[Jewelry making - Article 00320] - Re: [Orchid] Starting my own jewelry business...

[Kimberly Starbard]

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Hi Carolyn:

    I have been short on time to post, but have read much of your
    thread. 

    I also have a BS in accounting. Your business experience should help
    but..... 

    The Biggest piece of advice one can ever get is to listen to advice.
    I'm quoting you now "BTW, I have had a number of people offer advice
    on what to do next. I've ignored all those suggestions until I get
    the real scoop from the experts - the collective knowledge of the
    Orchid Forum" No offense, but it doesn't seem like you are quite
    ready to listen to the guys on Orchid either. They're not trying to
    hurt feelings (most of the time)...they do have an awful lot of
    experience. A person going into business needs to remain objective,
    big time. This is the hardest part (in my opinion). There are a
    bazillion tiny decisions to be made, all by you. It's tedious, but
    you own the whole process....from conception to profit. It's all
    yours. That's what will make the business worth it. You'll get a lot
    of crappy advice, but try to listen to the good stuff when you get
    it. 

    On your banner....I've done a couple of shows now and really thought
    that I was planning to "do" too much. I didn't really need a sign
    (show provides one)....I also thought I would need fancy backdrop
    curtains (not really). With my budget, I decided to skip or tone down
    anything that seemed to be a bell or whistle until I got my feet wet. 


    I'm sorry. Frog Pond Studio may be a lot more difficult to work. The
    customer will have to think of you and your jewelry every time she
    sees a frog. There is going to have to be a lot of work done on
    branding in order to get that to happen. I guess it could work, it
    just might be a bit more of a challenge. Personally, I picked
    Kstardesigns....and my logo is a starfish....because my name is
    Starbard, so it ties. Do you have anything tying you to a frog? 

    I have only ever accepted one AMEX card, so that's my opinion on
    that. I've only ever seen one. 

    If bridal is not going to be your thing, maybe this bridal show is
    not where you should put yourself. At some bridal shows, the
    promoters offer advertising in the catalog. This would put your work
    in front of the potential clients w/o having to spend as much
    time/effort/money. 

    A lot of us make beautiful jewelry, but, unfortunately, that is only
    about 5% of the equation. 

    Above post is all objective and my opinion. 

Kim Starbard
Unique Jewelry Designs

http://www.kstardesigns.com
http://www.covebeads.etsy.com
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