cymoneys
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First, congratulations. You have taken the first step to becoming a business owner. Second, you have skill, but how can you turn this into a business? I would suggest you research. The Internet/Web is a great place to find information.
However, I would suggest that you go to your local Small Business Administration Office. SBA's, which is a federal government agencies, role is to assist small businesses and entrepreneurs. They have materials, and I have personally seen it, that talks about how to set up the type of craft business that you are interested in. The materials guide you through a business plan, possible suppliers, how to market and sell your items, legal practices, taxes, et cetera.
Now, years ago they had a group called SCORE, who were retired business owners who could give insight into the business. Also, if you don't have time for that, I would buy or go to the library and get a magazine called "Entrepreneur." They also have training materials on just about every individual business (i.e., selling jewelry) around.
If you want to sell your stuff from the Web, I would suggest that you get a low-cost website. There are many good deals out there. Think of a name for your site, and you can probably lease that for a few years from somebody cheap like Godaddy and possibly have them or Yahoo host the site for cheap. Both I believe have templates for easy set up.
I have been selling for most of my life, from lemonade stands and cookies to managing a sales/marketing and business development division. Your success comes from strategy. I have seen degreed people who couldn't sell and I've seen people who just have a natural ease with people sell all over the place.
I would take a look at how Mary Kay, Avon, Tupperware, Fuller Brush, and Watkins have done it with door-to-door sales. The 'Net is wonderful, but good, old-fashioned sales can bring in enough money to really market yourself on the Web. But do resist the urge to spam. It can cost you your website. The laws are getting stricter and stricter every day.
For instance, get some cheap cards from somebody like Vista Print or your local printer. I like Vista Print because you can design them online and they are delivered to you quickly. Pass them out to family, friends, everyone you can and let them know what you are doing.
Ask family and friends to set up a party for you and take your items. Be sure to take something extra or free for the hostess or offer her tickets to something or a free dinner for her and whoever she wants to take for holding the party for you. Perhaps, you could offer her a piece of your jewelry. Remember, she will be wearing it and people will ask her where she got it. That's one way to put more feet on the street. Write a press release for yourself and send it to your local paper telling them what they are doing. You'd be surprised how often that will get you free publicity.
I've got a thousand ideas from a couple of decades of work. But, again, start with SBA. I wish you much success. Remember this, believe in yourself and communicate your confidence to others. That is the true key to success in sales or any other industry.
All the best,
Cymoneys
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