Answering Your Most Asked Questions! | Crochet, Small Business & Personal Q&A — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:05Hello everyone, welcome or welcome back
2. 0:07to my YouTube channel. My name is
3. 0:08Lakshmi and I'm a full-time crocheter
4. 0:11and a YouTuber. So, there are multiple
5. 0:13questions that you guys keep asking me
6. 0:14on Instagram and my comment section or
7. 0:17in in my DMs as well related to my
8. 0:19business, my income, my age and the kind
9. 0:24of yarn I use and do I hire people. So,
10. 0:28here's a list of questions
11. 0:30that you all have asked.
12. 0:33So, I'm going to answer all of your
13. 0:35queries one by one.
14. 0:37Let's get started without wasting any
15. 0:38time. So, the very first question is,
16. 0:41there are so many crochet businesses
17. 0:43now. What can we do to stand out? Okay.
18. 0:48So, that is true. Crochet has become
19. 0:50very famous now and every other person
20. 0:54has started crochet business. But, this
21. 0:57doesn't mean that your crochet business
22. 0:59won't work just because you're starting
23. 1:01late. You might have seen many
24. 1:03businesses that are running from so
25. 1:05long, but they haven't gained that much
26. 1:07popularity that new businesses have
27. 1:10already done.
28. 1:11So, to stand out basically, you need to
29. 1:14see what people like.
30. 1:16What I feel people like cute things. My
31. 1:19audience like cute things, small things
32. 1:21that are not too pricey.
33. 1:24And one more tip is to follow the
34. 1:26trends. Please, please, please follow
35. 1:29the trends. I mentioned this before as
36. 1:31well in my another video that you should
37. 1:33definitely follow the trends if you want
38. 1:35to stand out from another crocheters.
39. 1:37Also, to stand out, please do not
40. 1:40underprice your products because that's
41. 1:42not going to make you stand out. Be
42. 1:44consistent, not only with, you know,
43. 1:46posting anything every day, but posting
44. 1:49good quality content.
45. 1:51Uh
46. 1:52many people make quality products, but
47. 1:54they don't know how to showcase their
48. 1:56products, okay? So, how to
49. 1:59make it look engaging and how to make
50. 2:02people wait to look their to watch their
51. 2:05reel. You can make a normal product, but
52. 2:08still
53. 2:09just show its process in a creative way
54. 2:12which will make you stand out.
55. 2:14Next question is, how do you deal with
56. 2:16people who bargain a lot? I don't.
57. 2:18[snorts] I don't deal with them. My
58. 2:20simple answer is a no. Okay? Because
59. 2:24if they'll ask you to bargain and you'll
60. 2:26say a little higher price, they'll still
61. 2:28go lower and there will be so many
62. 2:30tantrums from that customer. So, what I
63. 2:32do is simply say no. It may sound rude
64. 2:35to them, but what needs to be done needs
65. 2:37to be done. So, I simply say no. I do
66. 2:40not bargain
67. 2:41a penny. Not even 10 rupees, not even 20
68. 2:44rupees, nothing. Right customer will pay
69. 2:47you the full price. Please tell about
70. 2:49your shipping partner and how do you
71. 2:51ship your products? So, I've already
72. 2:53made a very detailed video on this. In
73. 2:55this video, I have mentioned which
74. 2:58couriers do I use, how much they charge
75. 3:01and what packaging boxes and supplies do
76. 3:04I use to pack my orders. So, everything
77. 3:07is mentioned in this video. I'll also
78. 3:08attach its link in the description box.
79. 3:11What's one thing that you think small
80. 3:13business owners are doing wrong right
81. 3:16now?
82. 3:17So, I think I've seen a lot of people
83. 3:19underprice their products. So, I think
84. 3:22that's very wrong because in that way
85. 3:24you are not only exploit exploiting
86. 3:26yourself, but you're also exploiting all
87. 3:29the businesses running around you. And
88. 3:32if you're underpricing your products,
89. 3:34trust me, you are not gaining anything.
90. 3:37You are just completing your labor
91. 3:39supply. You're just paying yourself as a
92. 3:41labor. So, you're not earning any profit
93. 3:44and you're also exploiting the market.
94. 3:46So, please do not underprice your
95. 3:48products. If this is you, then stop
96. 3:50doing this right now.
97. 3:52Is starting amigurumi hard? And which
98. 3:56hook size do you recommend?
99. 3:58So, amigurumi is not hard. Basically,
100. 4:01you have to do the same stitches only
101. 4:02that you do in any other project, but
102. 4:05yes, amigurumi requires a lot of
103. 4:07cleanliness.
104. 4:09Um in other projects, you might not be
105. 4:12doing much clean work that will work,
106. 4:14but in amigurumi, you need to do clean
107. 4:17work.
108. 4:18So, that's a little hard. So, for the
109. 4:21beginners, I won't recommend starting
110. 4:23with amigurumi. And for the hook size,
111. 4:26if you're making like a keychains for if
112. 4:28I make amigurumi keychains, I use 3 mm
113. 4:31hook or 3.5 mm last. Ganga Desire yarn
114. 4:35will go for flowers, bags, cardigans and
115. 4:38dolls.
116. 4:39Um
117. 4:40I've used Ganga Desire like two to three
118. 4:43times and yes, it works great for
119. 4:45flowers. It works great for bags. I
120. 4:49don't make cardigans and dolls, so I
121. 4:50cannot comment on that, but yes,
122. 4:52overall, it's a good yarn. How do I grow
123. 4:55my small business as a beginner? So,
124. 4:58this is one of the most asked question
125. 5:00that how do you grow your business? And
126. 5:02I've made a very detailed video on this
127. 5:04that how did I went from, you know, just
128. 5:07getting 10 to 20 orders to getting 200
129. 5:10plus orders monthly. So, I've made a
130. 5:13detailed video on the on this topic.
131. 5:16But, if I want to brief it, then I'll
132. 5:18say be consistent and don't doubt
133. 5:21yourself, okay? Even if things don't
134. 5:24work out for you right now, just take it
135. 5:26as an experience, as a learning.
136. 5:28Eventually, they will if you stay
137. 5:30consistent and with consistency, improve
138. 5:34yourself.
139. 5:35Do you use wire to make flower petals
140. 5:39and which yarn do you use?
141. 5:41Uh yes, for some flowers, I use wires
142. 5:45like lilies and open tulips. In these
143. 5:48flowers, you have to use wires, so yes,
144. 5:50I use it. And the link the materials
145. 5:53that I use in my crochet projects, I've
146. 5:56made a separate video on this.
147. 5:59Uh and I've also added links under this
148. 6:02video. So, I'll add this video's link as
149. 6:04well in the description and you can
150. 6:06check out which yarn do I use, which
151. 6:08wire do I use uh in the scene. I'm
152. 6:11trying to grow my business, but
153. 6:13struggling with balancing studies. So,
154. 6:16I've seen this is a case for a lot of
155. 6:18you that you guys are still studying and
156. 6:21you have to balance your business with
157. 6:23it. So, I'll say it's totally fine to
158. 6:26feel a little difficult. What I
159. 6:28recommend is that focus on your studies
160. 6:30because they are more important than
161. 6:33anything right now. Especially if you're
162. 6:35in school. So, I know the amount of
163. 6:38assignments and tests that you might be
164. 6:39getting. But, since crochet is your
165. 6:42hobby and you like to do crochet and you
166. 6:44still want to make a little some income,
167. 6:46then I would recommend you to make
168. 6:48pieces, like try out different things
169. 6:51and [clears throat] only sell those.
170. 6:52Like, don't take orders because that
171. 6:54will build up load on your head and it
172. 6:57will be very difficult for you to
173. 6:58complete them on time. So, I'll
174. 7:01recommend that just uh make something
175. 7:04from your own interest and your own
176. 7:05choice and just sell those pieces.
177. 7:09How did you grow your business so much
178. 7:11in just 2 years? So, I've been running
179. 7:15business for more than 2 years now, but
180. 7:17yes, I got fame uh
181. 7:20like around 2 years back only. So, yes.
182. 7:25Uh
183. 7:25again, I've mentioned everything
184. 7:27regarding this in this video itself.
185. 7:30Uh how my earnings started to grow up.
186. 7:34What should you do? And also in this
187. 7:37video that how my engagement, how my
188. 7:40views started to increase. What are the
189. 7:42reasons I think that are responsible for
190. 7:45this increase.
191. 7:46Where do you get your packaging from?
192. 7:48Again, one of the most asked question.
193. 7:51And all my packaging boxes links are
194. 7:54mentioned in this video.
195. 7:57I want to ask
196. 8:02So, how do I deal with this?
197. 8:05So, again in this video, I've mentioned
198. 8:07the couriers I have used and I am
199. 8:10currently using along with their rates.
200. 8:13But again, no courier or no
201. 8:16post office service is completely
202. 8:18reliable. Um
203. 8:20These may take order may problem occur.
204. 8:22It's very normal. And you have to deal
205. 8:26with that problem as a business owner.
206. 8:29Did you want to open a crochet business
207. 8:31from childhood? Uh no, not specifically
208. 8:34crochet. I didn't even know about
209. 8:37crochet until 2 years back. So, no.
210. 8:41So, no, but I always wanted to run a
211. 8:43handmade business. I've always been fond
212. 8:46of,
213. 8:47you know, making products by hand. So,
214. 8:49yeah. I wanted to run a handmade
215. 8:51business from my childhood. How do I
216. 8:54increase followers and views on Insta?
217. 8:57Again, this is the video for the
218. 8:59reference, but I'll say please don't
219. 9:02rush for views and followers. Don't take
220. 9:04so much pressure.
221. 9:06When you start taking things lightly,
222. 9:09then
223. 9:10is the time when actually things start
224. 9:12to work out for
225. 9:15Please tell me up month may approx kitna
226. 9:18kama leti ho. My earning. This is also
227. 9:21one of the most most most asked
228. 9:23question. So,
229. 9:26I will not reveal what I earn, but what
230. 9:29I can tell you is ki
231. 9:33acchi khasi ho jati hai. And it only
232. 9:35grows.
233. 9:37Wo badhti chali jati hai with month,
234. 9:39with time, with years. So, yes. All I
235. 9:43can tell you is ki acchi khasi income ho
236. 9:45jati hai. Totally reliable and even
237. 9:48better than jobs.
238. 9:50How to be consistent when things are not
239. 9:53going your way?
240. 9:54Well, that is the challenge. We have to
241. 9:56be consistent if things are going our
242. 9:59way or if things are not going our way.
243. 10:02See, uh
244. 10:03I've been running business for 5 years,
245. 10:05but first 3 years, can you imagine? I
246. 10:07was posting consistently, but
247. 10:10I just got like 200, 300, 400 views.
248. 10:14And so you never know ki aapki konsi
249. 10:17video kab blow up ho jaye. So, be
250. 10:19consistent.
251. 10:21Keep working on your editing and keep
252. 10:25working on how you shoot your video,
253. 10:27your backgrounds, your products, and
254. 10:29your consistency will definitely pay
255. 10:31off.
256. 10:33Can crochet be a profitable business
257. 10:35without hiring help?
258. 10:37Yes, it can still be a profitable
259. 10:39business, but it can be very tiring. It
260. 10:43can be very stressful. So, if you're not
261. 10:46hiring any help and you're completing
262. 10:48all your orders by yourself, make sure
263. 10:50that you give yourself enough time. You
264. 10:53tell your customers in advance that it
265. 10:55will take around 20, 25, 30 days for
266. 10:58delivery, so that even you have time to
267. 11:00relax, okay? And you don't have to work
268. 11:04in a hurry or in a pressure.
269. 11:07Which tripod do you use to record your
270. 11:09YouTube video?
271. 11:11Uh this question is recently being asked
272. 11:13a lot and I'm actually thinking of
273. 11:15making a separate video on how do I
274. 11:17record my
275. 11:18uh YouTube tutorials. So,
276. 11:22let me know in the comment section if
277. 11:23you want a detailed video on this and
278. 11:26I'll share my tripod link and everything
279. 11:29that you need to know
280. 11:30uh for recording tutorials in that
281. 11:32video. Do you crochet all products by
282. 11:35yourself? No.
283. 11:37Initially, I did and it tired a lot.
284. 11:43And it was a lot tiring. It was very
285. 11:45stressful. I was working like I didn't
286. 11:48have time to think anything else. I
287. 11:50didn't have time to create something
288. 11:52new. So, eventually I started hiring
289. 11:56artists and currently I have around four
290. 11:59to five ladies with me that are
291. 12:01consistently providing me with their
292. 12:03work. Very grateful for them. Try to pay
293. 12:06them well and and I try to give them as
294. 12:09many orders as I can. And I'm very happy
295. 12:11that I'm able to provide employment to
296. 12:15my four artists. So, yes, I do not
297. 12:18crochet everything all alone. This was
298. 12:21asked by I don't know so many people
299. 12:24continuously in my DMs. So, no,
300. 12:27uh I have help with me.
301. 12:29Tips for new small business owners.
302. 12:32Uh be consistent, keep creating, and
303. 12:36don't chase, okay?
304. 12:39Keep your calm, make your products, and
305. 12:41just enjoy the process.
306. 12:44Which wrapping paper do you use for your
307. 12:47bouquets? So, I'll attach the link. I
308. 12:49buy it from Amazon. So, I'll attach its
309. 12:51Amazon link in the description box. How
310. 12:54do you manage time to run Insta business
311. 12:56and YouTube?
312. 12:58Uh well, these are the kind of things
313. 12:59that you learn eventually. It's
314. 13:01definitely not very easy, I'll say.
315. 13:04Uh initially, it was very difficult, but
316. 13:07now
317. 13:08uh since I have a routine set and I have
318. 13:11artists working for me, so now it has
319. 13:14become a little easier, I'll say.
320. 13:17But initially, what I used to do was uh
321. 13:20I was I used to make a new product at
322. 13:22night and I would upload it three in the
323. 13:26morning and I would shoot and everything
324. 13:28in the morning, okay? And sometimes I
325. 13:30used to make products in the morning as
326. 13:32well like because you need to shoot the
327. 13:34process as well.
328. 13:36But in my process shooting not necessary
329. 13:38that all products made at home
330. 13:41and so on. Real shoot I used to upload
331. 13:43it on Instagram and rest of the time in
332. 13:46the morning may I tutorial record karne
333. 13:48ka time nikal diya. Obviously, those
334. 13:50many nikal sakte ho. So, may monthly I
335. 13:53guess three to four tutorials
336. 13:55[clears throat]
337. 13:55upload kar pati thi pehle. Right now,
338. 13:58I'm uploading around eight to nine
339. 13:59tutorials, I guess.
340. 14:02Even four to five tutorials monthly are
341. 14:05more than enough if you're just a
342. 14:07beginner on YouTube.
343. 14:09I'm a beginner and I've started my own
344. 14:11business, but I'm not getting enough
345. 14:13orders and attention. So, that's the
346. 14:16story of every person. So, you cannot
347. 14:19expect that just which we download, it
348. 14:23will just blow up and get million of
349. 14:25views instantly. So, it's not like that.
350. 14:28It's just a part of process and
351. 14:31I got a lot of process to go through.
352. 14:33You will eventually reach at that point
353. 14:36as well
354. 14:37you feel that yes, people are showing
355. 14:40interest and you're getting the fame,
356. 14:42you're getting the attention. So, yeah,
357. 14:44we'll just keep working and stop
358. 14:46complaining and you'll eventually get to
359. 14:49it.
360. 14:50How did you actually started crocheting?
361. 14:53So, I used to see so many things of
362. 14:55crochet online on Instagram and I found
363. 14:58a little interest in it and I thought
364. 15:00why not give it a try? So, I just
365. 15:01ordered a few yarns and hooks
366. 15:04online and I started watching a YouTube
367. 15:07tutorial and I got fed up. I left it and
368. 15:10then again after two, three months, I
369. 15:12felt that maybe I should start again
370. 15:14because I was free at that time. So, I
371. 15:15thought why not
372. 15:17give it one more chance. So, again I
373. 15:20started and this time I had little
374. 15:22motivation that I want to make at least
375. 15:25one flower. So, I had this motivation
376. 15:27that I have to complete this one flower
377. 15:29at at any cost.
378. 15:31So,
379. 15:32I completed that one flower. I liked it
380. 15:35and
381. 15:37I completed that one flower and it took
382. 15:39me a lot of time. It was very
383. 15:41exhausting,
384. 15:42but when I saw the final result, I was
385. 15:44like it's good and maybe eventually if I
386. 15:47keep working, then the time required
387. 15:50will reduce and yes, that's how I
388. 15:52started crocheting initially. I started
389. 15:55watching a YouTube tutorial itself and
390. 15:58from that only I have learned
391. 15:59crocheting.
392. 16:00Smart Biz Pay shipping only Shiprocket
393. 16:03se karna padta hai?
394. 16:05No. Uh Smart Biz Pay, you get three
395. 16:08options. Jab aapko ek order receive
396. 16:10hoga, ki website puri set up order
397. 16:12receive hoga, to aapke paas teen options
398. 16:14aayengi. First is Shiprocket.
399. 16:16[clears throat] Agar aap Shiprocket use
400. 16:17karte ho, then aap apna Shiprocket
401. 16:20account us pe attach kar sakte ho. And
402. 16:23agar aap next options aapke paas
403. 16:25aayengi, wo hogi third
404. 16:27third party courier service, which is
405. 16:29what I use ki agar aap bahar kahin se
406. 16:32DTDC se ya post office se ya kisi bhi
407. 16:35aur courier se agar aap apna courier
408. 16:37karvate ho, to usme aapko bas courier ka
409. 16:40name mention karna hota hai and uski
410. 16:41tracking number mention karna hota hai.
411. 16:44So, uh and third is self ship. Self ship
412. 16:47mein hota hai ki aap agar aap city to
413. 16:49city aap koi order deliver kar rahe ho
414. 16:51and by aap kisi person ke through hi
415. 16:53bhijwa rahe ho like aap khud deliver
416. 16:55karne ja rahe ho ya aapka koi relative
417. 16:56family member deliver karne ja raha hai
418. 16:58ya aap porter ya rapid karva rahe ho, to
419. 17:00aap self ship ki option pe click karoge.
420. 17:02Us pe rider ka name and rider ka number
421. 17:05aap mention karoge. So, no aisa kuch
422. 17:08nahi hai ki aapko Shiprocket se hi ship
423. 17:09karna padega agar aap Smart Biz use kar
424. 17:11rahe ho. Aap jis way mein abhi ship
425. 17:13karte ho, aap waise hi ship kar sakte ho
426. 17:15Smart Biz mein bhi.
427. 17:17Your age because you're such a
428. 17:19motivation to all crocheters. So, thank
429. 17:22you so much first of all for all the
430. 17:24love you guys give to me. And I don't
431. 17:27know why this is one of the most asked
432. 17:29question as well, uh my age. And as much
433. 17:33as you guys like to ask it, I like to
434. 17:36hide it. So,
435. 17:38uh I'll reveal my age uh
436. 17:40when we get 200 subscribers.
437. 17:43Crochet business ko aapki tarah expand
438. 17:46karne ke liye useful suggestions. Love
439. 17:48from Pakistan.
440. 17:50Love from India. And uh
441. 17:53again,
442. 17:55it takes consistency. It takes uh you
443. 17:58know, not doubting yourself and it takes
444. 18:01a lot of hard work as well. So, again I
445. 18:04have a lot of tips for all the small
446. 18:06business owners who have initially
447. 18:08started.
448. 18:09These two videos, these are these both
449. 18:12are going to be very helpful for you.
450. 18:14Tips to shoot and edit your YouTube
451. 18:16tutorials. Again, let me know agar aapko
452. 18:19my tutorials kaise record karti hu uska
453. 18:21pura explanation chahiye aapko, then do
454. 18:23let me know in the comment section. May
455. 18:25uski puri detailed video alag se
456. 18:27banaungi.
457. 18:28Next is kya aap e-commerce business bhi
458. 18:31karte ho? Not currently, but maine
459. 18:34Amazon pe sale kiya hua hai apne crochet
460. 18:36products ko.
461. 18:38Only limited products. Maine four ya
462. 18:40five products rakhe the and maine Amazon
463. 18:42pe sale kiya tha for around five to six
464. 18:45months. Maine Amazon pe sale kiya hai.
465. 18:48It's good, but it's a little tiring. But
466. 18:51agar you know, initially
467. 18:52andar bahut motivation hoti hai, so us
468. 18:55time pe ye ho jata hai. So, agar
469. 18:59aap chance dena chahte ho e-commerce ko,
470. 19:02I'd say you can give Amazon
471. 19:04a try.
472. 19:05But it doesn't work out for everyone.
473. 19:08It's a little hectic and it has
474. 19:10different issues.
475. 19:12You want to try to put your items on
476. 19:14blanket and all. Also, how are you going
477. 19:17to make your brand big?
478. 19:20So, making my brand big is not really
479. 19:24what I see in future. I just want to be
480. 19:27a creator, an artist who enjoys her
481. 19:30work. Baki, I don't know if I'll ever
482. 19:33put up on blanket or any other platform.
483. 19:35Currently, I'm only selling through my
484. 19:37website and I'm satisfied with it. How
485. 19:40did you get orders when you were not
486. 19:43viral? So, initially again, I was uh
487. 19:47selling through Amazon. So, I used to
488. 19:49get orders via Amazon only for initial 6
489. 19:53to 7 months, I guess I haven't received
490. 19:56any order from Instagram. I used to
491. 19:58receive like two to three orders, I
492. 20:00would say, from people who are known to
493. 20:02you, but otherwise, I didn't used to get
494. 20:05any proper sales initially. I don't have
495. 20:07any question to ask you. Only I want to
496. 20:10say you are you are so hard working and
497. 20:12incredible.
498. 20:14So, thank you so much, Lakshmi, for your
499. 20:17kind words and people like you motivate
500. 20:20me a lot. So, thank you so much. I love
501. 20:23the community that I've built and I
502. 20:26really hope that you're all enjoying it.
503. 20:28Next is, let me tell you I got inspired
504. 20:31by you to start my business and it's
505. 20:33been 1 year.
506. 20:35Kudos to you and it's great that you've
507. 20:38survived your first year and messages
508. 20:41like this, you know, it makes me very
509. 20:44happy that
510. 20:46you started your business inspired by
511. 20:48me. So, this is this means a lot to me.
512. 20:51So, thank you so much.
513. 20:54Next is, what's one thing that you
514. 20:56learned handling this business?
515. 20:59I would say that
516. 21:01you cannot do everything alone.
517. 21:04So, I'm a kind of person who used to
518. 21:06think that I'll handle everything by
519. 21:08myself from making to packaging to
520. 21:11editing to shooting and everything and
521. 21:13eventually it all came up on me and I
522. 21:16got so stressed with workload. It was a
523. 21:19lot of work
524. 21:20and eventually I had to put out my hand
525. 21:23for help. So, I started hiring artists
526. 21:26and that's when I realized that how
527. 21:29important it is.
528. 21:30You cannot handle everything alone. As
529. 21:33you grow, you need people.
530. 21:36You need people to join with you.
531. 21:38Please tell me about your monetization
532. 21:40journey on YouTube. This is also one of
533. 21:42the most asked question. I'm also
534. 21:44thinking of making a separate video on
535. 21:47this because it's a very long topic and
536. 21:49I cannot you know, just explain it in a
537. 21:52few minutes. So, I'll make
538. 21:54long video on this. Do let me know if
539. 21:57you
540. 21:58if you guys need more information on
541. 22:00this.
542. 22:01How do you manage inventory? Do you
543. 22:03[clears throat] keep in stock or after
544. 22:05order? So, earlier what I used to do was
545. 22:08that I used to make every single product
546. 22:11after order only.
547. 22:13That was my initial stage, but right now
548. 22:16since I have artists hired with hired
549. 22:19with me, so I keep a bunch of
550. 22:23you know, products ready with me that I
551. 22:24know
552. 22:25you to sell only. That people love this
553. 22:28product and you made it regularly sell
554. 22:29out only.
555. 22:31So, I keep those products only in stock.
556. 22:35And rest so many products only like
557. 22:38bags, blankets, all on order only.
558. 22:42Are you a student or a full-time
559. 22:44business owner? No, I'm not a student. I
560. 22:47have completed my graduation
561. 22:50and I'm a full-time business owner. I
562. 22:52run my business and I'm a YouTuber.
563. 22:55So, I'm done with all these questions
564. 22:58and if you have any other questions, do
565. 23:01drop it in the comment section. I will
566. 23:04reply you in the comment section itself.
567. 23:06And thank you so much for watching this
568. 23:08video. I really hope that you got
569. 23:10answers of your questions. Keep creating
570. 23:13and keep watching. Lots of love.
571. 23:15Bye-bye.