FAITH - Focus on Life Week 13

This week's topic on Focus on Life by Sally Russick is FAITH

I had been out for a long time and got  kind of diverted from this 52 weeks' walk that I was committed to take  with Sally.

 I am back and will catch up with the rest.

Faith is a strange word.  Once I heard this saying -" Faith is something you believe when common sense may say otherwise."

I also often like the saying  - "If  winter comes can spring be far behind?- I don't remember who said that also.  But it gives me hope and faith.

Let me tell you what I have experienced in the last few days and how it relates to the topic of Faith.

I came to my grand daughter and her mom and dad to spend the spring vacation in Washington DC.  Last year on March 25, 2012 this place  was full of cherry blossoms.  See how Zoe and her little rag doll  were  thoroughly enjoying it.

This year on March 25, 2013  it snowed.  It snowed so heavily that  Zoe's school remained closed until10 am.  From their 9th floor apartment the nice parking lot  looked like this :

I thought we were doomed.  But the next day the sun came out and  there were only  few dollops of snow  left, not even enough to have a snow ball fight.

It was warm enough for us to go to the Martin Luther King Memorial place and then I was energized by- 

"Out of a mountain of despair a stone of hope "

I was recharged.
What a beautiful day we spent.  As I was heading to the car I was feeling that Faith is as natural as breathing to me.  How can one survive with out hope and faith?  But then,  I take it so much for granted.

When I came home we found Zoe is very sick.  She got a stomach flu bug from her school and it totally knocked her  down.  The chirpiest, most shiny  personality is so mellow today.  She can hardly keep drops of water even  for a couple of hours today  and we are praying that she recovers soon and we don't have to take her to the hospital to give IV.

One more time I face Faith.  As I look out the window I see the sky darkening with cloud  but  it is strangely lit with a silver line.

It is time for me to go pray .

 Thank you my readers.  Please check out all the other participants and see what they have for you on this topic of FAITH.

Five Most Important Marketing Strategies I'd Take for my Etsy business

Five  most important marketing  tips for my Etsy shop

Here  are the  five most important marketing that I have decided  I’ll take for my Etsy shop in the very near future.

Knitted Wire Jewelry with pearls and crystals in gold filled
www.alankarshilpa.etsy.com

 

Quality product

 STOP Facebooking, Tweeting and Blogging  says  Launch Grow Joy.

  Really!  I had spent an hour and a half  of my most productive precious  morning working hour trying learning how to revamp my Fan page in Face book from Handmadeology.  And now I get this new e mail that says -  Don’t  you worry about those!

Well it makes sense.  Do what comes naturally.  For me it is blogging,  rather than creating fan pages.  The writer from Launch Grow Joy  agrees with Black Baroque   ( who had more than 18000 sales in her Etsy shop),  that “ If your product is good it will sell.  If not, face it ( Facebook will not be able to help) and go on with life”. Facebook will not be able to help.      

Well, I am not   absolutely sure about that.  In today’s market those evils are a necessity. Even though I  must agree  that quality product is number one for success.

Quantity of product in your store

You must have a high volume of merchandise in your shop to show that you are serious with your business.  Look at the 100 best selling jewelry shops in Etsy  . One thing they all have in common is- they all have more that 100 items in their shops.  Some have 500, some over 300 and so on.  It is a lot of work , but that is what is takes to get there.  Therefore we must keep on listing and re listing as I have mentioned in my earlier blog

Work on your Niche Market

You must understand the concept of Niche market  and why you must focus on one group and let go of the concept of  making everybody happy.  There is that saying – “One who tries to make everybody happy can please no body”  This is more true when you are a jewelry artist, designer, entrepreneur who creates one of a kind hand crafted pieces that takes time, imagination and energy.  You can’t be Walmart, nor can you compete with it.  So you have to take a different strategy.  The key for jewelry business niche marketing is,  finding the line of product that you like to create, are passionate about,   and that satisfy the need  of a particular group or solve their particular problems.

The next steps are finding out this group and finding out your competitors who are in the same boat and how they are doing. I have to find that out.  Not yet there, my friends.

Pictures say a thousand words

Especially this is true when you are selling on line.  There is always room for improvement and I think I am going to pay extra attention to improve my skills in taking and editing photos of my jewelry.  I found a few good sites  and articles  that I am happy to share with you.  Again, I have no monetary affiliation with any of these.  And I want your feed back in this journey too.

Cohesiveness in your shop

It is important to show your customers that you love your product and you love your shop.  You are clear about your brand and your values.  You take time to create a cohesive shop. 

What do you really mean by a cohesive shop display?  Which shops have it and which ones don’t and how can you bring it in your shop?

 Does your shop really needs to be cohesive?  Go to this discussion to understand this concept if you are still confused like me regarding the terms. They'll explain how similar things are not necessarily cohesive, and how you can create or destroy cohesiveness in your shop display.

Well, this is enough home work for me for now.  What do you think?

I’d like to hear your comments.  What are your marketing strategies?  What worked for you?  What did not?  Remember your comments with your links give the readers a chance to know you, your values,  exposure to your shop and what not.  Thank you for stopping by.

 

Tagua bead giveaway

I came to know about an interesting give away from Pearl's blog, my favorite one.

Check it out if you are interested in these unique $40 worth of Tagua beads that resemble ivory beads but are much kinder in spirit!

Do you want to know more about these Ecuadorian  Tagua beads ?

 I was so intrigued to learn that these beads are made from plants - the tagua trees or  plants and there has been quite some work going on to protect these plants and the rain forest too.

 These beads, carved from the tagua plants resemble ivory and so I am quite fascinated to these these wonderful beads.

Wouldn't it be nice if more people are conscious of these natural beads, integrated them in their jewelry making and appreciating them?  I am very thankful to Pearl and the Ecuador Hands for giving us this give away opportunity.

What should you do?  Go to Pearl's blog and the detail instructions are there for you to win.

Bead soup ingredients sent

I am so out of blogging.  I went to India and was out of my computer, which taught me some new things.  Some of them are good and some not so good.  One big disadvantage was I got way behind my blogging schedule.  I hate to disappoint my readers who come and keep their kind words in my comment box and  they'll find that I have nothing new for them. 

I looked at the calendar and felt OMG!!!  My soup packet needs to be sent to my partner Iveth.  Well, we  still do have some time as we are supposed to show our creation on the very last revealing date on April 12, but still she needs to get it, think about her creation and post it.

I remembered her in my India trip and did buy some artisan  beads for her, but where are they?  I topsy turvy my suitcase that is still not totally unpacked yet. 

Yes, here they are.

I added some other beads from my stash remembering now that she loves blue and green.

No, I am not going to show you all that I have sent her before she gets it.  But I can give you a quick peek.  Here it is:

Bead Soup ingredients peek

 

So I head to the post office and mailed her packet  last Wednesday.  Hopefully she has gotten it by now, or who knows, she is probably opening it just this very minute.  I am at Washington DC now - couple of thousand miles from my home in California.