Restructuring/redesigning my business?

[KatyMac]

I'm an ecodesigner and I love it; I enjoy sourcing my fabrics, designing my garments and sewing them. My work is starting to be displayed at exhibitions but that isn't financially profitable

I am less good at selling them at markets and fairs - but some of that is finding the right venue to sell at and I am slowly getting better at that; I do enjoy the interaction with customers but I find events physically hard - I bought a caravan to make it easier but it's been off the road and then I got covid and now I'm post viral

I started the business seriously in September 2019 so my operating environment has been less than ideal and my clothes don't really sell terribly well online

I've created a shopping/making/sewing/upcycling day out for teens which works really well but I don't have a clue how to organise/market it

I'm wavering between making 2-300 an event and nothing

This year I did 2 events most weekends from the end of lockdown (early May?) Until I got ill

So how do I plan for next year?

Eco and artisan events are better venues than craft/farmers markets but I struggle finding them

I'm planning upcycling activities for festivals/larger events but electricity for the sewing machines is a problem; there may be grants available to extend this idea but the electric source is an issue because of my need to be eco

I have large amounts of resources (far more than I can use) but often they have been donated on the basis that I can use them for teaching or to make things to sell but I cant sell the resources themselves I have struggled in the past to say no to donations, I am far better now

I'm typing this all into mn and I may end up with a conversation with myself but it's harder to hide when it's all typed here so I hope I'll be more honest and realistic than I am in my mind

There's a shop near me that has lots of hand made items from different sellers. The shop owner provides a space/staff and takes a percentage of all sales. They also have a space for teaching and do weekly activities/one off crafting events. One lady sells handmade clothing and has erected a shower rail with curtain to enable people to try clothes on, she also does clothes to order. Could be a way of selling without a big time commitment and for your product to be seen by different clientele. Good luck.

Thanks for replying @Thepowerofthelook that's a good idea, maybe a refill shop might have the right customers for me

Create a digital course and teach online. More and more people have moved to online learning in the last two years and the estimated market value will be $350 billion by 2025.

Pick one process and break it down to see if it’s viable as an online course.

I did an online tutorial....it was really psnts!

But my daughter and her bf are really into online creation so they might help me

Could you make school holiday clubs and advertise in the local newspaper, Facebook groups, etc,?

Maybe, supervising teens is quite intense - I think 2/3 at a time would be plenty for me - with younger children the risk assessment might send me over the edge!

I did a class for adults with additional needs and everyone needed a 121 pretty much

Let me think about that