I Prayed. God Listened and Answered. Again.

This picture was taken of Izzy and Me Goofing Around TWO summers ago... Where does the time go? Our lives have changed so much!

Good Morning Friends! The house is still quiet this morning, and I'm taking advantage of the calmness. 

God definitely hears our prayers! Long story short, I was talking to Scott a few days ago and I was talking about fears about trying 150% to really make my jewelry business work. I told him about how stressful it was for me to list all of the changes I need to make to REALLY call myself "working" and how difficult it would be to work hard enough to keep consistent sales that are high enough to sustain a real viable jewelry business. I finally just laid it all out on the table for him: My Fears, My Insecurities, and My Anxieties about my recent decision to turn my Jewelry Designs from my current "Facebook Hobby/Shop" and Etsy Shop to a "Real Business" with taxes and invoices and consistency and insurance...and that's where my eyes fog over every time. 

Alabama Glass Necklace and Matching Earrings Set: PRICE $35

Some of the topics we talked about included:

• My fears about PHYSICALLY being able to actually PROVIDE the services I commit to offer and being able to rely on my body to not let me down.
• This stems from my fears and past experiences with Multiple Sclerosis and worrying about not being able to control the symptoms of my disease. I hate to admit, but there have been quite a few delayed package shipments, unreturned phone calls, and procrastinating working on orders that resulted in low customer service in the past year.
• While a lot of this irresponsibility can be blamed on the MS effects and my deep depression last year, I have to take appropriate credit for some of it on my "normal" shoulders. The honest truth is: my fears of disappointing customers or failing to thrive have ironically "paralyzed" my Creative "Side" many times. As a result, while I have received consistent positive feedback from customers that love their purchases, I'm sure they were annoyed with me for my lack of organization and unprofessional attitude. Honestly, I'm tired of doubting myself and dragging my heels, both of which cause my stomach to be in knots from guilt and worry. 
• How overwhelmed I am with the "Business Side" of starting a business. It seems like one thing leads to another. 
• For example, saying that I'm setting up my "Business Taxes" means that I'm having to learn all about sales tax, collecting and paying, how much to collect, paying unemployment taxes, when to pay the IRS, what I can deduct, Employment Identification Numbers (or if I even need one if I'm don't have employees NOW) but might in the future, and the list goes on and on... see what I mean?
• Slowly but surely building an inventory of thousands of different types of beads is a great accomplishment for me, but using so many types of components is difficult to track. How do I manage my inventory? How do I track sales? How do I price each piece to track AND ensure that I'm not losing money. What software programs are recommended by other "beaders" and how much does it cost? Will I be able to afford it? How difficult is the software to learn to use to benefit my business, and how long will it take me to learn how to use it?
• What exactly do I want to sell? Who are my target customers? I can't be everything to everyone, but what exactly do I want to be? What services will I offer? Should I sell exclusively online, or at craft shows, or sell wholesale to retail shops, or Etsy, or just Facebook?
• What are my goals? I can't start out doing everything I have in mind right away, so what am I going to start with? How big do I want my business to be? Do I always want to be working from home or would I like to eventually expand to a physical retail store? If I want a physical store, what city would I want it to be in? Will I physically AND mentally be able to run a business from a new location? Can I rely on my body to work for me on a consistent basis? How will I build my business?
• How can I plan NOW for the Christmas Rush to ensure that I won't run out of inventory like last year? What should I be doing NOW to be prepared for a boost in sales? Should I start to find someone that can work with me this year during the crazy Holiday busy time so I'm not scattered in 50 places like I was last year? Who would I find to help me, since I now live in a new city and I don't know anyone around me? How can I take advantage of the Holiday season and make the most of my holiday time, an opportunity to possibly reach my biggest sales for the entire year. How do I plan for slow sales after Christmas? What Craft Shows will I do next year? 

Those are just a few random things that I spewed out when I broke down to Scott the other day. 

Auburn Glass Necklace and Earrings Set: PRICE $35

Scott "did what he does best" and kind of looked through all of the "static" I was freaking out about and asked me two simple questions: 

1. Do I use my time each day in the best way possible and work hard to sell my jewelry or am I wasting a lot of time? I had to be honest, and say that I waste a lot of time and I'm making horrible use of my time all day. So he replied, "Well, there you go. You only have yourself to blame for not selling as much jewelry as you would like to." 
2. He said, "I hear you talk about blogging and posting information online, but are you really trying to "sell" your jewelry or just talk about it?" ... I didn't like hearing what he said, but I had to give it to him: He had a point.

This is my Business Accountant, Kim... who is also my beautiful Mama! (She really is an accountant:)

I stood there, running his reply over a few times in my head, and I looked at him and explained this to him:

             When I worked my craft show booths a few weeks ago, my confidence soared, along with my productivity, my energy, and my outlook on everything in my life, both business and personal, was uplifted. I was getting a lot of positive feedback Face-To-Face, and I could study behaviors to decipher the negative feedback and make improvements. I learned more in three weeks than I have over the past year, just from customer interaction face-to-face, something I'm obviously lacking selling exclusively online. I have about a month between my last craft show and my next craft show, and in that downtime lately, my confidence has gone back to my previous bottomed-out state and I've started doubting myself again.

The good news is that my recent craft show experiences gave me a tiny taste and showed me something: I CAN sell my jewelry and there ARE people out there that will buy my designs. But if I don't put myself and my business out there, they're not going to come looking for me.

This is me, Chelsea, setting up for one of my craft shows!

After pausing for a bit, I said, "I have some jewelry from my last craft show that is still packed up in my bins, and I've never photographed it. No one even knows that I have these pieces, and I feel like if I list them on Facebook, I might sell a few pieces. I just have to FORCE myself to take the photos and then edit all of them, upload the photos to an album and take the time to price and describe each piece, respond to customer comments and replies quickly, and make necessary jewelry get my orders in the mail. And when that suffocating grip of doubt and fear starts to creep up and paralyze me again and again, I have to be strong enough to push it back." His response was something like, "Well, there you go." 

I just told myself that "It's all or nothing from this point on." 

I spent many hours for the rest of the day and half of the night pulling out ALL of the jewelry I had already made, took photographs, edited each piece, sometimes multiple photos for one piece,  uploaded pictures to Facebook, Started Pricing, and just tried to aggressively be productive, probably doing more work in one day than I would usually do in one month. It was awesome for my body, providing me with a confident boost of energy to see myself being productive, and it also gave Scott an opportunity to see that the "Process" of listing items isn't quite as easy and fast as it sounds... and that doesn't include the design process, shipping process, or buying supplies process... or the business process.

I can't tell you how many times I've asked myself..."Can I do this?"

That night when I laid down and started to say my prayers, I was pretty frank with God. I asked for His guidance and asked Him to let me know if this was the path He had planned for me. While I have felt like it is indeed in His overall plan for me to start my own jewelry business, I needed a little sign of confirmation. It was more like, "God, if I'm headed down the right path, please let some of my new jewelry sell to let me know that I'm going the right direction. If I'm completely going backwards, I'll stop with this whole "Starting a Jewelry Business" deal and move on."

I have always believed that God answers prayers, but I'm still amazed at how specific He has been as He's answered my prayer this week, more than I could have ever imagined. In the past 3 DAYS, I've sold more jewelry through my Facebook Shop and through Custom Jewelry Orders than I did at all THREE of my craft shows combined! I even sold the Whimsical Little Tray below in my Etsy Shop yesterday. I feel like a HUGE weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I can smile in relief. Our Awesome Customers we've had so far this week just don't know how much of an answer to prayer they are! I really do feel like I'm blessed, and I just feel... Loved!

Am I still scared? More than ever. Am I going to give this EVERYTHING I can... and maybe a little more? I have to... for my own sanity.

You know that old song you hear in church sometimes... I think it's called "Love Lifted Me?" Well, that's exactly how I felt this morning when I woke up... and the tune is only playing louder in my head as the morning wears on! My confidence has definitely "Lifted" and I give complete credit to "Love" ...God's love, that is.

Memory Wire Bracelets: PRICE $8

Have a great rest of the week! (Oh, and if you haven't already, I'd love for your to browse through my designs and SHARE my Facebook Shop on your wall for friends and family to see as well! Thanks so much!)

-Chelsea

Trading Pajamas for Yoga Pants... One Step At A Time

(I should add first thing that I am completely joking in some areas of this post. Ex: the yoga pants transition section. Just kidding around in a chaotic area of my life)  

Goodbye May... Hello June! Can you believe we are four whole days into June already! If you're like me then you just want to pile on the Afro Sheen and bake in the hot sun for a few hours everyday in the pool. But then we would look like this:

Yea, this just isn't going to work for me...

 The other solution is to go the Self-Tanner Route, which may work for you better than it has for me. Through past confidence wounding trial-and-error embarrassments, I have learned to avoid the foul-smelling potions as a result of my self-tanner test trials mostly ending with me looking like something similar to the beautiful mess below:

Doesn't she just make you want to give her a big hug while wearing a brand new white shirt?

On to New Shop News... (work must prevail in spite of tan line opportunities)

In the last blog entry, "Opening My Real Shop: Making the Final Jump," you gained a little insight into my BIG plan to shift from a jewelry hobby/shop, Make Up and Mud Boutique, to a real, legitimate, profitable, and legal BUSINESS. With Taxes. And a set steady sssss...schedule (I'm already having a hard time making myself agree to follow my own rules).

Rule #1 To Give Myself: No more wearing pajamas all day, even if you do work from home. 

BONUS: If the change from pajama pants to actual clothing accepted in the "real world" seems to be a bit too exhausting and traumatic, take baby steps to make a smooth transition. For example, upgrade to Yoga pants. 

Now repeat to yourself: (CALM DOWN... you do not have to actually DO yoga to wear these pants. Yoga is for people who are flexible and trying to be healthy, and that is not on your list at this moment.) 

Formula Result of Enforcing Rule #1 On Yourself: 

Sporting Yoga pants = You're totally going to be a millionaire one day, because you know how to take things slow and easy and take one step at a time. Making Progress!  

Next week we'll move on to wearing shoes for at least half a day...

Do you ever start to simply PLAN a project and find that the more you plan, the more you find avenues and open doors to underlying areas that you never even knew existed? Then you find yourself in over your head with too many choices before you can even come up for air, right? Well, that's pretty much the situation that I'm "trying" to avoid in this "Business Planning" process. Notice the emphasis on the word "trying" as that effort is still a work in progress.

While forming a business plan and setting goals can be quite confusing at times, planning and guidelines are definitely a requirement when you actually want to make real progress with your business. And I'm ready to shift out of the "Random Craft Show" and "I-might-sell-a-few-pairs-of-earrings this month" mode. At this point, I'm seriously craving organization. What sets this situation apart from my past organization ideas and pseudo-campaigns is one important detail: This time, I'm actually DOING something to promote organization and growth for my shop, instead of just thinking about doing something. 

This is Mrs. Bethany Loftin, owner/photographer of A Vintage Love Photography. Bethany not only takes phenomenal pictures (while taking care of THREE small adorable children), but she also offers her photography services at refreshingly reasonable prices. From day one she modeled her photography business plan, goals, and prices to be affordable and available   while also providing a fun experience for everyone involved. She occasionally offers various package discounts, runs contests, and surprise price reductions on a limited time basis, and her the resulting pictures are always sensational! 


The current result of her hard work: A Vintage Love Photography continues to thrive and grow steadily in an economy where "realistic thinking" says success right now is highly unlikely if not altogether impossible. So why am I including her in this blog post? Because while giving me a wonderful friendship, I'm also thankful to have learned a LOT about managing my business just by listening to her business advice, watching her own business tactics, strategies, and trying to form a similar model for my own business. She has kept my confidence up even when we both weren't making a dime. We started developing business ideas about the same time, and we have been friends and business confidante's pretty much since day one. We've experienced failures and made mistakes together, even as we both work to open a business in completely different fields, and she has provided precious feedback even when it wasn't what I wanted to hear. I've learned many valuable lessons by watching her own business success and studying her determination, wonderful organization skills, marketing success strategies and overall business outlook. I'm extremely thankful for Bethany and her guidance!


You should definitely Click on the link above to visit A Vintage Love Photography's business page, and check out the  amazing images Bethany has captured, and while you're there, be sure you "LIKE" her page, because she has awesome contests and deals that you will not want to miss! It would be wonderful if you would tell her that Chelsea or Make Up and Mud Boutique sent you, because I'd be thrilled to see that you are being involved and helping to promote our businesses! As a result of so many of her satisfied past customers spreading the news about A Vintage Love Photography, Bethany usually books up pretty fast these days, so if you're interested in scheduling a photo shoot with A Vintage Love Photography,  whether it be for Summer Photos, Fall Photo's, and even Christmas photo's, reserve a spot on her calendar as soon as possible... In the meantime, here's a link to A Vintage Love Photography's Most Recent Special: Monthly Birthday Club Entry!

Now, Back to Business Planning:

You couldn't even begin to count how many small business articles I've read, and how much knowledge I've gained from watching videos and reading articles at INC. And notes... well, I have an entire notebook full of lists, scribbles, ideas, drawings, crazy ambitions, and the lists go on. It's enjoyable to read through the notebook to see how much research and progress I've already made this far, and helps to motivate me on sluggish days.

Remember: If we don't set goals and makes plans for our own lives, no one is going to make them for us.
You have to believe in yourself before anyone else will believe in you, and that's what I'm trying to do by stepping out of my comfort zone and reach for what I want...still a little shaky! I just keep telling myself "I can do this. I have the drive and skills to make this happen. I will overcome ANY and ALL obstacles I encounter along this journey. and so on..." Then I work to make myself believe it (and the more I "pump up" myself, the more I am actually starting to get REALLY excited about future possibilities! Where is God taking me?  :)

And this is Mrs. Kristin Moore, my lifelong best friend and partner in...well, just about everything and EVERY major decision I have ever made has had her voice echoing in the background. When you put us together, the left side of my brain shuts down and the right side of her brain shuts down, and when we combine our brain halves... we only make sense to each other. And that's the way it has always been. And although I don't like to form a habit of making assumptions, I'll go out on a limb this time and assume that we will always be this way together. From the start of our friendship (which began when we were 3 years old and in the hospital together for two SEPARATE accidents at the daycare where we both attended) until now, we've managed to create balance for each other. 


Again, you're probably wondering why I've included Kris in this particular blog entry, right? Well, it just so happens that Kristin taught me how to make my first pair of earrings, AND she bought me my first pack of beads. She got this WHOLE plan started without even meaning to. She also deserves credit for designing the bridal jewelry I wore in my own wedding and the jewelry I gave to my bridal party and a select few other wedding party attendants. 


Under Kristin's supervision, I clumsily made my first earring loop in the middle of the night, sitting Indian-style on a stage in the middle of a barn. Normal atmosphere for finding your calling in life? Not exactly. But then again, we've never really done anything the "normal" way, and I'm not ready to start now. So where does Kristin "fit into" my new Business plan? Well, you will just have to keep following this business progress project to find out :)

This process would definitely run a LOT more smoothly if YOU would give me your ideas, feedback, business advice, guidance, prayers, motivation, ANYTHING, good and bad, that could help me grow. (Yes, I'm talking to YOU, the person reading this blog!) I'm open to ALL marketing ideas, business ideas, and direction that you have to offer. And don't sell yourself short either (here comes my new-found advice thinking), you don't have to run your own business or even hold a "real" job to have useful advice that I definitely need to hear. Maybe you read an article about organization in the latest edition of Oprah magazine and you remember a few useful tips that I could possibly use... Please share with me! 

(One definite area I need assistance with: WEBSITE DEVELOPING! If you know someone that could be helpful, please send me their way!)

This is the current "Reserved Listing" design for Custom Orders in Make Up and Mud Boutique's  ETSY Shop. This definitely needs a major update and more cheerful change, so I'll add that to my ever-growing list of "a-whole-lotta-stuff-to-do"!

When I'm able to finally narrow the focus on the jumble of information and ideas randomly floating around in my head right now, I will fill you in on the broad "roadmap" I have designed for the rest of the year, the next few years, and my long term goals. If I could share more with you right now, I definitely would, because I'm more than anxious to get a little bit of this "info weight" off of my shoulders. In the meantime, I'll still keep doing a little soul-searching and necessary organizing. I'm learning to focus, and I just can't rush this process.

In the Beginning... Styles I was making this time last year, June 2011. The ONLY style I knew how to make! Thankful for my opportunities to learn and make progress! 

I've realized that I can't keep making random jewelry and accessories without any constant style or focus, so I'm deciding what pieces, items, or services I will offer. Always changing without any real constant is not beneficial to my business and most importantly, it is not fair to my customers. This might be one of the most difficult processes I'm working through, because I do not ever want to become bored with the design process or experience "artist block." I don't want to make the same pieces over and over, so I'm trying to design a plan that works with my ideas AND reality. (which is harder than you think)

I would love to offer special "Collections" of certain jewelry styles for several target markets, but I'm learning to accept the fact that I can't just reach this goal overnight; I have to work toward and build my designs to fall into place, creating the combination of styles and types of jewelry that I one day want to be able to offer to customers. I definitely have a vision, or at this point, many visions, and I'm trying to arrange each element to create a whole plan and find a way to execute the necessary steps required to reach this success. 

With business changes also comes personal and mental health improvements. While I like this picture of myself, I also find this picture to be a reminder of such a painful time in my life, therefore I channel that negative energy to motivate me to keep on climbing and trying to grow stronger in many different ways!

Unfortunately, unless you have been able to visit my one of my recent craft show booths in person, you haven't even been given much of a chance to see my new styles and pieces. And they are a LOT more sophisticated and cheerful than my previously uploaded work. (I took a few online classes and read a good bit of design articles... my work needed a "pick-me-up" to offer new styles completely different from my other craft show competitors...Refreshing!)

Previous Craft Show Post w/ Photos

Due to the fact that my Facebook shop and Etsy shop inventory hasn't been updated with the new designs and pieces yet, I can't share how much past styles have grown and evolved with unique style... I can't wait to slow down and take a little time to share with you some of the best-sellers we (Scott and I) have been selling regularly at our booth! Some of my latest customers were reached at craft shows, and the marketing opportunity has been exceptional! 

The process I'm trying to create required building again from the ground up, but this time my dreams and plans will be built the right way and built to last. God has definitely been by my side during this process, and for His guidance I am thankful! For now, I'm keeping my eye on the prize, my feet grounded, my thoughts "somewhat" reasonable, and my dreams limitless... the best way to be!

On my To-Do list: Determine what sells and what doesn't. These earrings are a definite addition to the "What Sells" list of styles to keep making. I'm marking my milestones along the way, and the first sale of these earrings is still my most expensive earring sale to date...


I'll never forget:  I was riding in the car with Scott last Thanksgiving, when I received an e-mail with the digital receipt of these earrings documenting the sale for... $28.00. That's almost triple what I usually charged for my other styles, but I had to get a little out of my comfort zone to price this pair. This design was far more complex than usual, and I had to price them higher to compensate for the added materials and time, which oddly enough made me feel a little guilty.


In the time since then, I've developed even more complex techniques and made many more styles along the same level as this pair, but I'll always remember my first big earring sale.   

That's all for today! Thank you for taking the time to read and be a part of this unpredictable journey. Whether one day you ever see Jennifer Anniston sporting one of my designs or if my career path changes to carry us in a whole new direction, together we will achieve the ultimate success! YES!

Don't forget... SHARE your ideas, thoughts, things you would like ANYONE to offer you... the options are endless!