Forgive me for jumping in here with this long-winded question but I’d like to hear others’ thoughts on an issue that has become very frustrating for me.
I’m rather new to the craft show business and I really enjoy participating in the shows.
Fortunately I’ve never had what I would consider a ‘bad’ show. At least, I’ve never lost money and there has never been a significant problem of any kind.
I feel rather foolish in asking this question because the answer seems so obvious but I thought someone else may have dealt with this issue at some point and may know some secret that I haven’t learned.
In a nutshell, I suppose it’s a simple, old-as-time cash-flow issue. My problem is that, if I want to participate in a show, I have to pay the fee several months before the show. That means, for instance, if I’m interested in four different shows, I have to shell out the money for all four and I have no chance of making any of that money back for several months.
I’ve decided that those who do a lot of shows fall into two categories: the first being the folks who simply have plenty of available cash so it isn’t a problem. The other group is the one who makes so much profit at a show they can afford to pay for several more out of that show’s profit. But, I’m retired and, with the economy the way it’s been (and is), I often can’t shell out the cash for as many shows as I’d like even though I’m confident I could do well – if I could just get there.
Am I the only person who has to deal with this problem or is there some secret or economic stroke of genius that I’m not yet aware of? I feel like
