“Real life. Glorious chaos. Pull up a chair around the family table!”
This is where real food meets real life, with a generous side of humor and zero apologies for the mess. Whether you're here for the recipes, side hustles, crafts, or just to feel less alone in the beautiful disaster of everyday life - you found your people!
Business Basics for First-Time Sellers
You started making things because you loved it. Now people want to buy them — and suddenly you're staring down words like EIN, DBA, sales tax permit, and wondering if you need an LLC before you sell one more item.
You don't need to be an expert to do this right. You just need someone to walk you through it, step by step, in plain English.
This isn't a guide you skim once and forget. It's one you actually work through — grab a notebook, and by the end you'll have real answers written down: what you sell, who it's for, how you'll track your money, and exactly what paperwork you do (and don't) need right now.
What's Inside:
✔️ Branding — Figure out your elevator speech: what you actually sell, and who it's for, in one clear sentence
✔️ Legal Setup Made Simple — What an EIN, sales tax permit, and DBA actually are, why you might want all three (even if you don't need them yet), and exactly how to get each one for free or cheap
✔️ Sales Tax, Explained — What Etsy already handles for you, and what changes the moment you sell anywhere else
✔️ Do You Need an LLC? — A clear-eyed answer (most beginners don't — here's when that changes)
✔️ A Simple Bank Account System — Keep business and personal money separate without overcomplicating it
✔️ Recordkeeping That Actually Works — The exact zip-lock-bag-to-file-box system used to track real income and expenses, no fancy software required
✔️ Where Your Business Should "Live" — Etsy vs. your own site vs. a Facebook page, and what each one is actually built for
✔️ What's Deductible (and What's Not) — A real list of common write-offs, plus the mistakes that get new sellers in trouble
Bonus Downloads Included:
📄 Monthly Reconciliation Sheet
📄 Vendor Tally Sheet
📄 Year-End Reconciliation Sheet
📄 Mileage Tracking Sheet
This guide is for you if:
You're turning a craft hobby into real sales for the first time
You've made a few sales already but haven't set anything up "officially"
You want to stop guessing and start doing this the right way
You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to start — one section at a time.
Note: This guide reflects general small-business practices and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Always confirm details with your state or a professional for your specific situation.
A note on your download link: Your download link is active for 24 hours after purchase. If it expires before you get to it, don't worry — you haven't lost access! Just click the expired link again, and a brand new one will be sent straight to the email you used at checkout. Your purchase is safe either way; you just might need to check your inbox (or spam folder!) for that follow-up email.
Featured Guides
Need a high margin product to add to your menu? Crispy treats are it!
45 gourmet rice crispy treat recipes, pro tips from professional bakers, cereal variations, and a full cottage food business guide — everything you need to make bakery-level treats at home or sell at your farmers market.
What's inside (70+ pages):
45 flavor variations including Chocolate Lovers, Fruity & Fun, Seasonal & Holiday, and more
12 cereal variations — Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Krispies, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and more
The two-marshmallow method for gooey bakery-level texture
Brown butter upgrade step-by-step
Storage, make-ahead, and scaling tips
Full cottage food business section — pricing, packaging, and market tips
Dietary swaps, troubleshooting guide, and recipe index
PDF delivered instantly after purchase. Print at home or use on any device.
A note on your download link: Your download link is active for 24 hours after purchase. If it expires before you get to it, don't worry — you haven't lost access! Just click the expired link again, and a brand new one will be sent straight to the email you used at checkout. Your purchase is safe either way; you just might need to check your inbox (or spam folder!) for that follow-up email.
32-Page Digital Guide • Instant Download
Shipping plaster kits presents a unique challenge: they need enough protection to survive the trip, but every extra box, layer of bubble wrap, and handful of packing material costs money.
Shipping Plaster Kits Without Breaking Them — or Your Profit Margin is a 32-page practical guide to developing a shipping system that protects your plaster kits and keeps shipping costs under control.
Inside, you’ll learn how to:
Choose kit packaging with shipping in mind
Protect individual plaster pieces and delicate areas
Decide when other methods may help
Understand the difference between product packaging and shipping packaging
Protect against the two biggest causes of shipping damage
Choose and use cushioning and void-fill materials
Perform one simple Test before sealing your package
Handle paint pots and other small kit components
Understand the real cost of shipping—including packaging supplies that are easy to forget
Build shipping and handling costs into your pricing
Create a plan for damaged or broken shipments
Design a shipping station that works for you.
Test and improve your packaging system over time
You’ll also find a shipping supply checklist to help you develop a consistent process for every order.
The goal isn’t to build an indestructible fortress around every plaster piece. It’s to develop a shipping system that reliably gets your kits to your customers intact, looks professional when it arrives, and costs little enough that shipping remains profitable.
This is a digital product. No physical item will be shipped.
Like all Family at the Table guides - this is an information-first resource. It includes illustrations throughout to make the guide easy and enjoyable to read, but the pages are intentionally content-rich—not padded with oversized graphics and a few sentences per page. You’re getting 32 pages packed with practical information, ideas, considerations, and real-world guidance you can actually use in your business.
A note on your download link: Your download link is active for 24 hours after purchase. If it expires before you get to it, don't worry — you haven't lost access! Just click the expired link again, and a brand new one will be sent straight to the email you used at checkout. Your purchase is safe either way; you just might need to check your inbox (or spam folder!) for that follow-up email.
Adding the Build-Your-Own Strategy to Your Plaster Kit Business
A simple add-on strategy that can help you sell more at the table you're already running.
This isn't a guide about starting over. It's about adding one station next to what you're already doing, and capturing sales you're currently leaving on the table.
Inside you'll find:
💡 THE IDEA Why your customers aren't all the same buyer — and why a single "one kit, one price" table leaves money on the table for whichever type you didn't design for. The two buyer triggers that decide whether someone grabs and goes or stops to create.
✨ WHY IT'S WORTH TRYING The four specific ways a build-your-own station adds sales on top of what your premade kits are already doing — without splitting your sales or competing with your existing setup.
🛠️ HOW TO SET IT UP A five-step walkthrough for adding the station to your existing table — what to display, how to price it so a full kit and an a la carte add-on both make sense, and how to use it as the natural upsell after a premade kit sale. Includes a real-world example of how sellers are running this at their own booths.
✅ THE CHECKLIST Everything you need on hand before your next show — from extra brushes and paint pots to insert cards and bags — so restocking the station never slows you down mid-sale.
A note on your download link: Your download link is active for 24 hours after purchase. If it expires before you get to it, don't worry — you haven't lost access! Just click the expired link again, and a brand new one will be sent straight to the email you used at checkout. Your purchase is safe either way; you just might need to check your inbox (or spam folder!) for that follow-up email.
The Complete Business Guide to Paintable Plaster Kits
Instant Digital Download | 50+ Pages
✨ Newly Updated — now includes everything you need to stay legally compliant, with direct links to every resource! ✨
Everything you need to start making and selling paintable plaster kits — from your very first pour to your first sale and beyond.
This is the guide I wish I had when I started. The one that answers all the questions I’d been Googling at midnight. The one that helps me go from "I think I want to try this" to "I have a real business."
Inside you'll find:
🎨 THE CRAFT
The way to find the exact plaster mixing ratio that works for you to get smooth, strong, bubble-free figurines every time. Step by step pouring, unmolding, and drying instructions. How to sand, seal, and finish your pieces like a pro. The trick that saves delicate pieces from breaking. Common mistakes and exactly how to fix them.
💰 THE BUSINESS
How to price your kits the right way by understanding what your product is actually worth. The four pricing filters that tell you exactly what to charge. How to list the same kit three different ways to reach three completely different buyers. Collection ideas that command $25 to $40 price points, and more.
🛍️ WHERE AND HOW TO SELL
Etsy, Farmers markets and craft shows — how to set up a booth that actually stops people in their tracks, what your signage must say, how to price so nobody has to awkwardly ask, and the engagement sweet spot that makes people buy without feeling pressured. Bulk orders to schools, daycares, party planners, and boutiques.
📦 THE DETAILS
Full supply list with direct Amazon links for everything — plaster, molds, paint pots, bags, boxes, brushes, magnets, and more. Kit assembly instructions in the right order. The secret add-on that turns an $8 kit into a $12 kit with almost no extra effort. Shipping tips so your figurines arrive in one piece. Safety and compliance basics so you can sell with confidence.
🎴 BONUS
A full section on professionally printed backing cards and header cards — what needs to be on them, why they matter, and where to get ready-made ones so you can skip straight to selling.
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This is 50+ pages of real, practical, been-there-done-that knowledge.
If you are just starting out — this gives you a clear path forward so you are not wasting money figuring things out the hard way.
If you are already selling — this will tighten up your process, raise your prices, and help you see opportunities you have been leaving on the table.
Instant download. Start reading in minutes. Start selling with confidence.
👉 For less than the cost of one tri[p to the craft store, and it pays for itself with your very first sale!
A note on your download link: Your download link is active for 24 hours after purchase. If it expires before you get to it, don't worry — you haven't lost access! Just click the expired link again, and a brand new one will be sent straight to the email you used at checkout. Your purchase is safe either way; you just might need to check your inbox (or spam folder!) for that follow-up email.