Woman business owner profile- Jan's Dance Connection

Jan Witte has been running Jan's Dance Connection for 25 years, and began teaching dance in her parents basement 40 years ago.  She has owned 3 dance studios over the years and now has a great studio, Jan's Dance Connection in Brooklyn Michigan. 

Jan's Dance Connection offers dance instruction to children ages 3 and up - ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, point and fitness classes. They offer affordable dance classes to children in a small town.  They are involved in community events and teach their children how to become involved in the community.  They give the children a sense of pride in their dance skills.   They learn dance in a fun and educational way.


Jan has been dancing since the age of 3.  She is certified to teach dance through Dance Masters of America and Michigan and also Cecchetti Council of America. Jan is also a member of the local Chamber of Commerce. She was inspired to start up her own dance school  because she said that she fell in love with dance from her 1st dance teacher and a later dance teacher that really helped her start up her business and helped to get her in Dance Masters of Michigan.
The idea to start a dance studio came from her love of dancing. Her goal was to pass on her love of dance to upcoming generations of children.  Jan started teaching dance in her parent's basement and needed very little money to start up.  Later, she transitioned into a leased building which cost about $500.00 to purchase mirrors, bars, equipment and signs. When asked what advice she would give other women who are interested in starting their own business, Jan said, "Do it!  But you need to make sure you have a supportive family because it takes a lot of time away from your family to get a business started and to keep a business running.  Also, join various trade groups for your business and also join your local Chamber of Commerce so you can network with other business owners in your community."

Jan also started a scholarship program for high school senior young women called The Distinguished Young Women of the Irish Hills and she is on the Executive Committee of The Distinguished Young Women of Michigan.  She was the Past President of Dance Masters of Michigan and the Past President of the Brooklyn Kiwanis Club. She is currently a Director on the Brooklyn-Irish Hillls Chamber of Commerce.


I'm happy to say that I was fortunate enough to be taught dance lessons by Jan when I was young. She was definitely one of my most favorite dance teachers. She was always pleasant to be around and a great dance teacher that I could see really cared about making sure her students were both enjoying dancing and improving on their skills.


www.jansdance.com
517-260-0730
jansdance120 (AT) gmail.com

Selling handmade items

If you have decided to start a business selling your handmade jewelry or any other handmade items, here are some tips to help you get started:

Open a shop on websites like:

www.etsy.com
www.zahoomi.com
www.madeitmyself.com
www.silkfair.com
www.artfire.com
www.craftisart.com
www.zibbet.com
http://yardsellr.com
http://freecraftfair.com
http://en.dawanda.com
/www.notmassproduced.com

These websites are already bringing in traffic with people looking to buy handmade items. They usually charge a small fee for listing your items and/or a percentage fee from the total sale once and item is sold.

Tip: You can choose to list your items on one or more of these sites but be sure to update your inventory on all of the websites you list on if your items if you only have a limited number of each item to sell. If the item is something you can re-make easily as many times as you need to, the more websites your item is on, the better!

Make your own website to sell from. Here are some suggestions for websites with quick and easy tools to get you selling online with your own online shop:

www.bigcartel.com
www.ecrater.com
www.wix.com

Taking good pictures of your items is very important. You may even way to hire someone who knows product photography to photograph your items. This is especially helpful if your items are very reflective or just seem to come out looking over or under exposed with a regular camera. If you can't afford a photog, try taking pictures outdoors in the evening right before the sun goes down for the best lighting.

Your profile is very important when your selling handmade items because people who buy handmade tend to be interested in the artists story or background. You can use this to your advantage. Maybe your a mother who is making jewelry as a hobby, or you went to college for art and your passion was to go into business for yourself by selling your creations. No matter what the story is, it can't hurt to get a little personal.

There are many books out there that can give you suggestions on how to sell online, but the truth is that the people who have the most knowledge about selling online, are the ones who are blogging about how to sell online. Google searching for tips is a great way to learn everything you need to know without having to buy a book on the subject. Try visiting websites like http://handmademarketing.org/ to get more suggestions on the topic of selling handmade items online, and always keep researching because there will always be new websites to sell on, new tips on the best selling practices, and how to market your handmade items.

Woman business owner profile- Paula Gilbert car photography

Paula Gilbert has been doing photography for 4 years. She is a self-taught photographer. A photographer friend of hers got her into photography by letting her use one of his old cameras. He told her to go out and just start taking pictures. At first, she says that she did it just to humor him. But then, she started seeing things differently and began paying attention to how light and shadow affected the appearance of things. Then she started getting more serious, and began reading books on photography and going out and trying to get better pictures. Like most beginners, Paula says she photographed everything. "I could not settle on any one subject." Paula said. "It took me until now to focus on car photography."

Photographing cars came about from a friend of hers who is a low-rider. He's in a club called The Lo-Lows. He brought his car to work one day, and let her photograph it and it turned out really good. He suggested that they do a calendar for his car club, so she put together a test calendar for him to show his club. Paula says "Seeing my work in a published form for the first time was eye-opening. It looked really good. I was totally surprised. That led to more studying and practice."

She began attending car shows, and learning about cars. Paula explains, "It works well for me. I am a female in a male-dominated field. I enjoy being around men. I have always felt more comfortable being around guys than I have with women. It's fun to hear them talk about their cars. A lot of love and passion goes into customizing a car, not to mention, a lot of money! When their car becomes art, it's a beautiful object to photograph. Car photography is also very challenging. The surfaces are reflective, windows are see-through, and every car has a style, a personality, and a history that makes it unique. Same with every car owner. I try to keep all this in mind when I'm shooting. The finished image should be an homage to all those qualities." 

Paula says that she is on a budget, and therefore utilizes as little gear as possible. "I use a Nikon D3000, a circular polarizer (it cuts down the reflections on cars), a speed light, and natural lighting. I use Photoshop and Light room for post-production, and a tablet. My lenses are; 17-55mm, a 50mm prime, and a 50-200mm zoom. Most of my photographs are done with the 17-55mm. The lens that came with the camera! I don't believe you need to run out and spend a lot to get started.  My basic camera kit costs about $2000.00. The software will cost a bit more but is, in my opinion, crucial to the final image. I print my own business cards and hand them out at shows." 

Her advice to women who would like to do start their own business is to study and work hard. Have confidence in yourself that anything is possible. Take time to learn the basics of photography; composition, lighting, shadows, and how lenses affect the image. Read car magazines, and start attending car shows. Important: learn a little about cars. She says how she learned the hard way, "at a British car meet, when I innocently remarked that I didn't know Morgan still made cars. The owner told me huffily that "yes they are still made in Britain!" then he walked away. A lost customer, so learn your car history!  And, dress well. I go to car shows in casual business attire. If you want to be taken seriously, do not show up dressed like a stripper. A lot of cars you will see are high-end, with wealthy, educated owners. You want their business, not their ridicule."

Paula mainly photograph cars for car clubs and private owners. On her website, you can order prints, calendars, coffee mugs, key chains, and posters. She also set up a sponsorship with "Autism Speaks" where she photographs car events and donates a portion of her sales.

Check out her car photography website at: www.prgilbert.zenfolio.com

http://www.facebook.com/paula.gilbert.33

On Google+= "PR Gilbert"

Do you make really unique stuff?

Do you make really unique stuff? Jewelry, gadgets, gizmo's, but your feel like your stuff is getting lost in the piles of handmade stuff on etsy? Check out this website http://broodr.com where you can share and promote your creations by starting your own shop on there and selling your items.

Pros: It's something different than etsy where your product will get grouped with really unique stuff & it's new so you'll be one of the first to be listed.

Cons: The cost to list your items start at $5 per month and go up from there, whether your making sales or not, also it's pretty new so they're still building a customer base. 

Not an inventor but you like cool stuff? Then check out their site and get some unique stuff for yourself or for some unique gifts for friends and family. 

Why start your own business?

My Accessory Business helps you start your own accessory business with our sales kits that jump start your selling experience. They include everything you need to get started selling accessories to family and friends. You can start selling from our catalog pages even before you buy a starter kit! It's so easy to do. There are never any commitments to keep selling, so you can stop any time. And you can set your own prices and keep all of your profits!


Why start your own business?


Take control of your life! Imagine if you could control your own time. You decide when you want to work. Not needed anyones permission to go to your child's sports game or an event you've been wanting to check out. You can have this freedom and an opportunity to gain financial rewards when you start your own business. 


Low Risk, Low Cost-


People have many different reasons to start an accessory business with a "My Accessory Business" sales kit. It is a low-risk, low-cost opportunity that is open to everyone. Owning your own business not only can help provide supplemental income, it can also help provide flexibility and financial security. If you are interested in embarking on an exciting new business venture that has financial potential, "My Accessory Business" is for you! The unique celebrity inspired accessories are hot sellers! 


You can get a starter kit for as low as $49 that includes everything you need to get started plus over $150 worth of jewelry included. Visit www.MyAccessoryBusiness.com for more information about the different sales kits available to you.