[Jewelry making - Article 00257] - Re: [Orchid] Custom work strategies

[John Donivan]

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>     My question is what kind of time management strategies do you
>     really busy craftsman employ to get all the meat and potato work
>     done and have enough time for your custom jobs. 

    Will, there's a few answers now, most of them meaningful. Like all
    things, it's what works for you. I do special order ("custom") work,
    largely, though I'm very good at repairs, too. Repair work makes more
    money, for me, but I really don't enjoy it. From what you say, I'd
    guess your priority is repair, and if you want to do special order
    that probably won't work. What I do is give repair work (if I have
    any) an hour or two in the morning, and then put it aside, or devote
    1/2 day or a day to it, if there's a lot. As you seem to know, the
    two fields are not really compatable with each other, time-management
    wise. It's a whole lot easier to put a 10 minute repair job off till
    the last minute than a 3 day platinum ring, though. Bottom line is
    that I treat them as separate businesses, and don't let one encroach
    on the other - repair time is repair time, custom is custom. How much
    of each, for you, depends on the workload, and what you want to do at
    the bench most of all. My special order lead time is usually 2-3
    weeks, people want repairs the next day, if not in one hour. I
    usually look at them and say, "You mean drop everything for 10 WHOLE
    dollars?" Personally, I like making things, not repetitiously
    soldering tips and ring sizings and even more complex tasks. The
    exeption for me is antique restoration, which IS more like custom
    work, often times. 

http://www.donivanandmaggiora.com
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