I believe it was Yogi Berra who said, "When you come to the fork in the road, take it."
I have come to the fork in the road with my beading hobby. For more than two years sales were moving along, not always great but usually good enough to enable me to buy more beads and support my creative addiction.
About a month ago something changed. Maybe it's all the SEO changes Etsy has made, maybe it's the economy, maybe it's the fact there are so many more sellers on Etsy now. But my sales have all but stopped. I blog, I even went back to Twitter and Artfire, I promote on VoteHandmade.com. Maybe everyone woke up one day and decided my jewelry was ugly. Without sales I can't keep beading.
This isn't a pity party or a self-serving plea for business. This is about the sad reality we face when we come to that fork in the road. When we realize that something we enjoy will eventually have to end and that a phase of our life will end with it. I will stand at the fork in the road til the holidays are over, then I will have to take it. Who knows? Something new and different may be around the bend.
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7 comments:
I'm believing a change is coming so you can continue something you enjoy doing!! I just had a thought about your twitter people. Are you twittering with other beaders and crafters or with the corporate types or otherwise office workers who could be potential customers? I don't sell my jewelry these days, so I don't have real answers,just a thought! :)
Another idea occurred to me. My mother is retired so she doesn't need a lanyard. But she could use those pretty eyeglass holders. I don't know what they are called exactly but maybe you can make a few of those as well to entice the customers who don't need a lanyard but need something equally valuable to them.
From your previous posts, you stated you were doing all kinds of different beading before you landed on lanyards. Rather than giving up beading per se, take it to a different level like you did when you made the choice to do lanyards. Maybe you need to incorporate a new twist on things.
I believe it's a combination of things--economy, the changes in Etsy itself, the fact that everyone is looking to make a bit of cash to help themselves out. I like the idea of targeting out your potential customers. Maybe getting involved in crafts fairs would help.
And Christmas is around the corner. That's when most businesses see a pick up. Oh--maybe you can do a buy a lanyard, get a discount if you buy two type of promotion for a limited time. Just some ideas.
I ordered one of your landyards a weeks ago and get tons of compliments on it. I'm glad you're keeping at it until the holidays, I need to order a few gifts.
I agree with the other poster ~ something else is in the works for you. Listen to the whispers...
I love your lanyards....but I don't wear one. I work in a school, two of my kids and my daughter in law all work in schools...we all wear name tags. It certainly isn't that people don't LOVE your work...it's awesome, but there only certain people that wear lanyards.
I had said once....way back....that I wish you made bracelets or necklaces because I would buy one.
Maybe....but only if it interests you...you should try making something else to sell in addition to the lanyards. I love the eye glass holders too. Those would be fun.
I think most of us get to where you are right now, and it doesn't mean the end of an era, only that there is something else out there waiting in the wings...all you have to do is recognize what it is.
You do beautiful work....figure it out my friend...something exciting is in the wind. I can't wait to see what it is!
I hit that fork earlier this year... my decision was to branch out a bit - so in my shows, I have candle holders, wine charms, beaded wine bottle stoppers, etc. I view the sales of them as supporting my wire-wrapped sea shell addiction.
You could do something like matching key chains (or fobs or whatever you call them); cell phone charm things; and/or the eyeglass chains someone else mentioned? Some of my friends see this as "selling out", but I just see it as and additional way to make people happy.
One more note (sorry so lengthy) do you wear one of your lanyards every where you go? (I do that with my shells - I get dressed nicely even when I am only going to the grocery store - 1.5 miles down the road - and that is probably my best way for getting customers -although 99% of them are all cash sales and not on etsy.) Now sometimes in the grocery store, I'll be stopped by another customer, "oh, your the girl that makes shells that XX told me about. Can you do XX for me?" [And other comments like that.] I've met a couple of sellers recently who don't wear their own jewelry, but I guess I always see it as my #1 advertising method and it is basically free.
I apologize if nothing I wrote here is any sort of new idea to you, and I wish you the best of luck no matter which fork in your road you decide to take.
I hope the upcoming christmas time will help you to increase your sales. In the meantime I would like to share one of my favourit poem with you:
http://www.hhesse.de/exlink.php?link=http://www.gss.ucsb.edu/projects/hesse/works/stages.html. Have a great day..
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