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31 Days - Day 12: Inventory

One of the things that every store front business must have for the successful running of the business is an inventory.  This list is different from the Profit and Loss Sheet on Day 5.  This list is should include:

  • Items you made
  • Number of each item you made
  • How much you priced each item at
You may even decide to add a column or two to document how many of each item you sell at each show you go to.  This will help you know how much to have on hand for the following year and help you decide to return to the show again.
This can be as simple as a school notebook with your list of items in it.

You could also make a simple spreadsheet on your computer to keep track of your inventory and sales.  Really this doesn't need to take a lot of your time to make, it just needs to do the job.

The other way you could track your inventory, is by getting an accounting book or ledger pad that has columns already for inventory.  This is a quick and no fuss way of taking your inventory with very little investment.  This book is has 50 sheets and is priced at only $2.12.  Again, keep this part simple and cheap too.

I personally like to keep an ongoing inventory list as I make the items.  This helps me know where I'm at in my getting ready for the show.  Also, I don't have a lot of storage room, so often store things in several different (more on this soon) places throughout my house, so by keeping an inventory, I know what I have.  It can help me double check my items when I pack my vehicle, too.

Overall, an Inventory list will help you track what items you have on hand and what items are selling at a  craft show.  It helps you account for your craft show business.  I will be posting soon about storing your items and packing them up.

If you've missed the last 12 days of my series on 31 Days Until a Craft Show, Click HERE to read all the posts.  Most of these posts have been all business related, but soon I will be doing some of the fun posts!  I know as crafters, we really like all the pretty pictures and crafty ideas, but the point is to turn your craft ideas and passions into a successful craft show.  I hope this information is helping you get ready.  

How do you keep track of your inventory?  I would love to hear your ideas in the comment section.   Also, check out those blogs that I will be linking up to in the right column..

For a complete list of the 31 Day Until A Craft Show series and links to each post go Here to Day 31.

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  1. Ethan MudgettNovember 14, 2012 at 4:27 AM

    Love this post! You know, inventory management is sometimes overlooked, especially if you have a lot of stock. When inventory is not properly monitored, you won’t be able to take an effective look at how much revenue you are generating. As for tools, I think Googledocs will suffice because it’s easy to handle and available when I’m on the go.

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