I hope to see you there.

 www.blysedesigns.com/blyseinspirations

Also, my website is going to be set with a built in blog, so all this lovely information I’ve put here will have a new and permanent home. So that’s what I’ve been busy doing, getting advice. Unfortunately this current WordPress setup is not going to help me. I’m already short on time, so I can’t have a website one place and a blog another place. That would be fun, but it would make me work too hard. It’s best to have the who package. That’s what I’ve acquired. So there’s light at the end of my tunnel.

So I have everything I need for my website, I just have a lot of editing to do. So I know what I’ll be doing this weekend. If you ever need great website hosting without the pricey costs check out SiteGround. They’re great and reasonable.

Check them out at my link on the right.

My first opportunity came this week… (All the jewelry I’ve made for my mother doesn’t count..ROFL)

So there’s an older lady at my church that I’ve noticed likes to hold her eyeglasses around her neck on an eyeglass holder. Every time she reads, she lifts them off her chest and props the glasses on her nose. As long as I’ve known her, she’s always had that same basic vinyl black eyeglass holder on her glasses. You know the generic ones that every Walmart and dollar store has. So one day I decided I was going to make a her pretty beaded eyeglass holder for her glasses. I did just that. I didn’t want to charge her, because this is a woman I like and know. I just knew I could something nice for her.

She recently spent some time in the hospital getting a knee replaced…ouch, so that was all the more an opportunity for me to do something nice for her. Well Sunday she was back in church. I didn’t want to be showy so I presented it to her when there weren’t a lot of people around. I wrapped it in some pretty black ribbon. By the time I got it on her glasses, everyone was looking at what I made her and oohhs and ahhss just flowed. :Big Smile: So a fuss was made anyway, though that wasn’t my intention I just wanted her to like it. Turns out she really loved it. It was made of beautiful seed beads in black and black opal style beads that shined in different colors depending on where the light hit them. I was so proud of what I made her. It felt good and she in turn felt good. She told me she’d never seen anything like it.

The business moral of all this is that it’s okay to not look for a sale. Just focus on making people feel good. People will always remember how you made them feel. The jewelry business is all about that emotional connection. Come females, we’re emotional shoppers. From our bountiful shoe collections to those double chocolate treats we just can’t kick. Forgive me, it’s almost snack time.

Bottom line…Do what you love and give to those that could use your skills. Even if they never buy anything, that still gives goodwill to your business and your goals. You never know. Someone else may see what they’re wearing and start asking about your work, before you know your phone could start ringing for orders. The older lady at my church did say that she’d never seen anything like it before. That made me proud. It made me feel that what I did was unique. If I didn’t adorn her neck with something special, she would have eventually found another eyeglass holder for her glasses, but my creation was unlike anything she’d find in a store. I was happy that she loved it.

So go with your gut and make an impression, no matter how small you may think it is. If nothing else, you’ll feel good and it will help you get comfortable sharing your skills.

Here are the ways your library’s going to come in handy.

When you need inspiration.

When you already have a large library of jewelry making resources but want to keep your techniques fresh.

When you’d just rather buy beads…:D  

Well those reasons made me decide to use my local library. I’ve already spent a good $200 dollars on jewelry making books since I’ve started. So today I had an epiphany. I have a library card!! I personally never visit the library for non fiction. I’m usually in there for fiction interests.  

The truth is, I don’t want to spend any more money on jewelry making books. I’d much rather have that $15-20 dollars to put toward sterling silver findings. So I decided from here on out, I’ll see what I can find in my library. Regardless of the projects and designs in jewelry books, I’ve noticed how I do my own thing now. Instead of me copying a style bead for bead and crimp for crimp as I did when I was first learning, now I’m more able to design with my own style. Bottom line…once you learn the basics, everything else is your own creativity. Follow that and own it! You may get some dry points where the creative juices aren’t flowing and that’s when you need a book to flip through to get you back in the groove. Needless to say, looking at other people’s work keeps you motivated.

So use your library card. I wish I would have used mine before I started buying every jewelry book I could buy. I have about 20 books now when really only two of the books helped me master my crimping. Some books are just better than others and it’s better to see this when you don’t have to buy the books.

A library of jewelry making resources is critical in the beginning if you don’t like taking classes, but once you know what you’re doing and you just need that refresher, your library just might have what you need.

Bottom line… I have to get a digital camera….It’s waaayyyy overdue!  lol. The problem for me is that if it’s not a disposable point and flash type of thing, I don’t know how to use it. Hopefully digital cameras are just like cell phone cameras. That’s the only way I’m going to know what to do with one.

So instead of just saying nothing for another day, I decided to talk to you about my desire to find a balance between new motherhood, the day job that’s not going away anytime soon, and growing the business.

So as I was saying, I took Labor Day weekend to lounge around with my 6 month-old. I really believe she appreciated my company this weekend. I really enjoyed sitting around with my daughter doing nothing because I didn’t have to do anything for 3 days. That motivated me all the more to focus in on my goals, because I in essence want to have more time for her. So I was prioritizing this weekend. Figuring out how I’m going to balance my life. 

To my surprise, I got a lot of work done. I got some goals written down. I got some plans in place. I made some gorgeous earrings that just might become my staple look.

It just seems that as a woman, so many people are counting on you that you find it hard to give everything it’s necessary attention. I consider this blog something I do for myself. Something I’m doing to enrich my life and my daughter’s life as she gets old enough to understand jewelry making, even if it never becomes an interest of hers. I still have this job that I enjoy but it’s not a part of my dream for myself. I have my daughter who’s definitely not going anywhere…and I don’t want her to. :Big Smile:  I have my dreams for my jewelry business and blog, which I consider one business endeavor because I won’t be doing one without the other. I’m just still trying to work out the kinks of scheduling. I’ve heard many work at home business and other entreprenuers say you should set aside ‘office hours’. The truth is office hours isn’t an option for me. I tend to post whenever. I wonder if people working their business ever really find that beautiful schedule where everything just coincides with everything else. Where their children don’t get hungry in the middle of necklace. Or their day job never gets so crazy busy that they wind up taking work home. In a lot of ways I’m still trying to smooth the edges on my schedule. I’m hopeful though. One day, my days will be a lot smoother.

If you ever wanted to start a blog for any reason, but was suffering from information overload or just got completely confused by reading other e-books, the Blog Profits Blueprint would be your best resource. I’ve started many blogs before this one. Most of them were full of personal information (my college days, relationships, etc), being that I didn’t know the profitability of blogging. This e-book gives you just enough information to help you get your blog started. It doesn’t stop there though. It also gives you simple tips on how you can generate the traffic that’s necessary to make your blog eventually be profitable.

I loved this e-book! I was skeptical at first because it’s FREE. I honestly thought to myself if it doesn’t cost me any money, its going to tell me something every potential blogger knows about blogs. The Blog Profits Blueprint does give you information that other internet blog coaches leave out.

Don’t just take my word for it though. Check it out. It’s definitely worth the read if you intend to make any money from your blog or if you want to start a blog but don’t know enough about them in the first place.

Now if after reading the FREE e-book, you’re still confused and a little hazy on the process. Yaro also has a membership program that offers you a great community of other professional blogger hopefuls. After reading Blog Profits Blueprint, I knew enough about blogging to use the tips Yaro provided and run with it. Other people aren’t like me though. So you may also benefit from his Blog Mastermind site that offers more hand-holding in your blogging process. Check that out here!

http://www.blogmastermind.com/blueprint/?home=941

 I wish you the best blogging days and nights! Be sure to let me know about your blog so I can come browse! I love other blogs just as much as I love mine.

My StumbleUpon Page

 Just another way you can stay connected to me in cyberspace. Enjoy the pages I’ve enjoyed!!

Well here are the earrings I had on yesterday. I tried to post but I believe WordPress was doing some heavy maintenance. So everytime I went to upload my post, nothing would show on my page. Here goes though…

I wanted to show you these earrings yesterday. They are one of the first pairs of earrings I’ve made. Very simple in design, nothing too extravagant.

I realized that for all the writing I’ve done so far, I’ve neglected to show you any of my work. Unlike the other high tech bloggers, I have yet to buy a digital camera, so these pics are courtesy of my camera phone. I took them while at work, when I realized I hadn’t shown you any of my jewelry yet.

As I’ve stated in previous posts, I’m working on my wireworking skills. I have the beading down quite good, so I’m over that hurdle. If your beading journey is anything like mine, you keep moving from jewelry making skill to jewelry making skill, building on what you’re learning. Well I got the beading down and have a good feel for what I want my jewelry to look like. That’s going to require some wirework and I’m working on that now.

So these are the simplest earrings I’ve designed. They took me about 5 minutes to make. Not too fancy, but the jade color of these beads is very pretty. I have tons of pairs of earrings that I’ve made and they were inspired by a necklace I made. I never make just one piece of jewelry. If I make a bracelet I find myself using spare beads to make earrings as well. Or if I make a necklace I’ll make earrings and a bracelet. Or just a bracelet. Depends on what I feel would work best for the necklace.

Here’s my right ear with the earring on it. Rule of thumb: jewelry does look way better when it’s actually on a person. I was sitting at my desk trying to get a decent snapshot without capturing just my neck. LOL. Very funny, but I did well. So that’s my first piece of authentic jewelry. I hope you liked it. It represents me building on my skills. I hope it motivates you to build on your skills. There’s always more to learn in the world of jewelry making.

Speaking of beads, it’s almost about that time for me to buy more. I’ll be sure to take a picture of the new beads I buy when I get them. I always like buying new shiny things.

Another idea, I’ve had for our gathering is incorporating weekly tips into our meetings, so little tidbits of information I come across will be put in here in some form or fashion.

So you want to launch your own business and you don’t know if it’s right for you. I’ve always had entrepreneurial drive and I’ve asked myself countless times if I want to take the risk that comes with jumping out on my own. My main focus is launching a handmade jewelry business, but the idea’s the same for anyone that wants to start and grow their own business.  If you’re thinking about starting your own business, you must have big dreams. You probably fantasize about exotic vacations, sleeping late, and not having to answer to anyone. I still reminisce about those things and the beautiful thing is that it’s possible. Considering you’re prepared to take the necessary time to put in the work needed to grow into a profitable business. Many people have told me that it could take months or years for a business to become profitable. Your business profitability is determined by many factors and the most important factor is YOU. If you’re contemplating and ready to take that leap of faith, you need to focus on if you have what it takes to get there.  There are many facts that come with starting your own business on any scale. Maybe you one day want to be incorporated with thousands of employees or maybe you just want to keep things as simple as your home computer and a quiet corner of your bedroom. Whatever your ultimate dream is, there are many facts you must face.  

Fact 1: 

You May Be Working When No One Else Is 

Remember that 9-5 that you hated so much? That was a structured schedule. The beauty of building your own business is that you can set your own schedule, but it’s still going to have to fit around your personal obligations; family, friends, life events, etc. Having your own business will provide you with much flexibility but you may find that you’re still waking up early during the week to post on your weblog or to upload pictures of new merchandise on Ebay. You even may realize that you’re working through the night at times, bookkeeping and carrying out the other business responsibilities that you couldn’t tend to because you still have a day job and only work the business part time. So whatever the case, be prepared to analyze your time. Every minute counts. 

Fact 2: 

Everything’s On You 

You are everything to your business. You are your business’s most important asset. You have to wear many hats. There is no management under you to make sure things run smoothly while you do CEO-like things (vacation, nap, long lunches). Obviously, you’re the boss so you can do those things if you choose, but the fact is there’s no one working if you’re not working. There are no accountants to read your Starbucks receipts. In most cases, there are no public relations people to make sure your local paper gets your press release. So ask yourself these questions… Can I work my way through a tax form when the IRS tells me how much my business made this year?  Can I market my business to people that need or want my service? Bottom line question…. Can I multi-task? The truth is small business owners have to do everything. Unless you have some available family that will stamp all those Thank You cards you like sending to your customers, you’ll be on your own. At times, even family wants to be paid for their services! :Chuckle:  If you’re anything like me, in the beginning, the budget doesn’t permit you to just outsource and hire whatever help you need. So you’ll be working that booth or table by yourself for a while. You’ll be answering all your phone calls and e-mails. Auto-responders won’t handle everything. You’ll have to find a way to reach that person that wants what you have to offer but doesn’t quite know it yet because he/she doesn’t know your business exists just yet. You’ll have to give all the face-time with your customers when necessary. Unless you’re opening a storefront that comes with the ability to hire and pay employees, you’ll be the only face your customers will ever see.   

Fact 3: 

You’ll Have So Much Fun 

How can hard work be fun? You’ll learn so much. Since I’ve been working toward making my business profitable, I’ve learned a lot and have even experienced information overload. I’m not a millionaire yet, but I’m taking everything I learn and putting it to good use. Thus, you have this lovely article. The new skills I learn are making me feel better about the goals I have and it’s making me set new achievable goals. It’s also fun to network. The internet is a big place and everyone’s doing business on it. So it’s important that you bump into people online that have similar interests to yours or have businesses themselves. You can learn a lot from just visiting people’s sites. I usually get to learn about a new opportunity and someone or a group of people, in turn, learn what I do. I usually visit a site, then if I met the person in a forum or group initially, I’ll touch base with them and thank them for their service or at least say I enjoyed their website. Networking is a necessary, easy, and a very fun way to grow your business. 

Fact 4:

If You’re Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands! 

Well this fact is all about self-motivation. Can you stay excited about how you’re about to change your life by starting this business?  Can you keep ticking when you have that negative relative or spouse that doesn’t believe you’ll make a dime from your new inspiration to sell bumper stickers? You have to be able to stay motivated about the business even when nobody else believes in it. It’s even critical to stay motivated when it doesn’t seem like you’re making any money. The more you believe in your business, the more likely you are to persevere in the early stages when it seems like nobody knows you and nobody cares. You have to care! You need be able to dust yourself off and keep doing what you’re doing, believing that your work is going to pay off.  

Fact 5:

When All Else Fails, It’s Okay to Change Your Mind

Now sometimes we are doing things the wrong way, as I’ve learned in other business opportunities I’ve tried. Some businesses aren’t a good fit for us. It’s a hard truth, but sometimes no matter how much energy and work we put into a business, it may never work. When you find yourself pursuing a business that’s draining you emotionally and monetarily, it’s okay to drop everything and rethink your objectives. It’s okay to look into doing something else, if it’s absolutely critical that you have your own business. There’s no failure in stopping yourself from doing what’s wrong for you.  I’ve talked to many people with small businesses that wound up with debt and a closet full of inventory because they pursued a business that was never meant to work. Sometimes these businesses were never meant to work for anyone no matter how hard they tried. Remember this, you’re early enough in the game to evaluate how hard you want to work and where you want your energies to be spent. If you don’t want to do direct-marketing, don’t start a business that requires you to throw home parties. If the internet confuses you, try mail order or catalog sales. It’s okay to change your mind and adapt to your needs as the business owner. 

Fact 6: 

Follow Your Heart 

It’s important to have a business that you really care about or have some skill set in. There are millions of opportunities online that offer you big ROIs (Return on Investment), but they aren’t for everyone. So I admonish you that if you don’t personally care about it or don’t have enough experience to provide the service, don’t do it. It may work for Billy Bob and have him with a house in the Hamptons, but Billy Bob might actually care about that part of the marketplace. Now you might have a passion in another area that would have Billy Bob living in a cardboard box. Money’s a great motivator, it’s green and who doesn’t get excited from looking at those dead presidents. The thing is, realistically money isn’t going to start pouring in because you decided you want to start a business. You have to do something that’s going to keep you motivated beyond the money. It’s helpful to do something that will keep you stimulated on those monetarily dry days and months before you start to see that steady stream of income. So it’s important that you make a connection between what your passion is and what people actually want or need.  Deciding to start a business is a turning point in anyone’s life. Most of us don’t want to spend the rest of our days working when someone else expects us too. Starting your own business has its pros and its cons. I’ve addressed some of them in my facts. I’m sure as you continue your pursuit for entrepreneurial bliss you’ll come up with your own special set of facts. Look at what you hope to achieve from your business and the reasons why you want to work for yourself. I hope this article was insightful. Enjoy your journey and let me know what you find out.  © 2007 Julie McCray