Baking banana bread, the couch to 5k challenge, countless puzzles – when the UK entered the first of its numerous lockdowns in March of 2020, Londoners took up a variety of different hobbies to pass the time.
A survey into the new hobbies of Brits run by 3D laser printer company Glowforge revealed that the nation embraced more than 20 crafting activities, with London being a hub for hobbies including crochet, pottery, dressmaking, soap making, leather work and paper crafting.
But while many of us let our new ventures fall to the wayside when the city opened up again, others pursued their new pastimes more fervently.
In fact, of the over three-quarters (78%) of adults living in London who took up a hobby within the first 18 months of the pandemic, over half (55%) are turning their new passions for crafting, making, and creating into a full or part-time business.
These entrepreneurial Londoners are selling their creations in a variety of ways such as using online marketplaces and showcasing products at local craft fairs. While others are setting up their own websites and Shopify stores and leveraging their Instagram and YouTube channels as sales avenues too.
So, how are they making this dream a reality?
The entrepreneurial dream
Bringing a hobby to life is no small feat and anyone starting a new business must consider multiple aspects. Whether it’s where to source the materials for your creations or knowing who your customer is and where you are going to reach them, all businesses hinge on one thing – having something to sell.
High demand for your products is the holy grail for small business owners but it’s a double-edged sword. More demand means more time spent making.
Ultimately, all businesses need to run to a profit. If you don’t have a streamlined process for making your creations, then you will find yourself putting in too many hours for too little return.
This is where tech comes in.
Crafty tech
The rise of at-home craft tech has had a substantial effect in helping new businesses and entrepreneurs take their hobbies to the next level from the comfort of their own homes.
At-home laser cutters and 3D laser printers are reducing the time makers, designers and artists are spending on the creation of their designs, while still producing products with the homemade feel their customers are looking for.
Capable of printing, etching, and cutting on a variety of materials such as wood, leather, acrylic, paper, fabric and glass, 40% of Glowforge owners purchased the 3D laser printer in order to start their own business. While other owners have invested to expand the range of products they could create and sell – accelerating their production process practically overnight.
Technology that empowers
Take Dan Shapiro, serial entrepreneur, and founder of Glowforge. He came up with the idea for the tech while he was creating his board game, Robot Turtles.
While designing his board game from his garage, Dan realised that there wasn’t a product that could turn his vision into reality without relying on professional manufacturers or a painstaking handmade process.
Being the most-funded board game in Kickstarter history, Robot Turtles wasn’t stalled by this lack of tech, but other entrepreneurs might have been, and so the Glowforge was born.
Now exciting at-home tech is helping people up and down the country turn their artistic dreams into reality, to create items that are homemade, more personal and meaningful.
Whether that’s turning a hobby into a business, appreciating the craftsmanship of a certain material, or embracing your entrepreneurial side to mock up a prototype of an exciting new invention, at-home tech empowers people to think, create, make and provide for themselves.
And with the pandemic having shifted people’s attitudes towards work, some would argue irreversibly, more and more people are turning to tech to help them take charge of their own destiny, be their own boss and spend their days doing something they love.
Ever since the days of the first personal computers, giving everyday people new technology has empowered them to innovate. When you combine entrepreneurial spirit with at-home tech it’s possible to achieve great things that London crafters can’t ignore.
Article attributed to Edward Tricker, Senior Growth Marketer at Glowforge
Feature image by Osman Talha Dikyar on unsplash
