New-found skills from web accessibility training When you had your website built, did you think about making it accessible? I didn’t. Other than alt text, I not only didn’t know about web accessibility, I didn’t even know enough to ask questions. Once I realized how little I knew, I also realized that I would need help. After all, big companies have entire teams to manage this for them (ideally), I was just a solo person trying to figure it all out. Which is why I needed a course to teach me more, to round out my skills. What I learned from taking a web accessibility course One thing that I ..read more

Shore up your marketing plans for 2023 and beyond! Why add one more system to your plate this year? Because shoring up our businesses is what we do as entrepreneurs. You make beautiful jewelry, you want to sell more while having a sure footing in your marketing strategy, but you’ve struggled in the past to understand how an email marketing plan can help you. Or maybe the idea of starting one is overwhelming. That’s why I created this eCourse - Solid Gold Email Marketing. In this course you’ll: Gain confidence in testing your ideas and strategies. Get better at narrowing your list to ensure ..read more

Why is it a struggle to share testimonials? Here’s one fun fact about me: I am actually very good about asking for feedback.  I have it set up in all of my workflows post-workshops, or when offboarding a client. I even had it set up automatically when I used to do custom work. In all cases, I got really good at sending my customers a follow-up survey.  I automated all of this so that I would always ask for the feedback. But sharing said testimonials and positive reviews? Ooof - like nails on a chalkboard to me. Much discomfort. I feel the discomfort that stems from thinking ..read more

Is Ethical Marketing Possible? In short, yes, but it takes commitment and a willingness to change. Last month, I joined Ethical Move, a community of consultants, writers, marketers and more - folks who are committed to learning new ways of doing business and unlearning old behaviors. Going against the grain of an industry that does not currently have a commitment to ethics, (outside of a patchwork of global laws) means that many of us have had to carve out our own guidelines and listen to our own moral compass. That’s why I joined with a community of like-minded people. Shedding old behaviors ..read more

To get more tips about running a jewelry business, ethical jewelry news and jewelry-making skills, sign up for the list. When to use a Hammer Hand Piece And when not to use it Sometimes I survey my newsletter list to see what they want to learn. Not too long ago, one reader asked if I would make a Tool Talk about the hammer hand piece. I was more than happy to oblige because this is a fabulous tool. A hammer hand piece is one of those tools that I don’t need to use every day, or even once a week, but when I need it, this tool is indispensable. What does it do? This tool puts a tiny hammer in y ..read more

Small business owners are resilient by nature. Adaptability is our middle name.  We adapt a lot.  Think about the past two and a half years: You have to close, now you can open, you can open, but we don't have extra funding to help you do it safely.  We have money for you but we don't have people to help you figure out how to access it. Now that money is gone and you have to figure out on your own how to pay it back. You are now responsible for your customers safety, but still you won't have guidance or support, you just have to do it but that's OK because you're resilient, righ ..read more

This post originally appeared as a newsletter to my list on August 2nd, 2022 To get more tips about running a jewelry business, ethical jewelry news and jewelry-making skills, sign up for the list. The top line of your business gets all the attention It’s the ego line, the flashy number, the happy side of running a business. It’s the number we all love to hear about after a craft fair or trade show. We have good feelings about that top line. It tells us we are worth something, that there is proof of concept in our jewelry designs. How about that bottom line? That one gets the shaft. It’s the l ..read more

On the Search for Plastic-Free Jewelry Packaging As a member of the jewelry industry I reserve the right to critique it and be annoyed by it even when I’m participating in it. That annoyance drives me to seek out more ethical and sustainable solutions to all of our issues. And there are a few things more frustrating AND easily fixable than the unsustainable use of plastics. It’s why I started the hashtag #WatchingMyWasteLine - to demonstrate how much plastic invades all of the corners of the industry. And also to publicly pressure my jewelry suppliers into changing their packaging methods (loo ..read more

The Kimberley Process is broken When a Summer of 2021 meeting of the Kimberley Process (KP) turned contentious, I found hope. This is not an attempt to "find a silver lining" in a terrible situation. I was nowhere near this meeting, have no relationships to this group and only needle them online on occasion. But this time, for once, I saw more and more people gathering online to acknowledge what was happening in front of our eyes. And that what is happening is a direct resistance to accountability or oversight. The KP resists oversight at every turn and in the process, they shoot themselves a ..read more

The Kimberley Process is broken When a Summer of 2021 meeting of the Kimberley Process (KP) turned contentious, I found hope. This is not an attempt to "find a silver lining" in a terrible situation. I was nowhere near this meeting, have no relationships to this group and only needle them online on occasion. But this time, for once, I saw more and more people gathering online to acknowledge what was happening in front of our eyes. And that what is happening is a direct resistance to accountability or oversight. The KP resists oversight at every turn and in the process, they shoot themselves a ..read more