AspiredSteps is a DIY app with an m-commerce twist

If you’re good at making stuff – whether it’s artwork, cooking up a top-secret recipe, or crafting handmade furniture for your home – there’s an app out there that lets you show the world how you do-it-yourself.

But we bet you’d have a hard time finding an app that will also allow you to sell your masterpiece.

AspiredSteps is one such rare DIY app that comes with a mobile commerce twist.

“Makers are amazing artisans, but finding customers to purchase a handcrafted product can be painful,” says the app’s founder, Zen Cachola, a Filipino based in San Francisco.

As a maker’s toolbox, the app allows users to post DIY projects accompanied by step-by-step photos and voice or video instructions for the DIY community to follow. Projects can be posted under a wide range of categories including arts and crafts, beauty and fashion, health and fitness, and home and gardening. Plus you can sell what you’ve crafted.

Makers can also add the project’s required materials, which can then be purchased directly on the app, saving DIY enthusiasts valuable time shopping around for a project’s exact materials.

An opportunity to earn

When materials are purchased via AspiredSteps, the makers are notified and receive a cut of the profits. According to Cachola, this feature gives makers income on top of the revenue they get from selling the products themselves.

“What sets us apart from our competitors is our unique ability to work with small business owners to share their profits with users who recommend their materials to their followers,” she notes.

This ability to be easily shared by other users means that an idea can gain unparalleled exposure and, in turn, generate even more sales.

“User generated content is the most important type of marketing. While makers are expert artisans, there are multiple channels to find customers, which makes it difficult to attract loyal customers. Artisans are busy making their beautiful work, they need help when it comes to generating great content about their product.”

3-in-1

Cachola explains that a DIY enthusiast’s workflow tends to go like this: