Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I will like to start a custom made jewelry business. I want to make very special jewelry for special occasions and holidays. Any good tips on how to get started?

Thanks!

ZML

Start with a PLAN!

You can find great advice on planning here on StartupNation:
10 Steps to Open for Business

I went out and counted all the sites on the Internet. I found there were 729 custom jewelry sites. (Swear t`God...I actually counted every one of them...!)

:-D

ZML, everyone here admires anyone who has the courage to move toward their own business. But courage isn`t enough. It also takes some knowledge, a plan (as Nikole said), and a fairly clear concept of how you`ll stand out from the rest of the world.

Back last week, before the Internet became a hot item, people could start a small business in their local neighborhood. If nobody in town had a jewelry store, then there was a chance to sell to everyone in that town.

But this week, the competition is with the entire planet, where there are 6-billion people (I think...maybe one more than that?).

How will you present your custom jewelry differently? We`ll assume your jewelry itself will be nice, unusual, well-made, and beautiful. But so is the jewlerty from all those other places...not to mention the commercial jewelry companies.

So it`s the selling and marketing that`ll be the big issue. Have you followed the work going on in this other thread about custom jewelry?"

if you come up with a design you don`t want copied, register it with USPTO.

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James Lindon, Ph.D. Patent Attorney
Lindon & Lindon, LLC
Cleveland, Ohio
Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Pharmacy Law, Litigation
[this is not legal advice - provided for discussion only]
Intellectual Property for the Individual and Small Business: Identify, Protect, Enforce, Defend.
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
http://www.LindonLaw.com

Definately start with a plan. You already stated a niche, that is good. Find your market and learn how to connect with them. Get a great portfolio, and get out there...... word of mouth works great. I would maybe get folks to start wearing some pieces. Do you have a wholesale account somewhere set up? Will you sell locally, online etc? Have you looked at shipping costs and shipping cartons? Will you design a logo or have it designed, will you brand yourself on the boxes, have a signature tag on each item? Business cards, maybe think about having a trunk show at local boutique. Will you be exclusive to a boutique or try to sell in a few local, or national? Will you make custom pieces? Will you build your own web site or have it built. You will need a liability policy. Will you be working under a different name? File ficticious name, open a bank account. What will be your organization? Will you work out of your home. Do you have a seperate space? A seperate customer service # ? Fax for orders, email account that is set to domain name?

I think you should think about your brand. A logo, tagline. Set yourself apart from all those other jewlery makers. Will you advertise, visit networking groups etc? Do you need a merchant account for credit cards online or off? Paypal is free, for 20.00 a month with a business account you can use a virtual terminal and take on line, and offline orders by phone, fax etc..

Get organized, Decide where you want to be in 5 years, 10. Then make the steps to get there.....and NEVER be afraid to ask for help. There is so much probably in your local community. Check out your local sba, economic development, bni etc.

Good Luck!

Erin

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Our Goal Is Your Success!
Founder Girls with Goals

wow.  that`s a lot of competition without even leaving home.  729 custom jewelry places that we know of at the click of a button.  does that even include QVC or HSN and the like?  how does somebody avoid the "me too" syndrome? 

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

James Lindon, Ph.D. Patent Attorney
Lindon & Lindon, LLC
Cleveland, Ohio
Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Pharmacy Law, Litigation
[this is not legal advice - provided for discussion only]
Intellectual Property for the Individual and Small Business: Identify, Protect, Enforce, Defend.
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
http://www.LindonLaw.com

Having a plan to market your jewelry is a must.