How to start your decal business with SVG files
Hello people! If you are looking for a side hustle idea or just want to get into a crafty business that matches your hobbies, you can start a decal business. There are lots of different small businesses that generate a good income and some of them turn into a big regular business! Big businesses require good investment in the place, material, workers and some other operational cost but in the case of small businesses, you can start from your home sitting on your computer and sell globally.
There are many platforms available like creative market and Etsy where you can sell your craft or handmade items and earn a handsome amount every month. Check out the 4 best platforms to sell online for small businesses.
Now, as you make your mind to jump into a small business, I have one idea or suggestion to start with that many people are already doing and generating a regular income - Decal & sticker business.
Stickers and decals are widely used forms of paper that people use from their hydro flasks to laptops and some for professional uses like for the different signs. You will find stickers everywhere. You can think of it as a decal or sticker manufacturing business.
There is two major types of stickers are available in the market.
- Regular stickers for personalization
- Industrial stickers
You can select either 1 or just do both the type as on-demand service.
In short - you print stickers based on some trends and some regular requirements from the users and sell them off.
Tools requirements for a basic setup
You will need a sticker printer, sticker cutter, and a computer to run all the tools and manage your designs.
The first thing you will need is designs. You can hire a freelance designer to create some designs as per your thoughts or you can create your own design if you know a bit of adobe illustrator or any other design software. You can also purchase designs directly from sellers for commercial use and then you can print them for sale.
After you have your designs ready, now it is time to manufacture the decals. There are lots of printers available in the market that are used for stickers printing. if you have a normal laser printer for office or personal use, it will work fine. Most of the sticker papers are supported in all the laser printers. If you do not have a printer, you can research on Reddit and other Facebook groups related to stickers to find out the best deal of printer that perfectly works for this purpose.
Sticker paper selection
There are different types of sticker papers available like matte, glossy, semi-glossy, and some others. You can order the paper as per your needs from an online store like amazon or just visit a nearby craft shop and you will find a lot of options.
Once you finalize with design, printer and paper supply, the remaining tool is the cutting machine. There are three major brands in the market - Cricut, Silhouette and brother. Most of people use Cricut or silhouette and they are the latest and most efficient cutting machines out in the market.
These companies have multiple different models made available for different types of users. If you are just starting out on sticker making and have no prior experience, I will suggest going with a Cricut joy, it is a small little machine that will cut your stickers properly and do the job without making you broke. (Usually, the regular cutting machines are expensive)
Where to sell the stickers?
You can collaborate with local craft shops and find what are the regular items and you can ask them if they can buy from you. If you get this type of deal, you will get regular orders and so you will be able to improve your art and the whole business. Another channel to sell the stickers/decal is on an online marketplace like Etsy. There are lots of people already selling stickers on Etsy so make sure you have a unique product.
You can join different social media groups and share your designs there and get orders from the group members as well. Once you are rolling in a good amount every month regularly for 6-7 months, then you should opt-in for your own website or Shopify store. this way you will get a lot of control over your marketing efforts and there will be less cut on your earnings.