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Starting a Handcrafted Business: Resources and Articles

10/25/2017

1 Comment

 
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Below are some resources for starting a business or building a website. These posts are not all-inclusive and are based on my personal experience building my home-based brand. I am in no way an expert on entrepreneurial endeavors, and continue to stumble my way through this journey. Hopefully, these posts will help you avoid the same stumbles.

  • Building A Business: The Basics
  • Making Your Art Your Business
  • Determining the Value of Art: Product Pricing
  • Product Photography (The Basics)
  • Product Photography (Models)
  • Product Photography (Backgrounds)
  • Photo Editing (For Product Photography)
  • Selling Platforms I & Selling Platforms II
  • Jewelry Making Supplies & Materials
  • Best E-Tools for Handcrafted Jewelry Businesses
  • Business Bookkeeping
  • Self-employment Myths

Other Resources
  • Product Pricing Calculator
  • Archetypal Business Practice
  • Building A Brand Board
  • Growing Your Business
  • Sites for Solopreneurs
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September 2017 "Finish It!" Design Challenge: WINNERS

10/16/2017

14 Comments

 
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Just take a quick scroll through the Pinterest album of contest entries and look at this picture to the left, and you can see just how a single set of instructions can lend itself towards 65 totally unique designs, imbued with the personality and creativity of its makers. 

This is why I love hosting these contests. It, hopefully, stretches the imagination of those who enters and maybe
even makes them a little uncomfortable. Because creative discomfort sometimes paves a beautiful path towards individual expression. And this contest was so full of gloriousness that I'm seriously considering more wire-only challenges in the future. While stones and beads are complimentary and lovely accessories, it's the wire work I fell in love with all those years ago when I made the first tentative steps towards my future, so I'm more than a little biased with my love of wire. And this contest, with these entries, just fueled that love even more! 

There are two categories judged in each "Finish It!" Design Challenge. A group favorite, where only participants are allowed to cast a single vote for their favorite entry. And a judged favorite, reached by a consensus of 7 non-participants, including consumers and other wire-artists. 

The group favorite will receive my finished version of this pendant, and any 10 Nicole Hanna Jewelry tutorials of their choice. The judged favorite will also receive any 10 Nicole Hanna Jewelry tutorials of their choice (not that any of the entrants need my help!). 

And everyone gets bragging rights! Because I know this wasn't an easy challenge. There was an obscene amount of wire involved, and the focus stayed entirely on the design utilizing that wire, without the distraction of beads or stones. 

So please.... take a look at the winners below: Penny Sanchez and Daune Price-Hannah, and give them the warmest and most-deserved congrats! 
Group Favorite: Penny Sanchez
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Judged Favorite: Daune Price-Hannah
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And definitely stay tuned for more "Finish It!" Design Challenges. While I have no more planned for this year, I do already have them tentatively scheduled for next year, with some new approaches in consideration! And if, in the next contest, we break 100 entries, I'll be offering a few more goodies for our winners and participants, so definitely stay tuned! 

Until then, beautiful souls, stay creative and happy weaving! Any many thanks to the truly amazing and talented folks who entered! By accepting the challenge, you filled these past few weeks for me with inspiration and joy. 

Nicole
14 Comments

September 2017 "Finish It!" Design Challenge: GALLERY OF ENTRIES

10/7/2017

6 Comments

 
See that pendant over there? That's my version of the Finish It! design. I call it "Hare Raising". Get it? Because it looks like rabbit ears. I'm not going to lie... I amused myself with that name because sometimes you just need to have fun with your work, right?

And, as the entries can tumbling in, slowly at first, I allowed myself to have fun every single day. Each new piece I received was a true joy, inspirational and motivational. The number of times I'd said to myself "I wish I thought of that" are simply too
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numerous to count, and rightfully so. Each piece is deserving of all the recognition it receives. Because.... let's be honest.... I was annoying with this contest, I can admit it. I mean, no stones? No beads? Just plain wire? But every single entrant rose up to the challenge. And I was amazed every day as more and more entries tumbled through my inbox, and I ended up witness to 64 beautiful creations!

And guys, I gotta admit I might just be doing more Finish It! Design Challenges with wire-only requirements. I love a pretty stone, no doubt, but sometimes there's an unfair advantage when the focal becomes the stone and not the design around it. Plus, these wire-only entries all bellowed their own stories. And I'm nothing if not a sucker for a good story.

So let's get to the judging, shall we?
Click HERE to view the GALLERY OF ENTRIES
The gallery of entries will be available for viewing… well… indefinitely or, at the very least, until Pinterest falls into the dark abyss of the internet, at which point the images will (hopefully) be moved to another file sharing system. In the meantime, click the link above to view the wonderful creations.

The gallery of entries will be available for VOTING, however, through October 15, 2017. Voting is open only to those who participated in the contest. To vote:


  • Please only ONE vote per participant. If the same person comments with their vote on multiple entries, all comments will be dismissed, and the vote invalidated. Please, only vote once.
  • Please use the word "VOTED" in the comments of the entry to cast your vote. 
  • If, for any reason, you cannot place your vote yourself, contact nikki.hanna@gmail.com with your choice and I will vote on your behalf.

A note to non-participating viewers and commentators…. please reserve the term “VOTED” for participants only, to avoid confusion during the judging process, but do feel free to comment as a show of appreciation for the beautiful work submitted. These entries are worthy of the recognition they receive and then some.

On October 16, votes will be tallied and the “Group Favorite” (most voted by participants) will win my completed version of this project and any ten tutorials of their choice. In the case of a tie, I will place the deciding vote.

Also, a “Judged Favorite”, chosen by a panel of four jewelry artists and three “consumers” (who are not participating in the contest), will also receive any ten tutorials of their choice.

Every contestant should receive the finished version of this tutorial as a thank you for his or her participation. Please expect this tutorial to be delivered during the judging week. If you have not received the tutorial by the time the contest is judged, or have trouble accessing the file, please contact me at nikki.hanna@gmail.com

Thank you all so much!

Happy weaving!
Nicole

To read more about the September 2017 Finish It! Design Challenge, please visit this post.

6 Comments

Best E-Tools for Handcrafted Jewelry Business Owners

10/1/2017

6 Comments

 
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If, like me, you also run a small handcrafted jewelry business, you'll understand the importance of delegating to improve productivity. However, as a one-person show, we don't delegate to assistants and social media managers and tech support and, instead, must rely on a wide variety of sources, apps and programs to help keep us motivated, productive and professional, and to further our growth as business owners.

This can also be financial prohibitive for many small business owners, as well, who function on a budget. So, while compiling my list of the best e-tools for handcrafted jewelry business owners, I was sure to include free resources.

Free E-Tools

  • Google: Google offers a number of services, all under one convenient account, to help business owners simplify their life. Google Docs, Calendar, Photos, Gmail and Drive are all fabulous free programs to help keep your small business under one roof. Drive offers 15GB of cloud storage and file sharing for free when an account is created, with the option to tap Google Docs straight from your Drive dashboard, build new text documents or spreadsheets and add editors, create forms, or slideshows, and have them automatically saved to and stored in the cloud.
  • Libre Office: Want a little more functionality for your documents, spreadsheets or presentations then this is the program for you. Not bloated with unnecessary tech, it's an easy program to master, even for those of us who might lack technological patience.
  • Evernote: Not a fan of paper planners? Evernote is a great green alternative, to keep the carbon foot print small, for those tech-savvy folks who like to simplify their paper trails. This can keep you organized, is super easy to use, and has some impressive functionality for a free app.
  • Storenvy: Need to build a customized website on a budget? This sales platform has an entirely free option, offering 500 listings and free shop templates to customize the look and feel of your store front, creating a cohesive branded experience. (Does not support digital downloads unless through third-party paid apps.)
  • Blogger: Using the free Storenvy service? Link a free Blogger to your shop front for a complete, functioning website! Blogger is a great resources to "publish your passions", write content that matters to you and your brand, and it's customizable with very little technical know-how.
  • Square: Most home-based business owners are already vastly familiar with PayPal's payment processing system. But Square is another fabulous resource for free, excluding the per-transaction fees. Their dashboard is very easy to navigate, offers clearly defined sections to access deposits, individual transactions, analytics, and invoices. And they offer a wide range of paid services if you'd like to keep your operational software under one account.
  • Photoscape: This is the one photo editing software I will recommend over and beyond any other. It's not only free, but far easier to use than programs like Gimp, while utilizing only a fraction of your computer's operational capabilities. It's highly effective with multiple features for product photography, including text overlay (all the photos on this website were edited using this software).
  • MailChimp: Email marketing is available for free through MailChimp for up to 2000 subscribers, and your list is yours if/when you decide to migrate to a new newsletter provider. The themes/templates are easy to build and  navigate, so the price is right for this service! Please note, customer service support is not offered for free accounts.
  • Wave Bookkeeping: Not ready for Quickbooks (and its learning curve) for your accounting needs? Then Wave might be the online accounting software for you! Send invoices, link your payment processes for easy income and expense tracking, scan and store business receipts, and download reports for tax time.
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Paid E-Tools

  • Weebly (Starting At $8/mo): While not the most all-encompassing, nor inexpensive platform available, it's my pick for best bet when building your website, as it provides all the services I need for the best price, comparatively speaking.
  • SendInBlue Email Marketing (Starting at $7.37/mo): Once you've surpassed the free 2000 subscribers provided by MailChimp, SendInBlue is surely the best bang for your buck, offering 40k monthly emails, and unlimited subscribers, for only $7.37.
  • Papermart: Padded envelopes, shipping boxes, product packaging, drawstring bags, tissue paper and ribbons, this is the most affordable one-stop shop I've found to date for all your packaging and shipping needs. 
  • Vistaprint: While definitely not the only option for printing your marketing materials, their 50% off specials (held regularly throughout the year) make this company the better priced option for the quality.
  • Craftybase Inventory Software (Starting at $8/mo): I've tried Jewelry Designer Manager Pro and Craft Maker Pro, priced at 250.00 and 150.00, for their respective downloads and, while it may seem better to pay one sum up-front, verses a monthly subscription, it's important to keep in mind that JDM and CM pro programs no longer offer customer or tech support a year after purchase. I lost my entire JDM inventory while transferring the program between computers and, since my purchase was more than 2 years old, I was offered no assistance through their team. Stick with the online, cloud-based monthly subscription and you're worry free.
While this list is not fully comprehensive, it will surely give you a place to start when delegating tasks to e-services.

Or, if you're like me, you'll opt for your trusty paper planner and stick to hand-written notes for most of your business needs!
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  • Home
  • Blog
  • Gallery
  • Learn To Wire Wrap
    • PDF Tutorials
    • Video Tutorials
    • Tutorial Membership 2022
  • Shop
    • SIGNATURE COLLECTION
    • GODDESS COLLECTION
    • PDF Tutorials >
      • Beginner Wire Weaving
      • Intermediate Weaving
      • PDFs for Cabochons
      • Advanced Weaving
      • Wire Wrap Workshops