Naming your business

One of the hardest parts to starting a business is picking a name. Of course, many people use their own name, whether it's both their first and last name or just their last name for the business. But not all businesses use a personal name. Some pick a name that relates well to the type of business or use the type of business like "jewelry" or "accessories" in the business name itself.

Another way to get your creative juices flowing in the name game is to use an online name generator to help you come up with some ideas of what name to use. Check out this website that includes a couple different name generators to play around with to help you find a unique and perfect name for your business, no matter what it is. http://www.wordlab.com/name-generators/

Be sure to check on if the name is being used by another business, if it is copyrighted and if the website domain is available to buy because most likely, you will want a website, if not now, then eventually. Even if your website will just have information about your business, you will still want people to be able to find that information easily by typing in your business name online and finding your website, You don't want the name to fall among a large number of companies with similar names. For instance, when you google the name, make sure that there are not any names that are too similar to your business name. That way, when someone types the name in google, your company will pop up immediately. You don't want your business to come up on the 2nd or 3rd page.

Once you have a name picked out, it's time to design a logo. You can design one yourself or use a graphic designer to help you design a custom logo that will fit your business. Check out www.liquidreddesign.com for examples of logos.

What you should know before commencing a retail start-up?

Looking back on the past 18 years of my life, I can confidently assert that I’ve put in some long, hard yards in the retail sector. My first couple of retail jobs were for high end fashion labels. The price tags were stratospheric, the quality questionable, and the designs unimaginative. Consequently we made approximately four sales a week. With so much time to stare listlessly out the window, I did what any reasonable person would do, and ate all day, every day, until I began to resemble Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory after she turns into a super heavy human blueberry. Yet somehow, the owners of the business scraped together a passable income from these paltry takings. They would not be so fortunate these days.

The changes that have taken place since that time are truly extraordinary. The retail landscape has been indelibly marked by the advent of online shopping, and would be retailers more so than ever need a strong grasp on the fundamental requirements of a successful business. The retail sector I started in no longer exists- the one in which retailers could afford to make mistakes.

Street retailers, ideally, should be trading in a product that people do not traditionally feel comfortable purchasing online. If your product is one which people can cheaply and readily get online, it is vital that you create a unique shopping experience for them within your store. Loyalty cards are a terrific idea, as are in house launches, exclusive previews of new collections with drinks and canapes, seasonal parties - anything that helps people identify your shop as a destination.

Research the competition. When I began my second retail job, at a thriving little boutique selling quirky designs imported from Hong Kong, there was nothing else like it around. Fast forward fifteen years, and the streets are littered with imitators. Unfortunately, the business is now struggling to make ends meet- much less exceeding sales targets as a matter of course. Ask yourself this: does my business have long term viability? Is it easily replicated by would be imitators?

But if you get it right, the rewards are great. With planning and foresight, there’s no reason your retail business shouldn’t thrive. For more information, visit Jeanette Maree.

Small Business Saturday- Shop My Accessory Business today!

This Small Business Saturday, shop www.MyAccessoryBusines.com We ARE a small business located in Los Angeles, CA! Unlike other corporate owned jewelry sales companies out there, we are run by just a few people, mostly who are family. Please remember to shop any and all small businesses this Christmas instead of spending your money with large corporations.

Start your own small business with My Accessory Business sales kits starting at only $49 and sell to your family and friends for the holidays. We also offer special "Holiday Gift Kits" that include fancy  jewelry boxes and ribbon to wrap up the jewelry to give as gifts this holiday season. Enjoy over 60% off retail when you buy a sales kit or holiday kit. It's a great way to save money on gifts this year.

A new type of online auction site: Tophatter

Buy and sell jewelry online with the new colorful auction website http://tophatter.com/ Categories include jewelry sales, supplies, and more. The site is colorful and well designed giving you the feel of being at an actual auction. Tophatter describes itself as "the world's 
most entertaining live auction site featuring gorgeous items at exclusive prices." 

You can set it so that you receive a text message when your item is up for auction so you can go online and answer any question people have about it. The auctions go fast, maybe about 2 minutes for each. Bidders view information about your product like product name, pictures, description and you can also add a link to your website by writing simple HTML to include <a href> links. Be sure to post about your website so that people can check out what else you have for sale online. You set a price range instead of a set price like "$10-$20" Tophatter makes 10% commission on your sold item. With an instant sale, it's not a bad deal. You don't have to wait days until your piece sells like on other websites. Take a look at Top Hatter for yourself, there is no cost to join. http://tophatter.com

Financing your dream business

A lot of people want to start a business but the main problem is finding the financing to start the business.

- Some ask family and friends to invest in their dream.

- Some start small and use their own money to get started. Which is a great way to start before you jump in to a large investment.

- Some start campaigns like www.kickstarter.com to gain investment money from peers by giving incentives for donating.

-Some use credit cards to aquire everything they need to start up. Some credit cards offer periods of "no interest" for instance 6 months without interest so it gives you time to make up the credit card payment by selling off your investory and paying it back without having to pay the extra interest. Search online for the different credit card options available to you.

- There are online payment solutions for businesses like www.zazma.com that help you pay for your business supplies now and pay later with low interest. Zazma helps buy the items for you through the suppliers you want to buy from, you receive them and you only have to pay back Zazma for the supplies within an amount of time you choose. This is great for buying inventory at wholesale, reselling it, and then paying for the supplies after you sell them without putting money down up front.

Whichever method you use to fund your business, be sure to pay back your loan when it's due, and pay off your credit cards as soon as you can to avoid growing interest fees.

Free piece of jewelry from My Accessory Business

Get your FREE piece of jewelry today only from www.MyAccessoryBusiness.com
Just pick which piece you want and enter in the coupon code FREEONE at checkout.

The coupon can also be applied to your order total for multiple items or when purchasing sales kits. Hurry and get your FREE jewelry piece today before this special deal expires. Don't forget to re-post this special offer on facebook and twitter to tell your friends!
Expires Sunday, Oct. 28th at midnight PST.

How to Start a Costume Jewelry Business

by Melinda Gaines, Demand MediaFrom this online source: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/start-costume-jewelry-business-10254.html

Costume jewelry, also known as fashion jewelry, runs the gamut from simple silver pieces to large cocktail rings. Selling costume jewelry can be profitable, as it is not only bought and worn by female consumers of all ages, but also purchased by males to give as gifts. The costume jewelry business is flexible, as there are many ways you can start and grow your venture, and it can be operated on a full or part-time basis. 

Step 1

Target a niche, or specialization, for your jewelry business. Doing this will enable you to focus on buying only one type of costume jewelry and distinguish yourself from your competitors. For example, you could specialize in selling vintage costume jewelry or vintage replicas, trendy affordable costume jewelry for teens and young women, artisan and handmade costume jewelry or designer costume jewelry brands.

Step 2

Obtain the permits required in your state and city to operate a retail business. Depending on where you live, this may include a sales tax permit, resale license or assumed name certificate. Your local small business development center or Small Business Administration office can let you know what business documentation you need.

Step 3

Purchase wholesale costume jewelry to sell, if you will not be making your own. Before spending money on any jewelry, ensure you can make at least a 30 percent profit from it, after accounting for labor costs. There are several ways you can source your inventory, depending on your niche. If your specialty is vintage costume jewelry, shop at estate and garage sales, browse online auction sites, sell jewelry on consignment and place print and online classified ads. If you're selling new pieces, you will likely need to open wholesale accounts with manufacturers and distributors of costume jewelry, or buy liquidated -- meaning deeply discounted -- inventory from other retailers.

Step 4

Secure at least one venue from which to sell your costume jewelry. Options include leasing or buying a brick-and-mortar store, renting a mall cart or kiosk, becoming a flea or antique market dealer, throwing home jewelry parties, opening an online store or selling via Internet auction websites. If you plan to make your own costume jewelry, consider all of the aforementioned options, with the exception of antique markets. You could also try selling at your local farmers market, if they accept non-food vendors, or a marketplace for handmade items, such as Etsy.

Step 5

Find a storage area for your inventory of costume jewelry, if you will not be opening a physical retail location. A clean spare closet or airtight storage containers would be suitable, as long as they are placed in a dark, odor-free and pet-free area.

Step 6

Promote your costume jewelry business in a way that suits your chosen retail venues. You could launch a promotional blog, open social networking accounts, place targeted online banner and website ads, send press releases to local, regional and national media outlets and donate or lend pieces to be used in a local fashion show in exchange for publicity. You can also place coupons, brochures and fliers in complementary businesses, such as clothing boutiques, hair and beauty salons and shoe stores.

Visit www.MyAccessoryBusiness.com to purchase a costume jewelry starter kit and start selling jewelry today!

Informative video about My Accessory Business kits and catalogs

View the informative video about My Accessory Business kits and catalogs for more information about how to make sales with your sales kit or with the printable catalog. My Accessory Business offers a unique way to make sales at trade shows, fairs, local events, stores and more with their affordable sales kits starting at only $49. They also offer a printable sales catalog on their website so that you can take pre-orders of jewelry pieces and re-sell them for profit.

Woman in Business Profile- One With The Water

Alissandra Hurdelbrink enjoys her career as a swim lesson teacher and an important part of the Los Angeles based non-profit organization One With The Water. She enjoys teaching children with special needs because she says "they have this special untouched innocence to them.  They live in their own world and they just need to be understand in that realm. Everyone thinks to change their world to make it more like everyone else. When I think we need to dive into their world and see it from their eyes."

Alissandra grew up overly athletic and constantly taking part in a few sports at a time.  She knew that she wanted to work with children but she wasn't sure what exactly she would be doing.

A couple years ago she started going back to school to earn a BS in Kinesology and knew some type of coaching was in her future.

She had never thought about teaching swim lessons until she was approached by fellow swim lesson teacher, Coach Kenneth. Her first student was on the autism spectrum and she fell in love with him. She says "He had such a great heart and he was definitely "One with The Water". It was his safe place, plus he probably had more fun in the pool than anyone else out there. When you teach kids with special needs new movements it builds on so many parts of their daily functioning.  Improves motor skills, coordination and muscle memory.  Like I said it touches base on one aspect out of a thousand."

Alissandra uses the words "incredible and amazing" to describe how she feels when she's teaching kids swimming.  She says, "you are shaping so many aspects of their lives.  It's not just the art of swimming you are touching base on, it's one puzzle piece in a game of a million pieces.  It's pretty incredible to see when a child really starts to understand what they are doing in the water with all the movements. Every child learns at their own pace, but some kids respond at an incredible pace and it's pretty amazing to watch it happen."

As far as anything on the business side of things, Alissandra takes care of most of the scheduling and talking with potential clients.  Together with Coach Kenneth, they go to events and advertise online, newspapers, and more.

She said that keeping the clients coming back is pretty easy for her because the kids have so much fun and really learn so much.  She makes it a point to make learning fun and still make progress with the lesson plan.

For more information about One With The Water, visit www.Onewiththewater.org
www.facebook.com/onewiththewater 

Where to put all that jewelry?

Where to put all that jewelry? Try making a DIY jewelry organizer. There are so many creative ways to  hang your jewelry without spending a fortune on expensive organizers. Use an upside down rake for your necklaces, a cup holder for your rings, a pegboard for all of your jewelry, find pieces to put together a a hardware store, hang up and old table with holes, or convert a pretty frame into a masterpieces with your jeweled accessories.

Check out more ideas here:

http://blogs.babble.com/the-new-home-ec/2012/07/25/8-unique-diy-jewelry-organizers/#cup-holder

http://sarahndipities.blogspot.com/2011/06/whats-new-wednesday-how-to-tuesday-make.html

Great tips for starting your own jewelry business

It's good to do a little research on good tips before starting your own business. I've compiled a list of some tips I've gotten from several sources that are useful for those who want to start their own jewelry business. Some of these can be for any business in general and some are more specifically for jewelry businesses:

- Make a Jewelry Business Plan

The Home Jewelry Business Success Tips website states that "a jewelry business plan can boost your success by helping you organize and analyze your goals and define how you'll achieve them. It also encourages you to consider your plan of action for turning your jewelry business dream into reality." Since there are many people hoping to sell jewelry through a home-based jewelry business, having a written plan ensures being set apart from the rest. Include goals in time-frame specific entities such as how much inventory to build up in a specific time frame and projected sales numbers and how you will reach that goal. 

- Buying Jewelry to Sell

Purchase jewelry from wholesale jewelry companies. Create a diverse inventory to suit a variety of customers. Jewelry items may include earrings, necklaces, bracelets or jewelry sets with matching earrings and necklaces. My Accessory Business offers wholesale priced jewelry in sales kits that include a variety of jewelry to perfect to re-sell. www.MyAccessoryBusiness.com

- Pricing Inventory

Pricing of the inventory in a jewelry business is directly tied to the business's success. Price pieces according to the price your paid for the piece. Avoid pricing jewelry too high--a common mistake in home-based jewelry businesses. Price the piece competitively, but allow enough room for profit. On the other hand, jewelry that is priced too low may give off the wrong impression to consumers. Consider the "projected value" a piece of jewelry has on a customer to further determine pricing.

- Get the word out!

Create fliers, brochures and business cards to give out to those who might be interested in purchasing from your in-home jewelry business. Include pictures of your samples in on your fliers and brochures. Ask your friends and family members to tell others about your business. Many of their friends and coworkers may be interested in unique gifts.

- Online sales vs. store sales

There are many ways in which to sell jewelry. The Internet is a growing force in the jewelry business world, but home "parties" where the seller presents jewelry to families and friends are also common. Flea markets and craft fairs are another venue for jewelry sales, as are local consignment shops. Pick a venue that suits your business plan and model, and take into consideration the amount of profit to be made from each. Flea markets and fairs often charge a fee for the space rental, and consignment shops often take royalties off each product sold. 

In order to stand out and make a dent in the jewelry business, it is wise to set up some kind of online storefront where people can submit orders. This increases the number of customers able to be reached, but it also creates the need for a bigger inventory. Unless you have a sizable amount of jewelry for sale or have an abundance of labor to create it for you, do not open an individual website, as this can lead to customers being disappointed. Online consignment shops may be the best option for those with little inventory. The cost of creating a website ranges from free (if you do it yourself) to hundreds of dollars. If you open a web storefront, be sure to use a quality professional camera to take photos of your creations. Consider having a model wear the pieces rather than just placing them on a blank white background. Experiment with different photo techniques for dramatic effects that can greatly increase web jewelry sales.

Woman in Business Profile: OpenWound FX

Meaghan O’Keefe started OpenWound FX because she found that her gory prosthetic creations were in high demand. She designs and creates uniquely beautiful prosthetics and realistic special effects props. Her interest in special effects led her to create products that customers immediately demanded. She started doing special effects in 2006 and dabbled a bit in every area of FX creation. OpenWound FX is unique because the prosthetics she makes blur the line between costume and couture.

As far as the cost of starting her business, Meaghan admits that many of the materials she works with are expensive but she does all of her own design and advertising to keep costs down. Meaghan says that she has been very fortunate to have the help of her boyfriend who is a photographer who helps with creating the product shots and doing the photo shoots for OpenWound FX. 

Horrible day jobs over the years were a constant inspiration for Meaghan to start her business up. When asked what advice she would give other women who want to start their own business, Meaghan says "That motto "just do it" isn't as easy as you'd think. Just do it. Don't sit around asking a bunch of questions, waiting around for opportunities...make it happen."

Visit her website to visit the variety of FX designs she has available for purchase in her online store, perfect for preparing your Halloween costume this year: 

http://shop.openwoundfx.com

www.Facebook.com/openwound

http://www.meaghanmonster.com

A new line of beautifully gory prosthetics will be out this fall! Meaghan also illustrates and her first graphic novel Identity Thief comes out this fall as well! www.identitytheifcomic.com

New Fall 2012 Catalogs- pre-sell jewelry and make sales!

Check out our new Fall 2012 catalogs with a brand new selection of hot celebrity inspired jewelry. Visit our catalog page for more information: http://www.myaccessorybusiness.com/catalog/
Click here to download a PDF copy of the catalog to print at home now:
www.myaccessorybusiness.com/content/MAB_fall2012.pdf

No printer? Just fill out the form and we'll mail you a copy of the catalog.

How to use the catalog: 

 

1. Print out the most current catalog from: www.myaccessorybusiness.com/content/MAB_fall2012.pdf on your home computer. This includes an order form. Check back to the website for the most current catalog available.

2. Write in your own prices in the spaces provided next to the jewelry. It is a good idea to sell each piece for about 3x the amount. If a piece is $2.99, you should charge between $9 - $15. Add on a shipping cost if you will have to mail the piece to your customer when it arrives to you.* 

4. Show the catalog to family and friends and take orders for jewelry on the 3rd page of the catalog. You can collect the money when taking the orders or wait until the order has arrived to take the payment. Be sure to get information on how to contact them at a later date.

5. Purchase the items that have been ordered from this website www.MyAccessoryBusiness.com 

6. When the items arrive, distribute them to your customers and collect payment if the payment has not been made. Keep ALL of your profits!

 

 

Please note that there is a limited number of each item available, once an item is sold out it may not be available again. We are not responsible for items that are sold out online. In order to avoid this, we suggest pre-purchasing the items instead.

Woman in Business Profile: Talking Squid

Taryn Boyd, the designer/owner behind Talking Squid started the design/sewing business because she wanted to stay in the art world, but come up with a functional product that she could develop, sew and sell.  She sells recycled t-shirts made into rugs and pillows on her etsy website www.talkingsquid.etsy.com 

Taryn's experience as a photography major in art school helped her to be able to shoot her own product photos. But starting her business certainly wasn't inexpensive. "Every dollar pretty much goes back into the business at this point, but my start up fee wasn't a set amount." Taryn said. Her business is unique because her products are sustainable, long lasting, and durable.  Texture and color are her two most noticeable design inspirations.

When asked what advice she would give other women who want to start their own business, Taryn said, "Go for it girl!  It's hard work but if you love what you do and have a unique and personal product, you'll always do well!"



Her creative family was a big inspiration for starting her business. She says they were "always working on something or painting or doing something with interior design.  I was lucky to have parents and grandparents that supported me pursuing a creative career."




If you want to know what your getting when you buy her products, Taryn says "There's a lot of passion behind these rugs and pillows, they are bursting with love."

Be sure to check out her designs online. They make great gifts for friends and family!

www.talkingsquid.etsy.com

www.facebook.com/talkingsquid

Twitter-TalkingSquid

talkingsquid (AT) gmail.com