Let’s do a quick review:
A commodity is something that is purchased almost entirely on the basis of lowest price.
If you are a craftsperson, or work for yourself you probably do not want to compete by being cheaper than everyone else. Following that path makes it hard to pay your bills and support your family.
You want to be able to command a reasonable price on the basis of being recognized as unique or better than any competition.
Before you get uptight about the seeming complexity of this situation, I’d like you to look at the basis of all legitimate business: exchange!
If you are beating your head against the wall trying to figure out how you can get more money, you will resolve your dilemma only when you start thinking, "What do people want than I can produce?"
It all comes down to exchange. You give something to others and they give you money, or support, or something else in exchange.
If you don’t figure out first what people need and want that
you can provide, you are likely to be sitting there with a lot of
products that no one seems to be interested in.
Since you are a micro business owner, you don’t have megabucks to
mount an advertising campaign to drum up interest in your unwanted
products. You need to be smarter right from the start. You need to
figure out what you are good at and what you can create that people
actually need and want.
This means observing people and talking to them. It’s not too hard
actually, because you are not trying to sell them anything yet. You are
simply trying to find out what they need that you can provide.
Finding your niche is just another way of saying find those people
who will buy your services or products. People actually buy a lot of
things that a relatively talented person can make in their home without
a lot of equipment. People buy services that an individual can supply
more easily than a large corporation can.
People buy craft work because it evokes an emotion in them. People buy your services because they trust you.
If you establish an emotional connection with a customer, they are
actually buying a remembrance of that experience. Part of your exchange
with a customer is the feeling that you have made the moment special in
some way. That, in itself, makes what you are doing stand out from the
crowd.
People want to be considered important. A properly conducted sale
makes the customer feel validated for selecting and purchasing
something from you.
If this is all too much to confront. You will probably be better off
letting someone else display and sell your products or services.