Makers usually fail commercially for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of what they make. They underprice because they never counted their own hours, they cannot produce consistently at volume, and they have no route to market beyond markets and social media. Each is fixable, and each has to be fixed before scale is possible.
Work through them in this order.
Cost properly, including your time
Materials, packaging, transport, wastage, the hours you spend making, and the hours you spend selling and doing admin. Most makers price at materials plus a margin and quietly work for nothing.
Once you have a true cost per unit, you can tell which products are worth making. Almost every maker discovers that one or two lines carry the business and the rest consume it.
Consistency is what unlocks wholesale
A retailer needs the product identical every time and available in agreed quantities on agreed dates. That means a documented process, reliable material supply and knowing your actual capacity per week.
This is the step that converts a maker into a supplier, and it is more about systems than about craft.
Packaging and labelling are part of the product
Products are handled repeatedly before a customer sees them, so packaging must survive transit. Labelling requirements apply to food, cosmetics and certain goods, covering ingredients, quantity, batch identification and the responsible party.
You also need a genuine barcode from the official numbering organisation if you intend to sell through retail, since numbers generated by free tools do not work in retail systems.
Decide the route to market deliberately
Markets and social media validate demand and cap at your own time. Wholesale to retailers, consignment, your own online store, and supplying corporates through supplier development each need different volumes, margins and compliance.
Register the business and keep annual returns current at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, since no retailer or corporate buys from an unregistered supplier. Protecting a brand name is a separate trademark process, and free business support is available through the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency.
Frequently asked questions
Why do maker businesses struggle commercially?
Underpricing that excludes the maker’s own hours, inability to produce consistently at volume, and no route to market beyond markets and social media.
How should I price?
From a true cost per unit including materials, packaging, transport, wastage and your own making, selling and admin hours.
What does a retailer need from a maker?
Identical product every time, in agreed quantities on agreed dates, which requires documented process and known capacity.
Do I need a barcode?
Yes, for retail, obtained from the official numbering organisation. Numbers generated by free tools do not work in retail systems.
What is the first compliance step?
Company registration with current annual returns, since retailers and corporates cannot buy from an unregistered supplier.
Further reading
Originally published in April 2018. Updated September 2026 into guidance on turning a making practice into a commercial business.
