmade prices.
business
Most handmade sellers have no idea if their order volume is normal. We pulled data from 1,800+ active Craftybase accounts to show exactly what the distribution looks like — and where the inflection points are.
We ♥ to help makers just like you to become more successful. Please join our newsletter to receive regular updates and actionable tips on how to take your maker business to the next level!
We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.
Because they don't know what their products actually cost to make.
Every week, one practical tip on pricing, materials, and COGS — the numbers that turn a busy craft business into a profitable one.
Join 33,500+ makers already subscribed.
Sent weekly. Unsubscribe any time.
