More Necklaces up
We're trying to get lots of stuff on the website before we're off to our big show in Boston, because we'll be handing out business cards like mad. But some of our items are one of a kind, so if you've seen something you really, really must have, please order by the end of Oct, since we're packing everything up Nov 1 to take it to Boston. Or just show up in Boston and meet us in person! If you email us by the end of this week, we can get a coupon for $2 off admission out to you before the show starts.
As usual, the newest items are
hereLabels: necklaces
New Bracelets Up
More of our good stuff, finally photographed. Some (okay, all) of the descriptions are a little sparse, but we're busily working towards getting stuff finished for the show in Boston, so it will all be fleshed out later...see them
here.
Labels: bracelets
More earrings
We have some new earrings on the website this week, and hopefullly after the weekend we'll have a bunch more (borrowing a tripod and some other stuff this weekend).
You can see our newest items
here.
Labels: earrings
Websites and Such
I was in the library today looking for something on marketing, and came across a book called The One Minute Millionaire. It is 377 pages long. I'm a fast reader and even I can't read 377 pages in one minute. Maybe I need to work on turning the pages faster, limber up my arm or something.
As a followup to my post
where to spend the (nonexistent) money, here's one on websites. A question many startup businesses ask is "should I have a website". Well, you need to think about why you'd have a website (to sell direct, to advertise another way of buying like phone or craft fairs, to solicit special orders, to be a gallery for retail stores to see your items, etc). Then you need to allocate your (nonexistent) cash to the various things you need to do, and decide if a website is something you can afford. Ours is hosted on the cheap, and that means I spend more time trying to make things work (my kingdom for a database) but right now my time is cheap compared to a full service hosting site. Maybe next year we'll have enough cash and my time will be better spent making more jewelry rather than fiddling with xml files, and we'll upgrade to a better server.
Related article:
Is Your Website a Money Maker or Money Pit?Labels: small biz
Where to spend the (nonexistent) money
I've found an interesting article
What Should My Business Buy When. We're in the process of growing, and we have two added factors (above those mentioned in the article):
1. We're in a seasonal business. Most of our sales are done in Nov and Dec for Holiday gifts. We may get a bump before Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day, and we sell a bunch of our lower priced stuff in the summer at the Farmer's Market, but the bulk of our sales are Holiday season.
2. We are able to finance the business personally, without really taking out loans. Our business is small enough that if one of us can loan it a thousand dollars through Christmas, it can make a big difference. A bank would require a longer history, interest payments, and a repayment schedule that might start before our big sales.
Anyway, the article is worth reading if you have (or plan to start) a small business.
Labels: small biz
Too True
Saw this on someone else's
blog. It about sums up the crazy that is going on right now. The upcoming show in Boston is larger than we've ever done, so in order to make it all go smoothly we're changing everything we do. HA! No, we're changing everything in order to get it "right", which means smooth is the last thing that will happen. Anyway, my living room is full of boxes and piles of stuff that needs to get organized and boxes that are "organized" (i.e. labeled with contents). No picture, since it's, um, messy.
How not to pack things
UPS is not the gentlest way to send packages to me, but it really helps if you pack things correctly to start with. I ordered some stuff (display stuff for the upcoming Boston show) and it came packed thusly.
Re-used, wrong size box:
Crossed out label (use a Sharpie folks!)
Interior packaging...items in a plastic bag with some peanuts and bubble wrap tossed on top.
Close up:
Surprisingly nothing was broken, bent or otherwise mangled.
Labels: display
Another Gallery Opening
The gallery in Canaan has another show opening this week...I'm sure EK will chime in with the details.
Labels: gallery
