Owning or operating a small jewelry business - no matter
what type of jewelry or where it is - can be a challenge, but it
really takes a special kind of person to operate a home
based jewelry business. Most people who run their own
home business probably have asked themselves at some
point, "What do I want from my business? What do I want
from my life?"I asked myself these same questions seven years ago. At
that time my daughter was entering kindergarten and my
son was in preschool. I was spending three hours a day in
my car commuting to a job, and during the short days of late
fall and early winter, I didn't see the light of day at home until
the weekend. More importantly, I was losing three precious
hours a day that I could be spending being creative and
being with my family.Although there are many answers to the question above, the
clear-cut choice for me was the need to spend more time at
home on what I truly love to do and being with my family. By
being honest with myself, I was able to make the
courageous leap from being employed by someone else to
starting my own jewelry business.You might think that a home based jewelry business is the
ideal situation, but working at home can - and will - be
challenging. You may find yourself working longer hours
due to the fact that the survival of the business is totally your
responsibility. Because your studio is in your home, you and
your family may feel an intrusion of the business upon your
personal life, especially if you have clients come to your
house.Before embarking in a home based jewelry business, you
must first honestly, critically answer the following three
questions:1. Are you disciplined enough to set and meet work
schedules?2. Can you make a transition from home to business during
the work hours you set for yourself, and from business to
home during off hours?3. Can you deal with the isolation of working from home?Discipline plays a large part in answering the first two
questions. At times there will be distractions at home. For
example, you may become more aware of dishes that need
to be cleaned, laundry that needs to be washed, the lawn
that should be cut, or even the weeds that have to be pulled.
This is where you must set your work schedule each day,
and stick firmly to it.At the end of your work schedule, you should keep your
focus on your home life once you call it quits for the day or
you may find yourself burning out quickly. It's extremely
difficult not to run to the office to pick up a phone call, play a
message on the answering machine, or read a fax that just
came over, but with a bit of practice you will soon realize that
the work you put down at 5 p.m. will still be there for you in
the morning at 9 a.m.In answering the third question, you no longer work for a
company where co-workers and staff are available for
support. Nor do you have an endless stream of company
supplies and materials at your disposal.This is where setting yourself up with a network of
confidants can be helpful. Surround yourself with people
that are reliable, knowledgeable and possibly veterans of
the craft. Join your local or state guild of craftsman. Get to
know the other artists in your community. When you attend
fairs or shows, get to know some of the other artists. Find a
friendly forum on the internet where you can bounce ideas
off other members or trouble shoot a problem. You already
found one site with great resources!Other sources may be your local Chamber of Commerce,
and manufacturers and suppliers of small business
technologies and products. The Chamber can provide
networking opportunities for you with other business
members of your community, some of whom may be in a
similar situation that you now find yourself.Once you have committed to running a home based jewelry
business, it should be treated as a separate entity from the
rest of your house. Whether you are using a garage, a
basement, or a spare room as your studio space, you
should maintain a professional environment in your work
area. Rooms such as the bedroom or kitchen, in my
opinion, are not suitable for a professional set up because
they do not afford your business privacy and separate space
from the rest of the house.If you are going to take this seriously, then you will need a
more permanent solution, a situation where you can leave
your wares out without being disturbed by family or curious
pets. In addition, your business should have its own phone
line, mailing address and bank account. This makes tax
time much less complicated and it will appear to the IRS
that you are a REAL business versus a hobby.Many home based business owners are honestly unaware
of Federal, State and Local regulations. A good place to start
is by consulting with your CPA or local tax authorities for
specific recommendations appropriate to your individual
situation. Finding out this information is important when
considering what type of business you will run from your
home.Zoning regulations may not allow you to run certain types of
businesses from a residential home - for example, the
manufacturing of certain goods or using equipment like a
torch or kiln.You should also respect your neighbors and the type of
neighborhood you live in. By having a home based jewelry
business, there will more than likely be an increase of traffic
in your immediate neighborhood from your clients,
suppliers and any mail services you use. Keep in mind that
you must register your business with the proper authorities.Owning and operating a home based jewelry business is a
lot of hard work, but it can also be very gratifying, especially
when you realize that the things you're looking for in life are
being made possible by your dedication to this idea.One of the most positive advantages I have found by running
a home business is being able to say, "Yes, I can do it." In
addition, not only do I see my children off to school in the
morning, but I'm there for them at the end of their day.Author Christopher Gage and his wife Holly own Gage
Designs, the manufacturer of original design jewelry. They
are now spending most of their time spreading peace, hope
and love throughout the world with their line of jewelry, When
Peace Talks.http://www.WhenPeaceTalks.com
|
