So you have spent a ton of time designing your own greeting cards for the people you love. Your family and friends have all said they are better than Hallmark and you should go into business for yourself selling greeting cards. That sounds good to you because then you could be your own boss, be doing something you enjoy doing and share your talent with the world. The question is how do you start a greeting card business when you are a beginner and you don’t know what steps to take after designing your cards?

I would definitely start your business online. This is the best way to test your products and find your market without the massive upfront costs associated with opening a store. Just recently one of the largest greeting card stores in Delaware, Coccia is shutting its doors after 35 years in the business.

Back in February 2010, market research firm Ecardforest, which offers ecards with multiple signatures reported that the $11 billion greeting card business business was being bombarded by new online competition. It’s been staving off threats by introducing creative new cards — think of the ones with music built-in, or others that allow purchasers to record a personal greeting. But the industry has been merely treading water for a couple of years now after strong growth earlier this decade, the report said.

Today it is not viable to open an offline greeting card business it is certain death. The great thing about an online business is you can sell your greeting cards worldwide, you are not limited to a suburb or city and your overheads are nowhere near the costs of running a bricks and mortar business.

Starting a Greeting Card Business on the Internet still takes planning, so the best way to start to is to write a business plan. A business plan will help you organize your thoughts and better prepare you for selling greeting cards and making it a success. A great place to start is by researching other online greeting card businesses on the internet and start writing down some ideas.

A good business plan should include information on:

A description of your business – what type of cards will your business offer? Who will want your product and how will you market your cards to potential clients? Think about what type of cards you will make in your business; are they romantic cards? Cards for special occasions? Cards directed at businesses? Do they have a theme like “Cards for Golfers and Gardeners?”

Equipment and inventory needed – What equipment will be required to run your business? What type of inventory will you need to start? Where will you get the supplies and equipment you need to make your business operational and what will the cost of these materials be? Will you make the cards by hand or computer? Will you print all of your cards at home or send them to a printer to be done? Do you need any new software or equipment like printers? What kinds of paper and decorations will your cards use and how much will the equipment cost that you need to start out?