Beginner’s Guide on Starting a Rural Craft Business in the United Kingdom

A rural craft business is specifically the production of traditional crafts for daily use in the countryside. It’s a great opportunity to initiate a small or medium-sized business to make profits. Starting a rural craft business doesn’t require specific skills in any particular field. However, you must be passionate and laborious.

Rural crafts reflect the typical style of the countryside. They vary from place to place. Some of the rural crafts are boat building, building hurdles and fences, hedge laying, spinning yarn, basketry, pottery, etc. These are actually different from arts and crafts as it’s considered for practical use rather than for leisure. It’s considered for practical use rather than for leisure is actually different from arts and crafts.

Starting a rural craft business is not a lot of pressure and can be initiated by an individual too. You should simply know some skills and be dedicated. If you don’t know these skills, they are very easy and simple to learn. Rural crafts used to prevail in many places in the past days, but some of them are now on the verge of extinction.

You may have already seen a rural craft and you’re probably interested in starting your own (especially if you have the skills). Well, this guide helps you to learn almost everything about the rural craft business. Also, you’ll get to know about the registration procedures and laws you need to comply with for starting a rural craft business.

 

Tips on Starting a Rural Craft Business in the United Kingdom

Here are some tips that you must follow, especially beginners, for starting a rural craft business in the United Kingdom.

Study Your Market and Target Customers

Doing research about your business helps you to prevent potential upcoming threats. Know the demands of your products, your competitors, and potential customers. Also, you can seek the competitive price and the range of services that similar business outlets provide. This helps to strengthen your business strategy and provides support for a successful business.

Set Up the Profile for Your Potential Customers

Opening up your rural craft shop alone is not going to lead your business anywhere. You need to establish your business and customer profile, and it can be done in a variety of ways. You can start e-commerce, open a shop of your own, or own a stall in the market. Besides; exhibitions, displaying your rural crafts in other shops is a great idea to establish a customer profile.

Make Customers Prefer Your Products

This is the next goal you should aim for your business. Know what customers prefer and customize your products to satisfy your customer. Besides, the market gap, price, and the range of items you have in your business are also crucial to attract customers. Therefore, innovate the unique product, and make it affordable with different kinds of items to flourish your rural craft business.

Select Your Niche

Selecting a niche is essential because rural crafts are a wide range of skills. For instance, making cushions, curtains, mosaic work, jewelry, handmade greeting cards, baskets, ceramic items, leather crafts, scented candles, etc. So, choosing a specific area for your business leads you to be specific and focused on particular items.

These are simple steps you should consider for starting a rural craft business.

 

Registration Procedures

You have now understood the rural craft business and the general steps to follow for starting the company. The major thing is business registration. Here is a guide to company registration in the United Kingdom that makes your business registration simple and easy.

For starters, the first thing you should do is choose the legal structure for your business. You can start your rural craft business as a self-employed or a limited company. Many prefer to start as a limited company to avoid the risk that comes along with being a sole trader.

Once you’ve chosen the legal structure, you should register with HMRC to comply with the taxes. Also, you need to register for VAT if you predict that your business turnover exceeds the threshold of VAT. Finally, set up your business bookkeeping system and run your business smoothly.

You’ll require certain documents while registering with the HMRC. You can visit the websites or be in direct contact with the HMRC to know the details of the documents. Also, you can seek help from 3E Accounting United Kingdom, which is an expert in dealing with business registration and related matters.

 

Important Licenses and Permits

There are some essential licenses and permits that are required for starting a rural craft business in the United Kingdom. However, it’s not stated that you should have a specific license for your particular business. But, you should consider the general business regulations and comply with them to organize and run your business smoothly. Moreover, you can consult trade and local authorities about the legislation that is necessary for your rural craft business.

If you’re playing background music in your shop, a music license is mandatory for you to obtain from PPL PRS Ltd. Likewise, if you intend to use computers and CCTV in your business, you should obtain permits from respective authorities. The rural craft business is a wide range of commercial activities. Licenses also differ according to the business you prefer.

If your rural craft business relates to jewelry making, there are hallmarking regulations you must comply with. Moreover, if the jewelry contains nickel products, nickel content should be mentioned, and it should not cross the specified limit. And, rural craft businesses dealing with stained glass should be concerned about the load limits and its controlled use. Upholstered furniture and toys businesses should comply with safety regulations.

You should comply with all these regulations by obtaining a particular license or permit from the respective authorities. You can also find a corporate service provider in United Kingdom to help you with the legal process. They are mainly concerned with your business and strategy to make your business successful. You don’t need to worry under their guidance as such agencies were skilled and professional in providing services.

 

Business Insurance to Secure your Rural Craft Business

You must have understood and gained much knowledge about starting a rural craft business in the United Kingdom till now. So, one more thing you should be aware of is business insurance. Insurances secure you and your business from unfortunate situations. There are many business insurances that you can apply during the company incorporation, some of which we shall discuss below.

Employer’s Liability Insurance

This kind of insurance is for employees. If any work-related injuries occur, then your employee may sue your business to get paid for such injuries. In such cases, workers’ compensation prevents the employees from suing and thus secures your business reputation.

Product Liability Insurance

Sometimes you may be liable to pay the compensation due to your business products. However, this may not always be the case. But, if compensation claims are made against your business products, product liability insurance is of great use.

Public Liability Insurance

Public liability insurance deals with the damage and bodily injuries that may arise out of your business premises. It helps with the claims that are made by the public related to your business.

Insurance for Business Interruption

This is a special kind of insurance. Sometimes your business may suffer off-season, and you may suffer from loss. Also, the ongoing scenario of Covid-19 has affected lots of businesses around the world. In such a case, business interruption insurance could be a great help.

Vehicle Insurance

It’s necessary when your business owns a vehicle for any purpose like delivery of goods, transportation, etc. Usually, this insurance covers both theft and claims from an accident.

 

Conclusion

This is all about rural craft business. If you intend to start a related business for yourself, this article probably provides the necessary information for your queries. Moreover, if you want to know more details regarding the business and related issues, you may contact 3E Accounting. We have been in the service for many years and we provide the best incorporation packages at an affordable price.