7 Tips to Manage a Creative Business and Still Have a Life!

It is a challenge running a business and trying to have a life. Even though you love creating jewelry and are addicted to beads you must do a few things to keep in this for the long haul. 

1. Set a schedule but allow for creative diversions. 

If this is your 9-5, make it a 9-5 and have hours you don't work. If you sneak your bead time in after everyone has gone to bed and you've already worked a full day at your JOB, be realistic about what you can accomplish.

Have a plan for your creative time, but allow time for your muse to play if that's what you need to keep going!

2. Schedule "me" time and art dates.

No, that isn't time hunched over your phone scrolling through Pinterest. You need time in nature, you need time to move, you need time to fill the well. 

What well? Your creative fount from whence forth all your amazing ideas spring. Go to galleries, museums, gardens, sacred spaces. Drink in and fill up. 

3. Sleep. 

For real. You need more sleep. I don't know a woman who thinks she gets enough sleep, do you? 

Try out a set bedtime routine, work with your natural body rhythms. Do less if it means you get an extra hour of sleep. You will get more done if you are rested and it's scientifically proven you will be more creative if you've had your zzz's! 

And let's just give a nod to all facets of self-care here; eating better and managing stress, move every hour, stretch. You know what to do. Your health first, okay? 

4. Prioritize.

At the end of each work day make a "6 Most Important Things" list for the next day. 

This is just like it says, the first 6 things you need to get done the following day. Attack that list before you do anything else. 

Notice it's not the "99 Most Important Things" List. Focus on breaking tasks down into bite size chunks instead of having a never ending to-do list. Plus it's super fun to scratch things off your "6 Most Important Things" list.

If you are a list girl, make a list for each big project you have going on and add those tasks to your 6 list each day.

5. Set Goals.

Plot your course and steer your ship toward your dreams. Don't just let the storms of life toss you about.

Pick a tangible goal that is within your reach but stretches yourself. 

Have a deadline for your goal.

Create smaller steps to achieve it. 

6. Delegate something already. 

No one can do it all. It might be time to hire a house cleaner, an accountant, a web designer, a photographer or a babysitter.  You know where you feel like you are drowning!

Get a virtual assistant to help with online tasks. Get your family to take over making dinner or doing the laundry. 

Barter with someone, exchange jewelry for their skills. Get creative if money is short.

What tasks suck up your time, what tasks can someone do better and quicker? What tasks can you delegate so you can focus on work that brings in money for your jewelry business? 

You could do the laundry or you could send out an email to your customers. Which one can someone else do? It's time to start asking for help. 

7. Be mindful with your time online.

Have a marketing calendar - Google one to print and fill out.

Spend more time making connections and less time consuming media.

Read or listen to one thing everyday to improve your business. 

Schedule and spread out your posts on your blog and social media. 

Set a timer if you tend to get lost when you go online.

So that's my words of wisdom for today. And they may just be reminders for myself! 

How do you juggle it all? What tricks have you learned to keep a balance between life and work? Any of these tips speak to you? I'd love to hear from you! 

Polyvore App Tutorial For Jewelry Designers

If you caught my webinar last week on Visually Branding Your Jewelry Business, I mentioned Polyvore quite a bit. I hope you've had a chance to explore the site.

If not, Polyvore is a fashion collage website. It's a super fun and easy way to share your jewelry matched up with an outfit. 

And today I'm going to show you how to use the Polyvore app to use on your mobile device. Do you have to wait for an appointment this week or stuck in the car for a holiday road trip - give the app a try and do a little creative promoting during those spare minutes. Each rectangle below is a screen shot on my Ipod. 

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First - clipping your jewelry. Your jewelry has to be for sale in your shop or website first.

1. Open the app and and go to create > add items > clip items from web

2. Type in your shop URL. 

3. Click on your items and press the clip button in the too right corner.

4. Press the like button on the window that pops up to save your item. 

5. Your item is now saved in the "my Items" category on the app and your profile on the Polyvore website too. 

6. On the create page on the app, click on the "my items" to find your jewelry and add it to your collage. 

Create a Collage

1. Go to create

2. Add your jewelry and search for items to create your outfit. You can search by category, brand or website. I started out searching for Modcloth for this example.

3. After you add your items you can arrange your collage. Add text or look up images to spruce up your collage. 

I looked up 'Christmas' to find the Noel graphic, which turned out to be a card on Etsy. To add text, click add item and scroll down to Text. 

4. When you are ready, click the lines on the upper right corner and click publish.

5. Add your title, description. You can add # hashtags, click on the hashtag on the bottom of the app and scroll through the list to find a few relevant tags. If you used a brand @ or # them. 

6. Press publish and start to share!

After your item is published, click on the share button on the lower right. You can share it on social media and even blog your outfit. 

Your jewelry is now catalogued on Polyvore and on the collage with a link to your item.

You can follow and connect with others on Polyvore. But it's not necessary. 

Woodland Holiday Party by humblebeads 

Another way to get this fancy image and product link listing underneath log into your account on the Polyvore website, go to your sets, click the blog button at the top. You can choose your layout, if you want to post directly to your blog or grab the code to embed into your blog post. You can use the blogger button on the app to share, but if you have more than one blog I get a little nervous which one it's going to post too and you can't pick which layout you'd like. But it is fast and easy if those two items aren't an issue for you.

Visually Branding Your Jewelry Business

I'm super excited to be hosting my first webinar for Interweave today. Just like the title says I'll be sharing all my tips and tricks for visually branding and promoting your business. 

The live webinar starts at 1PM EST today, so there is still time to sign up and join us. During the live webinar you get to ask questions and then after the webinar the recording version is sent out. So even if you can't make it today you can sign up and listen in later this week.  

Register Here 

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• How to create a mood board to help tell your story visually
• Use the power of branding to grow your jewelry business
• Learn what formats and sizes to create your images for the different social media platforms
• Explore unexpected ways to visually promote your jewelry
• Discover how to stand out with your printed materials

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Jewelry designers just starting to sell their jewelry.
• Seasoned designers who want to improve their online marketing skills.
• Designers who feel lost at promoting their work online and could use a few guidelines.
• Jewelry designers who want to stand out at shows.
• Designers who are ready to get more attention online without feeling pushy or invasive.
• Jewelry makers who want to wow their customers with creative yet affordable packaging.
• Designers who aren't sure if they are a brand but would certainly like to sell more jewelry online and off!

In the webinar I'm going to talk about defining your dream client and thought I'd share my blog post on who my dream client is that I wrote a few years ago and now use as my guide for creating jewelry and marketing my business. Read Thoughts on My Target Market here. 

Orchid Heart Pendant Tutorial & Valentine Sales Ideas

Luscious orchid silk ribbon provides an interesting design and adds lots of texture when creatively knotted.  With Radiant Orchid being Pantone's Color the Year, you'll find this trendy hue popping up every where this year.  This quick and easy project can be whipped up in 15 minutes or less!  Create a few heart themed pieces of jewelry and show them to friends and family for early Valentine Sales - or better yet schedule a Valentine themed trunk show the first week of February. Or go bigger and ask a local boutique to host a Valentine trunk show. 

Supplies:
Heart Pendant (Humblebeads)
2 12mm brass jump rings
5 Czech glass flowers (Dream Girl Beads)
5 1" brass headpins
1 Butterfly button (Natural Touch)
2 30" lengths of sari silk ribbon

Finished length optional - I like 18" or 20" for this design.

 Directions:

1. Attach both jump rings to the pendant.  On a headpin string a flower bead, create a simple loop. Repeat 4 times. String the 5 flower dangles on the top jump ring.

2. Fold the 2 lengths of ribbon in half, thread through the front of the top jump ring, pull the four ends through the loop of the ribbon, pull ribbons tight. 

3. On one side of the ribbon strands, tie 3 knots with the two ribbons. Pull the ribbon to firmly to straighten out the knots.  Leave a 1" gap, then make another knot with the two ribbons.  Tie three knots and repeat the pattern until the desired length.

4. At the end of the ribbon, tie on the butterfly button with two tight knots. Trim the ribbon.

5. Repeat the pattern on the other side of the necklace.  At the end tie a knot with a gap large enough for the button to slide through.  Trim the ribbon.

Play around with this idea, do a whole necklace of knots or do 5 knots between each open loops.  Try two different colors of ribbon.

Valentine Sale Ideas:
This quick and easy project can be whipped up in 15 minutes or less!  Create a few heart themed pieces of jewelry and show them to friends and family for early Valentine Sales - or better yet schedule a Valentine themed trunk show the first week of February. Or go bigger and ask a local boutique to host a Valentine trunk show. 

One thing I did back when I was young was to get a heart-shaped box of chocolates (eat said chocolate, I don't recommend that now - save them for later or share them with everyone you know!) and add in new papers (find them in the candy/cake decorating aisle at your local craft store) and then put a pair of earrings into each one. I could carry the box around with me to classes or when I went to playdates, church, etc.  Guys would ask me for a candy, I would open the the box and say I don't have candies but I can help you get something sweet for your girl.  Yes, it worked.  Or I would just ask the women I knew if they'd like to see the sweet earrings I made for Valentine's Day.  We'd joke about them being calorie free treats.  I always sold lots of earrings a week or two before big day.   Make sure you carry around earring cards, small organza bags, business cards and your card reader/receipts to finish the sale. I would keep these designs simple and at one sale price to make things easier.

If you'd like to step up your jewelry sales for 2014 why not take this 20 Sales in 20 Days Challenge put together by the Flourish & Thrive Academy.  This was designed for holiday sales before Christmas, but they would work great for Valentine's or Mother's Day too.

And hey, while you are at it - stop on over to the Flourish & Thrive Academy and sign up for their current video series for their next edition of the Laying the Foundation Course.

Flourish and Thrive Academy Multiply Your Profits Volume 2: Bread and Roses

Where are you in your jewelry business now?

My jewelry business is on the precipice, with wings extended, the breeze rushing past - on the edge and ready to soar.

Over the last few months I've created a beautiful and cohesive collection of nature inspired jewelry. I've delved deep into discovering who my ideal customer is, how to reach her and why she buys and wears jewelry. I've laid the foundation of my jewelry business, building on my past experience and the knowledge gained from the Flourish & Thrive Academy.

I have been selling my jewelry retail online and at shows for the last few years and love creating pieces that help women remember to slow down and cherish the natural beauty around them. I am taking off into the wholesale market this spring and working on getting my jewelry into shops across the country.

What’s holding you back in your business and your life?

Not having better systems in place for expanding and growing my business have been holding me back. Delegating work and hiring help is a challenge but one I'm ready to face and have been utilizing more. Knowing that I can not physically create each piece of jewelry to meet my financial goals is also a stumbling block. I only have two hands and 24 hours but it's hard to let go of control!

What is your vision for your business? Where do you want to go? What are your biggest dreams and desires?

My vision for my business is that it will provide bread and roses for my family and impact my community in a positive way.

What do I mean by bread and roses? I not only want a business that pays a living wage for my husband and myself, I want a business that provides quality health insurance, a robust retirement fund and college expenses for my children - that's the bread.  But I also want a business that affords roses - that doesn't mean a lavish or luxurious lifestyle, but rather the time and energy to enjoy life.  I want the freedom to not toil from sun up to sun down, but have time to feed our souls while we make a living for our family.

I live in a small town with scarce job opportunities.  It would be wonderful to have a business that could afford to hire a few local women to work for us assisting assembling our jewelry and shipping out orders.  I would love to know my creativity is providing bread and roses for other families too.  

I'm so thankful for my life and feel like I'm living so many of my dreams.  We live in a 1910 farmhouse in my sleepy hometown on the shores of Lake Michigan. I want my days filled with making beautiful things, connecting with amazing clients and sharing my work with those who love the beauty of nature as much as I do.  My dream is to grow a business that let's me feast in my creative pursuits and allows us the luxury of a balanced life with work that feels rewarding not all-consuming!

www.humblebeadsjewelry.com

This is my essay entry for the Flourish & Thrive Academy Mulitiply Your Profits Volume 2 course.  I took their volume 1 course and it has been life changing!  To learn more about the next course and sign up for their free webinar visit Flourish & Thrive Academy.