Update on Stacie Laurell

I've Started a new section in my shop for handmade children's puzzles. I know i mainly sell jewelry but I dont want to limit myself  to just one category. Hopefully it will sell well. www.Etsy.com/shop/Stacie Laurell 

Stacie Laurell Charm Bracelets

Like I've stated before I love charm bracelets. I have made a few more charm bracelets and posted them in my Store Stacy Laurell on Etsy.com I've also started selling supplies in my store. My store is coming along nicely i'm building inventory. I am so determined I've stayed up for HOURS!! at night making products. I am so determined to work for myself. I want to also add handmade children's puzzles in my store but i'm hesitant because puzzles has nothing to do with jewelry. Maybe I should have labeled my shop and a gift and supplies shop.  Some people on Etsy have opened up a second store but I don't want to run two stores right now. Hopefully I can add Children's puzzles and greeting cards as I hope. Still unsure though. Well take a look at some of my recent charm bracelets

To view more of my handmade charm bracelets and other products visit www.etsy.com/shop/stacielaurell

Charming Charm Bracelets

I Love charm bracelets! and not just one particular type of charm bracelets like the popular Pandora charms but all charm bracelets including the traditional kind.  Charm bracelets tell a story and has lots of character. This week I will be featuring many different charm bracelets made by different shops on Etsy. Hope you enjoy looking at them as I do and maybe you'll be compelled to buy one or two :)


This first bracelet is from a shop on Etsy Called Shiny Metals.

3 discs Hand Stamped Jewelry Large Light Blue Eyed Lady Family Charm Bracelet With Style Sterling Silver Personalized Bracelet

Description : Large Light Blue Eyed Lady Family Charm Bracelet Hand stamped With Style Hand Stamped Sterling Silver Personalized Bracelet

this is a 3 piece Disc. Sterling Silver, different sizes, shapes, shiny, Hammered, Cupped
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A wonderful gift for Mom or Anybody that you love. Can be worn with anything. Very Charming!

To purchase this bracelet or to view others like it visit Shiny Metals at 
http://www.etsy.com/listing/72419763/3-discs-hand-stamped-jewelry-large-light?ref=sc_7&sref=from_your_favorite_listings

Stacie Laurell in Progress

Hi,
it's been a while since i've wrote on this blog. I am very much worn out and tired by my demanding nanny Job. I'm determined to quit and go ahead with my Etsy Store fulltime but it is a scary thought to leave a steady paycheck (no benefits whatsoeva!) and put everything into my dream and vision.  You know what gives me hope though. People like Chef Roble. I LOVE to watch Chef Roble on Bravo! Its about a young guy who quit his job and blew through his entire savings to start his own Catering business. What GUTS!! huh? I just love to watch it. Its so inspiring to me. To see him hustle and bustle just to make his business a success is awesome. It shows me that anything good or even great takes hard work and sometimes sleepless nights.  Chef Roble even gets to cater celebrity parties! You should watch it. I was surprised to hear Wendy Williams say how much she loves the show as well.  Well not that surprised because it is entertaining. Most times when we see successful people we only see the finished product and not really what they had to do to get there so when you get to see it i'm telling you it's an encouraging and inspiring feeling.
Anyways, Because i work fulltime its so hard to stock inventory in my store as often as I would like. I have been making more peices though.. check a few of them out...

I Love these rings. Its a wonderful feeling knowing that someone across the world are wearing my handmade jewelry! I've had great responses so far. This should be enough for me to just take the plunge, but I am very afraid. On the other hand, I think about where i am in life and how life is too short. I need to just do it! Go for it! I never thought of myself to be like someone like Chef Roble. Sometimes i feel that some people are just blessed with Good luck. I've always pictured myself as being successful one day but i also thought that kind of  luck and fortune was reserved for someone else and not me. I'm starting to see though that many people who are successful are the ones like Chef Roble who work hard and Jump without a "safety net" so to speak. I once read somewhere that you should "jump and the Net will appear". I can only pray that much is true.
Well, I've had a stressful day today and as much as i wanted my blog to be a "professional- like magazine kinda blog" I needed a place to vent. Here are some more pics of what i've  been working on lately.

visit my store athttp://www.etsy.com/shop/STACIELAURELL?ref=si_shop

High Fashion Jewelry

Who doesn't love a great piece of jewelry. Rings, bracelets, necklaces i love them all. Jewelry can definitely add spark and flare to a dull top our outfit. Not only does Jewelry make you look good and feel good, It also makes for a great gift. You could never go wrong with jewelry, well, most of the time.  I once saw an episode of the Wendy Williams show and a young woman said she hates the "turtle necklace her boyfriend gave her. He probably would have been better off getting her something with a diamond or ruby or some type of precious stone.
Like i said i love necklaces and I'm always searching for new and unique jewelry. My favorite site is Etsy. Check out this Ruby Necklace I found recently....

Ruby Necklace Lariat Gold Jewelry

Incredibly beautiful Burma ruby gemstones are paired with gold in this simple, elegant lariat. This necklace features two stunning hot pink Burma rubies that are 8mm in length. Complementing the stones is delicate gold-filled chain. There is no clasp; you simply wrap the lariat around your neck, cross in front, and loop one end over the other. It is minimalist in design, lightweight and very, very sparkly!


Ruby is the birthstone for July

To view this necklace and others like this one you can visit Liv Jewellery @ http://www.etsy.com/shop/livjewellery?ref=seller_info

Want To be an Entrepreneur

Do you want to work for yourself? are you sick of your 9 to 5 Job? or have you lost your job and are now wondering what do I do? Well many people are considering starting their own business due to the hardship of the economy and many are considering a change in career and starting their own business because they're just simply tired of working for other people.

Can a Person quit their job and be a successful business owner?  I believe that you can. Lately I've been talking to my family about starting my own business online. Although I expected a "yay" go for it you can do it" I got the ole " you can find yourself a nice nanny Job". Now let me inform you that i come from a Caribbean family and in the Caribbean the older generations are not really concerned about owning your own business or having a "career". They are more concerned with having a "Job". And these older Caribbean generations will most likely discourage you from starting a business and encourage you to "get a Job". Well having a "Job" is not good enough for me and neither should it be for you. I don't know about you but as for me. I was never encouraged to be an Entrepreneur and whenever I mention it to my family, it's immediately shut down.  This response makes me not want to pursue my dream and causes me to be very discouraged. 

Although I don't have a solid support system I do intent to carry out my plans to be an entrepreneur.  

Here are some tips for anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur.

Have a vision

Know what it is you want to do. Check out the market, how much profit is involved, marketing, start up cost etc.  You can be  an entrepreneur but you must aim to also be a smart one.

Encourage yourself

The people who have made it as successful entrepreneurs are those who had little to no support system. Don't rely on someone else to give you a confidence boost about your entrepreneurship. Be your own cheerleader and believe in your dream or vision. Besides, if you don't believe in you, then no one else will. 

Put in the work

Being an Entrepreneur doesn't mean free time to lay back watch TV and then wait for the money to roll in. You Must Put In The Work! there's a saying that says "you work 40 for someone else and 80 for yourself". Meaning if you are tire of working for other people and you want your own, then you need to put in the time and work.

Should I Quit My Job to start my own business?

Yes. and No. I say that to say it all depends.  if you're single with no children and have nothing to lose then maybe you can afford to do so.   But if you have mouths to feed you may want to save up money first before you quit. If you have some money and a plan in place I say go for it. There has also been people who started their own business with a dream and little to no money to start and proved to be very successful. You only have one life and to me, my happiness is more important than money. I plan on leaving my Job soon to dedicate my time to my business. Do I find it to be scary? of course!! 100 percent. But I've read about others who have done it and said that although it was very frightening they were grateful that they did it and would never look back.  Live Life with no regrets and sometimes you have to take risks. Besides, you never know what this could mean for you and your future.  

HOW TO MAKE SALES ON ETSY

Are you on Etsy? Did you open up a shop weeks even months ago and found you've not even made one sale? Well you're not alone. According the Handmadeology.com  there are 290877 sellers on Etsy. IF you've ever browsed around through Etsy you'll notice there are countless items on the site. Everyone is trying to sell their handmade Goods. Unfortunately many people believe they can throw an item on Etsy and immediately make a sale. Though that is rare it's also rarely the case. In teams and Forums many people ask the question how do i increase sales or make a sale on Etsy. Well i'm not an expert but i think I've figured out through my own experiment How to make a sale and also how to get your name out there. Here are a few Tips you can try.


 Create a Simple yet Catchy Name

There are so many stores on Etsy who has beautiful Items but confusing and weird names. Make you name memorable. Don't just rely people favoring  your item to find your store again. You want a name someone can remember so they can return to your store. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a beautiful necklace and couldnt remember who's store I saw it in. A catchy yet simple name is important.

Create a "presence" on Etsy

Join teams and Forums and introduce yourself. Don't advertise anything though you don't want to come across as an annoying salesman.  Just read what other people have written and comment if you have any comments or share the same concerns. You will Learn A LOT in just reading one forum and you will want to read more. I know that usually whenever I read what other people wrote I get curious as to what they're selling and click on their name to see their stores. I'm sure other people will do the same to you.

Join as many Circles as Possible

You need to be in as many circles as possible. Remember you want to get your name out, you want people to know who you are.  I recommend you find the stores that are already popular and have high sales. Then click on their circles and add as many people to your circle as possible. You should do this at least every day.

Favorite as many items as Possible

Make sure to favorite other people's items. But don't just go around favoring every item.  actually favorite items that you really like. That way you can go back and find them if you wish to purchase anything and people will do the same to you.  

Have over 100 items

This tip is the last one because it's the most important. Etsy is associated with Google. You must view your store as a real business. If you just want to sell a few items here and there for a few change then maybe you should consider selling on Ebay.  As stated before Etsy is associated with Google. The more items you have the more you will be indexed on Google. You shouldn't be so concerned with people on Etsy buying your items than being indexed on Google. You want your products to be searchable on Google and that's how you will get more views and more sales. I've not made it to 100 items yet but i notice that the more variety of items I have and upload the more I make a sale.

Hope these tips were helpful!