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Poll – Do You *Really* Want 52 Weeks of Online Jewelry Business Training?

We're getting ready to (maybe) re-open our Handmade Results Weekly Course to new students.  That's if there is enough interest.

Here's what we need to know before we go ahead and take on this huge undertaking again. (Don't get me wrong, I love teaching this stuff! I just want to know if this is where I should concentrate to give you what you need most)

Are you interested in making your jewelry business profitable online? And are you interested enough to work on it for 52 weeks?

View Results

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Best,

Christine Gierer (yes, my real signature.)

P.S. - If you are a visitor who just wandered by and you are interested in our course and products, you'd better get on our Handmade Business Bites mailing list to get updates.  You don't want to miss out!  Click here to get on our mailing list.

P.S.S. Not sure if you want to be on our mailing list?  Visit the Business-Bites Newsletter archives to see what we've been talking about.

About the Author: Christine Gierer is the owner and creator of HandmadeResults.com.   With a focus on internet marketing and business fundamentals, not wasting time on stuff that doesn't work, and good 'ol commonsense, she loves helping jewelry makers make strides building their successful online businesses.

Have a comment about Handmade Results Weekly?   Share your thoughts and questions below:

Posted in Jewelry Marketing | 9 Comments

Amazing Jewelry Photography Tutorial – A $6 Solution to Jewelry Photography

Isn't serendipity the greatest?  I just received an email out of the blue from a photographer named Mariano who submitted an amazing jewelry photography tutorial to share with you.

If you like this - and I know you'll love it - you'll want to check out all his free product photography tutorials on his blog Via U! Photography.

I'm learning so much about using window lighting for as your lighting source.  I had no idea it was so easy.  No more fiddling with light bulbs for me :)

Tutorial: A $6 Solution to Jewelry Photography

by Mariano ~Via U! Photography

Posted in Jewelry Photography | 6 Comments

How to Make Your Goals a Reality the Easy Way: The Grand Vision Goal Achievement Method

Return from the Grand Vision Goal Achievement Method to Take Charge of Your Jewelry Business Step 2 - Planning

Here's a different method for goal setting and it's the one I tend to use most.

A Lot of Visions... Too Many Shiny Objects

The way I look at it, this method is for those who -- like myself -- tend to have a LOT of visions and find themselves veering off course because there are just too many shiny objects about.

Our biggest problem?

It's certainly not lack of ideas, and it's not lack of confidence or self-doubt.

The problem is simply keeping your eye on the prize and moving towards the goal you started out with!

We visionary creative types absolutely need a grand vision so we can see what we are aiming for.

As long as we keep the end goal in mind, we tend to find the resources as we need them...  We see the opportunities as they present themselves.

Are you a creative type whose biggest struggle is moving towards your goals?

If you said yes, try my Grand Vision method: Read More »

Posted in Strategy | Leave a comment

The Backwards Planning Method for Goal Achievement (for Jewelry Makers)

Return from the Backwards Planning Method to Take Charge of Your Jewelry Business Step 2 - Planning

The Backwards Planning Method

backwards planning Backwards Planning is the method used by the U.S. military.  This model is great for people who can work backwards from a big picture, and also works best when you are a good strategizer.

(Not everyone is a good strategizer in the way you need to be for the backwards planning model.  I confess I'm not.  If you give this model a try and it doesn't work for you, don't fret.  There's more than one way to skin a cat, and in future posts we'll look at some more ways of planning.)

Here's the Gist of The Backwards Planning Model

The super short version:

  • Develop a clear understanding  of where you want to go.
  • Map out the steps to get you there.

 

Let's use an example to make the Backwards Planning Model a little more concrete.

Backwards Planning Steps

Step 1: Describe your desired end state.  Be as specific and as descriptive as possible

Step 2: Work backwards, researching as needed to find solutions to each step you're not sure of.

Step 3: Work back and forth asking questions, making notes, and fleshing out your plan

Step 4: Flesh out mini goals as you go with deadlines for achievement

Step 5:  Execute :)

Backwards Planning Jewelry Business Example

Things you'll notice:

  • The farther out in time you go, the harder it will be to know details.  That is OK.  You'll refine your plan as you execute.
  • You'll need to go back and forth to flesh out the details even for the vaguer steps.  That's OK too.  All part of the process.
  • This is no walk in the park.  That's why if you do this, you have such a greater chance of succeeding than those who never put a lick of planning into their business.  Great businesse achievements come only out of hard work, commitment and dedication.
  • It's easier to see the actual plan in your mind if you read my example backwards, from the bottom up :)

The Plan

  • End State: Make $1,000 per month after expenses from handmade jewelry sales on Etsy by the end of the year
  • End State-1: Ship out lots of products on a timely basis
  • End State-2: Buzz created from massive marketing campaigns brings in loads of orders
  • End State-3: Massive marketing campaigns implemented
  • Mini-goal: Put together marketing plans with completion dates and milestones.
  • End State-4: Decide how to market for fastest and most sustainable results.  (Questions - What are the best and quickest ways to create a lot of interest for my items?  Follow up system?  How do I get repeat customers?  Can I build this into my marketing?)
  • Mini-Goal: Do research into best ways to list items on Etsy quickly and efficiently, and set up my shipping systems
  • End State-5: Create payment and shipping flow.  (Questions - How can I be most efficient?  Can I build marketing into my shipping process?)
  • Mini Goal: Have a dozen prototype products created by end of month 4.  Hire photographer to take photos.  Photos in hand by end of month 5
  • End State-6: Make prototypes and create descriptions and take professional looking photos
  • Mini Goal: Write it all down and set goals with deadlines to ramp up to the end goal.  Done by end of month 3
  • End State-7: Do research into the $ and cents:   (Questions - What are my profit margins on these products?  What do I have to sell, and how many do I need to sell to reach my goal of $1000 per month after expenses?)
  • Mini Goal: Find out what products sell online, research competition and numbers, and map out feasibility and costs of production.  Completed by end of month 2
  • End State-8: Actually do the research so I don't waste my time.
  • Mini Goal: Find a blog, teacher, mentor, or course that tells me how to research what handmade items sell online and how much competition is too much competiton.  Figure it out.  Done by end of month 1
  • End State-9: Questions: How do I research what will sell?  Must do some research into research!
  • End State-10:Got nothing.  Here's where I start.

Whew!  This was a lot of work.  This example is less detailed than a year-long plan should be, but then I did it in 30 minutes.  Your plan should be a lot more detailed.  It will be a lot of work, but it will be so worth it to have, don't you think?

Once you've created a plan, then you just have to follow it, stick to it, and keep your milestones and goals in mind.

Christine Gierer Christine Gierer is the owner and creator of HandmadeResults.com.   With a focus on internet marketing and business fundamentals, not wasting time on stuff that doesn't work, and good 'ol commonsense, she loves helping jewelry makers make strides building their successful online businesses.

Return from the Backwards Planning Method to Take Charge of Your Jewelry Business Step 2 - Planning

Posted in Strategy | 1 Comment

How to Be Strong and Powerful – Even When You’re Feeling Anything But.

Return from Powerful Self-Confidence Exercise to Take Charge of Your Business Step 2 - Planning

strength imageEverybody - you - me - even superstars like Tony Robbins and Oprah Winfrey and their off days.

It's normal.  Nobody feels like, looks like, or sounds confident and powerful like a superstar every second of every single day.

But there are tricks to shortcut those feelings, and you can bet your Aunt Bippy that people who seem confident and powerful all the time know them inside and out.

Imagine, supercharging yourself to feel powerful and confident too just like the superstars whenever and wherever you need to :)

Happily, it's not that hard to accomplish, even on your first try.

Here's a really quick, simple exercise you can do whenever you need a quick shot of powerful confidence.  It works in less than 5 minutes and feels wonderful.

How to Feel Confident and Powerful in 5 Minutes or Less

1. Sit up straight.   Take a deep breath.

Read More »

Posted in Psychology of Success | Leave a comment

Take Charge of Your Business – Step 2: Planning

Now that you have a handmade business vision, of course you'll want to make a plan to make that vision  reality.

Plan graphicNow I'm not going to pretend all this stuff is easy.  It's simple but it's not easy.

The difficulty comes from within ourselves, doesn't it?  It feels uncomfortable.  It feels yucky.  Both visioning and planning bring up all these thoughts and feeling we'd rather not have.

That's why before we even go any further and talk about different ways to plan, I want you to do something first.

Let's Make The Difficult a Bit Easier:  Exercise for Power and Confidence

Have you ever wanted to feel awesome at will?  Cool.  Here's how.  Try out this NLP exercise for feeling powerful and self-confident in 5 minutes or less.

-----------------------

Next, lets talk about Goals and Planning.

How do you make those visions and dreams come true?  Well it's not by wishing, that's for sure.

As you may suspect (but fervently hoped was not the case), you need to plan and execute said plan for things to happen.

There are a bunch of different methods, but here are three of the biggies

3 Killer Strategies to Make Visions a Reality

In the real world, successful business owners tend to mix and match these strategies to suit the purpose, and you should too.

Here are the 3 strategies that seem to make the most sense of most people:

1. The Backwards Planning Method

The backwards planning method is based on a simple concept.  All you do is work backwards from your desired end state and map out what needs to happen in order for that end state to become a reality.

Essentially you:

  • Develop a clear understanding  of where you want to go.
  • Map out the steps to get you there.

Learn more about the Backwards Planning Method

2. The Grand Vision Method

I'm not sure whether this goal achievement method has a "real" name but I just call it the Grand Vision Method.

The Grand Vision Model, like the Backwards Planning Method, focuses heavily on strategy and action, but less on formal "planning".  By this I mean that there is a lot less laid out up front.  For those who aren't really sure how to get where they are going, this method may be easier to handle (at least at the outset).

Learn more about the Grand Vision Goal Achievement Method

3. The Kaizen Method (or the Continuous Improvement Method)

Kaizen was created in Japan following World War II. The word Kaizen means "continuous improvement". It comes from the Japanese words 改 ("kai") which means "change" or "to correct" and 善 ("zen") which means "good". (source: what is kaizen)

Kaizen is even less of a planning method than the Grand Vision method and a lot less exciting and inspiring, but is a great method for results you can quantify, and because you test small things, and make small improvements that add up over time, Kaizen is a wonderful goal achievement method to add to your arsenal of jewelry success strategies.

The way I use Kaizen is to test and observe results from changes to different elements of my website and my marketing, and based on the results, I make tiny incremental improvements over time.

Read More »

Posted in Handmade Business CPR | 2 Comments

Take Charge of Your Business – Step 1: Vision

"We all need some butt-kicking from time to time.  Why?  Because the sun shines on those who help themselves -- and a kick in that direction is sometimes what's needed."

Yesterday we challenged the Handmade Results Business Bites subscribers to win-win-win with me so we can all take charge of our businesses and grow together :)

In case you missed that email or you're a visitor to the blog, I'm copying it below so you can get the gist.

At the bottom of this post you can read some selected visions that others have sent me by email.

Share your comments and your responses too by submitting a comment to this post.

Here are the details from yesterday's email:

I am getting really excited today about taking charge of my business and my life and I want you to do the same.

For both of us to take charge today, I need to ask you a favor--

Maybe favor is the wrong word.

It's more of a win-win-win.

Take Charge of Your Business - Our Win-Win-Win

You win-win because you get some clarity on what you want to achieve in your business.

This is a double win for you. Nobody ever built an extraordinary business without first knowing where they're going, and then having a map to get there.

Let me repeat that.

Nobody -NOBODY- ever built an EXTRAORDINARY BUSINESS and EXTRAORDINARY LIFE without first knowing where they are going, then having a map to get there.

So I know you really get this, let's put it another way:

YOU BUILD AN EXTRAORDINARY BUSINESS ONLY By...

1. KNOWING WHERE YOU WANT TO GET (THIS TAKES CLARITY)

2. THEN FOLLOWING A MAP TO GET THERE (THIS MEANS FOCUS AND ACTION)

Whew! That was a lot of repetition. I hope it's embedded in your brain now.

You're probably thinking, "Yes, Christine, I KNOW! It makes total common sense. But How the Heck Do You Do That?"

Well, you start by knowing where you want to get.

I bet I can see into your mind with my crystal ball.

You're thinking,"Hmmmmm... Good question.... Where do I want to get? I've never really sat down and thought this through...."

What?!? You're running a business or you want to run a business and You've never sat down and thought about where you want to get?!?

Don't feel bad! You're in good company. MOST businesses start out having no clue where they want to get. Not in any well-thought out measurable way anyway.

Have no fear though. It's plain to see that you just need to take a look into your mind and see it clearly.

Here's why I say that.

I've been doing one-on-one coaching the past few months, and I always start off with goals so I can get a sense of where people want to get, in order to help them figure out how to get there.

Here's what I discovered.

Most often people have no clue until we start to explore how they feel about business, their world, and what they want out of life.

BUT once they do start thinking about it, it becomes a HECK of a lot easier to figure out where to go next.

Back to the win-win-win I told you about.

I want to know where YOU want to GET.

That's my win. I win, because I get to know you better, and then I can understand what you need better. This helps me create the type of content that will help you. And helping you is what I love my business to be about!

And of course, your win-win is in answering these questions.

This one activity - guaranteed - is going to help you and your business out more than anything else you've done so far to date.

Even if you have written goals, redoing them quarterly and checking in on where you are against your timeline and readjusting the best thing can do to stay on track and keep moving forward after you
answer these questions the first time.

There is magic in writing down where you want to get.

Don't Pooh-Pooh the "G" Word"

In case you suspected, you are correct. You're hearing me talk about goals.

You might feel all uncomfortable inside hearing the "G" word. I hate using that word because people tend to slough it off. They've heard it too many times.

If you are like 97% percent of the population -- the 97% that have no written goals whatsoever, you might be thinking, "Goals! I know about goals. Goals don't work for me. Goals stress me out. Goals
are dreams that never go anywhere."

That's just fear talking. For today only, let's spit on fear.

Pftuh!

The 3% that make written goals? They are the 3% that excel and overcome obstacles.

You know the statistic that 90% of all businesses? 100% of them don't have written goals, deadlines, milestones, or plan of action. (I'm pulling that 100% out of my butt of course. In reality it may 99.5%.
Close enough).

If you are still reading this , you are one quarter of the way to becoming that 10% that succeeds and build a thriving business.

Congratulations! You're on the fast track:)

(Yes, I am not above buttering people up after I've given them a reality check. Butter yourself up and pat yourself on the back too no matter how silly it may seem.)

(But keep on reading. We're not done yet. Let's move you to at least halfway to success with the next part).

Let's take the most important 20 minutes you can take today, and answer these questions.

This is not a chore.

Make it fun!

The Most Important 20 minutes of Your Life Today -- Maybe of this Whole Month or Even your Whole Year!

If you could make your business into anything you want.... If you could make your LIFE into anything you want, what would that life look like?

I want to know your thoughts and feelings, your dreams and aspirations.

And I almost forgot! Here's the rule. You have to do this FAST. You want gut reactions so the fear doesn't creep back in.

The First Question - Hit Reply Go Comment at the End of this Post and Get Started

The first question can take as long as you want, but spend 2 minutes minimum. Spend 10 minutes on this if you want. This isn't the gut question yet.

Stop now, get a timer, and answer this question:

1. Where is your business now? If you don't have one at all yet, but make things and people say you should sell them, talk about that. Otherwise,
describe your business.

Here are the Important Gut Questions

The next three questions are about Where you see your business and your life going.

Spend 5 minutes on each. Type or write as fast as you can.

For best results - the best results for you, not for me! - you need to include both quantifiable and value-based ideas.

Quantifiable ideas are things like...

  • How much income do you want to make each month.
  • How much free time do you want to have.

Values include things that make us FEEL good inside.

The REASONS for the goals.
Things like....
  • Independence of the job world
  • The freedom to stay at home with your kids or to take care of an ailing family member
  • The freedom to chose where you live and how to live
  • Freedom and money for travel
  • Be well-known and respected
  • Freedom to live a quiet life
  • Ability to help others with your business or with extra money to donate
  • The romance of an artist's life
  • Ok. Enough prep! Type quickly and use your timer remember!

The Rest of the Questions - Add These to the First Question You Already Did

If you could snap your fingers and make your business and your life anything you want it to be, what does it look like...
  • Take 5 minutes: What does your business and life look like a year from now?
  • Take another 5 minutes: What does your business and life look like three years from now?
  • Take the last 5 minutes: What does your business and life look like 10 years from now?

 

Still reading, but haven't hit reply commented yet? Go ahead hit reply comment below, and go through that exercise. Let me know what you're thinking.

I'm watching my inbox. Go and write back to me write now. You are doing yourself and your business the biggest favor you can give.

Go hit reply to the comment box and start typing now if you haven't already. Do it! Auugh! Do I have to beg you to take positive in your own life?!!?

Fine! I'm begging you! Take charge of your life and take this first step!

Don't make me shake my head in disgust. :-)

Best,


Christine "cajoling reality check" Gierer

http://HandmadeResults.com


P.S. What are you still reading for? Take action! Answer the questions and hit reply comment below to share them with me. If you're interested in getting advice on what to do next, add that in too. I'll do my best to give my 2 cents in an upcoming blog post.

P.S.S. If you want my two cents, you can request your name withheld on the blog post. I'd love to share your name and your company name, and I think it's a wonderful gift to share your experience because people learn best from each other, but it's not a must for getting the free advice. I want to help, not make you feel self-conscious. Go hit reply comment now and answer those questions.

 

About the Author

Christine Gierer

Christine Gierer is the owner and creator of HandmadeResults.com.   With a focus on internet marketing and business fundamentals, not wasting time on stuff that doesn't work, and good 'ol commonsense, she loves helping jewelry makers make strides building their successful online businesses.  She is also proud to be persistent in her requests.  Sometimes we all need some butt-kicking because the sun shines on those who help themselves -- and we all need a little push to help ourselves from time to time.

 

Assorted Visions From the Mailbag to Get You inspired

(These are excerpts, not full visions.  Vision tidbits if you will)

My goal for my business is to run a successful, jewelry and design business that sells internationally, primarily through select trade shows, galleries and higher end boutiques, and generate enough income that my husband, family and I can live the sort of life that involves meaningful involvement in the projects we're interested in, travel, which is what fuels my design work, and freedom from jobs that prevent us from fulfilling our goals. ~ Kim

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Short Term Goals- Want to pay the bills from jewelry monies.
Mid Term Goals- Want to support myself completely without dipping into late husband's life insurance.
Long Term Goals- Want to support myself as well as he did. ~Barbara

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3 years from now my business has its training wheels off. I'm earning between 2-3,000 euro per month. I have a proper "shop" or show place where I work, display my jewelry, run classes (maybe?) and meet customers.

I make regular shipments to the 10 stores that carry my jewelry. I have been mentioned in at least one periodical on jewelry art.

I continue to make jewelry with Murano beads but I have also expanded into soldered metal work. The business is growing still and I'm considering hiring someone to assist me with the stuff I don't like doing. 3 years from now I still live  in Italy with my husband and we both have time to spending making our house more beautiful and traveling.  ~L

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For now; up to $500/month; after that, the sky's the limit! Enough to have a comfortable life including a week or two in Italy every year. And enough to afford a houseweek every other week. I hate doing housework!!!!! After I've taken some serious metalsmithing classes on things I want to learn, rather than trying to teach myself everything, I want to have a real studio, steady wholesale/retail orders, maybe do a juried show. And earn enough to work out of my studio rather than a 9-5 job all of the time. Not just earning pocket money or money that I plow back into the business for supplies/metals/etc. ~Karen

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10 years from now I have a handful of employees helping with my jewelry line that is in stores across the country (50+). I have a following for my line and it is shown in magazines, and my brand name is recognized when people talk about it. I am able to be with my children whenever needed for fieldtrips and when they are sick because I have people to cover the business when I am away. I am able to travel the world looking for pieces to incorporate into my designs. I have also expanded into metal work and have a line of charms in sterling gold and diamonds. I am able to support new artists who are into my field of work by donating my time and money to help them get started. ~Jenny

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In one year, I want to be making $2500 per month from a combination of jewelry sales, book sales and classes.

In three years, I want to be making $4000 a month with those things and have my third book written and sold.

I'm not sure about five years. I'm leaving this open whether or not I want to sell the jewelry company and concentrate on writing books, teaching classes and traveling around to do so or just have someone else run it and open a wellness center and run it. Not sure which direction I'll go. We'll see! ~Kari

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I'm making enough in sales for my partner and I to leave our day jobs.  I spend my days mostly designing and creating jewelry and dolls and he spends his days writing.  we take walks to the park whenever we want.  We have lunch together.  We're making $5,000.00 in sales a month.  At this point I'm making a lot of jewelry and dolls and selling them mostly retail, but have several wholesale accounts as well.  We go on road trips each week and have a much more calm and much more laid back life. And best of all we have left our day jobs and quit making our bosses rich while we struggle! ~Kimberly Burkhart  B.B. Bellezzahttp://www.BBBellezza.com

 

Ok -- Tired of copying and pasting and there are so many more good ones!  These will get you started though.  Dream big!  What's that saying?  "Shoot for the Moon -- Even if you miss it you'll land among the stars..."

Add Your Visions and Comments Below

Posted in Strategy | 6 Comments

Video: How to Make a Website Backup (On a Self Hosted Site)

Website Backups are super important so you don't lose all your hard work (and your business) one day to website hackers or fluke server explosions.

This video was made as a special request by the loyal Handmade Results Business Bites Subscribers. Read More »

Posted in Jewelry Marketing | Leave a comment

Don’t Let a Catastrophic Server Event Implode Your Handmade Business

I had a "catastrophic server event" last month. Yes, that is a real term.

My webhost had an unfortunate series of cascading crashes that made my site go down and all the others on their server too.

The backup server had been malfunctioning a couple hours earlier, but they were waiting to fix it after the peak period of the day was over. When the main server crashed, there was no backup because the backup had already gone down.

The control panel had been malfunctioning for weeks but had shown no sign of malfunctioning so the daily backups --which were a courtesy by the way... most webhosts don't do them--  had not been backing up everyone's sites.  Mine was about 3 weeks behind.  Some sites had no backup at all.  Yikes!

For a Website Owner, A Little Paranoia is a Good Thing Read More »

Posted in How-To's | Leave a comment

How to Promote Your Handmade Business Without Being *Icky*

I found this great post on 5thjoy.com about how to promote your blog or website without being *icky*.

This business promotion advice is so good I don't want to lose it!  I never remember to go back to my bookmarks so I'm paraphrasing the parts I don't want to lose and I wanted you to get the goodness too.

A lot of the information is stuff I've been touting for a long time but it's nice to see it all summed up in a neat little package like this.

Hmmm let's see.  Who do I have to attribute... It looks like a whole slew of people who spoke at an event called Lavish.  See the blog post at 5thjoy.com for who all spoke this marketing goodness.

Here it is - Some of it is Paraphrased Christine Style For Handmade Crafty Business Relevance

HOW TO ACTIVELY PROMOTE YOUR ONLINE HANDMADE PRODUCTS BUSINESS Read More »

Posted in Strategy | 3 Comments