This is the second installment of the greeting card Home Based Business series. Here is its Part I.

Business planning and marketing smarts to help you

Lots of businesses start as hobbies but you'll need some careful planning if you want to avoid costly mistakes. Decide on what type of greeting cards you want to sell.

Browsing the websites of popular greeting card makers or looking at displays on shops and stores will give you an idea on what sells.

If you want to sell greeting cards for a niche market, decide on what will make your products stand out and become a hit with potential customers.

Startup costs
The great thing about a greeting card home-based business is that you can start doing business at very little cost - provided, of course, that you already have the basic equipment. This is especially true if you'll be using computer-generated greeting cards. You only need to spend for paper and marketing cost, which can range from $100 to about $2,500.

If you'll be selling hand-made greeting cards, prepare to spend for cutting and illustration equipment and supplies. You'll probably be looking at a tightfisted $800 to a good $2,500 - more, if you will be using high-end materials.

You can also try to sell cost-effective greeting cards by producing in bulk, although you should prepare to spend from $1,500 to about $2,500 for printing cost and materials.