[Jewelry making - Article 00025] - Re: [Orchid] Starting small home jewelry repair business

[LSHancock]

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a few suggestions:

    Get some information about your competition. Are there other people
    doing the same thing in your area? How can you differentiate yourself
    from them (besides a lower price)? 

    Prepare yourself and your shop. Most places will want you to be as
    professional as possible. This means alarm and insurance. Start
    basic and increase coverage as you grow. Get marketing materials
    ready: business cards, pictures of you work, it helps to have a
    resume and a personal profile. 

    If you feel you have to have a price sheet be careful as to how you
    promote it. You probably don't want to send the message that you are
    the cheapest jeweler in the area as it's really hard to break out of
    that mold. Accent quality and custom work if you have those
    abilities, otherwise you're stuck with price as your main marketing
    message. 

    Who will be your prime clients? Go visit stores, distribute your
    materials, talk to owners and managers, explain who you are and what
    you do, ask if they are using anyone for outside repairs or if they
    have a need for a custom jeweler. Rarely, this is all you need to do,
    but there are those who will probably give you a chance. 

    For everyone else it will take multiple visits. Be tough and
    persistent but also ready to move on if there is no response after a
    while. 

    Decide how you will handle pick ups and deliveries. The most
    unproductive thing you do will be deliveries and pickups. I don't
    know how others handle this, I have people come to me. I will do some
    deliveries on Saturday, but this is a special service that no one
    expects as a regular thing. 

    Try to foresee as many questions as possible and have answers for
    them. Nothing turns off a prospective client more than not knowing
    how you will handle an important situation. 

    Once you've done all that you'll realize that it will take a good
    deal of money and time to start getting clients, so if you can
    contact people who already know you ( people who you have worked for
    in the past or those who know you but who are not local). It will be
    easier to break through with these people because they are already
    familiar with you and your work. Also, it's much easier to pack up
    finished work and send it out by registered mail or express delivery
    than to drive across town to deliver work. Just make sure your
    packages are properly secured and insured. Use third party insurance
    for all express packages. 

    I'll probably think of more things, if I can I'll post more
    later...got to go for my 3.5 mile run now and then sit at the bench
    and pave set a hundred plus.01 ct diamonds today. 

Larry


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