I have an idea for a greeting card line...How do I start this business?

Question

So I have an idea for the greting card a bunch of different cards. I have no idea where to start all I have is the idea.. Please give me a step by step guide how to go through with this..

Answer 1

Hmmmmm very specific.
Are you any good with a world program? Or a paint program?

I would go to some PoD site and find out if you can make a go of it. A PoD means "print on demand". Its an internet business arrangment where you get a shop, you design the product, the site offers it online, handles the money charges, prints the product, ships it, and then gives you your markup.

Such as, if they charge $6 for a printing and shipping a box of cards, and your mark up your stuff $2, then every box of your design that sells off their site at $8 gets you $2.

Check out
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com
which is starting out so its very responsive to getting new designers onboard.

Or depending on your design style
http://www.CafePress.com
which is older. It sells more stuff (cards, mugs, tshirts, gift boxes, bumperstickers) so if your stuff is good for more items then you might like them. They market your shop for you more, but are less responsive.

Both of them have forums to help you out. Its a good way to take your idea and see if it will fly. If it does then you can buy fancier shops with more options, maybe get a greeting card domain, maybe even move up to handling all the printing and shipping yourself. But at least you get to try out your ideas before laying any money into it.

Oh, and THANK YOU for having an idea instead of just asking how to make money fast and easy. :)

Answer 2

If you want to sell through a retail store, you'll need to come up with a business plan (even if you're only asking the store to hold them on consignment). Start by thinking about the mission for your business. What makes your cards so special compared to every other card on the market? Why should a store choose to sell your cards over someone else's? Keep in mind that by selling your cards, a store will be taking shelf space away from another merchant. You need to differentiate yourself. Make sure that the store understands what you'll need in terms of shelf space, and make sure you can justify it: How much space do you need, what will your display look like, why is such a display right for the store. Finally, you need to give them some sales forecasts. How many sales do you predict you'll make in a given period, how much revenue will this generate, and what kind of a cut will the retail store get out of this. You can't pull these numbers out of a hat: you need to do market research. This doesn't need to be difficult - just get a sense of how willing the general public is to buy your cards. Have you ever tried selling them at a bazaar or craft fair? If you can tell a retail merchant about a really successful experience that you had at a trade fair (such as selling more than any other artisan, or something else), this can be just as convincing as having piles of market data. Just bear in mind that it's a cruel world out there, and just because friends and family love your cards, it doesn't mean that the rest of the martket will be as welcoming. Also, remember that retail stores and the Internet are not the only mediums for selling items. What about altering your business model, and offering custom-made cards for businesses who need bulk orders (especially at Christmas time)? Or, focusing on making thank-you cards and invitations (which are much more versatile and are frequently used by the business market compared to greeting cards, which are really only used at Christmas)? Start small. If you have a product that people want, then they'll come to you, and it will sell itself! Good luck!

Answer 3

there's a guide on how to start a greeting card business at http://www.theonlineanswers.com/greetingcardbusiness