"8 Ways to Jump Start Your Business" Is Worth a Read

We came across this helpful and inspiring article while browsing the web. "8 Ways to Jump Start Your Business" provides helpful tips for business owners, big and small. My favorite tip, which I feel we could have used when we started SuaVoce more than a year ago, reads "define your niche." La SuaVoce began with selling toward a very general target market, but we've come to realize that being specific is more profitable. This tip and others will certainly inspire and aid any business owner. Check out this article at:
http://pinpoint.microsoft.com/en-US/content.aspx?ctid=813

Angie
La SuaVoce Designs

What I've Learned Recently About Business

In the past year I've started a business (La SuaVoce: http://suavoce.etsy.com/), declared myself a business major, and started helping out with the family business (Sun Tamer!). It's kind of been a business overload...in a (mostly) good way.

Some things I've learned lately about business...

-It's stressful, but addicting. Once you start...how can you give it up?

-Marketing is actually...fun! In fact, I love it! It's even more fun when you see results. I made "Grazie!" gift tags for our packaging a couple days ago and it was great to see the finished products, cut and ready. And Angie designed a beautiful banner to put on our suite door and in the student center on campus.

-You can never stop learning. This is probably true with everything. I've just spent my homework breaks browsing Etsy Storque How-to articles. A wealth of info! And it's endless, thanks to technology.

-Principles of Econ (the class) is SUCH a good idea. Seriously, I can watch the news without feeling completely ignorant of current economic situation. It's such a beautiful thing to begin to understand a topic of such importance.

-Getting a sale when you least expect is one of the best feelings you can have (it's right up there with starting a 100m sprint race in high school track and asking that guy you've liked for two months on a date). :)

-STAYING POSITIVE IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS TO DO (I mean this to extend beyond business too! Enjoy things. Life is soooo much better that way).

Happy creating (and business-ing?)

Sarah

Advertising on Craftcult: Our First Expedition into the World of Online Advertising

SuaVoce was able to acquire enough money (and we worked up enough motivation) to advertise online. But in fact, it wasn’t that much money and it didn’t take us that much time.

Several days ago, we purchased an advertisement from http://www.craftcult.com/ . The ad cost us only $15, and for four days, four of our pieces would rotate through the website’s “carousel.” (Check out craftcult to see what I mean. It’s right at the top.) We were worried, of course (never having advertised online before), that we could get nothing from the ad. Our jewelry pieces tend to only cost $15 at average. So if we sold once piece due to the ad, we would only be paying off the price of the ad (in fact, we wouldn’t even be paying off that since Etsy.com takes a percentage of the $ from your sale). So…we were worried.

Our Pride and Prejudice Journal we advertised on Craftcult

And we haven’t made a sale from the advertisement.

But we might. And that’s the key. We got many more hearts for each of the items we advertised. Hearts means that an individual “favorited” our item so that they may look at it later. I always heart something before I buy it.

The Pretty Little Rosebud Hair Clip, also advertised

All in all? Go for it, if you’re considering purchasing an advertisement spot. Just think about what the benefits might be of the advertisement (even if they may not be explicit or apparent). Plus, it couldn’t hurt now that the Christmas season is almost upon us!

Happy advertising,
Angie