My Top "Must Haves" for Running a Crochet Blog/Business
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I thought it’d be fun to gather up a list of some of my most prized business tools I use to run Megmade with Love. I’m talkin’ the essentials— the stuff I heavily rely on to run this blog, design patterns and basically keep this ship afloat. I’ve included everything from office items to crochet stuff, even what apps I use on my phone.
I thought this list could provide insight for someone who is looking to start a crochet business or blog, and give you a little behind-the-scenes look at all the stuff I use. Spoiler alert: they’re pretty basic items, that really aren’t too fancy!
Office stuff:
Not gonna lie, probably my favorite purchase this year. This printer is so fast compared to my previous inkjet one… and I know I’m already gonna save a ton on ink. I print tons of Etsy shipping labels, so this thing is a God-send.
Another life-changer? This expandable file folder. If I can make tax paperwork easier on myself in any way, I’m all for it.
I’ve had this paper trimmer for ages, but it’s still a must have for my business. From choppin’ tags to shipping labels… it’s really nice to have.
I’m so glad I decided to grab this dry-erase monthly calendar on a random target run at the end of last year. Such a brilliant concept— it contains all the important happenings of the month and hangs right above my computer. The next month rolls around and I just wipe ‘er clean and start again! I use different colored markers for business and personal stuff.
I’m in love with my custom rubber business stamp I got from Stamps and Sons on Etsy. It’s such a cool tool for branding on those packages you send out, or to put on a tag then attach to items you sell at markets.
Other key items in my office worth mentioning:
-my iMac desktop computer
-post-its (where would I be without a good to-do list on a post-it?!)
Photography stuff:
Fun fact: I used to do photography on the side. So I purchased this dslr, along with a fixed lens for portraits.. It’s been such a big tool for my business because photography is really the “face” of Megmade with Love. It’s pricier, but there are tons of other affordable options out there (wanna read more on photography? click HERE). I will also say, I take about half my Instagram photos with my iPhone, so that’s totally an easy option too.
Ahhh… the simple, but oh-so-awesome white poster board. Such a cheap and easy backdrop option for your photography. I bought a big foam one from Hobby Lobby, and love it.
How else would you take those photos when no one but your two year old is around? This tripod got good reviews on Amazon.
Another life-changer? When you purchase a shutter release remote for your camera. No more running back and forth, using the flippin’ photo timer…
I love using this app when I take photos on my phone… it’s got all the right tools, and really pretty filter options that you can control the intensity of.
I also wanted to mention the Preview app. I use this to plan out my Instagram photos and arrange how they’d look on a grid. It links up to your account, and pulls all your previous photos so you can see how they match up. I use it daily!
Crochet stuff:
When figuring out yarn yardage for designs, a scale (I just use a simple kitchen scale) is a MUST for figuring out how much yarn you used. A little cross multiplying with ounces and yardage, and you’ve got your answer! I also use a scale for weighing packages to ship. It’s a staple in my business.
Other mentionable crochet items (I tend to keep it incredibly simple when it comes to crochet gadgets):
-Stitch Fiddle for creating graphs and charts for patterns.. it’s such a great resource for designing with c2c or special stitches
-old jars for sorting buttons, notions, needles, stitch markers
-good pair of snips to throw in your bag on the go
-I jot down my patterns in one of those classic, cheap spiral notebooks
-I mean… is it silly to mention the handy dandy measuring tape? Because that’s perhaps the most used tool besides a crochet hook 😜
There ya have it! A surprisingly simple list of items I use to run my crochet biz. It really doesn’t take anything too expensive to make run an online business, and I’m incredibly thankful for that. So don’t buy into the lie that you need all the fancy-schmancies to make money on the internet. Get creative with what you’ve got, and purchase the stuff you can afford when you are able to.
Hope you enjoyed this list!
With love,
Meg
