If you are trying to educate yourself about marketing, which is a super important part of any successful jewelry business, then check into the guerilla marketing series. These books are full of lots of low-cost or even no-cost methods for getting the word out about your jewelry designs.

Since I’ve been talking about business books for the crafter, I thought I’d also remind everyone that your local public library is a great resources full of free information, meaning, books, books, books!
Even if they don’t have a specific book you are looking for, don’t forget that they can borrow from other libraries. It’s called Inter-Library Loan (ILL) and most libraries has set up relationships with other libraries in the same state that allows them to borrow books.
So, if you see something on Amazon.com and would like to read it but not necessarily buy it (at least not right away), …read more

Probably one of the first to write about working at home and making an income from crafting is author, Barbara Brabec. I definitely recommend any of the following books:

My jewelry business started totally by accident, and I don’t think I’m the only jewelry designer that has happened to. One minute you are making earrngs for a gift, and the next thing you know, people are asking if they can buy those earrings from you.
I had no idea about running a business when I first started back in 1998, so I did a lot of research on my own, sort of going to virtual jewelry school if you will. One place that was helpful was my local office of the Small Business Administration (SBA). Now, with the Internet, the …read more

Probably one of the most asked about topics for me when it comes to email is concers selling jewelry. I seriously sold my jewelry for at least 10 years before I realized that my calling was more on the writing/designing side than selling my jewelry pieces. However, I would not trade the years I spent trying to sell my jewelry because it was a huge learning experience.
I spent about 8 years on the art show circuit in Florida, and as my husband used to say, “We were data collecting.” I learned a lot about the jewelry business, what I liked …read more

After selling jewelry to friends and family and then maybe doing an arts/crafts show or two or even a home show, it doesn’t take long before most jewelry makers consider trying to sell their jewelry to an actual store. That’s when the “C” word comes up – consignment.
Consigning your jewelry can be one way to get it out there and sold in galleries and boutiques; however, it can also be a royal PIA and provide a way for shop owners to take advantage of you. So when is it okay to consign and not okay to consign?
After selling through various …read more

You’ll notice – or maybe not which is why I’m pointing it out to you – that I added a new link to my blog roll for Jennifer Perkins’s Naughty Secretary’s Club.
Besides the fact that Jennifer makes some awesome jewelry and other cool fashion accessories, what I’d like to point out about her blog is how she’s integrated it into her web store, also called the Naughty Secretary’s Club, where she sells her jewelry, hand bags, and etc.
I’ve written before about how I think blogging can be a great way to promote your jewelry business, and Jennifer’s blog clearly shows …read more

You can stick a fork in me – okay – well almost stick a fork in me because I’m done putting all my receipts together for our accountant. One thing I didn’t mention the other day when I was moaning about working on my taxes for my beading/writing work was that you can find many of the tax forms on-line at the IRS’s website: www.irs.gov
This is handy if you have a jewelry business because you’ll need a copy of the schedule C to figure out what you can deduct. I use this to organize my receipts, and anything I’m not …read more

Today, come hell or high water I am going to get my bead and jewelry tax stuff together! I swear it! I mean it!
This is one of the things a lot of jewelry makers don’t think about when they want to start doing jewelry and beading as a business. This is one of things that is on the “yuck” side of the jewelry business.
Around this time of year, many of the members of my Jewelry Making Forum start posting tax related questions. For years we did our own taxes, and honestly, if it weren’t for my writing, we could probably …read more

It is still the first week of the beginning of a new year and that means you have plenty of time to start working on reaching your goals for the future. That could mean growing your jewelry business or expanding your jewelry knowledge in general.
Rena Klingenberg has some great advice about envisioning your own beading success in her article The Power of Intention: Manifesting Your Ideal Jewelry Business. Here’s a little of what she has to say:
First, you need to determine a goal that’s near and dear to you, and make it specific. Take time to develop this goal clearly …read more