I attended the Handmade Chat (#HandmadeChat), How To Make Money Teaching DIY Classes, hosted by Donna Maria of Indie Business (@INDIEbusiness) on Twitter, June 7, 2012. The guest was LaShonda Tyree (@Soapcoach), the owner of Handmade Soap Coach.
Before I go any further, I must say that I am so enthused that the Indie Business Handmade Chat has fired back up!
I love a good Twitter chat. Why is that? I always learn something new. I always make a new friend or business contact. I always come away from the chat with a renewed perspective. There is nothing like a group of people sharing their thoughts, ideas, and expertise. It simply rounds things out! It is a great tool for business.
So, what were some of the hi-lights from this week’s Handmade Chat? I will sum it by posting a few of the questions and answers!
INDIEbusines question Q2:
WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIPS FOR STARTING TO TEACH #DIY CLASSES WITHOUT BEING OVERWHELMED?
LaShonda answered A2A:
Don’t try to teach everything at first. Choose what you’re best at, do it well.
Focus on your strengths.
I love this response! Those of us that enjoy creating handmade products often learn the hard way to not make everything that we love. We learn to keep it simple. We learn to sell what we are good at creating. Apparently, where DYI (do it yourself) classes are concerned, it is also best to streamline only to what we are best at!
INDIEbusiness Q3: WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES TO MAKING A PROFIT TEACHING #DIY CLASSES?
LaShonda answered A3a: Charge what you’re worth. So many undercharge, and end up barely breaking even or losing money. Do the math!
Again, this holds so true for the handcrafted industry. Charge what you are worth, what your products are worth! Handcrafted soap, for example, is a luxury. Handcrafted soap takes time to make (market and package), and contains ingredients that are expensive and sometimes unique. It only makes sense to ask for the full value of your class, your handmade product, or for your service. This is very important!
LaShonda added A3c: Be sure to charge a materials fee so you don’t eat that cost. People often overlook this!
I love LaShonda’s point here. A handmade instructor, or even a handmade product maker, should always include all of their materials in the price that they set. Every penny counts!
I am preparing to offer handmade soap and lotion classes locally. Thank you to LaShonda Tyree, the Handmade Soap Coach, for sharing your expertise!
The full transcript to this Handmade Chat is available here.
Annies Goat Hill (@anniesgoathill) will be the guest on next week’s Handmade Chat (June 7, 2012 at 8:00 EST). We will be talking about How To Include Milk In Handmade Soap. I look forward to it! I hope to see you there!
Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps 
It sounds like you’ve had a lot of interesting stuff to talk about!
Amy
It was interesting. Thank you, Amy.
Hey Mary, super post! The “charge what you’re worth” and “keep it simple” advice resonated with me as well. Thanks for sharing this with your readers so they can follow along with us.
Cannot WAIT to have you on next week’s #HandmadeChat, sharing about making soap using milk products. Fun!
It was great advice that could be relayed to many types of businesses.
I look forward to being on the #HandmadeChat next week!
Mary, I am so glad you were able to take something away from the #HandmadeChat about teaching DIY classes. I hope they help you out as you prepare to teach classes.
I can’t wait until next week when you chat about making soaps with milk. I will have my pen and paper ready for all the tips you will share when it comes to making luxurious milk soaps.
You are the expert, LaShonda, we couldn’t have gotten the advice from a better instructor.
I look forward to seeing you at this week’s chat!
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