What to Know Before Starting Your Handmade Jewelry Business

"It's so beautiful! You should sell that!" Has anyone ever said that to you when they notice you're wearing a piece of your own handmade jewelry? I heard this for years from friends and family about my seed bead and wire jewelry.

Every time I finished a new piece or wore a pair of my handmade earrings out with friends, well-meaning folks who admired my work would tell me over and over that I could make money selling my handmade jewelry.

Of course, that's like a dream come true, right? Who wouldn't want to be able to earn money making and selling their handmade jewelry? And in 2003, I did exactly that and took a leap and started selling my handmade jewelry.

But there was a lot I didn't know going into it, and a lot that I would have done differently now that I've been selling handmade jewelry in one way or the other over the course of the last 22+ years.

So if you're thinking about starting a handmade jewelry business, there are a few things you should know about selling handmade jewelry before you dive in.

First, making jewelry and selling jewelry are two totally different things.

Yep! You could make jewelry for eight hours every day and build up loads of inventory, but unless you know how to actually sell it, you're going to end up with a big box of jewelry that no one knows about.

To sell your handmade jewelry, you'll need to have some kind of a business plan and a marketing plan to use as a road map for getting your jewelry out there in front of interested customers and buyers.

Check out your local chambers of commerce and find out if there are any free or low-cost business classes and marketing classes being offered.

For someone who loves to make jewelry but doesn't have a background in business or marketing, these are valuable resources and can make all the difference in a successful handmade jewelry business.

Write those business plans and marketing plans! Even if they're not perfect, you'll have them to use as you grow your business.

And don't be afraid to be flexible with your plans - as circumstances change, you need to be able to pivot and change things up in your business.

Don't expect results straight away.

Sure, it's great when you have an event with loads of sales, but building up a customer base takes time and effort.

You're definitely going to have shows and events, whether they're in-person or online, that are going to perform less than spectacularly, so just be prepared and don't give up!

Build a website.

Even if you're not going to do online sales, having a website is important these days.

You can post images of your most recent work and collections, put up a list of in-person shows and events (or online shows and events), or a list of galleries and shops where interested buyers can find your work.

There are lots of easy-to-use affordable website platforms available, so ask around and see which one works best for your budget and skillset.

Put as much revenue as you can back into your business.

To get a business off the ground, you're going to need to put a lot of resources into getting set up - this might include buying office equipment like a thermal printer and shipping/mailing supplies, packaging, business cards, and supplies and materials for making more inventory.

You might also have to pay for booth supplies like tables, drapes, jewelry displays, and signage, as well as booth fees for in-person shows and markets.

Don't be surprised if you spend the first few months putting all your profits back into business purchases like these - it can take some time before you actually start to see profits that you can pay yourself with.

Don't be afraid to fail.

This is a big one.

Failure is all part of the process when it comes to starting a small business, especially in handmade jewelry.

If things don't go the way you had planned or the way you wanted them to, it's an opportunity to practice the art of letting go of expectations.

And just because you fail once doesn't mean you have to give up completely - look at it as a learning experience so you can re-evaluate your plans and come up with something better.

If there's one thing we've all learned in the last half-decade on this planet, it's that today is always the best day to chase your dreams.

Take this as a sign that you're ready to start working on your dream of selling your handmade jewelry, and dream big!

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