6 hobbies that can make you money
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Arts and crafts
Brabec has sold nearly a half-million books that help fellow crafters turn homemade items into cash.

She's also seen the same mistakes over and over -- such as the little old seamstress who made pudgy-faced soft dolls but failed to patent her creation and hence didn't receive a dime when Cabbage Patch Kids exploded.

"The concepts are the same, whether you're selling quilting or stitchery or woodwork or steel sculpture or jewelry," she says. "Arts and crafts is a multi-billion-dollar industry all by itself."

How can you get your share of that?

Start with a computer. Even a technology holdout like Brabec admits you won't get anywhere today without one.

Computers are essential, not only to do the necessary market research, but also to sell your products beyond your city limits, she says. Although you'll probably begin at local craft shows and farmer's markets, your ultimate market may be half a state or even half a world away.

Next, test market your product any way you can.

"One woman who makes jewelry said, 'I just wear my new pieces and if a stranger stops me on the street and says 'I love your pin,' I know I've got a winner,'" she says. "But don't try that with your strawberry preserves!"

Many crafters make the mistake of not charging enough, Brabec says.

"Build in elements for profit and overhead because if you really take off, if you've set your prices too low and then find you have to hire help, there's not enough profit in your pricing structure to pay for an employee," she says. "It's a lot easier to lower prices than to raise them."

Brabec maintains that the ongoing flood of imports only means a brighter future for homemade arts and crafts.

"People want the quality and beauty of real handmade products," Brabec says. "They understand that there is a part of that artist within each piece, so they're buying more than just a product. There's always going to be a market for handmade products."

Arts and crafts business

• Skills: ability to produce a saleable art or craft product. • Market: retail or wholesale, the sky's the limit. • Opportunities for growth: license product for mass market production, media spinoffs (cartoons, etc.).