I’m usually the last one to admit that I cannot achieve something
alone. But every now and then, something shows up in my inbox that makes me
genuinely excited to ask for help. That’s how I felt when I got the email about
Flourish & Thrive Academy. Have a million-dollar jewelry business, without going bankrupt, in this
economy? Yes, please! Teach me how! Below is my entry for the scholarship
they’re giving away, as the $495 price tag is just not in my business’s budget
right now.
Where are you in your jewelry business now?
I started my chainmaille jewelry business, Do Bats Eat Cats?,
in August 2009 and have been pursuing it seriously for about a
year and a half, when I quit my stressful day job in publishing.
What’s holding you back in your business and your life?
There are two main things that are holding me back:
1. I’m worried that I chose the wrong niche, but am not sure how
to choose a different one without making pieces I hate. I make goth chainmaille
jewelry — adorned with skulls, bats, spiders, creepy sea creatures, and other spooky stuff. Partly because that’s what I like, and partly because there are a
LOT of chainmaillers out there, but I didn’t see anyone who was already making
pieces like that.
I LOVE making big gothic over-the-top pieces like this necklace.... |
While I have plenty of admirers, it seems that people who like
goth jewelry are starving creatives who don’t have the income to afford it. I
also have found that my goth pieces will get me rejected from larger,
higher-end shows and stores because organizers think I’m “too weird.” In
response, I started a simple line of pieces, which have sold pretty well — but
they’re not terribly different from what every other mailler is doing out
there, plus I hate them! I am not sure where to go with this. Do I stay true to
niche and make unique pieces that appeal to me, or do I sell out and make
pieces that others will buy but do not feel AT ALL like “me” or reflect my
point of view as a designer?
.... but most of my customers would rather buy something simple like these earrings. |
2. I have a large mortgage. Most decisions I make, in business and
in life, revolve around one question: “Will this help me make the mortgage
payment?” And if the answer is no, I don’t do it. This severely curtails my
ability to take risks and invest in my business. I have a hard time thinking
about spending the $495 for Flourish and Thrive, though I know it
would be good for me, because I might need that $495 to pay the mortgage if my
sales are low (which, in January, they typically are).
What is your vision for your business? Where do you want to go? What are your biggest dreams and desires?
I want to be able to support myself doing ONLY work I love. The
freelance work I’m doing to make ends meet gets in the way of working on my
business because it is a sure thing (work X hours, make $Y) while my business
obviously is not (work X hours, possibly make $0!). So it's hard to convince myself to step away from the paying work to build my business sometimes.
I don’t
need to be famous, or to be worn by all the hot A-list celebrities. (Honestly,
I probably couldn’t even tell you who they are!). But I do want to be
comfortable, able to invest in my business without putting my mortgage or bills
in jeopardy, able to take time for self-care without worrying that if I stop
working, my business will tank. And, I’d like to be able to give back to other
crafters, and support their businesses and dreams, so that we can all be
successful.