Dominic Chinea delves into BBC Make It at Market ‘issue’ as he delivers key warning to upcycling fans
BBC Make It at Market’s Dominic Chinea has issued advice to craftspeople looking to make a living out of their hobby by warning about key pitfalls that guests on his show often become victims of.
The expert craftsman and presenter, famed for his role on The Repair Shop, explained that talent was not enough to make it in the world of craft business.
While speaking on Morning Live, Chinea explained his joy that so many people were investigating picking up crafts and “side hustles”.
“Upcycling, repurposing, and being more sustainable is more current than ever,” he noted.
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However, the beloved presenter explained it would take more than an interest and skill to turn one’s hobby into a successful business.
His show, Make It at Market, revolves around pairing entrepreneurial craftspeople with mentors to do just that.
“Make sure you love what it is, whatever you’re doing. Because if you’re successful, you’re going to be doing it a lot,” he began.
Emphasising the need for more than passion alone, Chinea revealed the two most common stumbling blocks for budding craft businesses were presentation and shipping.
Chinea explained that overwhelming majority sales in the craft economy are made online and on social media – which necessitated good photos.
“You can have the nicest product in the world but if you’ve got terrible photos, it’s not going to show it off,” he warned.
This did not mean craftspeople would need to rush out to rent a photo studio though, he assured.
Instead, the restoration expert advised they seek out “creative” solutions like using natural backdrops or even requesting use of store front displays.
The second key issue for craft businesses was not having a plan for shipping.
Chinea recalled a “very, very talented stone carver” from Make It at Market who made “amazing pieces” but had not considered how to post his unwieldy products.
The Repair Shop stalwart told viewers that working out posting was “opening your market” to the whole world.
Doing so allows craftspeople to “do online sales and can post them anywhere in the world,” increasing both their reach and their profits.