t's in there!
If you have an issue or a question about running your craft business, check "The Crafts Business Answer Book & Resource Guide." Home business expert Barbara Brabec seems to have encapsulated everything she has learned in more than 20 years of operating and writing about home-based businesses into a user-friendly 275-page volume.
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Title:
The Crafts Business Answer Book & Resource Guide
Price:
$15.95
by:
Barbara Brabec
Published by:
M. Evans and Company, New York, N.Y.
For credit card orders, call (800) 462-6420, or send $15.95, plus $2 shipping and handling, to: M. Evans & Co., 216 E. 49th St., New York, NY 10017.
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Regardless of your medium or level of experience, whether you sell through wholesale or retail shows, or the length of time you've been in business, this book addresses most crafts business-related questions.
Organized alphabetically by subject, such as "accrual method of accounting" or "copyright categories of protection," or "personal property used for business," the book is not the kind of resource you read all the way through in one sitting. If you're looking for something specific, the table of contents is organized by topic.
Answers to the questions/situations in this book are more along the lines of "in a nutshell" than extremely in-depth. But references direct the reader to where he or she might find more information. Almost every question I looked up was addressed.
Throughout the book, Brabec points out business obstacles to consider, like zoning laws and potential scams. The book is sprinkled with tips on home office issues such as tax complications that may arise if you deduct the depreciation on your house, or tax implications that may arise when you hire independent contractors and employees. Brabec also addresses the high cost of bank checks, and provides tips on how to save money at the post office.
As a business editor, I can say that this book will remain on my desk to be used as a reference, along with my "AP Stylebook" (a copy editing reference book) and dictionary. I would recommend you keep the book handy as well; it will help you navigate the stream of obstacles you often face as an artist, office manager, bookkeeper, human resource director, salesperson and billing clerk. Just flipping through the book might answer questions you didn't even know you had, like what kind of information you should include on a hang tag or postal regulations that could affect your business.
The book claims it provides "answers to hundreds of troublesome questions about starting, marketing and managing a home-based business efficiently, legally and profitably." I'd say it's a worthy claim.
Bernadette Finnerty is editor of The Crafts Report.
