Due to the power of the internet, it’s now possible for essentially everyone to begin their own business from home. All they require is an idea, a platform to reach potential customers, and the drive to generate those all-important sales. While there’s an endless list of entrepreneurial pursuits available, one of the most popular routes is small-scale manufacturing. Minimal costs, high markups, and the ability to unlock your creative potential are just some of the reasons to go with home-based manufacturing.
In terms of business ideas, here are some of the most popular options available:
- Jewelry
- Bakery/confectionery
- Candle making
- Ceramic ware
- Furniture
- Makeup
- Bathing products
Yet before you dive in without a plan in place, here’s a quick starter guide on how to start small-scale manufacturing at home.
Have a dedicated manufacturing space
Even if you’re doing the work at home, it’s important you try and separate your personal life from your professional one. This isn’t just from a psychological point of view, either. You will need a dedicated manufacturing space where you can store all of your tools, materials, and finished products.
A garage or spare room would be ideal. However, not everyone has that type of free space readily available. If that’s the situation you find yourself in, consider a temporary makeshift workspace. This could be, say, your kitchen dining table. When it’s time to work, you bring out all of your stored equipment, materials, etc. Then when you’re done for the day, you put all of this back and return back to normal.
Purchase the necessary tools
You want to produce high-quality products. That’s a given. With quality comes interest, customers, and improved visibility. Yet to make this a reality, you require the necessary tools for the manufacturing process.
Say you’re working with plastic and need to weld two pieces together. In this case, a suitable plastic welding gun would be recommended. This way, you can achieve the desired outcome, ensuring product quality isn’t negatively impacted.
Don’t cheap out when buying equipment. While you might save money initially, it could affect everything from production time to product quality – and that will cost you money in the long run.
Safety first
With the fun of manufacturing your own creations, it’s easy to overlook an important point: safety. However, it’s essential you create a safe environment that will minimize the possibility of injuries to you and your loved ones.
Smoke detectors, a fire extinguisher, adequate ventilation, sufficient floorspace – aspects such as these can all come into play when creating a safe working environment.
Pick your platform
Manufacturing products is only one side of the work. As a business, you also have the responsibility of selling your creations. This is why it’s important you decide on a platform to promote and sell your wares.
There are various options available. You can create your own website, use a marketplace like Etsy or eBay, be based on social media, or even sell at local markets. When making the decision, think about which platform – or platforms – would suit your products best.