Planning Ahead

A new year always feels like an opportunity for a new beginning. It is a good thing, a way to shut the door on the way things have been, and getting a vision for endless opportunity! I am now setting goals for my business for the days and months ahead, and it is an exciting thing for me to do!

Clearly, some things need to be taken into consideration when setting goals. These are not "New Year's Resolutions". They are not happy ideas that could only take place in a perfect world. They are things that will require action and effort, and are not to be taken lightly. At all. In light of this, my business journey through the land of 2013 begins!

First of all, I want to continue to improve my product, and plan to continue to broaden my creative horizons by learning new techniques and skills in crafting my items. I want them to be as beautiful as possible, as unique as I can make them, and extremely well made.

Next, I want to learn to get my bookwork more organized by learning how to use my business software and utilizing it to get things into a more manageable format. I grew up in the age of paper. Everything was on paper. It works well, but it is fast becoming an ancient method of storage, and in my small house I do not need to donate space to the storing of any but the essentials in paperage!

I wish to expand my business presence on the innerwebz. I need to research the various possibilities in doing this, as I will not double list any items between sites. There will need to be a separate inventory for different sites unless the sales option goes directly to www.everydayapromise.etsy.com, which shall remain my major online shop.

These are only the beginnings of my thoughts on where this new year is taking me. I really want my business to build to the point that it can contribute to the paying off of some household obligations. This is a very ambitious thought indeed! Big things require big effort and big committment, so I am rolling up my sleeves and having at it!

My last thought on this thread today is, no matter what your business plans are, put God first and make Him the center of whatever you do. If this offends you, I am sorry, but without God we are nothing, and this life we live will leave behind only an empty wind when we are gone. I pray that my business will touch someone's life even today, and help them to find Him. He is there, waiting for you. I feel like I am typing to someone right now who really needs to know that Jesus is real, Jesus lives, and He can help you with every single aspect of your life, even the business you are struggling to run and make a go of.

Have a wonderful day and take the lid off your dreams!

Planning Ahead Requires Looking Back!

Goodbye 2012, hello 2013! 2012 went by so quickly, and I have not been on this blog in soooooo long! These last 4 months have been crazy busy for me, and I have had quite a season in my business. I am in the process of setting goals for this bright, new year. In order to do this, I am taking a minute here to organize my thoughts into a list of the things I have learned in this past year pertaining to running a small business, and, more specifically, my small jewelry business.

1. Find as many outlets for your product as you can. When a door opens to place your items in a new sales situation, it may turn out to be the best one yet!

2. Paperwork is very important. Keeping all receipts and an accurate sales record makes it easy to follow the paper trail through your business year **note to self, doing said paperwork as it occurs does save time in the longrun.

3. Learn. learn, learn! You can learn tons of marketing ideas on the innerwebz. This is an observation that I need to take advantage of immediately in this new year! Also learning new production skills opens up doors to new and more diverse creations.

4. Steady production all year long will cut down on production marathons when a show is on the immediate horizon.

5.An organized work area makes everything easier. The layout of this space is crucial to finding everything you need when you need it. Spending valuable time hunting for small items is frustrating and also a waste of time when it could have been in a labeled organizer.

6. Keeping components in some type of easily viewable system allows you to put your hands on them quickly.

7.Put things back in their place when you are done with them.  Otherwise, piles of miscellaneous items accumulate where you least want them.

8. Find your price point and stick to it. If you don't believe in your product, no one else will either.

9. Be a part of a team when you can, one that has similar small businesses in participation. Advice from those who have "been there" is time-saving and invaluable!

10. Shop for sales on components. Charge for the finished piece the very same price as you would have, had the components NOT been on sale. This will offset the times when you DO have to pay full price.

11. Some components are once-in-a-lifetime finds. Since there is no way you can duplicate the item(s) created with them, charge accordingly!

12. Talking to the people who visit your table at shows is a wonderful ice-breaker, and telling the stories behind the creations they are attracted to often causes purchases to occur.

13. Always have a mirror on the table so people can try things on. Seeing how the piece looks on them helps a lot.

14. Key words in your listings on the innerwebz are extremely important. Learn all you can about how to use them.

15. Whatever innerwebz site(s) you are marketing on , do the research available on the site to maximize your sales opportunities.

16. Diversify when you can, but keep a core product as your signature. The more unusual it is, the better.

17. Pray about/for your business. God knows a lot more about creating/marketing than anyone. ANYONE!

18. Set aside time to work on your business every day, at least 5 days a week, although 6 days would undoubtedy be even better. Building something requires time, and building something big requires a LOT of time!

19.NEVER limit what God can do with your business. Dare to dream, and dare to dream BIG!

20. Try to find a way to use up all your components. The less waste, the greater the profit. However, creating something that is ugly just to say you used things up is a waste of time. If it isn't pretty, don't create it, at least if you are making jewelry!

Forward into 2013! I am very excited to see what this new year will bring!

Weaving a Dream

The first piece of jewelry I ever made was a woven bracelet that I still wear. I have made so many pieces since then that I have lost count, and they have been many different styles with many different components. I have sold all types of creations, strung and woven, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. Most recently I began weaving rings as well, and they are quite pretty!

Although I have enjoyed making every single creation, I have found myself constantly returning to the original root, the one that birthed a business. Woven jewelry. I just can't get away from those pieces, and so I have, I believe, found the foundation style for my business.

Now, while I am still making many different types of jewelry, I am learning new ways to weave beads. Each time I learn a new weave I am more excited. The intricate way in which seed beads can be made to dance around each other fascinates me for certain! The colors used also play a major role in how striking the finished product will be.

It is so very important in building a business to find out what your signature product is, and promote, promote, promote it!!! Study up on marketing strategies, incorporate them to your advantage, and press forward with agressiveness. Success is not something that will just rain down because you are selling something. A thousand other people in your state, not to mention the nation/world, are competing with you for that customer's attention and, ultimately, their patronage. The one who wins will have the best quality, the best reputation, and the best price for those. Customers don't mind paying a little bit more for something carefully made with quality components, and for great customer service. My signature product is woven jewelry. I am doing my utmost best to promote it. I know that, at the end of the day, I will get my business established well. I am weaving a dream!