While I was homeschooling our son, I decided to take up an opportunity and build a website to start a Personalized Poetry business online. I worked with a company who was offering help and internet services. They also agreed that if the business did not take off, they would refund the money put into the website to get it going.
The material they gave me was pretty easy to understand and after getting the pages ready, merchants accounts going, and all the other important steps, I was up and running! I already had a Paypal account due to writing short stories in EzineArticles so that was already in the works as well. I was ready to begin!
What I did was create personalized poems for individuals who needed a special occasion gift for a loved one. I would begin by getting one of their favorite pictures they provided and use their picture either by itself or worked onto the image of one of my own photos and place it onto a photo paper of size to be placed into their choice of frame.
I had an agreement with a frame company that I could order from them on discount but usually picked them up when I saw great deals in places like Kohl’s or somewhere. Many favored the 8”x10” frames and that always seemed to work best anyhow.
After getting the pictures discussed and picked out, I would ask the information about the special occasion. For example, someone might call to get a personalized poem for a 50th wedding anniversary. I would get information like when they were married, if they had children, how many children, what their likes were, and so forth. I got to know so many individuals and their stories!
I would take that information and create a poem using the information I got and after manipulating photos, lightening the poem area, and writing the poem in its place, I’d print it off and place it into a frame. I had so many customers who loved it and many repeat customers needing a special gift for future occasions.
I created mock poems and asked individuals who I previously made poetry for if I could use their poems as samples to display and everyone I asked allowed it. I went to craft shows with my sister, who made the ruffle-edged soft blankets, and I would hand out business cards I created. I had several calls for my work and it was fun talking with so many.
Eventually I had to quit due to merchants accounts being too expensive and the lack of interest online. I had more customers ordering from craft shows and word of mouth. The company I worked with to get the business going guaranteed that if by the year end I hadn’t succeeded that they would refund my money and they honored that. But, I kept the business going offline due to the craft shows and such.
After a few years, I quit the craft shows es well. There are a few on occasion that call to have something made and I enjoy helping them out. One thing I always did and was upfront about was telling the customers that I incorporated God into most all of my poems. I never had any issues or complaints about that and I was thankful! I felt as long as God was first in my life, He would allow my success.
