Remove Your
Jewelry Business Roadblocks

Is something preventing your jewelry business from achieving the success you envision?

It's time to remove those roadblocks that are keeping you from selling your jewelry!

Here are some of the most common causes of a stalled jewelry business - and how to get past these problems and back on the road to success!

But first . . .

SCORE - a "must-have" online resource of free and confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs. You can get a ton of helpful info - including free online business mentoring - from this fantastic non-profit organization.

Your local Chamber of Commerce - The mission of a Chamber of Commerce is to promote the interests of businesses in the local area. Your local Chamber is an excellent resource that can help you with networking, operating your jewelry business, marketing your work, and more.

Also, please join our enlightening discussion on What's Stopping Your Jewelry Business? See what's stopping other jewelry artists, and share what's stopping you. Also leave your comments for others who are stuck!

And now for the most common jewelry business roadblocks . . .

Paperwork often scares creative people! Here's some easy guidance for you:

How to Start a Jewelry Business
My simple, step-by-step guide to the easy but important legal and financial steps for setting up your successful home jewelry business.

What Do I Need for Permits or Taxes for Selling Jewelry?
Don't let these minor paperwork things keep you from getting your business going. These are easier than they sound, and quick and painless to do. Your local authorities are usually quite helpful in getting you through the process.

I Have Math Issues / a Math Disability
Don't be ashamed of your math issues. Try these simple "work-arounds" to remove math worries from your jewelry business. (I have a math disability too!)

The Business of Beads - Bookkeeping
After making jewelry for over six years, Linda Guzik realizes she needs an official system for keeping track of her new jewelry business. But how should she start - and what about her collection of supplies dating back to 2002? See my recommendations for Linda - and find out what other jewelry artists do about this issue.

Hot Tip:

Get a professional accountant to do your taxes. One who specializes in home businesses can save you a ton of time, frustration, and money every year.

An accountant's services aren't necessarily expensive, and they not only help with all your tax forms - they also know all the legal ways to reduce your tax burden.

They can also answer any financial or tax questions that come up during the year. An accountant is an absolute must for your jewelry business, unless you're an accountant yourself!

If you're overwhelmed with too much to do - or don't know how to do certain things for your jewelry business - it's easy to get the help you need.

Make a list of the things you're stuck on, and then investigate these resources:

• Get free online business mentoring from the SCORE organization.


• Join a local home-business group, such as a "work-at-home parents" group, for networking and resources.


• Join a local beading, jewelry-making, or lapidary group for networking and support.


• Barter your jewelry for the products and services you need. You may be surprised at how many people are interested in receiving jewelry as payment!

Tips for Using Your Chamber of Commerce as a Business Resource
Your Chamber of Commerce offers resources and events for businesses to network and grow. Candy Loya presents tips for getting the most out of your local "CoC".

10 Ways Your Chamber of Commerce Can Help Your Jewelry Business Grow
Joining your area's Chamber of Commerce can be a smart move for your jewelry business. Because businesses that participate in this group promote each other and work together, your jewelry business can grow and prosper quickly.

Is Your Jewelry Business Ready for Hired Help?
Tips for hiring people to help you make your jewelry.

Working with Korean Factories Based in China
Another option for help when you need at least a few hundred pieces produced from one of your designs.

Opportunities to sell your jewelry are literally everywhere. In fact, this entire website is full of tips for that! :o)

Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

Be Seen - the Key to Selling Your Jewelry
Deciding that "Be Seen" is her jewelry business goal for the coming year, Brandi Collins added her jewelry to some new locations - resulting in a customer making a big purchase just a few days later.

Joint Ventures
Joint ventures are when two businesses collaborate to help each other succeed. Enjoy Carolina Gonzalez' uplifting story of the joint venture she and her husband have forged with another business.

Jewelry Niche Markets
Several examples of jewelry niches you can create products for. It's easier to sell jewelry designed for people with a particular want or need, than to sell jewelry "anyone" would want.

Elizabeth, the Executive, and the Cable Guy: A Jewelry Business Success Story
By seeing opportunities creatively, Elizabeth had a banner jewelry sales day. Includes a cute photo showing her results!

Selling Jewelry at Work
Many jewelry artists find that there's a great market for selling jewelry at their place of employment - or at other people's workplaces. Here are some tips plus two great success stories about selling jewelry in the workplace.

A Jewelry Trunk Show Idea
A jewelry artist's successful idea for a mobile jewelry trunk show.

Kudos to you for realizing that a bit of coaching or mentoring can really pull you over the hump when you're stuck!

First, I highly recommend that you investigate the SCORE website (which I also mentioned above) for free online business mentoring, consultations, coaching, and other fantastic free resources for entrepreneurs.

Also highly recommended is The Switchboards Forum - an online gathering of business-minded creative folk who share very helpful info and support.

Jewelry Making Forums
A listing of other online forums that are helpful for jewelry artists.

Can Jewelry Making Friends Become Jewelry Business Colleagues?
If going it alone is too much for you, here are some things to consider about joining jewelry business forces with a friend.

It's important to define specifically what's blocking your progress.

Are you burned out, discouraged, overwhelmed, disorganized, avoiding something, have other personal issues draining your energy - or do you just need a mentor or coach to get you over the hump?

Once you define the source of your block, you can take steps to remove it from your path.

Reaching Success in Jewelry Making
An insightful article by Carolina Gonzalez, on the spiritual path to jewelry business success.

Living Creatively - Avoiding Routine in Your Jewelry Business
Routine is a part of business, yet it kills creativity. Discover Carolina's timeless secret for changing your life and avoiding creative blocks.

The Motivation to Do Custom Jewelry Orders
Although custom jewelry orders are a lovely compliment to your artistry, many of us struggle with starting them, completing them, and being happy with how they turn out.

Made a List - Here It Is
A jewelry artist lists all the things that are holding her back - and an incredibly helpful group of fellow jewelers share their strategies and insights.

"Me" Is Getting in My Way!
Ann explains how she's stopped in her tracks by the things she can't make herself do - and other jewelry artists share how they get over the same hump.

Older and Wiser
Don't miss Rita's refreshing wakeup call and her excellent, generous advice to all jewelry artists who are stuck.

7 Ways to Make Your Jewelry Business Survive Uncertain Economic Times
Catherine D'Arcy offers seven smart tips for keeping your small jewelry business afloat when prices are rising, people are buying less, and the economy's in a downturn.

What Customers are Buying This Holiday Season
Insights into what people buy during tough economic times, why they buy it - and how your jewelry business can prosper from this knowledge.

How to Sell More Jewelry
The wealthiest folks don't tend to cut back on their spending during economic downturns. Here's how to market your jewelry to them.

Jewelry Gifts Under $20
The under-$20 jewelry gifts market is a very profitable niche to serve. Here's what you need to know to create a line of low-priced, high-profit jewelry items that sell regardless of the economy.

What are Her Customers Really Buying?
Here's one jewelry artist whose sales are booming more than ever during this "economic downturn". Find out why her customers are buying.

Home Jewelry Business Management Tips
A series of home jewelry business management articles to help you painlessly navigate issues of starting your jewelry business, taxes, finances, banking, insurance, accounting, pricing, business licensing, and law.

The Path to a Jewellery Business
Join Liz Caplen on her journey from jewellery hobby to jewellery business - including lessons learned along the way.

Manifesting Your Jewelry Business Goals - My easy, step-by-step guide to bringing about the changes you want in your jewelry business and in your life. Energy flows where your attention goes - and manifestation happens when you laser-focus your attention on what you want.

Experimenting and Evolving My Way to Jewelry Business Success
I've built my jewelry business by a process of evolution - continually experimenting with new things, keeping what works, and learning valuable lessons from what doesn't work. Don't be afraid to try something new - there's no "failure"; just learning!

Craft Marketing - Reduce Your Competition
Try these craft marketing strategies from Eileen Bergen for selling more of your work without competition - simply by pinpointing needs and fulfilling them.

Selling Jewelry Wholesale and on Consignment
Don't know how to get started selling your jewelry to shops and galleries? Here's a collection of articles on how to sell your work via wholesale and on consignment - including strategies for production, marketing, pricing, and record-keeping in the jewelry business-to-business world.

Increasing Sales for Your Jewelry Business
A huge collection of ideas and strategies for selling more of your work.

The Kiss Theory
Rita shares her no-nonsense strategy for keeping it simple and getting started.

Not Being in One Place
A jewelry artist who lives a mobile life struggles to develop a market for her jewelry - see all the helpful advice posted at the end of her story.

Just Getting Started
Darcey's post sparks a discussion revealing that many creative folks find their path at the age of 40+.

Age and Health
This is the most inspiring discussion I've ever read. Don't miss this outpouring of support, tips, and experiences by jewelry artists with all sorts of health issues who aren't letting health or age get in their way.

How to Keep Math Issues from Stopping Your Jewelry Business
I have a math dyslexia that makes anything involving numbers challenging for me - but it doesn't stop my jewelry business. Here I share the simple "math work-arounds" I use, that can take the math worries out of your business too!

Make a Measuring Template for Your Jewelry Projects
One of my math issues is that I have trouble with measuring things. This easy measuring-template idea removes that frustration and speeds up my jewelry making immensely.

"My Spouse / Partner is Negative About My Jewelry Business"
Jewelry artists sometimes ask me how they can build a successful business when their partner is negative about everything involving their jewelry - so here I share my personal journey through this issue.

Mixing Jewelry Business with Kids
Making jewelry and running a business can be tricky when your children are small. Laurie Davis shares her solutions for combining jewelry and small children with happy results for all.

6 Ways to Have More Jewelry Making Time
Charlene Anderson's time-bending strategies that give her more hours for making jewelry. Highly recommended!

Baby on the Way
With a new baby on the way, Janine wonders how her jewelry business will fit in. See what other jewelry artists suggest for her.

Struggling with Balance
Jewelry artists offer a load of helpful suggestions for Julia, who's juggling a jewelry business, a 50-hour-a-week job, a husband, and more.

Hard to Balance a Jewelry Business with a Job and Family Life
By the time she's taken care of everyone else, Kelli's too tired to make jewelry or work on her business. See what these jewelry artists suggest for her.

I Lost Trust in My Own Forces
Olga feels disheartened by a lack of time to work on her business, plus other roadblocks. See these helpful ideas that have been posted for her.

Jewelry Business while Caring for an Aging Parent
A valuable, encouraging discussion on running a jewelry business when you've taken on the role of homebound care-giver. Don't miss this wonderful thread of helpful suggestions, tips, and support.

Overcoming Shyness in Selling Your Jewelry
Shyness is a major issue for many artists, and it can stop you from getting your jewelry in front of the people who'd like to buy it. Here's how I conquered my shyness and got my jewelry business going.

Absolutely Frightened of the Possibilities
Jewelry artists discuss the paralyzing fear of starting a jewelry business - and how to overcome it.

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Cold Call?
Does the thought of selling your jewelry tie your stomach in knots? Try these five tips for approaching potential customers and shops with confidence.

Learn Effective Jewelry Sales Techniques from the Pro's
Tune into this free resource for ideas on talking to your customers about your jewelry.

I Find It Hard to Sell My Own Work
See these jewelry artists' suggestions for Shelley, who can sell other things - but not her own jewelry.

Interview with a Jewelry Sales Rep
A jewelry sales rep can help you get your work into more shops and galleries - especially if you understand how they work. A fascinating inside look from the sales rep's perspective.

Consultants Who Sell Your Jewelry at Home Parties
Many folks are interested in selling other people's unique, handcrafted jewelry at home parties. If you're interested in the possibility of consultants / independent reps selling your jewelry at home parties, here's what I recommend.

How to Sell Your Jewelry via Beauty Salons
Secrets of getting your jewelry displayed in a salon, where the clientele are likely to be very interested in your work.

Have Friends and Family Sell Your Jewelry in Their Workplaces
Your loved ones may be happy to take a selection of your jewelry to their place of employment and sell it for you. Here's how it works for me.

Jewelry Parties in the Workplace
Here's a jewelry party idea for your customers who can't host one at home - let them take it to work! Louise Longworth shares great tips for an easy, portable jewelry party.

I highly recommend EFT - a simple, do-it-yourself way to get relief from nearly any issue you may have.

You just tap on various accupressure points on your body while focusing on a specific issue. It's a form of mind-body healing that you can easily do yourself - for free.

I know it may sound too simple to be real, but I've been using this technique for some time now, and I've found that it's really effective on clearing up all kinds of issues.

You can learn more about EFT and watch EFT videos online.

What Makes Jewelry Customers Buy Online
Real jewelry customers share their experiences and tips on shopping for handcrafted jewelry online. They tell us exactly what makes them buy (and not buy) jewelry when they shop on the Internet.

Jewelry Blogging Tips for Success
Blogging tips to bring customers to your jewelry website. The definition of blog and why you might want to start one.

How to Sell Your Jewelry Online in a Variety of Ways
A huge collection of articles on how to get your jewelry online and market it effectively.

A Trick for Jewelry Packaging that Brings More Customers to Your Website
A clever way to entice people to visit your site.

Get Jewelry Traffic from Current Events and Popular Trends
How to tap into current hot topics to bring traffic to your online jewelry business.

Jewelry Website Power Tip: Get Customers to Make the Purchase
The trick to turning online visitors into buyers.

Building Customer Confidence in Your Jewelry Business
Try this customer relationship-building tip to help potential jewelry buyers feel comfortable with shopping from you online.

Get Your Jewelry Seen on Etsy
Don't miss Cathy Tran's 2-part guide to being a successful jewelry seller on Etsy.

No One Knows My Jewelry Exists
Try this advice that was given to Wanda for finding her market online.

Online Ignorance
Tracy is new to a lot of things regarding computers and the Internet - but other jewelry artists came to the rescue with these helpful ideas.

What Makes Jewelry Customers Buy at Shows, Shops, Parties, etc.
Real jewelry customers share their experiences and tips on shopping in person for handcrafted jewelry. They tell us exactly what makes them buy (and not buy) jewelry when they shop in person at craft fairs, art shows, galleries, shops, home parties, trunk shows, etc.

Unprofitable Jewelry Shows - Help!
My advice to a jewelry artist who wrote, "People walk by (and even other vendors) and say that our jewelery is really nice, and people stop to browse, but very, very little is selling."

Sell More Jewelry by Making What People Want to Buy
The secrets of making jewelry your customers want to buy. How to research jewelry trends and jewelry market niches. Surveying your customers to find out what they want to buy.

Profiting from the "Design it Yourself" Trend
People LOVE having the opportunity to "create" or personalize their own items from a set of choices, and it can be a huge selling point.

Four Ways to Have a Profitable Jewelry Show During an Economic Downturn
Tips for salvaging a slow show.

How to Sell More Jewelry During Next Year's Holiday Season
What you can do now to set yourself up for record jewelry sales next holiday season.

Sell More Jewelry by Educating Customers About Your Art
I found that this increases my jewelry sales dramatically. Here are some easy ways to help your customers understand that your jewelry is handmade by you, and appreciate its value.

The Difficulty of Selling Jewelry
See my advice to Isabela for growing your jewelry business and developing a customer base by using a "multiple streams of income" approach.

Creating Your Own Jewelry Business vs. Copying Someone Else's
Why "doing your own thing" makes your business stronger and more prosperous - and an easy two-part strategy for building a successful jewelry business by being different.

How to "Unsaturate" Your Jewelry Market
If you think the jewelry market is saturated with too much jewelry - think again. Try these power tips for selling your work to a variety of niche jewelry markets that are eager to buy what you're making.

Supplying Products to Other Jewelry Artists
There's a huge, insatiable market for products related to making jewelry - and a small, niche business that focuses on serving jewelry makers can do quite well by supplying these products.

Profitable After-School Jewelry Shows
Teachers love to wear and buy jewelry - and at your after-school show you won't have any competition from other jewelers!

How to Build "Multiple Streams" of Jewelry Business Income
For stable, long-term income from your jewelry business, your best bet is to develop "multiple streams of income" from a variety of jewelry-related activities.

Alternative Jewelry Business Profits
A variety of interesting "other ways" to make money from your jewelry business.

Build a Successful Jewelry Business by Being Different
Being different is an excellent way to build a loyal customer base and sell more jewelry. Here's an easy two-part strategy for building a successful jewelry business by being different.

Turn Broken Jewelry into Cash
Can you turn broken jewelry into money? Allison Dow discusses places to find scrap jewelry and how to profit from it.

Jewelry Trend Spotlight: "Re-Purposed Vintage"
A current jewelry trend I love is the use of vintage odds and ends in contemporary jewelry designs. Try these ideas for finding great components for this type of jewelry - for free or super-cheap.

16 Ideas for Designing Jewelry When Metal Prices Are High
Tips for designing jewelry with an eye to reducing your silver and gold component purchases when precious metal prices are high.

Custom Jewelry Design Niche Idea
Here's a great way to make a leftover dangle earring wearable, and offer a custom jewelry service that makes your customers very happy.

Buy Jewelry Supplies in Bulk - and Sell the Excess at a Profit
When you receive your bulk jewelry supply orders, you can take out what you need for your own jewelry making, and divide the rest into auction lots. If you purchase cheaply enough, you can do a brisk business by auctioning off the remaining supplies at prices that are just under retail. Meanwhile, the supplies you keep for yourself are essentially free. Here's how.

Also, please join our enlightening discussion on What's Stopping Your Jewelry Business? See what's stopping other jewelry artists, and share what's stopping you. Also leave your comments for others who are stuck!

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