Stay Here or Go There? Can't Decide...

Hey Everyone... This post doesn't really have much of a point to it. Maybe you could file this post under "Random Therapy Blogging." Therapy for me, that is. Obviously.

Lately, I've honestly just been in a cranky mood. I think I'm in a funk with selling my items and making them, and it's hard to snap out of it. I'm almost positive that most of my "blah-ness" is due to the fact that I make everything at home, sell everything from home, and ship everything from home. So where does that leave me? Always at home, constantly. A LOT.

Don't get me wrong: I LOVE being at my house more than anything. But occasionally a Sunday night will roll around where I wish time would stop for just a little while so my normal weekly routine could wait just a tiny bit longer to come again.

Well on a different note:

I'm kind of stuck in a rut with my shop. I've struggled over the past few months, mainly from March until now, trying to find my style, my niche, and myself all at the same time. I LOVE making new things and hearing compliments and comments about my work! So, I'm trying to decide exactly where to go from here.

Right now, I'm about to start focusing on the upcoming Christmas Holidays, and making gifts and items during the busy season! I need to have a MAJOR plan to put into place after Christmas when everyone is sick of shopping and broke as a joke from buying gifts. I'm looking into several different options, and I'm trying to see which ones fit nicely into my tiny budget area. Here are a few of my options.

I can continue to sell solely online and to friends. Besides my Etsy Shop sales, this is mainly that I'm doing right now. As I've said in earlier posts, Etsy and Facebook are two completely different selling atmospheres, and do better in different areas in both shops. Jewelry is better on Facebook and paintings and housewares sell better on Etsy.

I can start traveling and selling wholesale items to different shops and boutiques. I have had three offers to purchase and then sell my jewelry from three local shops, but I still haven't traveled down that road as of right now. The offers are still available, and I have a little time to decide.

I know that I'm still struggling to make an organized inventory system, and I still have a few kinks to work out. When I first started making jewelry, I would make a few items here and there, but nothing major. Now, I have a HUGE collection of supplies, tooks, and teeny tiny pieces, which I have neatly organized in plastic containers and a HUGE Tiered Tackle Box with a million slots full of beads. That's not where the problem was/is.

The hard part is filing and organizing the finished pieces. I had to develop a system to keep track of each piece, the date, where it is listed, etc. I've finally started consistently naming each completed piece of jewelry, and I'm currently working to create a manageable paper trail with all of my information and create "Collections."  Before I can even think about selling to actual shops, I have to finish my inventory count, organize and name all of my pieces, know how many pieces I have the capabilities to make, etc.

I have to say, though, it would be nice to have like... say ten shops that purchased wholesale from my collections. Ten consistent shops to start out with. And I would have all of their contact info ORGANIZED neatly in my business files. When they place an order, I make the pieces and deliver the finished inventory to them, which they then purchase from me. Then I have a set date that I make contact, preferably in person, with the owner again to see if they are interested in making any more purchases, and to let them see any new pieces and accessories. Ten Shops doesn't seem too outrageous, if I already have three interested. I just don't want to jump into something before I think it out, or before I'm completely organized.

Kind of like how I first started out with no inventory system in mind? Now any of the pieces I made in the beginning that did not sell yet are not inventoried or saved in my computer according to the system I created. Once those pieces are sold, I will be able to have everything finalized.

Item #    0911E0001 is one example:

09= September
11= Year (2011)
E= Earrings
0001= 1st pair created that month

This still doesn't sort each piece according to color, so I'm working on that area as well. Every single finished piece or pair has (or will have) an index card. On the top of the index card is the Item # just like the above number. Also on the card, in the lined space, is a list of every material or piece used to create the piece/pair, my cost, the time it took to make each piece/pair, IF it is a piece to a set and if so I'll list the other Item #'s for those pieces as well, the selling price, the date of creation, the date listed online, and the date sold (IF Sold already), and anything else I want to list. Each index card is filed in numerical order with like pieces.

It may sounds tedious and confusing, but remember what I have to remind myself of all the time when I Start to feel overwhelmed: I created the system. I decide what goes on the card and where. I can manipulate the card to meet my needs, because I'm the only person who will read the card!

So all in all, I'm trying to decide if I want to broaden my business a bit or if I want to stay solely online. I think selling wholesale will give me an even bigger reason to explore metal stamping more and learn creative techniques for creating items no one else has made around the area. I would also have an opportunity to travel more and get out of the house.

I think this one is a decision for me to speak with God about... Let's just see what He has to say about this... :)