Contain Yourself!

On most days my tiny studio is filled with 2 big black pups, a busy one year old daughter, all of her toys, a computer, an iphone, a land line, a camera, lights, hand tools, big tools, magazine clippings, invoices, files and the list goes on.... When my husband walks in he literally has to search to locate our daughter in the rubble.  I try to be organized but I have a team of factors working against me and Miss Mia is leading the charge!  It is hard to imagine a work day where my business cards are not dumped from their container and sprawled all over the floor.  Its pretty amazing if she doesn't locate the ribbon bin and drape herself in spools upon spools of of ribbon. And its even more amazing if my relatively young pups don't shred her toys to pieces causing an all out riot.

BUT when it comes to the jewels I am all about organization!  I love containers, boxes, and bright colors!  My stones are always organized by type, size, and color. And my finished inventory is sorted by collection.  Keeping the stones organized helps me to stay focus and excited about creating jewelry on a daily basis. Plus it saves time and money to know what I have and where it is.


















This months goal is to be as excited about the paperwork as I am about the product. I figure if I spend a month faking it maybe it will become a habit....Fake it till you make it!

ps- on the goal setting front-I am doing okay...2 great stores have bought into the complete collection! Their custom case set up are being made as I type and their beautiful orders have already been delivered. I am excited for several fall and holiday events over the next few months and particularly excited to continue placing my collection in some of the most respected stores in the country!  

My Elevator Pitch

Yesterday I attended a BNI meeting with a friend who invited me to join.  I had no idea what to expect.  I have never attended that sort of an event.  Half way through the meeting I had to stand up and give my 30 second commercial.  A couple of weeks ago I talked about forming my elevator pitch as one of my goals.  I had no idea that after weeks of procrastinating I would be forced to come up with it in about 5 minutes.   As I listened to members go around the room I got more and more nervous. What was I going to say that would define what I do and who I need a referral from?  I stood up (still had no idea what I was going to say) and it just came out.... "I am Samantha Larkins representing Samantha Louise Jewelry.  I design, create, and sell jewelry to individuals and stores nationwide.... Currently I am launching a line of bridesmaid jewelry.  This week my perfect referral would be brides interested in giving a unique gift to their attendants or bridal stores interested in adding a jewelry line to their dress colleciton."  If you have ever seen the movie Old School I felt a little bit like Will Ferrel during the competition for their fraternity house.  It was like I blacked out and it just came out.  It may not have been perfect, but it was way better than I hoped for.  It made me realize that its not as scary as I make it out to be.  After the meeting I got two referrals! It is amazing how putting yourself out there can actually pan out.  In general people want you to succeed and they are excited if you are excited.  There are so many aspects of running a small business that I never imagined would be part of my daily routine.  Networking is an important one. Surrounding myself with other businesses that want to see me succeed and are willing to point me in the right direction is a new concept for me. It is a powerful tool that I can wait to use.

Something New

I am always looking for new ways to enhance my designs...different techniques, fun packaging ideas or new creative designers that could provide some inspiration.  Recently I have been trying out resin jewelry.  Its a fun medium because it has endless potential---Check out Alexis Bittar.  He has turned resin into a high fashion must have by making it more than just a crafters medium.  A couple of weeks ago I thought I would play with it a little to see what I couldn't come up with.  I got all the materials and read some articles about creating resin jewelry.  Turns out resin and I just don't go together.  I have made 5 or 6 batches and somehow I have screwed up every batch.  For someone who prides herself on creativity, this has been incredibly discouraging!  I over mix, over heat, mis-measure, insert photos too early, or too late, and worst of all, I am impatient. Regardless of whether or not my resin endeavors have succeeded it has been really fun to learn something new.  It has offered me inspiration and affirmation in my own abilities and techniques.  Sometimes I try things that work and are great additions to my tool box and other times my experiments end a bit like resin...sticky and messy.  Either way, I love to try them.  Do you have any ideas, designs that you have seen, or techniques that you always wondered about? Send them to me...I'll try it and blog about it to let you know how its going! If you have happened upon this blog by accident check Samantha Louise Jewelry out on Facebook or online at www.samanthalouisedesign.com and let me know what you think about my work!

ps- A little update on my goal setting....I have done some research and picked out a few stores. I also am trying to get my line sheets together.  My good friends at Oster Jewelers in Cherry Creek have agreed to take a look at my most recent stuff...I hope they like it!

Sales and Goals

I am queen of goal setting...the only problem is I struggle with follow through.  This week I am going to set a goal and I am hoping by writing it down I will be forced to follow through and track how I am doing.

I have a really great store in Texas who sells through my line and reorders often.  They love my work, give me constructive feedback, and are always looking for new designs.

The Goal: Three high-end stores just like them who carry Samantha Louise Jewelry.
The Question: How am I going to do it?

Step one: Store Research. What stores would be the best venue for my work?  What other designers do they carry? price points, location, etc?

Step two: Line Sheets.  Make sure my line sheets, photos of work, and pricing are all up to date. Create a PDF version of my line sheets that I can email to stores.

Step three: Elevator Pitch.  What is my competitive advantage? Write an elevator pitch for an email, a phone conversation and in person encounters.


Step four: Be Confident in my work!  Make a plan to get in touch with stores and follow through with it.  Get them by email or phone, and drop into to set up appointments with local venues.  Try other means of connecting with those stores---social media like facebook, industry events, or networking events.

Step five: Connect.  Stay committed to connecting with those stores regularly. Even if they are not interested now they may be in the future. Plus once you sell a store it is much easier to keep a customer than to sell a new one.