10 Best Handmade Business Ideas and Easy to Start (2024)

March 11, 2024 GemPages Team 0 Comments

The handicrafts market is booming, offering great chances for those with creative handmade business ideas to start right away.

But with so many options, it can be hard to figure out products with great profit margins. The internet is also confusing with tons of different information.

Therefore, in this post, GemPages Academy will provide the top 10 best DIY ideas for small businesses, with realistic examples of Shopify stores.

Why Handmade Products?

The opportunity for generating revenue with these concepts is immense. In 2022, the worldwide craft market was worth about $916 billion, and it’s expected to grow to nearly $1,972 billion by 2030.

So, starting a do-it-yourself (DIY) business can quickly become successful if you’re creative and committed and find a good craft business idea.

Top 10 DIY Small Business Ideas

Bath Bombs and Handmade Soaps

In 2022, the bath bomb market was worth $24.8 million, and it’s expected to grow to $35.9 million by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.87%.

The handmade soap market was valued at $158.79 million in 2023 and is predicted to increase to $224.45 million by 2031, growing at 5.94% each year.

This makes bath bombs and handmade soaps the top choices in this category. The reason is very simple. Both of them are creative, practical, and eco-friendly with natural ingredients. They also offer a relaxing experience and can be customized with various scents.

Dr. Squatch, a Shopify store, has revolutionized men’s hygiene with its natural products and excellent customer service.

Learn More: Essential Tools for Exceptional eCommerce Identity

Dr. Squatch offers a range of bath products, including handmade soaps and bath bombs, designed to make your shower a home spa experience. They use a traditional method called the cold process to make their soaps, which keeps glycerin and nutrients without strong chemicals. This way, their products can clean and nourish your skin.

T-shirts and Printed Merchandise

According to Statista, the worldwide T-shirt market will reach a huge $45.52 billion in 2024. It’s predicted to grow at about 3.24% every year from 2024 to 2028, which means there’s a lot of potential for the market to keep getting bigger.

T-shirts and printed merchandise stand out in this market as an excellent business opportunity for artists looking to share their passion and creativity. This diverse range of featured products includes T-shirts, hoodies, and accessories, all adorned with unique designs catering to various interests. Offering custom-printed items is a lucrative way to generate income, as they appeal strongly to consumers seeking personalized products.

One shining example of success in this niche is M00nshot, a Shopify store renowned for its special T-shirts and merchandise featuring funny, rare, and old-school designs. They also offer complementary items like stickers, mugs, and lounge pajama pants, all crafted with exceptional care and quality. With M00nshot, customers not only get stylish products but also enjoy long-lasting durability.

So, if you’re into DIY business or just want to show off your style through your wardrobe, try custom T-shirts and printed items.

Jewelry Making

Jewelry making is a creative idea for those seeking a handmade business opportunity. This niche involves crafting unique items, from fancy bracelets to intricate gemstone pieces, using different materials. With this art form, your business can freely express its creativity. At the same time, consumers can easily design themselves distinctive and personal accessories.

According to a report by Grand View Research, the jewelry market could expand at an annual growth rate of 8.1% and reach a value of $480.5 billion by 2025.

A good example is Vivien Frank, a well-known Shopify store. They have a beautiful range of jewelry with a modern bohemian flair, made from various materials and in one-of-a-kind styles. Vivien Frank gives shoppers a way to stand out with their personal style.

Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is a creative idea to preserve cherished memories. Basically, it’s about putting together pictures, clippings, and pretty things on paper. You can make a scrapbook the old-fashioned way with physical materials or digitally to display photos, tell stories, and create keepsakes.

You can check out Simon Says Stamp for inspiration. They sell lots of scrapbooking supplies for this kind of project. One of their highlighted items is the “Simon Says Stamp December Kit.” This kit provides a range of materials and inspiration for creating unique scrapbook layouts. Besides kits, Simon Says Stamp has a big collection of scrapbook papers online. You can pick from many colors, designs, and sizes.

Bead Making

Bead making is one of the top 10 DIY small business ideas, especially for newcomers. These beads can be used in jewelry, home decor, and crafts. You can simply string beads or try complex methods like glass blowing. These things are popular because it lets customers customize their style with different colors, shapes, and designs.

Cherry Diva is a well-known Shopify store that follows this concept. It offers a wide range of beads for every customer’s taste. You can find many things here, like hypoallergenic belly button rings, cartilage studs, daith hoops, nose studs, nose rings, nipple rings, and even industrial barbells.

Creating Websites and Blogging

Blogging isn’t just about sharing your ideas, stories, and advice. It can also turn into a business. Whether you’re talking about your life or giving expert tips, you can earn through subscriptions, selling exclusive content, or offering your own digital products.

First Site Guide is one of the Shopify store examples using the creating websites and blogging ideas. It provides a comprehensive guide for beginners, covering topics like choosing a niche, picking a blogging platform, selecting a domain name, setting up WordPress, and how to write and publish content. It also offers advice on planning and strategizing your blog content, highlighting how crucial good content is for a blog’s success.

Here is a screenshot image of the store.

Making Candles

The next idea on the list of the best handmade business ideas is making candles. Simple as it sounds, this craft is all about using materials like making candles. Voluspa is a Shopify store that does just that. They sell a variety of fancy-smelling candles, diffusers, and room sprays.

Selling Handmade Items on Shopify

Selling handmade goods on Shopify is a great way for small businesses to reach lots of customers. The platform is easy to use, so you don’t need to know a lot about eCommerce to get started. In addition, Shopify’s comprehensive categorization and keyword system ensures that your products are effectively targeted toward the appropriate audience.

An excellent example is Walnut Studiolo, a Shopify store. They have successfully built a brand centered around handcrafted leather goods and using only natural materials. Their focus on quality, eco-friendliness, and modern designs makes them stand out in the competitive handmade market.

Dropshipping Clothes

Dropshipping clothing stores is a great idea for eCommerce newcomers. You can sell clothes online without keeping any stock or producing the goods yourself. Instead, you pick clothes from other companies, attract customers, and the companies will send them straight to your customers for you. This way, you can sell all kinds of clothes, like baby outfits, kids’ wear, and clothes for adults.

Gymshark is a good example of this on Shopify. The store offers an extensive selection of workout clothes and activewear designed to enhance performance in various settings, like the track, gym, or studio. They’ve done a great job, showing just how effective dropshipping can be for selling clothes.

Sell Homemade Products

You can always sell your own homemade items like food, crafts, beauty products, and more. This approach lets you be creative and personal, turning what you love doing into a money-making venture.

Here is a great example on Shopify, Partake Foods. This shop sells a wide variety of tasty cookies for different diets. They’re gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and don’t have certain allergens.

That wraps up our top 10 DIY handmade business ideas. You can look through these suggestions to find the best fit for your business. If you’re unsure about which idea to go with, keep reading below to learn more.

How to Choose the Right Handmade Business Ideas

Focus on Your Interests. Whether it’s painting, knitting, woodworking, or baking, focusing on what you love to do will keep you motivated during difficult times. Building a business around your passion is more likely to bring you fulfillment and success.
Build on Your Skills and Knowledge. If you excel at baking, consider starting a handmade business in that field. If you have a talent for crafting, think about how you can monetize it. Remember, there is always room for improvement and learning new skills.
Explore Business and Consumer Trends. Frequently updated with the latest trends in the handmade business industry, including keeping an eye on popular products, emerging designs, and what consumers are currently buying. This will give you insights into what products have a higher chance of selling well.
Research the Current Market. Take a look at what they are selling, their pricing strategies, and their brand consistency across marketing channels to identify a unique selling proposition for your own business and differentiate yourself from others in the market.
Think About Ideas That Will Make a Difference. Think about how your handmade business can make a difference. You can consider offering eco-friendly products, supporting local communities, or creating items that solve customers’ problems. Making a positive impact can attract customers and set your business apart.
Consider SWOT Analysis. Conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis. This analysis will help you understand your business’s potential, the challenges you may face, the opportunities you can leverage, and the threats you need to be aware of. Through evaluating these factors, you can make informed decisions and develop effective strategies for your business.

Wrapping Up

Handmade business ideas offer great potential for small businesses to succeed. The top 10 DIY ideas mentioned here require little money to start and can be managed effectively by a small team. With dedication and creativity, entrepreneurs can use these ideas to build thriving ventures that cater to different customer needs. By tapping into the growing demand for handmade products, small businesses can grow and thrive in the market.

About GemPages Academy

GemPages Academy is a knowledge hub for storefront optimization and achieving overall eCommerce success. In collaboration with industry experts and leveraging cutting-edge Shopify applications, GemPages Academy offers a diverse array of content in various formats, including insightful blogs, intuitive tutorials, comprehensive webinars, and educational courses.