Ok, lesson number one for today is to ask good questions. For example, making a vet appointment and making sure it's actually in the town I live. Poor little fluffy cat-of-doom-and-cuteness had his first ride in the car for nothing. I think he still loves me...Does anyone have tips about cats and fleas? I used frontline flea poison (like advantage) and I don't think it worked. Any tips? Florida is a crazy flea heaven.
Weekdays are slower for me in Craft Land (where my jewelry business is located). Overlapping my current full-time nanny job and the beginning of Beaded Weeds is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich: crunchy and sticky but also sweet and satisfying. I added about five more pairs of earrings to my Etsy site on Monday night and plan to add more as the week progresses. I think I am finally getting the hand of pricing although obviously my work on Etsy isn't getting a lot of sales. I seem to sell much more when I actually am at a craft/art show. I wonder if this is true for most crafters/artists?
Here's to another day in Nanny Land. I wonder how many more lessons I will learn today...
5 comments:
Hello!
I happened to be browsing around the Internet looking up the name of my business, IdeaSprout, and I stumbled upon your blog and ETSY site!
Funny thing is that my wife is also starting a business with handmade crafts. She does a lot of crochet work. Right now she's building BigHeadGear.com - since I, her head model, have a big head, it's a good fit - and she's looking for ways to get her brand out there, like you.
I have some experience in craft sales, and the business is always better at fairs and shows. My wife and I used to go to fairs for a local business that made aloha print accessories and related Polynesian regalia. We did fairly well with it. You will do well, too. I like your style!
If your interested, I could help you build your business the same way I am helping my wife. Mostly on the Internet, but in traditional marketing as well. I am a consultant for small businesses but don't charge the same way consultants normally do. Basically, I won't get paid, until you see your business grow. Anyway, if you're interested please contact me via my website or at nathan@ideasprout.com.
In any case, Good Luck!
Thank you for contacting me! Beginning this blog, like beginning my business, feels like giving a speech in an abandoned basement: kinda lonely but important at the same time. It is more helpful than you know to get feedback. I won't need specific advice for a few months. I'm in the process of moving and changing jobs (from being a nanny to full-time artist). After that I will definately get in touch. I think our choice to use "ideasprout" is fantastic!
The color scheme on BigHeadGear.com is just right: looks like hat weather. Are all of the hats/caps/beanies designed by your wife? Made by your wife?
Yes, all of the hats are designed and made by my wife. Have you had success using etsy.com?
So far I have not had much success with etsy but I have not spent any time trying to market myself. The most I have done is handed out some business cards to people who like my earrings on the street and to people who bought or tried on earrings at a local art/craft show I participated in. My sales at the show made me feel good about my prices which I was feeling nervous about (since many etsy crafters price their work very low). Now I think I may need to work on marketing and getting more products on there.
I would like to update this conversation by letting readers know that I officially sold a pair of earrings on ETSY and got rave reviews! Etsy really does rock. I'm just slowly growing into it.
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