This week, meet Kelly of Primarily Practical Knits, as she shares the story of building her craft business.

Tell us about Primarily Practical Knits!

I’m a one-person, home-based operation that’s been in business since 2003. I’m a work-at-home mom and I knit around my kids’ school and sports schedules. I do everything myself, from knitting to bookkeeping to mailing packages.

How did you choose knitting as your specialty?

I wanted to work at home, and I had to think of something that I could do for hours a day without going crazy! I love knitting and, with 20 years of practice, I’ve gotten pretty good at it.

Thinking back to when you started, what are the things you wish you’d known – but didn’t?

Three things:

1. Just because it’s fun to knit, doesn’t mean that people will buy it.

2. Don’t estimate – run a stopwatch to track the time I actually spend making something, and price it accordingly.

3. Keep careful records of how I made something. I will have happy customers who come back and want more.

How did word start to spread about your store?

Primarily through my website, and referrals from happy customers.

What person or resource was the most helpful to you in launching your store?

I have no physical store, so everything hinged on my website. I took on-line classes on how to get my site listed in the search engines. I went from having only a few orders a year to having to turn people away because my schedule was too full.

I also learned a great deal about small business in general from classes at my local Small Business Development Center.

How has your daily life changed since beginning this new venture?

I am a lot busier! I’m never bored – I always have something to do, and I’m always thinking about new things to try. The most satisfying change is that I see my kids learning about how a business works from the inside out. I think that will be very useful to them in the future.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Still knitting. I’m contemplating some possible changes to the business, but they will be relatively minor. I hope I will be planning my time and projects better, and I want to spend more time developing new products.

Who do you most admire?

Lots of people, so I stopped to think about what it is that I admire about them. I admire people whose commitment and hard work enable them to push past any boundaries or obstacles that had been limiting them

What’s your favorite kind of music?

Rock and roll – from Buddy Holly to Green Day, and most of everything in between.

Who’s your favorite author?

Too many to name, but my favorite type of reading is science fiction.

What do you do for fun?

Watch sports, especially when my kids are playing. My favorites are baseball and softball.

Anything else you’d care to share.

The single thing that helped me the most with starting my business was doing LOTS of research before I started. I researched sources for supplies, zoning issues, bookkeeping software, tax issues, how to build a website, what type of equipment I would want, what type of bank account would work, shipping methods, payment methods, you name it.

The research enabled me to get started fairly smoothly. When things didn’t go well, I already had some knowledge about what other options I could try.

Visit Primarily Practical Knits for handmade knit clothing and gifts for family and home. Kelly offers custom knits as well as ready-made items. Most are easy care; all are hand-finished for years of use.