A Business Plan - Why Have One?

One thing that's important for business owners (and that includes independent artists) is to have a clear set of goals. Where do you want to be in 9 months, 2 years, 5 years and beyond? Take some time to think about this and then write your goals down. This can be done informally in a note pad, or formally, as with a business plan.

A business plan takes considerable time to research and to write, is it worth it? Most financial sources require a business plan before they will consider investing in your business. This includes banks, venture capitalists, and sometimes your own family. A property owner may require a business plan before he will consider leasing his property to you. Potential employees may want to see the plan before coming to work for you. Significant suppliers often will ask for your plan, and with a good plan you may be able to get better credit terms than without one.

But, the most important reason for a plan is to give yourself a guide to your future. A well written plan provides a road map to your business's growth, allows you to measure progress toward your goals, and it lets you know if the business climate is changing (and whether you need to change your plans too). It will guide you in your decision making throughout your business.


The next blog will talk about the business plan in more detail.....

See you next week!!

Thank you,
Kerri

Moving Forward

I recently took a short business course geared specifically toward creaters/designers and gathered some useful information. For those of you who are already successful in your business, this will just be a refresher. For those of you who are just starting out, or who want to fine tune your business, I'm going to be doing a short series on business basics.

The first topic will be Branding.....

1. Develop a consistent body of work (can be mixed mediums if style is consistent)

2. Establish your core identity (decide what's most important to you and have that guide your business decisions)

3. Your visual branding has to fit your work

a. Logo - can be a small section of one of your products
b. Font - use the same font on all literature
c. Color Scheme - use the same colors on all literature

If you follow the above list, peope will better be able to recognize your work and identify with you.

For more information on this topic, please check out the site

www.madsencycles.com

Hope this gave you some food for thought....
Kerri

Saying Goodbye For Now......

Soon I'll be saying a temporary "good bye" to Hearts Abound, but it's not a sad farewell. I'll be shipping this beauty off to Fire Mountain Gems for the second round of judging and photography. What an honor!! I almost fell over when I read the letter from them.

Wish us luck!!



Kerri

Interview with Fellow Etsian

I'd like to introduce everyone to a new friend of mine on Etsy, Chel, of Fresh Picked Candles. Her candles are friendly to the environment, smell great and look great in your home.

She definitely knows her candles, having started making them over 30 years ago! In her shop profile she even explains soy and palm wax, which is what she uses in her candles.

Here's a little bit more about her, via an interview:

What types of items do you sell?
I sell scented natural wax (soy and palm wax) candles that I make in my kitchen at home. I primarly offer "fresh picked" fruit scents, but I have other fragrances available by custom order through Etsy, as well as unscented candles.

Where is your work available for sale?
I sell my candles online at Etsy (FreshPickedCandles.etsy.com), eCrater
(FreshPickedCandles.ecrater.com), Artfire (FreshPickedCandles.artfire.com), and 1000Markets (FreshPickedCandles.1000markets.com) as well as at local arts and crafts shows around the San Francisco Bay area.

How did you get started making your candles?
I started making candles with my mother as a child in the 70s. Candle-making was a very different experience back then. The only wax available to us was petroleum-based paraffin, and we used bits of crayons as dye in our candles. In college, I started making my own candles, and more recently become interested in making more environmentally friendly candles. I now use vegetable-based waxes (soy and palm) instead of petroleum derived wax. I am currently experimenting with pure essential oils to make an entirely new line of candles.

What other types of art do you make for fun?
In addition to making candles, I am a metalsmith, specializing in sterling silver gemstone jewelry and hypoallergenic earrings. My jewelry is available for sale on Etsy (http://lavajewelry.etsy.com), Artfire (http://lavajewelry.artfire.com), and 1000Markets (http://lavajewelry.1000markets.com). I also love watercolor painting, knitting, and crocheting.



Please check out her Etsy shop by CLICKING HERE!

Thank you, Chel, for taking time to talk about your wonderful candles!

Kerri

Inspired by Nature

Nature provides inspiration for jewelry artists in the form of stone choice, color choice and design choice. All you have to do is look out the window or take a walk through a park to be inspired by nature. Behind our house is a 100 acre community park that has a nature trail. While this week the weather was cooler and rainy, last week was absolutely gorgeous and my daily walks along the nature trail inspired this necklace. The feature stone is a beautiul piece of fuchsite that has been surrounded by dark green and smokey topaz seed beads. The fringe and necklace chain follow the same color scheme adding dozens of crystals for style.

I find that my beadweaving works best when I don't plan out an entire piece before I start, rather letting it evolve into it's own. I let the stones "speak" to me and creating a piece of jewelry becomes like music....one note building on the next until a masterpiece is created.

With that in mind, I'm going to start doing a series of works in progress, showing you how a work comes together.....

If you'd like to purchase this item, please CLICK HERE.

Sometimes You Just Have to Keep It!

I don't do this very often, but sometimes I fall in love with a piece and decide to keep it. This necklace is one of them. The combination of colors is awesome and the chain matches the fringe. I've titled it Heavenly Butterscotch.

To see more of my designs, please CLICK HERE

Rainbow Flourite Wire Wrap Pendant

I'm a beadweaver by trade so when I decided to expand my jewelry line with wire wrapping, I wanted to somehow add a beadwoven style to my designs. This pendant is a result of that desire. There are 2mm hematite beads incorporated into the wire wrap frame. I'm curious if anyone else other than me feels this gives the wire wrap a beadwoven feel to it.

Don't be shy now, let me know what you think.......
The pendant is available through my Etsy shop by CLICKING HERE

Have a great day!
Kerri