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