BEST Handmade Business Ideas you can start in 2025 for under $100
There has never been a better time to be an artist who owns a handmade business and sells your pieces online direct to your clients!
How do I know this - well Hi! My name is Sterling and I’m the fiber artist here behind Cactus Lady Creation and I have been selling my fiber art since 2017 and have been running my business full time since 2020. I love data and details and sharing my insights with you all, so if you want to join me here each week make sure to subscribe to my channel and click the bell to be notified each time I post.
The global handicrafts market was valued at $739.95 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2025 to 2030 reaching $983.12 billion USD according to Grand View Research. And the online stores segment is projected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 6.1% from 2025 to 2030, fueled by the increasing shift toward e-commerce platforms for niche handicrafts.
So I’ll be sharing handmade business ideas that you can get started with for under $100, and I know that when I started I didn’t have thousands and thousands of dollars to pour into materials, so that was the inspiration behind this video - to help give you ideas on some products to make and get started on your business journey.
Along with choosing a product that doesn’t cost much to make, creating a great handmade product that you can make multiple of in one day is a great place to start. This way it’s easier to streamline your production process and saving you time and money.
Digital Wall Art
The first product that would be great to make is amazing if you are a painter, photographer, or create collage and is one that you might of heard of before but it’s a great one so it’s worth mentioning and it is Digital Wall Art.
The great thing about this is that you create these your work is done and people can print them and frame them in their home or office spaces.
Handpainted & Upcycled Denim Clothing
You could also make hand-painted clothing. For this you just need some fabric paint, your brushes and the clothing you’ll be painting on. And if you sew you can also create your own clothing and designs to paint on your you can even thrift the clothing and upcycle it to create some really fun and unusual designs.
You can also make up cycled denim clothing. I love this and am planning to make more of these, for this you can simply thrift your pieces and upcycle them or get denim fabric and create your pieces that way. The total Upcycled denim products Market revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% from 2024 to 2032 according to Maximize Market Research. For this all you need is denim fabric and thread for sewing or yarn if you crochet like me and you can create some really fun and unique designs.
Tote Bags
Another idea that is quite popular but worth considering are tote bags. I have so many tote bags, and always carry them with me when I run errands and are out and about and love collecting them myself. And as an artist this could be a really great item to create. The tote bags market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $5.54 billion in 2024 to $5.9 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6%.
You can embroider on the tote bags, in which case you’d only need the tote bag blanks and your embroidery materials. Or if you sew you can easily sew your own tote bags together and paint on them or dye them yourself and create some really fun and cool designs.
Hair Accessories
I love this next one and it is hair accessories. If you sew you could make headbands and scrunchies, which are a really simple and easy beginner friendly project. You just need fabric and elastic mainly for this. Or if you crochet like me you can also crochet your own scrunchies and you just need your yarn, hook and an elastic, and you can make a whole bunch of these in one crafting session.
Let’s say you don’t sew or crochet, but you are into creating with resin, well maybe you can consider creating resin hairclips or barrettes. These have really been taking off lately, and I have been looking for some fun ones to add to my collection so if you make these I would love to buy them myself. The global hair accessories market size to be valued at USD 31.6 billion by 2028 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.7% during the forecast period. For this you would just need the resin and the molds and whatever you want to add like glitter or resin dye.
Electronic Accessories
Another great product to make are electronic accessories. If you crochet or do leather work this could be travel cord wraps or cable organizers. Or just accessories that people can add to their headphones or put their electronic devices into. These would definitely be quick and easy to create in under an hour for sure. And we live in world where people have so many electronic devices, and the market for consumer electronic accessories is expected to grow from USD 47.3 billion in 2022 to USD 111.2 billion by 2033, according to Persistence Market Research.
Plant Hangers & Accessories
If you love to macrame you’ll love this next one and it is macrame planter. Plant lovers really love getting these to display their lovely plants in and there are so many different designs that you can make these in. When I got started with Cactus Lady Creation, I started off by selling mostly plant hangers, and they were definitely a hit at markets. And all I needed was macrame cord and a wood or metal ring. I have tutorials on how to make them here on my channel if you want to check that out as well.
Coasters
Coasters are a really quick and easy product to make. You can make these with crochet, resin art, quilted designs or punch needle work, and you can make them as sets as well and really express your unique niche with this one. The global beverage coaster market is estimated to account for USD 1.5 billion in 2024. It is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 3.5% during the assessment period and reach a value of USD 2.1 billion by 2034.
Bookmarkers
Bookmarks are another great product to make, especially as reading is experiencing a really great boom right now, with people making an effort to get away from the screens. Did you know that the American Booksellers Association is reaching its highest levels in over 20 years, with more than 190 independent bookstores set to open within the next two years.
Also the global books market valued at USD 136.17 billion in 2024 and projected to reach nearly USD 154.32 billion by 2034. And so as people buy more physical books they’re going to need bookmarks, so that could be a possible best seller for you. These wouldn’t cost much to make either and you can get really creative within your niche with exploring some different styles to create them in.
Flower Art
I really love this next one and it is pressed flower art You don’t need many fancy equipment to get started with this, just fresh flowers and some heavy books to press the flowers. Then once they’re pressed the possibilities with this are endless as well because you can either get frames or glass and use resin to add the pressed flowers to them or what I like to do is even use mod podge to add the flower to a frame. If you’re really great at this one to you can get really fancy with it, and offer it as a service to preserve bridal bouquets. I know my sister got this done after her wedding and it was not cheap and the artist did a really great job, so this could be a great service to offer as well.
Keychains
Keychains are another staple that are really simple and easy to batch. You can create crochet, macrame, embroidery or even beadwork or fabrics to create wristlets. I’ll also add lanyards here because some people who work office jobs or work as teachers use lanyards and if you create some fancy lanyards with your designs that could be a great best seller design in your shop as well. , The Global Keychain Pendant Market Size is to grow from USD 17.8 Billion in 2023 to USD 28.1 Billion by 2033, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.67%.
Leathercraft Accessories
Leathercraft accessories, such as jewelry or wallets are also a really great make. They’re classy and sophisticated and you can also really make this a luxe offering and are quite quick to make. All you need is some leather—or even faux leather, which is really trending right now as more people seek eco-friendly and sustainable options. I dive deeper into that in my Luxury Products to Make post. For context, the global small leather goods and accessories market generated $21.8 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $34.3 billion by 2030.
Plushies
Plushies are another really great product to make. These have really taken off in recent years, so if you sew, crochet or knit - this could be a really great avenue to explore. Millenials and Gen Z love collecting plushies and a report by Grand View Research found the global market for stuffed animals and plush toys is expected to grow 8.2% annually until 2030. There is some fierce competition in this area though, so I would say to definitely create some fun and unique designs with this.
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