Business Opportunities Weblog

June 16, 2008 by Angela Shupe | 5 Comments

It’s a common misconception that you need to go to a jewelry store to find great jewelry. The truth is that you can also find it in the home of everyday crafters. These gorgeous earrings shown here are unique to Catherine Hodge and her own online shop.

Based in Michigan, as a work-at-home mom of 2 boys, Catherine has created 3 great Etsy stores which offer different kinds of jewelry she has placed for sale, as well as some of her own excess supplies for those that want to make jewelry of their own!

Giveaway

If you like the earrings shown here, then you’re in luck! Catherine is giving one of our readers a chance to win them.

Leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite gemstone is and why. The giveaway starts now and will end on June 26th at 11:59pm. The winner will be chosen and contacted by email on the 27th!

What kind of e-stores are, ‘Catherine Marissa’, ‘Avery Winslow’ and ‘Jewelry Supplies’?

Catherine Marissa and Avery Winslow are both jewelry shops. Catherine Marissa is my first and primary shop with a focus on sterling silver and gold pieces, with a variety of accent components. Pieces in that show feature Murano Glass from Italy and quality cut gemstones. I always think of Amvery Winslow as the younger sister, with pieces that are more trend-driven and with a focus on a base metals like copper and brass. I also have my own site for Catherine Marissa at www.catherinemarissa.com.

Jewelry Supplies is a destash shop, meaning I sell my excess components there. it’s a fun place to find goodies to use in jewelry making and a way for me to help my extras find happy homes.

How many things do you usually have up for sale at a time in your stores?

Catherine Marissa typically has 75-100 items available, while Avery Winslow is usually below 50. I have a larger customer base for Catherine Marissa, so I focus on creating for that shop first but am working on increasing the number of items listed in Avery Winslow as I just came across a fabulous collection of vintage stampings that I’m excited to modernize.

Why did you choose Etsy as your store format?

I am certainly not computer savvy and found Etsy quite easy to use. I had my own shopping cart attached to www.catherinemarissa.com, but found it difficult to keep up because it required unfamiliar technical skills. Etsy also has a clean aesthetic that I appreciate.

Is there a favorite item among your customers?

As soon as I think one style is selling faster than another, sales change. I think it keeps creating interesting… having to evolve and create a new piece to keep your customer interested. Recently, top sellers have been my “Brooke” earrings from Catherine Marissa which are a longer style with simple gemmy drops and the bold copper “Through the Keyhole” earrings in Avery Winslow.

How long have you been making jewelry? When did you start selling them?

I played with my mom’s beads as a child and made some things for myself in college, but didn’t get serious about making jewelry until 2004. I started selling around 6 months later and started my web presence in 2006.

What inspires you and your jewelry designs?

I am inspired by an innate need to embellish, to craft, and to embrace femininity. Inspiration seems to come from everything – daydreams, fabric, big water, people in general, National Geographic, home décor trends, fashion magazines, and color are at the top of my list.

What kind of steps did you need to go through to get where you are today?

Too many to list! There has been a lot of trial and error as well as evolution of what is important and what my real goals are. I think the basic steps were filling out the necessary paperwork, developing my skills, gathering components and tools, focusing my style, creating a customer base, and establishing a web presence.

Have you learned anything since you launched that you wish you’d known beforehand?

Absolutely! I think the biggest thing that I learned was the importance of carefully creating a budget and tracking every penny spent. At first, i was really relaxed and didn’t keep track of all component costs and just bought whatever I wanted. that was a huge business mistake because it put me further in the hole than I needed to be.

What experience did you have previous to starting your online stores?

I never sold online before starting my jewelry business. I was actually never in sales, but went to school in Education and had a career as a teacher before starting my online stores.

As a mom, have you been able to take any experience from parenthood and use it in business?

In many ways, being a parent is like managing a company so there are skills that I use throughout my day, whether I am communicating with a customer or my children. I think the ability to multi-task and prioritize are the two skills that I use most often in both aspects of my life.

Parenthood taught me that although today might be filled with stress and frustration, tomorrow doesn’t have to be. I try to remember that in business too. If I receive a rejection or fail to reach a goal, I know that I can get back at it the next day.

How do you get your children involved?

My sons are both a bit young to be of help right now – three years and eighteen months. My older son does help me sort components sometimes and I am starting to teach him how to tape shipping labels on the packages. He pays attention to detail and wants to help, so I foresee him being a part of my business as he grows older.

Do you have any advice for other moms interested in selling their own jewelry creations?

Be prepared to work hard. It takes time to create a quality piece, to establish a customer base and to run a shop.

Keep up with paperwork – tax license, business registration, receipts, inventory, etc. It think it’s important to keep everything legit.

Also, keep a budget and stick to your limits. Finding new goodies to use in jewelry can become addictive (and expensive), so it is important to know what you can afford to spend.

Provide the best customer service you can. Be a good listener, be patient, and focus on your presentation. Every time I send out a package, I think “is this something I’d like to receive?” and whenever I’m communicating with a customer, I make sure to treat them as I’d like to be if I was the buyer.

In Ecommerce, Giveaway, Interviews, Jewelry, Women, Work at Home | 5 Comments