A majority of women who take up beading as a hobby end up selling their work - at home parties, craft fairs, fine galleries, or on eBay. "The Complete Guide to Marketing and Selling Handmade Jewelry" provides the practical advice and encouragement to do it right and do it with flair. It includes various steps, such as the first step: Match your design style and time commitment with the most appropriate target market; the second step: Learn the nitty-gritty of setting up a home-based business; the third step: Develop a distinctive "look" for brochures, ads, hang tags, show signage; and, last but not least: Master the fine art of pricing for a profit. The reader will revel in the success stories of women who have made it work. Self-assessment tests will help the reader visualize the business of her dream. Case studies of successful home-based jewelry businesses will inspire and empower. One-stop advice and resources for everything from how to get a business license to how to come out with a fair profit at the end of the day will save hours of research and trial-and-error.

About the Author

Viki Lareau has been in the jewelry making business for more than 20 years. She majored in fashion marketing, and worked in jewelry sales at Nordstrom for several years. She left Nordstrom to help expand a chain of bead stores across the U.S. and Canada. It was there she met and married Mark Lareau. Shortly after, they opened their own bead store, The Bead Factory, in Tacoma, Washington. Both Viki and Mark teach nationally and also are founders and directors of the Puget Sound Bead Festival, now in its tenth year.

Reviews

"Optimistic, but also straightforward, helpful, and honest." -- "BellaOnline.com Guide to Jewelry Making"

"Pricing is always a problem for crafters and here Lareau's formula comes to the rescue." -- "MonstersandCritics.com"

"You will find so much information that you may want to consider frequent breaks just to soak it all in." -- "Mat-Su Valley Bead Society newsletter"

"If you're serious about starting a jewelry-making business, then the place to start is with [this book]." -- "Detroit News Crafts Blog"

"The wealth of useful tips and tricks contained within the pages of the book come to life in stories about women who have been successful at starting and running their jewelry businesses...The perfect reference guide for any potential jewelry entrepreneur." -- "BeadUnique"

"This book is a compilation of Viki's knowledge, wisdom, and experience...an essential business guide for creative jewelry artists." -- "The Bead Bugle.com"