Starting a Jewelry Business

© by Bruce C. Justice; all rights reserved

Thinking of starting a jewelry business? Good for you, because it's a great business.

I would like to offer a few tips based on mistakes and successes my wife and I made when we were starting out.

First of all, don't put the cart before the horse. When my wife and I got started we were really gung-ho.

First we started a website. I rushed to my computer and found a shipping supply website and ordered all kinds of shipping supplies- boxes of various sizes, tape, a tape dispenser, jewelry boxes, etc. for the opening of our website - and then . . . nothing happened.

Prior to the launch of the website I had been worried about how we were going to handle all the orders. That turned out to be the least of our problems.

I found out there were other things I should have been concerned about with starting a jewelry business online - like our website being found.

So while the boxes and tape sat gathering dust, I started devoting time to optimizing my site and trying to gather links to other jewelry sites.

By the way, I wrestled with whether or not it was OK to link to similar jewelry sites. I came to the conclusion that it was OK to link to my competitors because getting the links is more important. Most jewelry websites also link to their competitors' sites. But it's not really a good idea to link to unrelated sites such as real estate, fishing, or any other topic that has nothing to do with jewelry.

Another good idea is to have jewelry parties. My wife and I found out that people really like to attend jewelry parties and they'll want to know when is the next one.

My wife likes to provide a full meal with lots of food and drinks. Potential customers like to be fed.

So plan a jewelry party and send invitations to your co-workers, friends, and relatives. We set up a couple of tables in our garage. One table is for the jewelry to be displayed and the other is for the food.

When we first started our business we found that several of our friends asked if they could sell our jewelry. This will be a personal decision for you to make on a case-by-case basis.

Be picky about who you allow to sell for you. Always take an inventory of what you give them to sell. You'll make less money per piece, but you might get some sales this way.

What we have discussed so far is just the tip of the iceberg regarding starting a jewelry business. There are also many other considerations such as taxes, seller'spermits, registering your business, etc.

More on Starting a Jewelry Business:

How to Start a Jewelry Business
Learn how to start a jewelry business with a few easy but important legal and financial steps. Tips for business name, business license, taxes, banking, permits, and more.

Should You Start a Jewelry Making Business?
Ready to turn your hobby into a jewelry making business? Guest author Lenna Green suggests a few things to consider before taking the plunge into a jewelry business.

Start a Home Jewelry Party Business
Thinking about starting a home jewelry party business? Here's your complete, step-by-step guide to profitable jewelry parties.

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