Planning to Retire Teaching Others How to Make Jewelry

by Wanda A. Epps
(Los Angeles, CA)

Wanda A. Epps

Hi, I'm Wanda Epps, a full-time worker bee and part-time jewelry artist.

In 2001 I discovered beads. I was looking to start a new hobby. I had self-taught myself a few hobbies - flower arranging, painting floor cloths and selling premade jewelry.

My journey into making jewelry started one day when a couple of friends and I were waiting for a movie to start by checking out a nearby bookstore.

As usual, I headed to the craft section. A jewelry making book on beaded jewelry caught my eye. I flipped through it and thought, "I can make this stuff". I bought the book and devoured it.

Anxious to get started, I bought some beads and supplies and made a simple, single strand glass bead necklace. It was not a great design, but I learned a few things.

Some time later I was browsing the Los Angeles Times and saw a discount coupon for an entry ticket to a bead show in Santa Monica, CA.

I attended and was hooked! I've since become addicted to buying beads, going to bead shows and making jewelry.

Eventually, I took a beginner's jewelry making class at a local craft store and made my goddaughter a bead bracelet using alphabet beads that spelled "cheerleader".

Wanting to learn more, I bought books and experimented making jewelry and showed it to my co-workers. They would ooh and aah and ask me to make jewelry for them.

After awhile I began to feel that I had a knack for this jewelry making thing. So,I decided to start a jewelry making business to support my habit of buying beads, supplies and taking classes. A hobby can be addictive and expensive!

I've sold my jewelry in many ways - selling to friends and co-workers, home jewelry parties, small fair-like events and as a vendor at fundraisers.

After a while it became more and more difficult for me to make jewelry to sell at a profit and work full-time.

I needed to find a different way. I'd always wondered how I could use the internet to start a business. A friend loaned me a book about selling handmade jewelry.

At some point while searching the web for the many resources laid out in the book, I ran across the website Home-Jewelry-Business-Success-Tips.com by Rena Klingenberg.

Wow, what a resource! I was intrigued by her story of wanting to be a stay-at-home mom to her son and how she accomplished that. However, I would continue to do research in my spare time.

Eventually, in a round about way I found SBI! and its resources for building niche website businesses based on the owners personal knowledge and talents.

I became obsessed with this idea and began my SBI! journey, which lead me to building Making-Beaded-Jewelry.com starting in April 2009.

My dream is to retire (early if possible) from my full-time line management position with a large municipal governmental agency and pursue my passion for beads and jewelry making full-time.

And, if I can help others to begin or develop their love of jewelry and jewelry making then all the better!

I hope to one day soon say, "Yes, I did it. My SBI! site is in the top 1% of all websites."

I finally found my niche. It's a great feeling!

Wanda A. Epps
Making-Beaded-Jewelry.com
A Beginners Online Guide to Making Beaded Jewelry

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Planning to Retire Teaching Others How to Make Jewelry

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The moment when the Universe hands your future to you
by: Rena

Hi Wanda,

Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm thrilled to know that my story was one of the things that helped you find your current path!

I loved hearing about the fateful day when you planned to go the movie, stopped by the bookstore - and the Universe handed your future to you by placing the jewelry making book in front of you.

It always gives me chills to hear about a moment in time that changes the path of someone's life in a good way.

Your website, Making Beaded Jewelry, is a great site - you have a lot of helpful beading / jewelry making info and projects there. I wish you much continued success with it!

Thank you for sharing the story of how you found your niche, Wanda!

Teaching Others
by: Suzan Evans

Hi Wanda

REally enjoyed reading your story..It truly is a wonderful feeling to finally find what you need to be doing.

I went on your website and you truly have the way to teach.

Your pics are precise and good, and they convey quite well what you are teaching.

Keep up the good work.

Sincerely
suzan Evans

www.zheascreations.ca

Retire and Teach Others to Bead
by: Willie Mae

I think her idea is wonderful. I plan on beading after I retire. Hopefully, I'll have a grand jewelry business mainly based from home with my personal PC and also get to travel the world in search of BEADS! I LOVE BEADS!!!!!!!!!!!! Best wishes to you and much success!! From my world of beads to yours (smile). P.S. I can officially retire in about 14 years. Look forward to perfecting my design and growing my business in the new economy that is sure to come despite how things appear right now.

My friend Wanda
by: Lorie Taylor

Congratulations Wanda!! It is through your kind words of encouragement and friendship that I jumped into this whole jewelry making business - remember the break room at work where we first set up? I am glad you have found your calling and I know you will be successful!

Lorie
www.lataylordesigns.etsy.com

Thanks for Encouragement & Kind Words!
by: Wanda

Hello Fellow Jewelry Makers,

Thanks so much for your encouraging and constructive words regarding making-beaded-jewelry.com. It's a lot of work, but well worth it. A labor of love too (most days anyway :-0). Encouragement and positive feedback definitely helps and gets me working that much harder. So thanks!

I've learned so much about building a web-based business in the last year or so. It's the wave of the future that's here!

Yes Lorie I remember our days in the break room, and our fundraiser events too. Tough customers! Thanks for the confidence boosting comment.

For the rest of you, Lorie is the friend mentioned in my story. She loaned me the book about selling handmade jewelry (more correctly it's about starting a jewelry making business too).

Thanks again everyone. The best to each of you as well in your jewelry making ventures.

Wanda