As a small business owner myself I’ve often wondered what drives other people to start their own business. I recently came across a blog post referencing a small business survey from Cox business in the US. The survey showed that only eight percent of respondents stated that they run their business for the purpose of making large amounts of money. This may seem surprising to some, but as a small business owner myself I don’t find it surprising at all! 

Of course you need money for a business to survive and thrive but, less surprisingly to me at least, almost two thirds of the survey respondents felt that one of the prime motivators of owning a business is to be their own boss and be the creator of something.

I think this desire to build something from scratch makes entrepreneurship a somewhat creative pursuit in itself, but if your business idea also fits into a creative category, the very thing you are building a business around can become a drive in itself....

You'll find an extended interview about Emelye in the Spring 2023 Rowan Newsletter, coming soon!

Hi there! I'm Emelye. I look after this blog page and I do hope you enjoy our posts as much as I enjoy creating them. I have been working with Knitting For All for a few months now so I thought it was about time I introduced myself properly and told you a bit about my Knitting For All journey! 

It all started in 2012 when Knitting For All was in it's infancy I taught a small Saturday class in the Portobello area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Then as Knitting For All grew and adapted I was lucky enough to move on to owning a Knitting For All franchise and had several classes for all ages in the Stockbridge and Tollcross areas of Edinburgh. 

When I was pregnant with my second child we moved and I gave up knitting teaching for a while to focus on being at home with my two small children. At this point though my franchise was doing so well I was able to sell it as a going...

In 2023 we are running a very special campaign spotlighting one of our amazing teachers each month.  This means that we will be sharing information about their business, finding out what makes them unique, and interviewing them to find out more about them and what services and products they offer. We are so proud of our teachers and really want to show them off whilst giving them the opportunity to promote their businesses. In January I was delighted to catch up with Knitting For All teacher Matilda from Knitilda and chat about her knitting business and other crafty passions! 

Matilda runs Knitilda from her home in Twickenham, London, where she lives with her husband, their two youngest daughters, two cats and two dogs! You can find out more about Knitilda on her Knitting For All teacher page and on her own website.

Any one of our members is invited to take part in our spotlight the teacher campaign, it's a great opportunity for your business to reach a...

If you're an aspiring craft teacher starting your business might be the last thing on your mind as we enter into the madness of December! BUT, if you can find a spare moment, it's also a great time to start actively thinking about your business plan, especially the research and development stages and here's why!:

1. December can be the busiest time of year for small craft businesses so it's a great time to research what's already going on in your local area.  There are always plenty of markets, workshops and fairs happening, so check out; local Facebook groups, local magazines, posters in cafes etc. and keep your ear to the ground to find out what's going on.  Things to take note of are the kind of workshops being offered, how much is being charged, what age group are they aimed at and also products people are selling and for how much.  Have fun exploring!

2.  It's a great time for making resources. Another super fun part of developing a craft teaching business...